mini split cassette heating 2 rooms


  #1  
Old 08-10-22, 05:01 AM
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mini split cassette heating 2 rooms

15x21 living room north side of house. never any sun
15x 18 dining room is joined to the living room by a 6 ft archway. only summer sun in dining room is morning from about 9 to 11.

contractor proposes 12K cassette unit be place in the DR and have it about 3 ft from the arch so the air can blow directly into the LR. this makes sense to me. due to how it will be run, easy of installation is in the DR instead of the LR. admittedly the LR gets 99% more usage than the DR. but i do believe with that big opening id be ok. what do you think?

also adding to the equation. the kitchen is attached to the DR (totally opposite the LR) by a standard 30 inch door. however currently when i have the LR and kitchen window units on, the kitchen. DR and LR all do get cool. matter of fact the LR AC is so noisy right at my head, ive been keeping the kitchen AC on full all day and using a fan to blow into the LR and except for the 95 degree days ive been comfy in the LR without the LR unit on. so this leads me to believe the 12K cassette in the DR and the 9K cassette in the kitchen will be fine and the LR indeed will be cool..

i do believe the cool air even reaches the other side of the house. my bathroom on the hottest day never is above upper 70s. only when i go away and turn all off does everything shoot up to 82! came back sunday dto that. whew.
 
  #2  
Old 08-10-22, 06:24 AM
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Have the contractor include specific room(s) temperatures in the contract to be obtained by the new unit . If he won't get a new contractor
 
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Old 08-10-22, 08:40 AM
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I just had a mini split system installed and I have a similar setup to your house, only slightly smaller. LR 15x15, DR 15x12, Kitchen 15x9, LR and DR separated by arch and a doorway between the DR and Kitchen, but no door. I got a 9000 in the LR and a 7000 in the kitchen, and it gets quite cold in here, even during that hot heat wave. So I imagine your 12,000 and 9,000 will do quite well.
 
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Old 08-10-22, 09:32 AM
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thanks for the 1st hand experience. he did say not much air would flow through my standard kitchen door but since it was such a wide open arch between LR and DR that it def would cool it off. when i questioned him more on airflow he said it will suck up the warm air from the LR but did admit the DR could be a degree cooler than the LR. but 100% certain i could get the LR down to the temp i wanted. he said he has airflow diagrams from fujitsu that show him the air currents depending on how the vents are directed. and he would def block the vent facing the kitchen so LR gets more air

my overriding comfort on this is knowing my 12K existing LR unit does cool the LR and DR and that air is pointed nowhere near the DR. so if he can really direct the airflow from the ceiling cassette into the LR, then i should be golden since i'm using the same 12K just from above. heck maybe it really will be even better but it should for the pricing.

he only bumped the kitchen to 9K because i get full summer sun for hours there, otherwise i think he would do 7K . plus i guess if i dont need the 9K, it will kick down to use less juice anyway which is a great feature.

so i have to ask. do you run them all constantly. i def dont see the need to keep the master bedroom cold after we get up and if it does cool quick id love to use the timer to just turn it on maybe 8pm every nite. the 2nd bedroom is a spare bedroom and the bathroom is sandwiched between the 2 bedrooms so i guess i need to run both bedroom unit all the time if i want a cool bathroom. will be lots of experimenting for sure

also what brand do you have? and for how long did you have it and hows the self maintenance. he said cassettes take less maintenance. because the blower has air going thru it vs wall units that dont.
 
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Old 08-10-22, 09:46 AM
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I only had them installed last week so haven't had to do any maintenance yet. Fujitsu brand.
I've ran them all constantly, so the upstairs hallway and bathroom are also cool. I have three bedrooms, a 7000 in each bedroom. I just leave them set a little higher (not as cold). The guy told me it's better and more economic to leave them all run all the time, rather than turn any off. I just need to ask him if they should be turned off when it's cool enough to just open windows. It was so hot last week, I didn't think to ask at the time.
 
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Old 08-10-22, 10:13 AM
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congrats!

did you get the new or old parts. or did you get any cassettes?

he told me he thinks he can only get new cassettes but can get older model of the wall units i need. i usually prefer older more tested tech but he said the new had so little change id be ok. he said new stuff came out in march.

do you have any wifi? he said the new units have customer installed interfaces (since he's pretty sure they are out of stock now) but old units need a service call to install wifi. im most interested in controlling the bedroom wall unit and DR cassette only for my specific wants.

also forgot to mention i'm all on one level so that probly helps with keeping things cooler more easily. im not even putting any unit in the spare room upstairs as i use it solely for storage. but its so much hotter up there.
 
