How to install Mr Cool Universal Heat Pump: air conditioning and heat solution

Heat pumps are awesome air conditioning solutions. But what about cold temperatures? We installed a Mr. Cool Universal heat pump to be our air conditioning and heating solution. Of course you would think Mr Cool air conditioning. But Mr Cool for heat? YES! Mr cool heat pump air conditioner all in one.
The Mr Cool Universal uses a quick connect no-vac line set combined with an inverter system to bring economy to your wallet as well as the installation! Inn this video we show how we installed this heat pump as an answer to how 20 year air conditioner woes.
The pre-charged line set takes away a lot of the installation head aches and expense making this heat pump an attractive solution for the consumer. Though the Mr Cool Universal is not sold as a DIY heat pump, it is nearly easy enough to be a DIY heat pump install.
Mr Cool has also documented how their Mr Cool Universal Heat Pump can heat when temperatures are below zero without using a supplemental heat strip!
#mrcool, #mrcooluniversal, #mrcoolinstall, #installheatpump, #heatpump, For more content be sure and check us out at housebarons.com/

[@Housebarons]

If you are wondering about performance details and costs we've experienced with a Mr Cool Universal heat pump, then be sure to check out our Mr Cool HVAC playlist. kzbin.info/aero/PLExVGissIl-GdKsUBhF3c0fQ6E_o6oOaZ We have tried to answer as many questions as we could imagine in the 17+ videos in this playlist - hopefully they help you! The price of the unit we bought is around $3800 ( as of June 2024) on Amazon : 2 to 3 Ton 18 SEER Variable Speed MrCool Universal Central Heat Pump Split System - Upflow/Horizontal with Quick Connect Lineset - 15 Feet amzn.to/3WE8SfI Thats our affiliate link. Thx in advance for your support if you use it - it's free for you to use and if you do, Amazon may send us a small commission. it helps keep our channel going! We do appreciate your help!

[@nukestrom5719]

Your trick on using 2x4s and sheet metal to create the air inlet is awesome.

[@Housebarons]

Hey nukestrom, Thx. It was also way cheaper to build rather than buy... Thx for watching!

[@WilliamDumoreGlobz]

I had an HVAC company quote me @ $16K for something that ultimately costed me $5.5K by easily doing it properly myself. Thanks Mr. Cool!! Take a hike unreasonable HVAC dude!

[@Housebarons]

Hi William, that is awesome! This is the exact message we are trying to spread with our channel. People are capable of doing tons of projects themselves and they can save a ton of money in the process. Look at you, 10 grand saved, amazing! Thanks for letting us know!

[@100PercentOS2]

Obviously you have installed these before so you know what you are doing. But installing one of these looks quite involved and I bet not just anyone could install one of these. I also notice that this job requires a lot of strength and you have a buddy helping you. The only downside to this is what you got the heat pump sitting on. You surely could have done better when it came to the base it sits on. But I'm impressed since I'm needing to replace my furnace and air condition. Thanks for the great video.

[@Housebarons]

Hey 100...., Thx for watching!

[@gabrielcc6105]

I am planning to buy same system. Can you share what filter system you installed for air handler?

[@hfeng1995]

Nice work. Has been thinking about installing Mr cool for a while. The propane price this year finally get me to seriously look into this. 4 dollars a gallon ☹️. A question here: why did you not to go with dual fuel? That will reuse the coil and give your the ability to use the gas when the outside is cold. Most importantly it will free some space for you. Or just go full electric route by disconnecting the gas. What you have left is mostly gas pipe connection fee now.

[@Mrkouman]

Nice, thank you. I was just told my condenser outside has a bad txv and it's $4,000 to replace. Even though I think I can do it myself I've been looking into this system for a while as far as efficiency and cost savings. And now not to mention a tax rebate.

[@Housebarons]

Hey ksv, Yes. It was an experiment when we installed ours. So far so good. Thx for watching!

[@watchman1982]

$4K to replace a TXV, that's ridiculous! It sounds like they are trying to scam you. Plus, to my knowledge the TXV is on the evaporator...not the condenser.

[@tc6580]

​@@watchman1982heat pump has 2 txv valves one on evap for ac and one on the condenser for heat.

[@DaBuick]

If you read the literature on this it can heat down to -27. Still a good idea to spend another 100$ for the heat strips in case the outside unit fails though.

[@cirogonzalez698]

I would like to see how you did the electrical part in the air handler! Good job!

[@Housebarons]

Hey ciro…, Coming soon! We just installed one today - the air handler. But next week we have plumbers coming in…. So … Maybe in 2 weeks we’ll get to the electric??? Thx for watching!

[@michaelcrenshaw5946]

With the air handler in the basement below the condenser unit, where are your oil-return bends in your lineset? I’m running my air handler in the crawlspace and the condenser is outside and mounted to the side of my house on a shelving bracket. My manual says to put in oil-return bends at both the handler and condenser unit with this setup. Are they just not necessary?

[@qrunsel8574]

Very nice video, I have the same unit that I installed myself, with help of a friend. Neither one of us are experts, but we both have some knowledge in HVAC. I have a question: Can you tell me why did you wire up the G-Terminal(green wire) on the outside unit? I didn't wire mine up, because somehow the instructions, seemed it not necessary. Thanks.

[@theyluvloki]

Green wires are usually the ground wire. Things will work without being grounded but being grounded is very important for safety, especially with a large drawing device.

[@sprockkets]

@@theyluvloki That's not ground. That's the wire to signal the fan is on for the inside unit. I also as an HVAC tech dont' know why the outdoor unit has one.

[@UltraHydrophobiccoat]

It’s a heat pump

[@r6u356une56ney]

Your discussion about how well this worked in the winter would be a lot more useful if you share what geographic region this was in. What would work in Arizona might not work as well in Wisconsin.

[@Housebarons]

We have quite a few videos on this - zone 5a/5b .

[@r6u356une56ney]

@@Housebarons so.. is that Wisconsin? Arizona? Maine?

