MRCOOL DIY 4th Gen Ductless Install & Start Up (YEAR-ROUND GARAGE COMFORT)

We just installed our MRCOOL 4th Generation DIY Mini Split System and they are awesome!! This is such an easy way to condition a space and save a ton of money in the process, especially if you DIY it. This video walks through the whole install and startup!
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#building #construction #hvac

[@billybike57]

Your attention to detail is really why I tune in.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Thank you! Construction these days seems to be all about speed.. I'm glad I am able to take the time to do things the best I possibly can.

[@cnettrouer]

I installed a Mr Cool mini split system in my workshop about 5 years ago. I can safely say it was the best investment I ever made in creature comfort in the shop. My favorite feature is that it keeps the humidity in check. No more having to empty a dehumidifier drain bucket or worrying about rusted tools/ equipment.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

I totally agree, I was in the (uninsulated) garage pulling PEX water liens yesterday and it got up to 80F outside, and by noon it was 80F inside and I was sweating. Clicked the mini splits on, within 45 minutes the whole garage was 70. Incredible

[@facundolamelas3630]

I’m a civil engineer and that thing you said about being 10 steps ahead is true. Those mistakes happens all the time, and yes also to professionals.

[@markr2297]

Great job explaining the process. These units look good.

[@Danedelman_thp]

Great video once again and live the attention to detail….even on that insulation!

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Much appreciated!!

[@MattSapp]

Hey Alex! On the electrical connectors, A couple things I've done in the past... If you can, the ring terminals can often be cut or ground down on the side of the ring so they aren't so wide, without completely losing the rings structure. Alternatively, wire ferrules! Wraps up all those starnds of the stranded wire into a neat bundle and crimps as one piece, then as long as the screws in the terminal block aren't ridiculously short, it'll fit right in.

[@MattSapp]

Also, to be honest, the way you did it just clamping the bare wires in there is fine so long as you don't have any strands flying away.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Thank you!! I thought about grinding down the ring terminal.. then figured I would REALLY get some flak from any KZbin electricians who saw that 🤣 good thought on the ferrule too. I’m sure the reason the MRCOOL tech manual doesn’t cover this connection is because they don’t want to take liability for it 😁

[@Pronoodleeater126]

This man knows what he’s doing

[@lostcreek7551]

Good Job! Smart move on the pvc pipe for condensate. Never seen flex pipe used before. Always pvc pipe up to the connection on the head unit. I find these dyi units interesting. For always used nitrogen to purge and a vacuum pump. For you want the system fully dehydrated. Refrigerate and moisture, makes acid. Will slug a compressor. On every unit I’ve seen the refrigerant is stored in the outdoor unit. Until you open the king valves and release it, into the line set. Awesome job!

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Thanks! Yep these also had most of the refrigerant in the outdoor unit

[@emilyyang7087]

Super educational tutorial, great job! I love your creative ways, replacing wall sleeve with PVC, replace the drain hose with rigid PVC etc. Subscribing your channel.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Much appreciated!

[@heidipalomaguna5720]

my husband got me hooked

[@anonymouscooks3221]

love from Singapore ❤ keep it up

[@kennethlemke9826]

I installed on on a second floor a couple years ago. A little over a year later the upstairs cooling unit started dripping water on the floor. The solution was to hook a wet vacuum to lower drain hose. This cleared the line that had algae buildup. My advice is to have a service opening or access to the lower drain hose. Vacuum the drain hose at least once a year. You will be surprised how much water will leak in a short time. A lot of water damage can happen fast before you figure it out.

[@johannsen4171]

Great video, going to install mine soon, thanks!

[@evil17]

Good job & vid, nice install. The grey inner filter is a carbon filter, I believe it is supposed to help alleviate odours. The corrugated tubing would have been an ongoing problem & the PVC was a much better choice, but can still be subject to issues like cracking, leaking & blockages, other things to consider are if the fan can cause a static pressure/vacuum on the drain line & is another possibility that a condensate pump could be needed at some time & a U trap in ur drain line can/may help prevent this from happening. Cheers

[@adampatterson1697]

Very good video going to give it a whirl thanks for sharing

[@johnf8877]

Alex, have you considered the working room needed to install your stone behind the AC units? It is hard to see with your camera angles.

[@stuemler]

He did!

[@maxc6575]

Are you planning a back up heating system? I installed a mini split system in my home and love it. I have found that in cold (below freezing) I need to turn on resistance electric heating system to maintain a comfortable temperature. I live in southern Indiana and have a 1,300 square foot mobile home and a 12,000 BTU unit.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

The radiant floor will do the majority of winter heating in the garage. Upstairs will be using a ducted split system and I’ll have a generator port to power it in case of power loss

[@lucianodefilippo5431]

Yes is worth it

[@andrejgorin]

Haven't you used vacuum pump for copper lines to remove all air from them before opening valves on outdoor unit?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

That’s the beauty of the MRCOOL line sets, no need.

[@ericfraser7543]

21:00 Tie wraps make for a good hose clamp in situations like that, might stand up better over time than electrical tape.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Yeah good call, I'm thinking I'll put on a regular hose clamp. Didn't even think of that

[@bwheeler]

So, with these units, there is no requirement to vacuum down the line sets? These units appear to be the the exact units that I have installed but mine are branded as Senville. Midea is the company that makes them but I like Mr. Cools innovation if you do not have to vacuum the lines. Is there some kind of special coupling on the ends or did you have to use a pump to evacuate the lines?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

The lines are sealed and precharged, they have a special coupler that opens the lines when connected and prevents the need for vacuuming. The idea has actually been around for quite some time

[@tobiasfunke]

But they didn't fill with air that you needed to vacuum out when you disconnected them after already being connected?