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Old 08-10-22, 11:44 AM
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I guess they're the new ones. I have the first two listed, wall mounted, here: https://www.fujitsugeneral.com/us/pr...ti/indoor.html
and this compressor:
https://www.fujitsugeneral.com/us/pr...ou45rlxfz.html

I don't think it's wifi, but you can buy a device to make them wifi. Someone on here mentioned what they got, when I was asking about these systems awhile back. I'll check later and post back.
 
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Old 08-10-22, 01:14 PM
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Here is the product: https://www.cielowigle.com/
 
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Old 08-10-22, 05:58 PM
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oh wow so you can use 3rd party stuff to do internet. ill def have to read that site in detail because he was pretty sure internet wasnt easily available. is that something easily hooked up to the unit?
 
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Old 08-10-22, 06:08 PM
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I'm not really sure how it works. 2john02458 mentioned it and uses it. Perhaps he'll see this and respond. Sounds like something I will get at some point.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 06:47 AM
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Cielo controls work with a large number of AC units (not just mini-splits) that have a remote control. Check the website for a list of compatible units. The Cielo learns from the remote and then can be used independently via wi-fi and smartphone or tablet app (and Alexa.) In addition to regular thermostat-type operation, daily schedules and "Comfy" conditions (On or Off based on room temperature) can be set to occur automatically. Also works for the heating functions of heat-pump units.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 07:18 AM
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ah so the 'chip' or whatever they sell for 400 to make it internet compatible isnt really needed then?

its pretty much like universal remote for my tv where you had to aim new and old and have the new one learn. im most interested in changing temps during awake/sleep times but all the other stuff sounds great too.

at least now i wont worry if internet modules arent available for my install in 3 weeks. dont need them lol. but i guess if he can get them , and they do want i want, id get them. unsure now that i have this new info
so i take it these new controllers just need to be in range of the wall or ceiling units just like other remotes and they it works like magic?
 
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Old 08-11-22, 08:12 AM
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So I asked about leaving them on all the time. Yes, he said leave them run all the time. So if you wanted to open the windows on a nice day, just set the temps on the unit to a higher temp, and if they kick on when it warms up later, just close the windows. Good to know.

so i take it these new controllers just need to be in range of the wall or ceiling units just like other remotes and they it works like magic?
If you're talking about the Cielo product, it can probably be placed anywhere in your home, and then you control it thru your smartphone from anywhere. I imagine you would connect each unit, just like devices are connected to your wifi, and then you could control each unit separately.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 10:44 AM
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A bit late to the discussion, but I have a 12K wall-mount unit installed in the DR which is cooling the whole first floor. LR with an arch opening and the kitchen, and it works great. I was concerned about the LR not having its own unit, but it really isn't necessary.

One thing I really like about the mini-split units is they are variable. So it's not on/off like a traditional forced AC. It ramps up and down based on the cooling needs, which results in pretty consistent temperatures across the whole house.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 12:15 PM
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thats great news. i cant wait to fiddle with the settings i watched a few vids on cielo. seems like you just point the remote at the cielo and it registers. seems to be very programmable which i like. no sense cooling the bedroom down all day when you arent in there. i havent seen the contract yet so unsure if i'm getting new or older units but at least now i know i dont need to pay for the remote feature from the company wifi module. he did say no matter what the cassettes dont come with any remotes period. so i guess i have to buy a basic one then let cielo learn from it if i go that route.

my goal to all this research is whether or not to pay for their wifi board and apparently it's not really needed.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 12:37 PM
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cassettes dont come with any remotes
Oops, I overlooked that you are getting cassettes and not wall units. If they do not come with a remote, they also may not have the receiver components for remote operation.

​​​​​​​If you're talking about the Cielo product, it can probably be placed anywhere in your home,
Nope. Once the Cielo EcoBreez has learned from the remote, the EcoBreez needs to be within sight of the mini-split receiver section. It sends IR commands to the mini-split the same way a remote does. Those commands are initiated via wi-fi and the original remote is no longer needed. (I put mine in a drawer as a backup if wi-fi is down.) A separate EcoBreez is needed for each unit. (I don't know if two units in the same room that can both see the EcoBreez will accept commands simultaneously, but since the commands are IR it is possible.) In any case the EcoBreez is not very expensive and they have holiday sales and special price reductions regularly.