[@doddgarger6806]

I have priced around and will contest that the extra money for the diy version system is more than what you can pick up a nice used vacuum pump and micron gauge, already have a few sets of gauges around here, and of course an inch pound torque wrench and a crows foot set This saved me quite a bit installing 4 mini splits, about 1500 actually

[@thebigbeachbum1]

I am looking at installing two of these two replace my two package units. My research says this can be self installed and still have the full warranty, I contacted two distributors who did answer and have the same question in to MrCool directly, waiting for their confirmation. These are also 20 seer and with 80% heating efficiency down to -5 degrees outside and will continue to produce heat all the way down to -22 outside, and I read are competitive with geothermal units on efficiency. This inverter technology is not your standard heat pump, so the people commenting clearly do not understand what this unit is. Did you have to use metal on the box you build, I will also have to build one to switch from a package unit to a split system. How is your air filtered, I was going to look for a filter rack to go under the unit. I would love to see more details on the mounting of the air handler. Did you have to buy the adapters for the quick connect separately it was not clear from what I read so far. But I really would love an update on how its worked so far, as I will have to make my decision in a month. I am already 90% sure this is the same model I will go with based on my research and pricing. Thanks so much for the video, gives me even more confidence I can tackle this myself and save a lot of money, and I hate paying others to do a job.

[@Housebarons]

Hey thebig...., This question was asked previously ( in comments ), & so we called mrcool. They said you get a standard 5 yr warranty if you self-install, and they double that to 10 yrs if you have an HVAC co. do it. Yes. The inverter is new tech. Absolutely NO comparison to old tech heat pumps. I did choose to line the air plenum box I built with metal / 28ga? ducting. The air handler simply sits on top of the plenum box. The filter is built into the side of that box after the air return boot ( which I also fabricated rather than buy) The air handler pulls air from the bottom and distributed out the top in the vertical position. The quick connect connections come with the quick connect no-vac lines. If you need to go further from condenser to air handler than one set of lines will reach, you can buy extra connectors to link two lines sets together. They have a few different line set lengths up to 50 ft. We have our unit set at 3 ton (default). You can buy a 4/5 ton unit if you need bigger. We live in Indiana. We replaced a gas furnace expecting to have slightly higher costs compared to the 2.5 ton 10 seer gas furnace in winter and perform much better (less cost) in summer as the mrcool A/C condenser is rated at 18 seer. Our old a/c was 10 seer. The coldest it’s been this winter has been about 15 degrees for a couple nights. Zero performance issues thus far. We did NOT buy a heat strip with the unit. We plan to do a review after this winter and a second at the end of summer 2021. ( a little late for your decision) I will say that our winter has been mild thus far. Here’s the latest snapshot: Dec 2019 ( with old gas furnace ) Dec Average temp 35 Gas. $ 88 Electric $ 95 = total. $183 Dec 2020. ( w/ new mr cool universal ) Dec Average temp 40 Gas. $ 24 Electric $ 210 = total $ 234 My general opinion was installing the mrcool was pretty straight forward. The hardest point was hooking up the new nest thermostat to the air handler and condenser. . I wrestled a bit with the wiring diagrams. Even though it is proving to be more expensive in winter, the a/c should be much more efficient so..... we’ll see. Also, we may do another new install next month. If so, we’ll try and post a more long form install video. Keep your eyes out for that. One more note, we got a $500 rebate from our electric company for installing the high efficiency heat pump. Definitely look for that! Thanks Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

[@gregb7479]

Lots of info. Thanks for sharing. Can you share what you pay per kw for electricity and per therm in gas. Also do you know what efficiency your old gas furnace was?

[@TheSateef]

@@Housebarons awesome, forgot about the electric company rebates, another good reason to buy this. i really appreciate how you answer all the questions, MrCool should be paying you!

[@chiplevan6622]

Great Video! I have one question...When the outside unit fan is running on your configuration, is it blowing away from the house or towards the house?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Chip, Away from the house. They give you spacing specs for installation… Thx for watching!

[@chiplevan6622]

@@Housebarons thank you so much!

[@chuckvaughn]

I have mine on order. Some say use nyloc blue and others say leave dry. Some say torque specs on the line set and others say wrench tight to the bottom of the threads. Even Mr cool universal website says both. Help.. and what are the wrench size of the 3/8 and 3/4 line set. I'd love to buy crows foot that will work for tightening with a ratchet torque wrench. Thanks.

[@tiredofsacred]

Working on installing this unit. Having trouble with thermostat. Its 6 wires from condensor to air handler, then B to B , G-G, Y-Y, W1-W, R-R, but C where does that go? to RC and remove jumper from R to RC? Obviously im not a pro!

[@Housebarons]

Hey Co..., Are you talking about connecting from thermostat to air handler? There is a diagram on the air handler. I have a nest thermostat. So my “ob” wire is orange and my “c” wire is blue. Not sure that would compare to your situation. That’s why I suggested the air handler wiring diagram.

[@tiredofsacred]

@@Housebarons Thank you! Got it figured out

[@Housebarons]

Hey Co..., Terrific!

[@robnelsen]

How big is the house? Also would have been nice to see how you attached the air handler to the existing duct work (top of unit)...seeing the box built for the return was helpful.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Rob, This was an unusual install. I’ve never had a heat pump before ( previously we had a gas furnace. ) . So because my condenser died, I left the gas furnace which still worked in its place. I then mounted the Mr. Cool Universal air handler next to it. In this video, kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWS9dqCggdushNE You can kind of see it behind the return ductwork I was attaching to the air box. This video was intended to show basic ductwork. Originally, I had the new air handler go directly up into the supply duct . The flow was not very good, so I changed the duct out of the top of the air handler and directed the air to go to the right to the original air plenum sitting over the old furnace. This worked fine. I was reluctant to trash an old but still working gas furnace till I could make sure we were totally sold on the heat pumps winter heating abilities. Old heat pumps do a bad job of this. However, as winter has progressed, we have seen that even below zero temps did not hamper the heating ability of the New Mr Cool Universal. We did NOT install an aux heat strip and even though we’ve experienced below zero temps, the heating stayed easily at 70 degrees - thx to the inverter technology, it is still efficient below zero degrees F. Anyway, we plan to do a review after winter is over and layout it’s winter heating costs and performance. You may see the whole set-up then. BTW - the house is 1900 sq ft with a basement ( but vents are closed down there) Thx for watching!

