How To Wall Mount a Mini Split Outdoor Condenser Unit

[@steventrott8714]

Who else slipped a disk watching that install?!?!? PHONE A FRIEND!

[@alfredofuentes8959]

Man! you just reminded me when I was young , I used to lift heavy loads and now my back is showing all that stress . Take care of yourself! Don't kill your back!.

[@markchidester6239]

Same thoughts here, that's me 20 years ago! Now it's, nope, I'll get someone to help

[@MoltenFungus]

I've watched a ton of DIY videos on KZbin and really can't thank people like you enough. However, this one has to be the most real. The kids coming and checking out, the foreman (wife) coming to inspect, and finally the old using the top of your knees to lift the unit. Just 2 cents, use a weightlifting belt. Im older than you and speak from experience. Save that back, your famiky will thank you. Great video.

[@royhi1809]

Things are always more fun doing it with your children... and it's what makes a family A FAMILY. Great job!

[@matthewroller]

Thank you. I love how he got stronger once his wife showed up :) The mic thief....muaha

[@bulklogan539]

Ben, you are a well explained tradesman and GREAT DAD to your children. Appreciate all of your videos. Keep em coming bud.

[@johnnybourbon4823]

I like how you tell people to have at least two people help install the outside unit and then proceed to do it yourself…just like I would stubbornly do…lol! Great video, Ben, and very informative as I’m considering a mini split system for the upstairs bedrooms in my split level.

[@robertcook6058]

Bring out the engine jack and start cranking

[@sylviaisgod6947]

My sister-in-law used to lift things like that...now in bed after back surgery number 6 and $100K + in medical bills later....DON'T LIFT LIKE THAT! EVER! I had so much respect for this guy and his great videos but then he did this.

[@gregrichard9192]

Great job Ben Safety first Hulk is a marvel character

[@leroydrayton1910]

When I got started in this business we did commercial restaurant equipment and I moved a lot of heavy ranges stoves refrigerators all this by myself so I'm gonna start feeling 1000 pounds I'm 60 years old and it's going to hurt if you don't stop it now and get some help it's fun when you're young but it ain't worth it when you get older that being said I have been watching your videos and I want to thank you for putting them out because even at my age I either forgot or haven't kept up with the latest information so thank you by the way I can always learn new shortcuts and this old dog doesn't mind learning new tricks

[@kylegrimes1497]

Thumbs up for your daughter's singing. Very cute. And also the lag screw recommendation.

[@matthewwiemken7293]

You are the reason I used an ATV winch and scrap lumber to place the unit on mount lol. worked quite well with a couple straps around the unit and a small 12v battery. Winch didn't seem to notice when lifting:)

[@HobbyOrganist]

"...have two people to lift the unit onto the bracket as they can be a bit heavy" Especially when you bought the 300,000 BTU sized unit with the 900 pound condensor ;) The struggle is REAL, you gave it the college level try and WON!!!

[@FrontlineNewsToday]

Love seeing you work with your 2 daughters

[@hdwoodshop]

The shenanigans and the lift partition were golden. I was laughing then dead serious hoping the mini split wouldn’t go splat!

[@theElderberryFarmer]

I'm glad that you got through that lift without an immediate injury or a damaged condenser. Next time - some lumber, a pulley and some rope to fashion a quick a-frame gantry might make for a better/easier day. But to be fair - hindsight is always 20-20 and I was once young, strong and impatient.

[@JasonW.]

Country strong

[@JoeLinux2000]

You have to think these things through in advance. In his situation either putting it in the back of a pick up or rigging an incline plane would have been best. He was able to do it, but it's more a video on how not to do it.

[@mindset-s7y]

Love your videos man!!!! Congratulations fir the beautiful family.

[@RB-uy4pn]

A fellow SW Minnesotan! I subbed, liked and commented ( long live the YT algorithm )

[@poconojoe90]

You’re an American treasure! Thanks so much for taking the time to do these videos!

[@johnmay371]

Great video! I very much appreciate the time in detail that you put into your videos. I’ve been waiting to see more about this mini split. You have very much influenced me and I intend to purchase the exact same unit for my Garage space in the future. Thank you very much for all the detail that you put into your work. PS seeing all the kids is great! You’re a good dad.I look very forward to seeing the rest of this installation.

