best split ac unit out there??

[justin25taylor]

Nice idea Bob! I am always amazed at the creative solutions shown here!

[luvrbus]

I don't see where the SER factor would come into play for a RV what am missing here ? I know they are supposed to be cheaper to operate the jury is still out for my part on that one as the new ser 15 at our house runs a lot more than the old 10 ser did  as far as saving was not worth the price to me for the AC side my bill changed very little now the heat pump side does work better but living in AZ who cares about heat we have plenty



good luck

[robertglines1]

Ser factor is only a concern if like me you spend  month or two in a park and have to pay elect bill. plus I like to get best bang for a buck. I really don't like the noise from roof tops ducted or not. So it is a personal choice.  Why would 2 14700 home units out preform 3 15000 roof top units? personal experience here.

[Jackling54]

Well seer = efficiency...the better efficiency the more we can over do it... Right.? I don't want to Do it over" lots of reasons that the hm would be cooled by a 3 ton and ur bus 1/4 the sq.ft need the same 3 tons. "INSULATION ..there's no hot asphalt under Ur home,no freezing wind blowing under Ur home ether.But i am looking for info on how the ( home systems ) mini splits would hold up on the road..thanks guys

[JohnEd]

Jack,

You can't get that info as official info.  Anecdotal is all you will come up with.  There are many that have successfully run minis in their bus for years without problems.  Still, I have been cautioned by experts that the house units lack ruggedness.  My observation is that the lack of ruggedness that is claimed is a "theory".  That they hold up is evidence that they are tough enuff.  Does that include all brands and models?  Course not, at least till all models have been run in a bus for years.  I have yet to hear of a brand that you should stay away from.  I mentioned Hitachi for that same reason.  Get a unit that fits your pocketbook and has EVERY BLESSED option/feature that you desire cause they are out there.

I was looking for:  Quiet evap unit

                         Quiet condenser but that wasn't as critical but you can get silence in both.

                         High SEER...more than 14

                         Variable speed compressor

                         Variable speed evap fan

                         Two evaps on each of the two systems for a total of four of them mounted on
                         walls.with one of the front evaps dedicated to the drivers area.

                          biggest BTU for 120 VAC but understanding that two units that were rated for 12000
                          would work well if insulation was done even near as well as it should be.

                          Condenser should be square instead of round and the intake and exhaust should be a
                          opening that would allow one or the other to be ported to the bay door.  Preferably
                          venting out the bottom.

                          Heat pumps.

                           You really do need double pane glass windows.

PVCCES , AKA Tom,  bought a pallet full of splits for his rental properties.  They were China mfr and he got a bodacious deal on EBay.  That was years ago and I still haven't heard him say anything about failures.  His brand was unheard of and all worked out.  A few years ago I was looking into this for a unit I installed for a friend.  The Hitachi turned out to be laden with features of design and operation that I couldn't find in anything in that price range.  But search the net.  My info is years stale but the features are still valid.

Wish you luck with this.

John

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Nick, You mention Mini splits are not good at dehumidifying the air. Just curious, why do you think that is? Kenny

Hi Kenny,

Simple, too much air flow and too small of a evaporator coil for proper dehumidification..
It's a very common problem with mini splits. I sell and install 30 to 50 mini split sys a year
and this is the #1 complaint. The mfg.'s know about it very well. In some very humid climates
like the east coast, it's like living in a cool sponge. Lol
Nick-

[buddydawg]