[@robnelsen]

@@Housebarons Thanks for directing me to the other video. I have the same type of system from 1993...gas w/4 ton AC...all still working but on its last leg. My house in AR is 1600sqft with an additional 700sqft walk out basement. I can't decide if I want to go with the 2/3 ton or the 4/5 ton Mr Cool Universal. My other issue I can see coming is joining the old plenum to the new unit. It looks like whoever put this in did a crazy custom fab job...all kinds of weird angles and where the two meet the old and new air handler are different sizes so I'd probably have to fab something else together...any tips?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Rob, Great question! We lived in AR a while back - very familiar with the hot summers! It ultimately boils down to windows and insulation. We have double pane windows and r-50 or so in the attic, no shade trees, 3 bedrooms (700 sq ft ?) upstairs. So the 3-ton ( default ) setting was fine for us. You can compare from there. If you are using the basement often, have less insulation or leaky windows, then maybe you stay at 4 ton. It is such a tough call because there is plenty of writing about over sizing is not good for longevity of the system. But that doesn’t seem to be your case - you being on a 4 ton now that has lasted a long time seems right. Since you are already on a 4 ton, I would be worried about going down in size... other than the 3 ton is doing fine at my house. 😃 This system should be much more efficient than what you have, so I expect you’ll be saving cooling $ at least. As for the hook-up, if your heating needs aren’t huge as I would expect, you could just get rid of gas furnace altogether and old cooling coil and even the funky plenum and start fresh. That is NOT what I did because I was worried about heat pump and winter performance. So my routing to the old plenum is convoluted , but in the end worked. But a direct route of air through the plenum to the supply trunk would be ideal. Btw - Mr cool does make a split system if you don’t want to leave gas for winter...but that would take a pro-HVAC install. Are you installing it? Do you have a time set for when or is it just some day down the road? Thx.

[@robnelsen]

@@Housebarons We have crappy windows and average attic insulation (soon to be remedied) so the 4/5 ton will probably be the sweet spot for our situation. We are planning on ripping out the whole system and replacing with this unit ourselves in the next month or so. I feel that with the Air Handler also being variable speed DC...that should save on power consumption in both heat/cool and air circulation. The furnace/air handler we have now uses about 950W just to run the blower. I found a couple of videos on how to field fab a connection from the air handler to the existing supply plenum...looks pretty easy. The next thing to tackle "in my head" is the return. The return comes from the 1st floor to the basement then passes through a block wall at ground level. On the other side of the wall is the filter box/housing that is joined to the side of the furnace on the floor. From what I can tell, I'll need to build/buy a box for the new air handler to sit on and somehow fab/coble together a connection to the return as it exits the block wall. Guess I never really realized their was so much "custom" work when installing HVAC systems...at least from the connection standpoint.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Rob, I’m guessing the 10.5 seer heat pump heat is about 25% more expensive than my old 10 seer gas furnace ( just a guess, haven’t crunched the numbers yet) But the 18 seer universal a/c is 80% more efficient - so summer is where the savings will arrive. As for your return, could you connect the new air box/ return plenum to your old return? I had to build a duplicate return because of our temporary side by side set up. But maybe with a little fab ...?? You are right - lots of “ custom “ duct work but since you are doing a complete replace, hopefully it won’t take too long. Sounds like you’ve done your homework - I expect it will go well!

[@douglassprague8410]

Great video. Gettting ready to install my unit. Did you use a torque wrench, I did not see that, how do you ensure they are torqued correctly, dont ruin flares and no leaks?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Douglas, No torque wrench but I can see the value in that! Better to be safe than sorry. Thx for watching!

[@georgeterbush2976]

I love that air handler box made from 2 x4 's. I'm planning to do the same thing when I install my Mr Cool Universal 2 to 3 ton in the Spring. How did you secure the handler to the box? Is it just sitting on top with duck tape closing any gaps, or did you fasten it somehow? Also, how did you connect the box to your bottom duct work? Thanks a million for your channel. I just subscribed.

[@Housebarons]

Hey George…, At first glance, I thought the former President was subscribing! 😃 Thanks for subbing! Re: the air handler: we just installed another MrCool universal last Friday and we used a length of 3/4 inch right angle piece of aluminum - screwed it to the top of 2x4 box ( return air plenum ) and then placed the air handler in & on that frame. Stay tuned / in a couple of weeks we should have a new video up with more details. We then will screw thru the aluminum and into the air handler. The return air duct goes into one side of the return plenum ( box holding up the air handler ). So then the return duct connects to an air filter frame which is attached to the return plenum box. In other words, the air filter frame is sandwiched between the return air duct and the side of the return plenum. Hope that makes some sense. Thanks again for joining us- keep an eye out ( hit that KZbin bell) for a number of different videos coming out soon about the MrCool universal plus an alternative winter heating idea!

[@georgeterbush2976]

@@Housebarons LOL, I get that a lot about my name. Especially when President Bush 1 & 2 were in office! That is a great idea to create a lip using a right angle piece of aluminum around the 2" x 4" box for the Mr Cool air handler to sit in. That should keep the units together. I'm really looking forward to seeing how you did it in a future video. That return box is an issue ever DIY installer has to deal with for the Mr Cool. My return duct & air filter frame is on the side just like yours. I will probably just use some duct tape to secure it to the 2" x 4" box. Thanks again for a great KZbin channel! Extremely helpful.