[@AustinJamesMike]

Ben, when you get to the next video on hooking up everything, I have a minor suggestion for the condenser drain line. 11 years ago I installed my first mini split and just ran the drain line that came with the unit out of the wall. In about two years after installing it looked like a critter or something was eating off the end of the plastic. Turned out to be mother nature (UV light) so I had to add a short run of one inch PVC pipe to avoid the damage cause.

[@hoofhearted1326]

2 things. 1 I liked the Long,long,Long,Long song and B I was on the edge of my seat when you were lifting the unit onto the mounting bracket. It was like watching the strong man competition.

[@typrus6377]

Pucker-factor 10 as you soloed it up on the wall... my back feels for yours

[@frankjamesdra]

It was good to ride along with your quality and attentive "crew".It will be a few years before they will be able to help you lift things like this. Also it's pretty funny that you got busted by the "boss" in the video comments. Thanks for letting us ride along with your life for 15 minutes as well as the good information.

[@MistyJune]

This was the best installation video I found yet.

[@reedrobb]

Good timing, I’m planning to hang a Daikin unit on my new wall but it will be about 10’ off the ground. I will definitely need some help. You had me laughing there for a few minutes, glad you didn’t drop it.

[@gregh7457]

i just lifted my 12k btu daikin about 8' off the ground a week ago and let me tell you, it really calls on the muscles in your arms. I was reliving that painful experience watching him

[@danberm1755]

Can't believe you made that lift! Right on man 👍

[@jnicksnewstart]

You have very talented helpers.😀

[@vt20247]

I have to lift a lot of heavy stuff by myself. Always learning how-to and not how-to; this one definitely goes into the not how-to. One thing I learned along the way is to lift in increments. You could have stacked cinder blocks or something stable to halfway to the height if the rack. By leveraging it in you only lift half the weight and to half the height.

[@robertcook6058]

I have a few steps to my front door (~2 ft). The UPS / FedEx drivers have picked up both my 65lb mini splits condensors from the back of the truck instead of using the lift gate. My knees hurt just watching this.

[@watsonthumb4997]

Dang man I really felt for you when you were lifting that condenser onto the wall mount and the bracket kept moving out of the way. One of those moments where you really gotta give 110 percent just to get it up there, then things dont go to plan and the margin for error is already slim. You pulled it off though, gotta give credit where its due!

[@BrandonDoesStuff1]

OMG... lifting that mini split looks like something I'd try to do!

[@RevNoch]

Thumbs up for the commentary by the kiddo.

[@KootMed]

Man . . my back went out just watching you with that condenser😱

[@xxvodanhxx]

Mounting on the ground reduces noise and vibration. I have one on the roof, and one i'll put on the wall soon, both because we don't have a lot of room on the ground, and I already hear it quite a bit in my room on the roof mounted one. I thought it was the head unit until I realized, I had mounted the condenser right above my bed on the roof. I chose the location due to other constraints (Flatness, shade, distance from head unit, etc) , and didn't realize until months later. We often man handle thing in DIY, but really its not safe, but often you just don't have a second set of hands to help. Definitely wouldn't recommend it for daily work. Mine was a bit smaller and I managed to bring it up to the roof now that I think about it..... by myself... probably not the safest lmao We seem to think we're invincible, until we break something inside us. Next time with that much open space, back your truck up to it, load it onto the truck bed, then get on the truck bed and move it over to the bracket.

[@CinderQ]

Your kids are precious. Love that microphone thief at 10:45. :)

[@920HVAC]

You are a brute! I was sweating watching you lift that outdoor unit. Well done!

[@milesharlan1]

Benjamin..I love your video's..Next time you decide about lifting large things by your self try my idea..I try and get the object up in the air. I use concrete blocks or 4x4 to start to get object in air. Your particular situation you could have put the unit in the back of a pick up truck and you are almost at the correct height. Now drive around the back of the garage. Lift up on to your brackets. Take care and see you in your next video..

[@ID10T24]

Nice add of the rubber isolation, mum and dad has a unit that vibrates the hell out of the wall when the unit is in heat pump mode, got the rubbers just have to get back to finishing it off, luckily i have until next winter to install them since winter is over here.

[@muohiodpowell1974]

You have never slipped a disc before!! Life as you know it now will never be the same!

[@molddorm]

Great video. I mean REALLY great. I loved your narration. I loved your straight forward directions about where to place things & WHY. I thought the kid closed captions were humorous & wasn’t excessive. I *really* like the cleanness of the video & just the whole package presented! But what i loved MOST about this video was the absence of profanity. So many creators believe it’s just a part of their expression to use their profanity & it just shows a lack of respect file the audience. Well done overall & you’ve EARNED yourself a subscriber.