I have 2 mini-splits in my bus.  Up front I have a 12K Sanyo Heat Pump with an inverter compressor and In the bedroom I have a 12K Klimaire Heat Pump.  The Sanyo is a very nice unit and with the inverter compressor it never cycles on and off it just slows the compressor to meet the demand.    The heat exchanger does have to drain to the outside but can still be installed level because you can drain the catch pan out of BOTH sides.  It is set up this way from the factory for you to choose which side you want to drain from but there is nothing between you and 2 drains except for an additional piece of hose.  The Sanyo is an expensive unit coming in at $1500 but I went the minisplit route because I do not want to mount things to the roof (my way )  The Klimaire has a normal compressor but it was half the price of the Sanyo.  I have had the Sanyo for 3 years with no problems and I installed the Kilimaire this past summer so I will see how it fares over the next few years.  As far as the humidity issue goes I have not had a "cool sponge" problem so far with my experience.  In the end it is a user preference.  I do know one thing and that is my minisplits are very quiet.  I don't think the sanyos compressor makes noise at all and the Kilimaire you can feel kick on but makes very little run noise.

[artvonne]

  Wouldnt it be easier to incorporate the original road AC system into something resembling this mini split idea? Couldnt you tie in a residential AC compressor to the existing system?? Just trying to see how to not reinvent everything, keep the roof clean, use the original road air.....

[Kenny]

Simple, too much air flow and too small of a evaporator coil for proper dehumidification

Nick, Is there a difference in the brand you buy and install? Are some better than others?

Buddydawg - I take it you have the compressors mounted in one of the bays and custom installed the evap units where you need them?

Kenny

[Jackling54]

lots of what i wanted to hear...It's being done out there !! so ill make up my mind and let everyone what i go with..

I do have experience with one brand " HARBOR-POINT" STAY away from this junk !!! put one in my garage last year ,nothing but problem.The service tech was answering the phone while in a casino gambling!! told me he was on VACATION but would be back in town in a week or so....O sorry the main computer board are gunk !!! that's what i heard after 4 weeks of diagnostics over the phone...there cheep alright...

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Simple, too much air flow and too small of a evaporator coil for proper dehumidification

Nick, Is there a difference in the brand you buy and install? Are some better than others?

Buddydawg - I take it you have the compressors mounted in one of the bays and custom installed the evap units where you need them?

Kenny

Hi Kenny,

As Buddydawg mentioned, Sanyo.. Sanyo has been doing ductless splits since the 70's and have perfected them
with their expierence. With DC inverter drive compressors, they are the most efficient units out there!
You guy's should be installing their multi-zone units. [3 evaps and 1 condencer] but requires 230v.
I have sanyo's still out there that I have installed back in the late 80's.. says alot for a salty inviroment!
http://us.sanyo.com/hvac

Nick-

[buddydawg]

Buddydawg - I take it you have the compressors mounted in one of the bays and custom installed the evap units where you need them?

One is mounted under the bus (I have a transit) and the other is mounted in the old A/C space on the roof rear, covered and vented with the old fiberglass shroud.

[JohnEd]

ALRIGHT!

Harbour Point     -1 star

Sanyo                5 star

Hitachi                ? star but good indications

I  hope everyonme with a split will comment.  I hope Nick can add some names to both sides with 50 a year they can't all be Sanyo.

I looked at the Sanyo site and they spec one unit as having a SEER of 16    They also say the unit will remove 10.6 pints of water per hour        So add that to the wish list along with that motor that has a constant variable speed.

Try this.  Some have a SEER of 26.5 (OMG)  http://www.goductless.com/SearchResults.asp?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=34&show=10&page=4  I s Grunair a good brand....Nick?

They list 13.5 K BTU that runs on 120VAC  That site seems to have every brand out there and Mitsubishi is a big player.  Inverter DC motors are listed for some.

[pvcces]

We've got eight installed in our buildings and have at least another dozen to install that are on hand. We are planning to install another 6 in another building if we can get permit approvals in place.

We have five different brand names and no failures, yet. There is one remote control that someone cracked the case of, but it still works.

We have avoided the Soleus brand because the heating specs were not good enough for use in southeast Alaska.

While we have used the installed units as air conditioners, we bought them primarily to wean ourselves off of oil and for inexpensive heating. They are paying for themselves very quickly.

For what it's worth.

Tom Caffrey