[@k.j.g.9601]

Wow, thank you so much for posting this! I just ordered mine and my wife is insisting I hire someone to do it. Like you we are replacing our older ac unit and our propane gas (waaaay to expensive). I’ve order the outdoor unit with the air handler and Pre charged lines as well as the install kit. I have an existing air handler but not 100% sure if it is the exact same size. Did you have an existing air handler? How has it done so far this winter? Thanks again for posting this, super helpful

[@Housebarons]

Hey K.J.G., Check out the reply I made to beachbum1 in the comment below for long reply. Basically this heat pump is more expensive than natural gas heat so far but I expect to more than catch up when it come to summer a/c. We did buy the whole system - air handler w/ the condenser and no-vac lines. We had old refrigerant in the old system of course and this new system has the new R410a. Our old a/c system was 20 yrs old - no way any parts of the old system were worth saving even if we could. Not very comparable - old w/ new. We left the old gas furnace in place ( as the a/c was what failed ) and mounted the new air handler next to the old furnace. I was a bit skeptical that the heat pump would do the job cost effectively so I wanted to run the Universal thru the winter to test it before we removed the natural gas furnace ( which might have a couple years of life in it). The Universal inverter technology is doing fairly well so far ( expense wise ), so it will be a keeper. Hope that helps, Thx for watching!

[@lisman0007]

@@Housebarons Hi - Thanks so much for all the details! Did you actually connect the the air handler and the furnace to the ductwork together? Did you chain them...? Also - did you wire both systems to a single thermostat...? if so, can you describe how...?

[@monirkuet]

@@Housebarons Hello, Would you please show details how you added this to the existing DUCT system. I saw you showed how to made a box and foiled it and put duct around the wooden box. But exactly how did you used that box and how the mrcool is connected to the existing system ?

[@ryanfrederick4669]

where’s the vent & ptrap on the drain? air will flow out of the drain causing water to build up and over flow

[@thomasadventurelife7014]

Great video! What size heat pump system would you recommend for 1700sqft home? There are so many models

[@Housebarons]

Hey Thomas…, There are so many variables from house to house - ranch, 2 story, # of windows, insulation, which direction ri does face, location, and on and on it goes…. Your size is similar to a 2-story 115 + yr old house we are working on now. We installed a 3 ton MrCool universal heat pump. Hope that helps! Thx for watching!

[@bryanrogers77]

Looks like the 3 ton calls for a 35 amp breaker according to what i see online. Is that what the info says on the size of the unit? I’m currently running a 14 SEER 2.5ton (builder grade) in Kentucky that came with the house. I’ve been thinking about upgrading. My current condenser uses a 30 amp with the indoor using 60 (aux). I could use my line set which of course is going to drive the price up as I’ll need an HVAC person to do recovery and charge. Give my HP is only 2 years old, what’s your thoughts on replacing it? Worth it?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Bryan.., This has a setting to run as a 2 ton OR a 3 ton. Why would you want to replace a two year old heat pump? You may want to see how long it would take to break even ( additional savings from 14 SEER to 18/20 SEER) IF you could re-sell your existing HP, that might really help. But a 14 SEER isn’t terrible. Tough call. Maybe wait a few years for even better efficiency ratings? Thx for watching!

[@francegolftours]

Hi, This video is incredible. Would you be able to share where you got the mount/support for the outdoor unit/ condenser? Thanks!

[@Housebarons]

Hey P…, Sorry. Came with the house. Thx for watching!

[@Acoustic_Theory]

DIY installation is a recipe for lots of installations being out there 'in the wild' that don't meet local code. You pay for more than the materials, process steps, and physical labor with a contractor, you pay for their know-how and ability to design an installation that will meet code. That being said, the MrCool units are neat and hopefully they last and can be serviced.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Avoustic, I do think Mr. Cool has tried to address making the install fairly simple and help prevent hack jobs in “ the wood”. As for longevity, here is hoping. We will keep you posted! Thx for watching.

[@proxybox]

Did you put an oil return bend in the linesets since your air handler is located below the condenser in elevation? Great looking install and very clean. That 3/4 looked tough to bend. I bought a cheap bender on eBay to tackle that.

[@cirogonzalez698]

Can you tell me about the cable D that goes from inside unit to outside unit,it shows in the manual!

[@Housebarons]

Hey Ciro, I’m not sure what you are referring to. I didn’t see cable “D” in my manual. There is power to the condenser and power to the air handler. There is wire from thermostat to air handler to condenser. And we used no-vac line-sets from condenser to air handler.

[@jmatt1530]

Did you torque down the fittings to the suggested ft lbs ? Or just hand tight plus a quarter turn? ThAnks

[@Housebarons]

Hey J, The typical “Tight but not too tight “… you can leak test it to double check. Thx for watching!

[@jasonwilson7074]

I'm working on the same setup, leaving my propane furnace as a back-up, did you wire your heat pump and old furnace into the same thermostat?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Jason, No. I added all new thermostat wire for the new system. Disconnected furnace and old thermostat. IF I ever had to use the old furnace, I’d run a new thermostat wire to it and disconnect the mr .cool heat pump from the thermostat. Basically keep both separate. BTW - my old furnace ducting is closed off from the new mr.cool ducting to make sure the mr cool wasn’t blowing air down into the old furnace. The ducting was actually the hardest part - the air really needs to flow efficiently. My first attempt restricted the flow of air too much. So, I had to try and try again😃 Hope it all works well for you. Thx for watching!

[@2bearms]

My home I just bought doesn't have an existing ac unit but my furnace works great. Can I hook this into the existing vents? Would this completely replace my furnace as well or should I be looking for a stand alone ac unit.

[@Housebarons]

Hey 2bearms, The heat pump can do the work of both heating and cooling. I kept my furnace because it was still working. ( I kept it just in case ) But in the end, I did not use it as the heat pump did well in the heating department. Adding it to the existing system ( side by side ) was complicated but it can be done. Thx for watching !

[@ericbrayden8841]

I am just learning the ins and outs of hvac, and considering installing this unit this summer. Apologies if this question is crazy. My existing gas furnace is a downflow furnace, with the return coming in from the ceiling and the ducts in the floor. The slot the furnace is in now and where the air handler would be going in to is just big enough to fit the air handler by about two inches. Can I install the air handler upside down?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Eric, No. I don’t believe so the way you are describing. But it does come with 2 drip trays. One vertical, one horizontal. Therefore, the universal can be in an attic / downflow position where the unit sits on its side ( so to speak ) or in a horizontal position - if the unit was placed in an attic and the air was directed down into the house. So if you are talking about an attic install, the horizontal position may work for you. Here is a link to the Mr. Cool site video where the show it mounted in the attic horizontally: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWe9aZKapb15g5Y Hope that helps. Thx for watching.

