How to Find a Ductless Mini Split Installer?

“Many of the contractors that install mini split air conditioners will be able to do both the electrical and HVAC portions.”

So you have made the decision to purchase a mini split air conditioner, and now it is time to figure out how to install the equipment. There is some basic information that you will need to know before you flop open the five pounds of yellow pages. First thing you should do is have a good idea of where you want to mount the evaporator or indoor portion of the ductless mini split.

Wall mounted air conditioners attach to a bracket about 10” below the ceiling. This high installation lets the air flow downward in the room. All the wiring and lines will run out the back of the unit so find a place that has enough room to hold the minimum dimensions of the evaporator.

Find a nice flat area near the exterior of the building to house the outdoor condenser.
A cement slab is ideal for a mini split air conditioner or purchase a plastic pad approximately 24” x 36” to place on a level surface.

Let’s keep it legal and make sure we pull the appropriate permits. Mini split air conditioners are hard wired into your fuse box, so you will need an Electrical Permit along with a HVAC Permit. Electrical permits on average are $40.00 and HVAC permits are approximately $75.00. Contact your local city hall for more information. Many times the installer you find will pull the permit for you, but to be safe I always pull them myself.

Time to make the call to find your friendly local contractor to do the dirty work. I no longer receive the yellow pages which is a shame because it worked as a great booster chair for my daughter! The best way I have found is to go online and search the yellow pages. I use www.yellowbook.com but there are many directories to choose from online.

Type in “Air Conditioner Contractors” into the Product / Service box and your city and state into the Location field. Most likely you won’t find anything that resembles the terms ductless air conditioner or wall mounted mini split air conditioner, but trust me 80% of all residential contractors have installed a mini split air conditioner.

I like to use the “mom and pop” companies because it seems I receive better pricing from smaller companies; Jay’s Heating and Cooling and such. If you have already picked out the brand and style of wall mounted air conditioner, you will have to supply the contractor with some basic information before they come to your home.

5 things to know before contacting a contractor:

1. Brand: They usually like to know the brand of the equipment but it doesn’t really matter because 99% of the equipment is installed the same way.
2. Size: Speak in btu. (British Thermal Units) to help them understand how large the unit will be. Example: 12,000 btu. or 1 ton.
3. Power Requirement: Does your unit require a 110 volt line or 220 volt line. Make sure to read the specifications beforehand or have them handy.
4. Type of Refrigerant: Does the unit use R22 or R410A refrigerant? They will need to know this to have extra refrigerant on hand when charging your system.
5. Length of the Run: Have a general idea of how far the indoor evaporator will be from the outdoor condenser. The farther away the two units are, the more expensive it will be to install, because of longer refrigerant line-sets and added refrigerant.

Many of the contractors that install mini split air conditioners will be able to do both the electrical and HVAC portions. Make sure to have a spot available for a dual pole circuit breaker in your electrical box. I ran into this problem when I was installing my own ductless air conditioner.

Check the breaker size in the specifications of your mini split air conditioner to find out the amp size needed to run the equipment. Most single mini split systems use a 15 or 20 amp circuit breaker. Make sure that the new air conditioner runs on its own circuit breaker.

I hope this information gets you on the right path to work with a qualified HVAC installer, and you can enjoy your ductless mini split system as much as I do. If you have any additions or comments feel free to share them in the Savings Forum.

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Mini Split Condensation Pumps

A mini split condensation pump is a small pump that is used to pump the condensation, or water, out of the reservoir of your indoor evaporators drain pan. The basic function of an air conditioner is to remove moisture, or humidity, from the air creating a cooler environment. As moisture is removed it is deposited in the evaporators drain pan at the bottom of the unit.

When a wall mounted mini split is installed properly, the drain pan can empty its contents out the back of the unit through a plastic drain line outdoors. Most mini split air conditioners have a ½” drain line. All condensate water will drain, with the assistance of gravity, outdoors or to an interior drain below the unit.

Most condensation pumps use a float switch to activate the pump when water reaches a designed level. Condensation pumps require either 110 volt or 220 volt electricity for operation. Make sure to purchase a pump that will operate with your existing power configuration.

Mini split condensation pumps are ideal to use when the evaporator is installed in a basement or area that is below the outdoor drain level. Condensation pumps can help drain water up to 30 feet above the pumps location.

Condensation pumps are self-priming, water-cooled and water lubricated.

All mini split condensation pumps have two components:

The Pump Body: This includes an electronic circuit board and the pump motor.

The Reservoir: This contains the switching mechanism to activate the pump and the filter. Make sure to occasionally check the filter to make sure that it is clean and the float switch is operational. Dirty filters can clog the float switch and water may overflow the drain pan. The reservoir must remain level to operate effectively.