[@wattheheck6010]

Congrats on your plaque! Well earned. I always learn so much subscribing to your channel, Ben. Loved your helpers, the two and four legged!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Thanks!

[@zensurfer55]

Dude! You da man! That's totally me trying to lift stuff; always on the edge of disaster. And, your daughter's cameo was an unexpected treat! I just got my mini-split today. The condenser is a bit smaller than yours. I think it's just over 100 lbs. I'm considering wall mount options but may just build my own shelf.

[@MikeeAI]

definitely worth watching till the end! thank you!

[@joeferrucci]

I’m liking this video because it was fun watching you struggle to get that up there haha. And because it’s a good video 😂

[@starshipgus8578]

I was gonna comment on your installation,but instead I’ll say your little girl is so cute,lol

[@JamesEid]

I'm glad you didn't wimp out and ask for help to lift that mini-split compressor like the advice you gave everyone else.

[@tomp538]

You could always add a couple of cantilevered struts from the bottom of the structure to the supplied brackets, to increase stability.

[@naomisahlstrom]

The Boss thought she confirmed there would be a second person coming to help lift it in place... I was not aware of the solo lifting feat until after I saw the video. 😬 I tried. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I think I said that I "might make a phone call" right? ;) You're totally correct though. I should have asked Reuben for help.

[@JasonW.]

From experience, wall or ground mounted, make sure the roof has very good water runoff control or the roof overhangs enough to keep water off the top of it. The rain water might help cool it in the summer, but the ice build up in the winter hurts its ability to heat.

[@julienturcot8112]

Exactly. Or he might want to install gutters for the rain. In Winter, proper roof insulation and/or attic space to prevent ice formation. These units are meant to be outdoor.

[@jepito29]

I’d recommend spacers between the bracket and the siding to compensate for the ribs. So that the lag bolts can actually get tight

[@johnwongyoutube]

I mounted it my minisplit on the ground and was surprised how much vibration came through with just the insulated piping contacting the wall. I can't imagine how much vibration would come through if the unit itself was on the wall. I had to wrap some lead weight around the piping to dampen the vibration. This was a Mr. Cool 12K unit.

[@AnnikaSahlstrom]

That lifting job!😱🤦🏼‍♀️ So scary! Haha

[@ronaldcach2779]

HI, kids are great at that age. My son is already 22 and a police officer in Woodhaven Michigan. Where does the time go LOL Thanks Friend

[@victorradilla1333]

Hey bro your kids are fantastic

[@SocalNewsOne]

DUDE! Thas was not a safte deal! Glad your back survived and the unit did not end up back in the box as a parts-only Ebay deal. Kids are great for the slow parts of the video.

[@davidderoode7691]

Love the sound of bugs buzzing you

[@princemacon6958]

Man she’s been outside for a loooog time😊

[@UManiac]

you have a beautiful family

[@apocalysque]

Kid running away with the mic is classic.

[@RazorStrap]

Anchor a come-along few feet up the wall and it will do wonders for lifting that unit. I sometimes clamp an anchor point to a beam for the come-along.

[@wildwestunlimited]

12:08 .... DOOD!!!..... I'm totally SQUIRMING in my chair here trying to help you put that up there!!!!!!

[@donreinholz8121]

Haha the kids like to help too! Don't hurt yourself!

[@kahlil4745]

Solid attempt!

[@skipduld3630]

LIKE U SAID PUT UP HIGHER FOR SNOW. IM IN MD, EASTON SHORE, WE GET VERRY LITTLE SNOW, MORE RAIN THEN SNOW. MY HOUSE A/C IS ON FEET ABOUT 8" OFF THE GROUND.

[@ssx-nd6cg]

My back was hurting watching u

[@gregslair4278]

First off, your kids are too cute. 2nd, you have a brother to help you lift. 3rd, use the angle iron and attach to your studs, then another piece to angle up to the side of the leg (that'll brace it good). 4th, I don't know you from Adam, but you're about the age of my kids, and if I were your dad, I'd be very proud of you. Keep up the great work and video's.

[@twotone3426]

WAIT, WHAT?! I live in Canada and your comment about, "if you're one of those smart people that live in a warmer climate..."..... well, I guess ya you're right... why am I living in Canada.... crap, I'm not that smart after all.... Great videos man! P.S., can you sponsor me so I can move to the U.S.?!