[@ericbrayden8841]

@@Housebarons thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, here in New Mexico, we are the land of no attics and flat roofs. Looks like I'll have to explore some other options...

[@Housebarons]

Hey Eric, Ouch. That’s a different kind of setup - but guess for your area - makes sense. You could call MrCool to see if they have anything for you market segment.

[@uco1235]

I was inspired by this upload 6 months ago and finally went out and got the same model. Installed and tested it yesterday. I cannot get the inverter condenser outdoor to work, at least the fan is not turning on; verified there's power going in. The inside air handler is in good order. I came back to watch this again and I notice the G wire terminal is connected with one thermostat wire. Do you connect the same color wire at the air handler and also at the thermostat? I'm asking that question because the installation manual is showing that the G wire terminals are for air handler to thermostat connection only. I'm thinking that the manual maybe wrong because if the G wire terminal is not needed at the outdoor condenser then why is it that the G wire terminal is provided there.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Uco, You should have a manual for the air handler and a manual for the condenser outside. I can tell you mine has a thermostat wire to the air handler and then from there to the condenser. I’m not absolutely sure our set-ups are identical. So to be safe, call Mr Cool ( Kentucky ) and double check your wiring set-up with them. Thx for watching!

[@jbncnow]

I just bought this system and 25 feet of linset do i need to buy that union that you screwed on between the big line and the condenser? i guess you need a set for the air handler also or does the linset just thread on directly?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Jay, The necessary connections should be included. The set-up should come with everything. But if you order 2 line sets to reach a greater distance, I think you’d then need to order a union set to connect the 2 line sets together. Thx for watching.

[@jbncnow]

@@Housebarons Im glad to know that, i even ordered the mr cool wi fi t stat!

[@vajkaus]

Where is the location for the return air duct?

[@Housebarons]

Hey ValCremax, The air handler ( if in the vertical set-up) would have return air duct entering the air box ( which I built) underneath the air handler. The air then flows up thru the air handler and out the top and through the ductwork of the house. Hope that helps! Thx for watching.

[@vajkaus]

I saw that before you connect the line set to the outdoor unit, you connect what happened to be at male or female connector. Does this two connector including in the packages or you have to but it separate, where can I get one?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Val…, Everything in the video came as a package from Mr Cool. Thx for watching !

[@matthewtrentmann5792]

I was wondering if you had a picture of the thermostat wires on your air handler. I am have some issues with 24v power. Without heat strip

[@Housebarons]

Hey Matthew, Go to the about tab on our Housebarons KZbin channel page. Click on business inquiry email and send the request. That way I can email you back the pics. Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

[@arcticarrowhvacr]

Does MrCool make a ductless wall mount mini split heat pump?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Vann, Something like this…. DIY Mr. Cool Mini Split Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJaUfHiFm7eXnJI Thx for watching!

[@cirogonzalez698]

Do you know what s the voltage for the air handler and breaker size please?

[@Housebarons]

Hey ciro…, Best bet - check the manual but I think the condenser for the 3 ton is a 30amp, 240v. I don’t remember the air handler - but I’d guess a 20amp, 240v. If you need to know beyond curiosity, contact MrCool to be 100 %? sure. Thx for watching!

[@brunomourasilva6247]

Would you mind sharing the measures for this plenum?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Bruno, It is 17 inches tall - that was dependent on the size of air return duct. The air handler is 21.5 inches on each side. So the opening underneath the air handler where the air comes in is about 20 inches. So the exterior of the plenum box is about 27.5 inches square - just large enough to rest the air handler on the top frame of the plenum box while leaving an opening as big as possible for the air to flow. Hope that helps. Thx for watching.

[@brunomourasilva6247]

Thanks for the info. I was planning to build mine as 8" or 9"x21.5" do you think is that enough? I don't have much room, it's an 8' basement.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Bruno, Just saw this… may be too late but anyway - I built mine to mimic the size of the previous furnace size return. We have an 8ft ceiling in the basement.

[@AB-yu1cb]

Hey what size was the drain line

[@franklinpark2673]

Can you elaborate on the parallel air handler install for the heat pump. I want to mimic the same system.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Franklin, Our a/c condenser died. The 20 yr old gas furnace still worked. I was not sure the mr. Cool would be the right solution, do we decided to leaving the still working gas furnace and set the heat pump next to it as an experiment. This is a basement set up - up flow. 1) We built a air plenum to sit the new air handle on 2) then cut a hole in the existing return air duct, and added a duplicate return air ductwork - this one going from the main return air trunk line to the plenum under the new air handler. At this point the new air handler can draw return air for heating / cooling depending on the season. 3) next was to direct the air from the top of new air handler horizontally over to the old air plenum that sat on top of the old furnace. The key was to make sure air could only enter the old plenum and the go up for distribution into the house distribution trunk line. That meant adding a bottom to the old plenum so air could in no way be blown down into the old furnace. This is unconventional and Ill-advised as a normal set-up. It was an experiment before ripping out the old furnace. This required a lot of ductwork modification of the old plenum to ensure smooth flow of air. ( BTW- the electric and gas supply to the old furnace was safely disconnected) After a lot of work and re-work, it worked. I’ll wait for the full year review this fall before removing the old furnace. Hope that helps! Thx for watching!

[@davidk21419]

Hey boss I got a question for you.. what kind of thermostat wire do I need for my 4-5 ton universal unit? My manual says 5pc and 18 gauge wire but I was looking that you have 6 wires in your unit...do I missing the orange wire? I try to reach mr cool but with no success if you can help me would be very appreciated....