Please check out the article ‘Condensation Pump Installation Styles” for more information on types of installation for condensation pumps. As always please feel free to leave comments on this article.

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Saving Money on Mini Split Installations

“If you have any technical ability and some extra time, you can complete most of the installation of the mini split air conditioner yourself.”

Air conditioning installations can be expensive, but there are a few things you can do to help save money. First, I would make sure you shop around for a brand of ductless mini split air conditioner that fits your budget. When shopping always contact the seller to make sure adequate technical support is available for the product being sold.

There are many different brands of mini split air conditioners. Make sure warranties are available for the air conditioner you purchase. Most warranties should be approximately five years on the compressor and one year for parts and labor. If you are purchasing a wall mounted mini split online make sure the seller uses trucking companies for delivery.

Companies like UPS, FedEx and DHL are well known for their destructive habits delivering heavy and awkward sized equipment. Truck-line companies deliver everything on pallets and you must be home at arrival to inspect the equipment. If you have a residential address shipping companies will require a lift gate to lower the pallet to the ground. Lift gate service is usually an additional fee approximately $30.00. Finding a commercial address will save you that additional expense.

It is always good to open the boxes at the time of delivery to make sure nothing is damaged. If products are damaged, the truck line will take responsibility for returns. If you wait three weeks to open your mini split boxes, they could have been damaged during shipment with no recourse.

If you have any technical ability and some extra time, you can complete most of the installation of the mini split air conditioner yourself. Many people choose to let the professional HVAC installer handle the whole job, but most of the mini split installation cost is labor intensive.

First thing I would do is to locate a place you would like to hang the indoor evaporator. The installation manual will be supplied with the equipment. Evaporators should be hung approximately 10” from the ceiling.

Next, I would remove all of the equipment from its packaging and check that everything was shipped properly and nothing is missing. There is nothing worse than having the installer show up and a main component is missing for the installation. More time, more money.

Follow the directions to properly mount the metal bracket that holds the indoor evaporator. You will need to drill a hole through the wall to fit the refrigerant line set, wiring and condensation tube. Usually, it will take a 3” hole, but check with the installation instructions. Make sure you are not drilling through a stud or other electrical wiring, or you may make a shocking discovery!

Find a hard flat surface outside to place the condenser. Try to keep the outdoor condenser near the position where you will install the indoor evaporator. The longer the distance between the two will add refrigerant, line set and wiring costs.

A concrete slab or plastic air conditioner pad is ideal for the condenser. Make sure the area is level and place the condenser on the chosen area. If you have the wiring and refrigerant line set you can run them through the wall.

Fill the hole you made for the line set and wiring with some socks or insulation until final charging takes place.

The outdoor condenser will need power so make sure an electrical disconnect is located next to the condenser.

At this point I would call your certified HVAC installer to come vacuum the line sets and charge your mini split air conditioner to the proper pressures.

When the HVAC installer finishes charging the system you can fill the 3” hole around the line set and wiring with silicone to prevent moisture within the wall.

By completing these few easy steps you can save yourself hundreds of dollars in basic labor costs. I hope this article can save you money on your mini split installation. Your comments and installation stories are always welcome.

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Easily Hide Your Mini Split Line Set

For years I have looked to find a product that can easily and cost effectively hide the refrigerant line sets of a wall mounted split system. I found a company that distributes the SlimDuct Line Set Ducting System. It seems like such an easy fix, but it has been very difficult to find products like these.

With all of the wiring, condensation tube and line sets coming through the exterior of the wall, the SlimDuct Ducting System seems the best way to maintain the ascetic appeal of your home. SlimDuct products encase the unsightly items for added UV resistance, fire resistance, abnormal weather and hungry living critters.

Standard colors include ivory, white and brown but I went all out and painted my line set covers the same color as my house. The basic pieces needed to finish off my mini split installation were a 78” length SlimDuct cover, a 90° wall inlet and a 90° end outlet. Not bad.

SlimDuct also offers 45° fittings, couplers for joining two or more of the 78” straight lengths and a variety of other pieces to get around windows and corners of your home.

There are three different dimensions of piping that can be ordered from SlimDuct.

1. SD-77: 3” x 2 ½”
2. SD-100: 4” x 2 ¾”
3. SD-140: 5 ½” x 3”

When I spoke to SlimDuct they told me that the SD-77 was sufficient for a standard mini split installation that uses a 3/8” x 5/8” line set, ¾” drain hose and 14 gauge wiring.

They were right. The SlimDuct components were easy to cut to size and now look great on the exterior of my home.

To purchase SlimDuct line set covers please visit our SlimDuct Sales Page at Clearance AC.

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