[@Michiganbreadboyz_bt8919]

Love the long song 😂

[@thaitichi]

Ben: "Always use 2 people to life the unit" also Ben: "Hold my beer"

[@tomp538]

Agree, your back will thank you went you're 60... don't ask me how I know.

[@JoeLinux2000]

There are a lot of ways to approach it. Luckily he's young and strong. Still his approach is very dangerous in my opinion. He had plenty of space for an incline plane or block and tackle from above. Walking it up gradually with cribbage is another possibility. I like to have scrap boards around for just such purposes. You can even slide it up the face of a low slung aluminum ladder. Better yet the bracket manufacturer makes a bracket where each side works like a car jack and each side is moved up independently with a large screw driver as a pry bar an inch at a time. I see those mounting kits sell for close to $100.00 and look to be pure crap. No assistance at all in getting the compressing unit into position. How about two small brackets out on the end of the legs where two 2 x 4's could be temporarily bolted. Again his situation is one of the easiest that could be encountered other than just placing it on cement blocks on the ground. As smart as Ben is, he needs to study up on leverage and mechanical advantage when moving heavy objects.

[@Ootgreet1]

Your chiropractor needs to watch this and comment. 😂 DEFINITELY a two-man lift. I'm glad you didn't drop your $$compressor$$.

[@MegaFinalRound]

@12:48 if there is a gutter to catch the water from the roof, would the mini split be able to be mounted underneath that side of the garage/building? 🤔

[@garza7676]

I feel your pain man .I have a three year old . Great videos

[@SqueakyHinge]

In your part of the country your heat pump mini split is going to be operating more supplying heat so having the outside unit in the sun assists in a warmer area, that is where the heat pump gets a portion of its heat for free, and also causes the snow/ice to melt away from the outside unit allowing the air more free flow around the outside coil for heat pickup. As for lifting the unit in the air most any supplier can sell you a sky hook for ease of installation.

[@HobbyOrganist]

I ordered a mini split 12,000 btu. I think I will mount the outside unit on a platform I'll build 2 feet off the concrete and the unit mounted on it a foot out from the wall. I have a large fenced concreted area for the dogs, and a gate to a much larger play area filled with sand. My back door to the concreted area has a little overhead roof about 4 feet out and 8 feet long parallel to the house that would provide excellent cover over the unit to keep snow and rain off it. The lineset only has to go horizontally about 9 feet and up and in.

[@georgeswca]

Kids are great, aren't they?

[@sylviaisgod6947]

My kids just play with their phone all day.

[@DJ_Driven]

Dude you need to get an engine lift on your next solo mini split wall mount install! 😂

[@robertcook6058]

I just lifted a 270 pound air hockey table off the bed of my pickup by myself using an engine lift.

[@kevinmach730]

I have the same compolaint about Michigan weather. I'm not saying we get Flordia weather, but with what we deal with as an average temp the rest of the year, you'd think we have a lot more Summer days in the low 70s and fewer day in the high 80s and 90s.

[@greenmanalishi1129]

What about the 12 inch clearance from wall?

[@atalakeanumonarshi129]

Damn. Those brackets for the outdoor unit on USA is much much more simpler than what i’ve got here in my country ( Indonesia ) :-P Edit : And also, it needs way less anchors that must got drilled onto the concrete ( still, more is better )

[@InvisibleCitizen]

I’ve decided to mount mine on a wall-bracket that is mounted to a post-stand. I am augering two 36” deep holes similar to fence post. My post are 6”x6”x6’. I’m routing two dado for 2x6 cross members. One for the wall mount top rail and one for the lower stand-offs. I have faux brick that comes up 3ft and I do not want to mount to it or through it.

[@raybchoi]

Great video! What kind of bolt did you use / how long was that you put directly into the studs? Any reason why you didn't use the anchors that came with the installation kit?

[@danpszeniczny9664]

I installed a heavier one like that alone. I survived.

[@mikez4132]

Any concern about the mount keeping the unit so close to the wall? My manual for the CH 18k wants 12" between the wall and condenser. Mounts that big are hard to find and are not affordable.

[@monczaopl]

That is for the on-ground scenario where there is no ventilation below the unit. When mounted on the wall you get additional ventilation from the bottom and the unit can be installed closer to the wall

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

@@monczaopl Great answer. I had the same problem, now feel better to have at 4 inches away from wall.