Check the Cielo compatibility list to see if your cassette models are listed. If they are and if you do not get a remote with them It may be possible to program the EcoBreeze directly by selecting manufacturer and model number rather than by learning. I have found the Cielo customer service to be pretty good at answering questions. Ask them.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 12:50 PM
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im getting 2 wall and 2 cassettes. no access above bedroom so cannot do cassettes in bedrooms or i would. at least the DR and LR are getting the fancy cassettes where they will be noticed.

i never thought of the receiver thing. i texted my guy and said i'm interested in cielo and will see what he says. also in one PDF of the fujitsu. they listed cielo so it must be 'officially' somewhat supported/known. plan was just internet for DR and master bedroom, nothing else. so i'm happy if i can hook them up. but in theory i could put a control unit in direct line of sight for DR and kitchen but i dont know if i need/want that/them working simultaneously

i cant wait till he writes up the contract so i can see what models i'm getting so i can research more. was hoping today. but guess not. its late. maybe tomorrow
 
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Old 08-11-22, 01:37 PM
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A separate EcoBreez is needed for each unit
I didn't realize that, but makes sense since each unit is separate. Can get kind of pricey if you have a lot of units. It would be nice if they made one that you could connect all the units to, like a router.
 
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Old 08-11-22, 02:18 PM
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s separate. Can get kind of pricey if you have a lot of units.
True, but you may not need one for simple applications like pre-cooling a bedroom. The remote that came with my Mitsubishi can schedule daily repeating on and off times. The remote must be visible to the unit.
 
  #20  
Old 08-12-22, 12:29 PM
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Lots of interesting updates today. Last night I was determined to find a way to be able to put a cassette in my bedroom but because of no access above it easily I thought it would not work. I texted the installer and asked him if he had any brainstorms and he said if we could cut a hole in your closet in there we could have access to the attic much more easily. The bedroom up there was added on by the previous owner. Also I don't know if I mentioned this before but he said the fact that I have 2x10s on my attic floor is rare and means the house is well built so I hope that's right because that enables him to hide the cassette pretty well it only have a few inches sticking out of the floor. But while I was looking and the bedroom closet up there I noticed behind all of my crap that they're apparently was another board and nailed up to the wall so they're probably is access panel there. I said I have to spend the weekend going somewhere else but I will take it apart and see if I can access that easily.

He said send him pictures and it would make it easier if he could put a cassette up there because I didn't know this but you need a 50 ft minimum run with the freon line and he was going to have to snake it around outside or something. I had not heard of this before. He also confirmed with a co-worker of his at another office that the remote control for the wall unit works with the cassette unit and the cassette unit comes with a receiver from the factory. So I want one remote for the bedroom side of the house and one for the living side of the house and I said that is sufficient.

I told him about the third party unit that I was looking at and he hadn't heard of it but he did talk to somebody about it relative to a wall unit and he says every time there's a command sent from it that it beeps and it annoys people and I said I actually read that as well. But he's not sure about how it would work with the cassettes but honestly I will just try it and deal with it. Also the factory remotes are line of sight so I just have to make sure that I'm not in the dining room pointing towards the kitchen otherwise it might access both cassettes at once. But everything is looking good towards now I can get three cassettes and for the spare bedroom would just have a wall unit. I much prefer the cassette in the master bedroom it will look so much better. He also said everything should be readily available in stock so we can start the week of the 29th so I am very happy. The only problem I have is when I take out the one air conditioner in the kitchen I don't know how to fill in the wall and that's exactly where the condenser is going to be right in front of the existing air conditioner in my kitchen which is literally outside my back door to my house. I have a call into a Mason to see if he can promise Stone it but Perma stone is a lost art I am sure

He also admitted the factory app isnt that great, inferring 3rd party one will be better. and if can be used as a thermostat that may help
 
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Old 08-17-22, 07:14 AM
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every time there's a command sent from it that it beeps and it annoys people
The Cielo Eco-Breez does not beep. The beeping is the mini-split unit confirming that the command is received. (It does that with the remote, too.) I have investigated and as far as I can tell it cannot be turned off.

I found the beeping from my bedroom unit annoying when I had Comfy settings or a schedule set to occur during the night. Now I just let the unit run all night and rely on the temperature setting to minimize how much the compressor runs. My Alexa interface records every temperature change and I see that the room temperature stays within +/- 1 degree of the setting and only changes once or twice during the night. From that I conclude that the system is throttling back and not overcooling the room. The unit fan runs continuously at the lowest speed and is extremely quiet,
 
 

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