[@Housebarons]

Hey Ferdi, We used 24 volt, 8 wire, and used 6 of those wires. We bought a nest thermostat - here is a video fir that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4jGha15d6esfM0 There is also a wiring diagram in the Mr Cool manual for condenser and air handler. Your wiring might be different. We installed a 2-3 ton mr cool universal. Thx for watching.

[@cirogonzalez698]

How did you connect the thermostat wires? from outside unit to inside unit and thermostat please help I can you show a diagram

[@Housebarons]

Hey Ciro, We wired from the thermostat to the air handler and then from the air handler to the inverter. Depending on your thermostat, which wires you connect will be a little different. We used a Nest. Next week we will be hooking up another MrCool universal so stay tuned to for video. I’ll try and pay attention to all the wiring. Thx for watching.

[@cirogonzalez698]

@@Housebarons Thank you for your answer that was my doubt because in the manual shows from the outside unit to thermostat but it is just as referenceh you again

[@cirogonzalez698]

Thank you again God bless I l be sharing your videos

[@ocahoeflein7164]

How has the Mr cool been doing in the winter to heat without backup heater coils?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Oca, No problem at all. Our lowest temp this year has been in the middle teens. We have not had any issue. Again, this is because it uses an inverter and the result is efficiency at much colder temps than the old heat pump technology could do. We’ll do a follow up video in the Springtime to update it fully. Thx for watching and keep an eye out for that next video.

[@rivergate950]

Just got off the phone with Ingrams and they said this system uses a standard motor, not a variable speed one. So it's not as effcient as a mini split. not sure why Mc Cool calls this unit an inverter unit then? inverter ususally means variable speed high effcient compressor motor.

[@Housebarons]

Hey river, Go check out the MrCool web site under MrCool universal. You got bad info from ingrams. Thx for watching!

[@rogerwitmer2659]

What about putting a vacuum on the system?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Roger, The cool deal about this set up is the lines come pre-charged! Therefore no need for any of the typical laborious HVAC install processes. The pre-charged lines are connected and then values are opened on either end of the lines and the refrigerant can then circulate through the system. If in the future you needed to test the lines, it’s connections allow for that just like a normal system. Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

[@dankreller6398]

Is that meter 3ft away from the ignition source? Lol

[@thatdonnyguy]

Does the air handler have the metering device like a typical split system AC or is the metering device in the outdoor unit like a typical mini split?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Donny, I’m not 100 % sure, but I thought I once saw a diagram that showed it had a metering device on both the condenser and the air handler. To be sure, it might be worth a call to mrcool though. Thanks for the question and for watching.

[@jamesdeluca1842]

It will have a evt or txv

[@WilliamSymionow]

@@jamesdeluca1842 It has both actually. It has 2 EXV in the outdoor unit and 1 TXV in the air handler. The TXV is used in cool mode as the metering device, with the EXV as the VRF control. In heat mode, the TXV is bypassed and only the EXV are used.

[@WilliamSymionow]

It has metering in the air handler. It is less like a mini split then you think. There is a bunch of cool stuff in the outdoor unit. No sensors on the evaporator like a mini split. Liquid line is actually liquid line, unlike minis.

[@hoptag]

how good does the heat work when its mild or barely chilly out? Lets say its 50/55 degrees outside?

[@Housebarons]

Hey hoptag, Heat pumps work heating by taking heat from outside and bringing it in. The warmer it is outside , the easier it is to heat the inside. 50 degrees is relatively warm so it would work well. This past winter it went down to at least -9 degrees here and was still able to keep our house at 70 degrees w/o an aux heat strip. Heat pump tech had come a LONG way in recent years . Thx for the comment and for watching!

[@justinbennett7921]

How is it running now. Do you think it can last up to 15 years or longer?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Justin, So far so good. I would hope it lasts 15 yrs! Time will tell. Thx for watching!

[@jeffreyjackson]

Fast question, does the indoor fan vary it’s speed?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Jeffrey, Don’t think so . I have an energy monitor on it and it stays pretty constant. Thx for watching!

[@satnaamwaheguru2479]

Where do you hook up fresh air return fan power on this system? thank you

[@Housebarons]

Hey Satnaam, Not sure I understand - The wiring ?- will need it's circuit. Thx for watching!

[@billbarnes3491]

what did you do in side the house your video showed nothing of what you did are you using the furnace what? what are you connecting the lines to?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Bill, Sorry if the video went to fast. The Mr. Cool Universal is a heat pump. So the outside condenser is the main part . It is responsible for heating and cooling - all depends on the direction the refrigerant is moving. At 6:40 in the video, I’m connecting the 2 refrigerant lines to the outside condenser. I did the exact same procedure inside on the air handler but did not show that. At 8:40 I open the valve on each refrigerant line that is already attached to the inside air handler. I did the same process to the valves on the outside condenser but did not show that. It’s very simple set-up. At 9:01 you can see the inside air handler with (attached refrigerant lines) sitting on top of the plenum box ( made earlier in the video). You can also see the air return ducting attached to the side of return air plenum on which the air handler sits. The air handler is where the fan is located that moves air through the house. We had a gas furnace which we replaced with the Mr. Cool Universal Heat Pump. Hope that answers your questions. Thx for watching.

[@vankemp101]

Nice video. I want to install this unit next spring. I am mostly interested in the a/c portion since mine is very old, inefficient and slow leaking refrigerant. I have successfully installed a me cool mini split at a cabin I own. This install looks very similar except the air handler part. I'm wondering where to start on the installation of the air handler if I want to keep my existing furnace?

[@infectedjojo]

Question man about the thermostat. Do i connect the outdoor unit to the indoor unit then to the thermostat?

[@darinmorrison7107]

I was wondering the same, the instructions via the manual provided are terrible.

[@infectedjojo]

@@darinmorrison7107 I’m still working on mine . Let me know if you find out

[@infectedjojo]

@@darinmorrison7107 i got it working

[@mafosa8519]

Wonder if they make a 110 heat strip?

[@Housebarons]

Hey mafosa, Doubt it . Heat strips are typically rated in thousands of watts. Probably too much energy required for 110. Thx for watching!