[@iainf6]

Best idea to expand pipe is to put the tip in boiling water.... Try it 👍🏻

[@MattHoag]

Hi Alex. @masonDixonFarms Love what you and your partner are building. Ambitious! I’m a mech engineer too. & a big fan of Mr.Cool. A good low cost solution to give the people AC and provide some carbon free heating in the winter. One question: did you Vapor seal your refrigerant lines in the walls? If so, what product did you use? I’m looking for some kind of heat shrink fit Vapor retardant tubing that will fit over the insulated lines I’ve heard that moisture from the living space will condense on the lines if they are not vapour sealed.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

If the lines are enclosed with drywall you shouldn't have a problem - that is enough of an air barrier. We ran them in the summer a few days before any insulation or drywall and yes the humidity definitely condenses on the cold lines coming out the back of the unit and will drip. It's not really possible to get a perfect airtight seal around them given the geometry, but you might find a product that works. The provided insulation on the linesets prevents condensation on 98% of the run, it's just the 12-18" coming into the back of the unit you should try to carefully insulate and seal.

[@KurtMGibbs]

Try securing your corrugated drain line to the hose bard with a hose clamp...cheap and easy.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Good idea!

[@samuelspornhauer1019]

What is the size of framing members in wall cavities? 2x4? Just about to install one of these and was looking everywhere to see if I could get the pipes to almost 90° down turn to make it to my subfloor attic area. I can't hang mine on an exterior wall.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

The copper is pretty stiff, you need to be careful making tight bends. They should fit in a 2x4 cavity, just watch the bend radius

[@fatalbiteN]

What size was your pad?

[@facundolamelas3630]

Question, what happens when you screw the zip osb? You don’t have to seal the hole made by the screw? Isn’t a point where the water can leak in the house. Sorry my ignorance and my English. We don’t use to build with wood in my country

[@MasonDixonAcres]

The white PVC board I drill through for the wire is sealed where the wire comes through, and the entire board is flashed with metal head flashing to protect from water. Ideally you'd like to seal the wire right at the Zip with a product like Zip liquid flash, but it wasn't feasible in this case where I already had the trim block on the wall. I tried to pump as much sealant back in the hole as I could to reach the sheathing.

[@facundolamelas3630]

​@@MasonDixonAcres Oh, I mean at 27:51 when you screw in the T15s to fix the electrical box. Could it be overkill to seal that, or does the plate itself have something that seals the screw hole? I always have those stupid questions' haha, for example, when you fixed the OSB board with nails, what stops the water from leaking through the nail?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Oh gotcha, yeah even I'd say that's overkill to seal the heads of those screws and I go overkill on many things haha. I did seal the lag screws securing the electrical meter box with duct seal, because I will never be able to open that again without the power company coming out. But the heads of fasteners like those #8 screws wouldn't see much if any benefit of add'l sealant, especially if inside a box or with flashing over top. The screw fills it's own hole in the Zip for all intents and purposes. The only time Huber recommends liquid flashing over nail heads are if they are over driven. If driven properly, there is no air or water leakage, they have published some resources on this. We did flash over all our nail heads just because.

[@facundolamelas3630]

@@MasonDixonAcres Thank you so much! Merry Christmas and happy new year!

[@SmitHVAC.]

I suspect you had issues with the anchors because these are typically installed on brackets! You must live somewhere without snow load (lucky you)

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Yep that's a good observation! Yeah we get almost zero snow here anymore unfortunately

[@AmitroniX]

I purchased a 4th gen 18k BTU DIY with 2 zones (12k & 9k wall mount units). I'm up to the part when i connect the line sets. I didnt hear any hissing of the gases when i connected the precharged lineset to the 12k head unit which is concerning. I didnt hear any hissing of the gases even when i connected it to the compressor. I wanted to get your suggestions before i loosen the set screw on the compressor. My concern is maybe my lineset was faulty. I have only connected the 12k unit and have not done the electric part so no power yet. Do you think i should just purchase a new line set and return this one to be on the safe side?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

hmm i'm not really sure but I'd lean towards it not being an issue. I'd call up their support line, they're really good. If you open the valve on the outdoor unit and you hear an obvious leak from somewhere in the lineset then obviously there's a problem, the outdoor unit will contain most of the refrigerant.

[@AmitroniX]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll give them a ring. I was worried I may open a can of worms if I open the valve on the compressor if it's a faulty line set.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Worst that can happen is you'll have to call out a tech to evacuate and recharge once you get everything leak-free. A lot cheaper than having them come install the whole system

[@bennywilks9367]

You guys OBVIOUSLY have a nice budget to work with if you are installing TWO units to cool a garage. With the M/C cable why not just extend it, and use a nice looking utility box at the splice point?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Just didn't want a junction box if I didn't have to have one

[@simstat9502]

only thing i didn't like about these was the serviceability in the future, most hvac people will not touch these. Ended up going with mitsubishi just due to the efficiency in cold climate etc and options with ceiling or wall mount.

[@markolmstead4709]

Mr cool has high efficiency options as well as ceiling and wall mounts. Plus you will save thousands over having someone install the Mitsubishi. I’ve had the Mr Cool system for almost seven years with zero problems. If it were to die tomorrow, I could buy a new one and still be money ahead over the Mitsubishi.

[@keithdouglass]

Alex. Can you share the name of your software please. Thanks😊

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Whole video on it here!: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmOnpXaGaaylobs

[@ac-mech1265]

HEAT PUMPS NEED TO BE 8-10 inches off the ground with no snow if you are in a high snow area they should be 18” off the ground

[@MasonDixonAcres]

We rarely get snow, and that’s the only reason to elevate this unit. Other manufacturers may vary