12K Btu 120V Mini Splits

[luvrbus]

I think Mitsubishi makes an inverter mini split that uses real low power because the inverter handles a lot of it.

Most if not all the mini split have the inverter compressors I have seen ,my 15,000 BTU Colemans draw 11 to 12 amps when the temps are in the 90's and go to 15 amps when 105F and above fwiw all AC amp draw testing is based on 85F degrees.The ductless split units are ok if want to give up the space,and they struggle in the AZ heat like all AC units so we don't see many here   

[Dave5Cs]

Nope in looking them up for our trailer they don't all have them. Only about 1/2 of what we found had them and some you have to have charged where as others like Mr. Cool come with the charge already in it that you release when hooked up.

[ccbmster]

I just finished looking at at least 30-40 of mini-splits before making a purchase (got the new one running late yesterday afternoon and it appears to have been a great choice).  Most, not all, have inverter technology. The vast majority come pre-charged (very nearly all), but fewer come with pre-charged lines.  If the lines are not pre-charged, you do have to vacuum the lines prior to releasing the refrigerant from the condenser....but you do not have to add refrigerant.
I have never installed one with pre-charged lines, and I don't think I would want to.  With pre-charged lines I don't see any way for you to make sure you have no leaks prior to pressurizing the system with refrigerant.  I prefer to vacuum the lines and then wait to see if the vacuum holds or if their is a leak.  Then release a pound or two of refrigerant, close the valve, and again wait to see if the pressure holds before releasing the rest of the refrigerant.
I am not a HVAC guy and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.....but those are my thoughts   

[luvrbus]

I have only been around a few brands,I have read the little gotta you on the warranties on 1 at Costco.I saw a bus in Uath that had a split mounted above the engine doors it was not a nice install the old Detroit added it's personal touch it was nasty.My Colemans are quite and 45,000 btu's they do a good job and you don't see them on the roof.

The party that bought my MCI removed the 5 Penguins from the roof and is installing mini's 1 24,000 btu and 2-12,000 btu units with a large Ion battery bank,it has 8000w of inverter power so he should be able to run the splits from the inverter while driving       

[ccbmster]

My bus has never been to Utah, but I have one mounted above the engine doors.  Good install??  I guess that is open to interpretation by the individual.  It does have the DD personalized touch between washings, but 3 years  now and it has never failed me....well other than not being able to keep the front cold when the temp gets in the 90's due to my layout not allowing me to push enough air to the front.
Just finished the rough install of a second unit in the bay that had the OTR AC in it yesterday.  Now I can freeze myself out of any room in the bus no matter the outside temp.

[luvrbus]

My bus has never been to Utah, but I have one mounted above the engine doors.  Good install??  I guess that is open to interpretation by the individual.  It does have the DD personalized touch between washings, but 3 years  now and it has never failed me....well other than not being able to keep the front cold when the temp gets in the 90's due to my layout not allowing me to push enough air to the front.
Just finished the rough install of a second unit in the bay that had the OTR AC in it yesterday.  Now I can freeze myself out of any room in the bus no matter the outside temp.

I saw the bus at a  Pump and Park travel center in Nephi Utah on Friday,FWIW if you travel in Utah the Pump and Park offers free dumping,water and a safe place to park overnight and no purchase is required the fuel was $2,09 a gal so I did fill up the tank nice with RV pumps 

[windtrader]

I just finished looking at at least 30-40 of mini-splits before making a purchase (got the new one running late yesterday afternoon and it appears to have been a great choice).

My kind of dude, research is king. So, what were the key decision criteria you used to evaluate the mini-splits? Performance, SEER rating, durability, brand/quality, warranty, mfg support, cost, etc.?
I do research but if I get a few free bones, I'll surely take them. As soon as I can I'd like to swap the front rooftop out for a mini-split and mount the fan unit onto the metal destination sign cover. Should offer nice coverage, mount vertically, uncomplicated installation, and tuck up fairly out of the way.


My key criteria are likely high efficiency, solid cooling performance, quiet, solid and easily accessible manufacture support.

[jap42]

Just a reminder, you will not get any warranty or support from any manufacturer if you install in a bus.

You can go high quality and hope it holds up because its better quality, or go cheap and hope they last long enough to be cost effect to replace every so often. All of the 110V units use the same compressor, there are not a lot of compressor options out there. They are cheap, I figure once mine goes I will add some valves and flare fittings so I can swap it quick. Same if I build my own system.

[Jim Blackwood]

They are almost cheap enough to buy the mini-split just for the compressor and the controls. Something I will be looking into before long. If 115v mini-splits are available in 18K and 24K btu a couple of those added to the OTR system could work out well.

Jim

[ccbmster]

I have 3/4" plywood in each side of the whole in the floor that the fan was over, then some vibration dampening material on top of those two pieces of plywood, and they the 3'4" plywood the outside unit is fastened to.
I put a furnace filter over the hole in the floor and there is enough clearance to slide it out and replace it when I need to.
On the right hand side as you are looking at the outside unit, there is a heating duct that goes up into the living room and that is where I ran the line set up.
Finished it off with a cork board around it.  Still thinking about if I can come up with a way to dress the line set cover up a bit.