[@thx1136]

Love the plenum box. Suggest using open-ended torque wrench for the 4 line set connections. And spray to check for leaks. Warranty status for self install of Mr.Cool "Universal" (as opposed to "DIY") designated product line unclear.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Steve, I believe warranty for self install is 5 years and pro- installed is 10 years. But you can call them to be sure. Thx for watching!

[@thx1136]

@@Housebarons Appreciated. Some suggest using "nylog blue gasket and thread sealant". I also read somewhere that, if your electric bill starts creeping up, it could be a small refrigerant leak. Last, the Mr Cool equipment strikes me as a very solidly built.

[@brandonbarr2784]

I want this. Did you notice a different in electric bill

[@Housebarons]

Hey Brandon, I will not complete a full year yet. Here is the winter review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJDJh5WqpsapaNE Summer review and 1 yr review in Sept / October 2021 Thx for watching!

[@cirogonzalez698]

What s the dimension of the bottom box you made?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Ciro, The air-handler bottom opening is 21 inches square so I made the box with a 20 inch opening on top of the box I built. The return air comes in at the side, so it’s about 18 inches tall - so I could attach an 16x24 air filter frame to the side of the box. Thx for watching!

[@cirogonzalez698]

@@Housebarons t Thank you very much for the info!God bless

[@luislau9338]

which side of the inside unit the hoses are installed?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Luis, As you look at the air handler, where the air enters the air handler as the front, the connections are on the right hand side. Thx for watching.

[@mclordhelmet]

For the outdoor unit, what size breaker is on the circuit? Is this the 2/3 ton model?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Mclordhelmet, I’m not by it right now, but if memory serves, it was 30amp - 230v which was the breaker for my old unit. The paperwork specified a range ( min-max ) for your breaker. Yes - it’s a 2-3 ton set from factory at 3 ton. Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

[@mclordhelmet]

@@Housebarons thanks for the reply. Do the nameplates on the outdoor unit have that spec printed on them?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Mclordhelmet, Yes. Min 24A, Max35A, 230V single phase.

[@hoptag]

How does the inside unit get it power? Is it a separate 110/115 volt?

[@Housebarons]

Hey hoptag, The indoor air handler uses another 230v circuit inside. We got it easy on that part. Our house came with a 230v circuit for an electric dryer. It was unused because we have a gas dryer. So we repurposed that. Thx for watching!

[@nukestrom5719]

@@Housebarons Is it 30 amp or 60 amp?

[@warrengreenidge3548]

Do you have any plans from this build you can share?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Warren, No. Just followed their supplied connection directions - two pamphlets. Thx for watching!

[@PHamster]

After 2 years, how's the performance?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Phillip, we are in our 2nd winter - so far so good. This February has been cold so the next electric bill may be high. But it will make up for that in its summer efficiency. Thx for watching!

[@johnhondrogen7630]

Did you purchase your equipment online?

[@Housebarons]

Hey John, We are a distributer for Mr. Cool. But our very first mr cool purchase - a mr cool DIY mini split - was from a big box home store.

[@markbowman2344]

How is t g e system holding up any issues?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Mark, Check out the full year review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX6lZ2eVn7t_kM0 Thx for watching!

[@jaisonthomas1874]

How much kWh does the unit use in the winter months ?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Jason, To do any comparison it means weighing MANY, MANY variables: - where you live - how cold it gets - thermostat setting - how many windows you have - how much sun you get in them - how well the house is insulated - size of unit - how tall your ceiling are - square footage of house Etc, etc, etc We are in Midwest USA, 20 year old house & windows, r-15 insulation in walls r-50+ in attic. Average 9 ft ceiling height. ~1900sq ft plus 1100 sq ft basement ( vents closed in basement). We get very little sun in winter. Windows are double glazed. Mild winter this year. Unit is set at ( 3-ton or 36,000 BTU) w/ no aux heat strip. Thermostat set to 70 degrees at day and 66 degrees at night. With those details : In December our useage was 1582 kWh. I’m the spring, we will make a review video comparing its first winter in use compared to previous gas bills we’ve had ( since it has replaced our gas furnace ) Hope that helps. Thx for watching.

[@TheSateef]

@@Housebarons thank you so much for providing all this specific information. do you mind telling us where you are or at least what climate zone you are in? this sounds like the system for me.

[@jaisonthomas1874]

Installing this unit my self next week, couple of questions . Does the communication wire come with the unit? What’s the breaker size for the indoor and outdoor units and are they both 240 ?

[@profuse007]

Mr Cool make straight cool w/ inverter technology? I don't want to run the system 365days in the south

[@Housebarons]

Hey The..., The condenser ( outdoor unit ) has the inverter on it. By the thermostat, on the Universal heat pump, you can select cool or heat or both. It is most energy efficient in cooling mode. They also make HVAC items to replace your a/c only, if you have a gas furnace. Those may require an HVAC tech to set up. They also make DIY minisplits which can cool and heat. Quite a few options. Thx for watching.

[@profuse007]

@@Housebarons The system is competitive to the Bosch which has Mitsubishi and Midea major parts, but if they can strip it down to make the pricing more competitive, it would be great! Do you know which distributor in the south carry the universal line?

[@Housebarons]

You could probably contact mrcool directly if you are looking for a local dealer/installer. For example, we are a dealer. But we don’t install them for other people. So you could buy from a dealer and then find a local installer. Or through mrcool, maybe there is a dealer/installer all in one near you. But at the very least, you’ll need a local installer if you are not taking that on yourself. Thx again,

[@christopherreus7799]

A good guy daneil tell him chris from canada sent ya

[@fussyfeathers1702]

@@profuse007 Lowes and Home Depot used to.