[@JW77]

Can I just put the outdoor unit one the concrete slab if I have no snow and no flood?

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Absolutely! That's a great option for sure in your case.

[@JW77]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom Thanks. A contractor kept telling me I need a pad for my outdoor unit on the slab but I'm not convinced. I don't have grass or foliage near it, no snow in the winter and it hardly ever rain.

[@JoeLinux2000]

@@JW77 You probably already did it, but put some pea gravel down and then some concrete blocks on top of that to get it up of the ground at least a bit.

[@speedbuggy16v]

I had almost forgotten how cute lil ones can be, aaaand there goes the mic. Now there is a good boy! Good effort, but that get it done attitude is going to make you pay later in life. Get help whenever you can. Love the videos. One question on placement of the outside unit. You say out of the sunlight which for us in the US means the north side of the house. What about any possible efficiency gains of placing it on a south wall, avoiding our cold north wind here in KS, but also inside what would be a greenhouse in the winter months, but open during the summer months with an overhang that eliminates the sun hitting it in the summer?

[@classic287]

I wish I had been there to help you with that thing...

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Haha, me too!

[@Schurman_Scroll]

how's your back?!?! I was rooting for you!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

All good! 🤣

[@Billbobaker]

How many inches away from the wall is it? My instructions say a minimum of 11 1/2 inches .

[@trentvlak]

Can you link to the pdf where you measured the mass and frequency of the system, calculated resonance, and solved for how much damping you needed when spec'ing out those rubber dampers? Thanks.

[@ReubenSahlstrom]

I am sorry Ben! I was supposed to be the second person, but I guess I was too busy to wait for?

[@ericafors6039]

Or was your bro too impatient to wait! 😉

[@abrad3061]

Is it supposed to be level or slight tilt down

[@fhuber7507]

I can't stop thinking "Beaver" (Leave it to Beaver) has become an AC expert.

[@speedbuggy16v]

LOL, I didn't see it till you said something. I will say he is lucky, when I was younger I looked more like Ernie from My Three Sons............. ETA as if that genetic insult was not enough,now I look more like grandpa from The Munsters..........

[@inspectr1949]

Can't believe that you set that condensing unit in place by yourself, did something stupid like that 30 years ago and my back and life has been messed up ever since.

[@primetime758]

the amount of shit i continue to do .. i'm 33 i've reuined my body i need surgery now to repair some tendon i tore lifting a condensing unit

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Yeah, it wasn't smart for sure! I should have known better.

[@inspectr1949]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom Sorry Ben didn't mean to pick on you as I had always worked out and prided myself staying in shape until I blew my back out doing the work of 2 then my life went down hill from there braking up my marriage which isolated me from my kids and I had to survive ever since using only my head as Workers Comp is a total joke.

[@hanamantghodake5755]

Good. konlage. Thanku. sire

[@trace1571]

Did you add lag bolts on the bottom portion of the mount or just let the bottom part rest against the wall?

[@linusgallitzin]

Might need a video on a ladder and pulley system to pull that HVAC up without risking yourself or that expensive condenser unit. :)

[@StevenSchroeder-u4o]

Thanks for the video. I'm trying to decide whether to mount mine on a pad or on the wall. One consideration is, per Cooper Hunter, the unit needs 12" clear to the wall behind it. Looks like you have maybe 6". What are your thoughts?

[@rickyhuff]

Feats of strength!

[@mking806]

The mini split I'm installing says the outdoor unit must be 12" from the wall. But my line set may not be long enough, so it might be more like 6" from the wall. Most wall mounts don't seem to be 12" from the wall so how can you get away with that? Yours doesn't look like it's 12" from the wall. Is that rule just something to be ignored? I'm asking because I might have to ignore it myself.

[@JoeLinux2000]

His looks to be about 6" away from the wall. I think it would depend on the location of the air intake.

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

Someone answered that question here saying if wall mounted it will get more air from bottom and ok with less than the 12" required for ground installation.

[@tomsviewphoto]

How much did that solo-lift cost you in terms of pain, discomfort and chiropractor bills?!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

No pain, no discomfort, and no chiropractor bills! It wasn't smart though and I do not plan on doing it again that's for sure.

[@tomsviewphoto]

Benjamin Sahlstrom I am glad you weren’t hurt!

[@SteveBuchanan1447]

Another informative video!