[@robk1013]

how does the system get fully charged?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Robert, The unique aspect of this system is that the line come pre-charged from the factory. All I had to do was make a simple connection with a wrench and open a valve with an Allen wrench. Hope that helps. Thx for be watching. BTW - we plan to post the winter review video of how the heat pump system performed through our Midwest winter - it should get posted on 4/17

[@sprockkets]

Just as an FYI, all units are precharged and have been for decades :) Even typical units from say Carrier or Trane. That being said, some aren't charged right even from the factory :/

[@justincrane2198]

How much have your heating bills gone down?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Justin, None. They have gone UP. But that was expected. 1) Natural gas ( which the heat pump replaced) is very cheap. Electric isn’t. 2) the SEER rating ( seasonal energy efficiency ratio ) for the old unit was 10 and this new unit heat seer is 10.5. So they are very close here. The plan was to save money in summer. The SEER rating on the a/c side however for the new unit is 18 - which is 80% more efficient than the old 10 SEER rating of the old unit. So, that means the savings in summer should eclipse any extra cost in winter. In addition, the DIY aspect of this MR COOL meant I could install it rather than have an HVAC company inetall theirs. That alone saved me $2000+ dollars on the a/c alone. So after a full year, the savings should be substantial. Keep and eye out. In spring we’ll do a review on its winter costs / performance. And after summer we’ll do a total 1 yr review. Thx for watching!

[@justincrane2198]

I’m from Missouri and I’m about to buy one for my house and install it in spring I have all electric heat I was wondering if your electric bill has been higher our lower this winter then it was in the summer with your old unit thanks.

[@gary5209]

Why didn’t you show us how to wire this up?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Gary, I just followed the manual. Thx for watching!

[@user-rj4li1wj4e]

Mine broke down 3 times in less than a year. Warranty from this brand is terrible

[@stevenbass732]

Heat pumps are inefficient in the Northern tier.

[@Housebarons]

Hey Stephen, Not sure where you live, but new technology ( inverter ) means that is no longer true. Today heat pumps can be 100% efficient down to -10 degrees F. Thx for watching.

[@stevenbass732]

@@Housebarons You're probably right. I quit following heat pump technology years ago when I lived in Maryland/Virginia and had my power bills triple in the winter using heat pumps. And was barely feeling warm air from the vents.

[@OZRETH]

Why do people think that a soundtrack is a good idea….nice and informative otherwise

[@peaceWorker77]

You said that We save a lot of money on oil and natural gas yeah!!! But you guys never say how much is gonna be the maintenance of the system every year or how much is gonna be the contract. Looks like the money we saving is the same money will end up in your pocket.

[@Housebarons]

Hey peaceworker77, This video is actually about replacing the a/c at my house. I’m simply offering an example of what we are doing. It is an experiment which I’m sharing with any who watch. And I said in the video, I would post the results of its performance. It’s just that simple. I’m planning on NOT having expenses each year.... and if I do, I will keep viewers up to date. There is not contract with this unit. It’s a one time purchase. We are trying to be as transparent as possible so that the viewer can make an informed decision. Hope it helps.

[@mitchelljohnston754]

Haha good luck when the warranty is up and no body will work to on it for you

[@Housebarons]

Hey Mitchell, So far, our interactions with the Mr. Cool folks has been positive. And our local HVAC people don’t seem to have a problem working on products of any maker. I guess it all depends on the quality of companies you run into. But so far so good where we live. Thx for watching.

[@jamesfohl2916]

Something important to remember if considering buying one of these and installing it yourself; there is no warranty. They denied me support and warranty on a unit that was DOA; With it being a universal condenser it has to be licensed HVAC technician install. That is probably why you are getting a E3 error code. And with you installing the unit without a license hvac tech you have voided the warranty. This unit is not a DIY

[@Housebarons]

Hey James, To clarify: Who is “they” ? The Mr Cool web site states that a licensed install is not required IF you use the No-vac line sets. Thx for watching!

[@jamesraymond3057]

@@Housebarons it was the support tech from MrCool. Nobody will reply. I have been stuck with a $5k paperweight.

[@bluwng]

Heat pumps by definition, and I mean by laws of physics are very inefficient.

[@Housebarons]

Hey bluwng, Technology has changed. The compressor used in the Mr. Cool is powered by an ac -dc inverter making it very efficient. Heat pumps use energy to turn or pump. But that’s where energy that costs $ ends. A heat pump is capitalizing on that already exists outside that doesn’t cost anything. God made it. Heat pumps go get it. Therefore, heat pumps can use 1 Kw of electricity to retrieve 3 or more Kw of energy from outside that is free which would make it functionally appear to be 300% or more efficient. That is expressed as a “Coefficient of Performance” - there is plenty written about that online. The Mr. Cool claims that their heat pump can heat at 100% efficiency at -5 degree F and cool at 100% efficiency at 115 degrees F. Ultimately, heat pump technology is getting better and what interested us in the product. The big question for us is cost - will the higher cost of electricity be offset by its efficiency and surpass the performance of our old gas furnace. We’ll see after the winter heat bills.😀 Hope that helps clarify what we were talking about. Thanks for watching.

[@bluwng]

@@Housebarons I understand what your saying. Fundamentally anything that is 100% efficient let alone 300% is by definition a perpetual motion machine which does not exist. Most if not all electronics are run on DC so I don’t see how an AC to DC converter helps increase efficiency

[@WilliamSymionow]

@@bluwng You lack of understanding is jaw dropping. I don't even want to waste time to help you but i'll leave some notes for others. Heat pumps are extremely efficient please go to any green building site to see data. When we say efficient, we are comparing the heat BTU produced for watts consumed (please google 'COP') and it is no problem to achieve over COP > 1 >100%.

[@WilliamSymionow]

@@bluwng Next, lets address inverter. The AC->DC->AC process does have some loss in it, but the reason we do this is to have control over the compressor. If you ran it just off the main power AC, you only get one speed to run your AC motor. Inverter process allows us to drive the compressor at many speeds and therefore we can pick the best speed to match the load on the system. So again, it's better than the old technology. It increases the system efficiency.

[@WilliamSymionow]

@@bluwng Why you come here and feel compelled to state that 'in physics blah blah' is your attempt to prove to the world you know physics? But all you have proven is that you don't understand the context we are talking about.

[@k.sullivan6303]

Bad install cowboy

[@Housebarons]

Hey Kevin, Thx for watching