My shop (double car garage) is 24×24 with 10 ft high ceiling. I’ve decided that I’m going to have a mini split installed “just because” they are experienced with this stuff and I’m not. I have to have a 220 installed anyway. It just seems easier to do. I’ve decided on the
Daikin, OTERRA 20 seer single zone Heat rated 5 degrees, 1.5 Ton, Ductless Outdoor
Model: RX18BAXVJU
It has a fair heating and cooling range ( I’m probably not going to be out there when it’s -5 degrees f. outside or 105+ in the summer) . This unit seemed like a good middle road.
The alternative smaller unit is a Daikin 18 seer Entra. It’s not cheap –~$5500, on the cheaper side of bids I got. I should’ve done it myself 30 years ago. I’m sure once I get this done we’ll decide it’s time to move in 5 years :).
Placement question: I’m planning to put it ~ 20′ away from where I’m usually working. I’m thinking there’d be a bit less dust there. The drain line wouldn’t need a pump. Would that be effective for the front of the garage where most of the work is done? The alternative would be to put it where it’s closer and more dusty. The drain line would be longer and a pump would be required (more $$$). The AC guy said it would be just as effective farther way as closer.
Would a homemade filter be necessary in either location?
So opinions on the unit & placement? I’m not looking for disses about having it installed, it’s just something that I feel someone who knows what they’re doing could do it faster/better than I could.
Tim
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Last Oct, based on another thread on this forum, I researched and purchased a mini-split for my garage/workshop (no cars allowed). We live on a small farm in northeastern Kansas. The dimensions for my shop are about the same as yours and already had 220, as well. I had it install professionally. I don't know the exact model, but it sounds very similar to yours - a Daikin 2 Ton Aurora Minisplit, 19.5 SEER efficiency. I had heated my shop for 27 years w/ a wood stove and used a window AC for summer. I cannot be happier that I made the switch. So, much less mess and more room w/o that dang wood burning stove. As for placement, I do most of my work right in the middle of the shop, so didn't get too wrapped up on placement. I just had the guys install the internal unit about in the middle of one wall near the ceiling. It mostly blows down toward the middle of the shop, which can be a little annoying because it blows cold now in the summer, but the angle of the fan can easily be adjusted with the remote. Drain is not an issue.
Mine is rated to heat efficiently down to the lower teens. Efficiency drops off quickly after that, so last winter I supplemented the heating a couple of times with a portable propane heater. I didn't mind that. So much easier than messing w the wood stove.
I have installed three mini splits and the middle of a wall seems to work best. The directional vents can be adjusted to suit your needs. I don't understand the need for a pump for the drain. There is a drain that goes to the outside with all of the tubing and works with gravity. $5500 is a lot of money for the installation of a mini-split. Perhaps that cost includes installing a 220 line also.
I am surprised at your price of $5500. That would keep a lot of from installing this type of air conditioning. I just had my house AC replaced and it cost about the same. I may be missing the ball completely here but I was thinking the unit would cost somewhere between 1K and 1.5K and I would install myself.
Depends on your area ultimately.
5500 is a steal in my area. (Washington DC/NoVA)
It's not the lowest, but it's maybe the middle of the road. It sounds like a sidework guy doing you a favor price.
For his equipment (1 evap, 1 cond), 1-1.5 is in the ballpark. Again it depends.
Labor costs are enormous, and the equipment and materials are marked up 100% typically.
A "steal"? LOL. I don't think so. Of course places like DC or New York have everything inflated so you can't purchase locally without getting ripped off. I looked at prices for these units on Home Depot and Lowes and prices vary between 2000 and 2500. Can get it even cheaper at Cosco or other suppliers. It's the labor that rips people off. But if someone has the disposable income, go and have it installed. But if your the least bit handy, it looks like a breeze to install.
Yes, a steal. i'd charge 9k for this and a large company even more.
A rip-off eh?
Ive come behind countless "handy" guys who did it themselves and felt the same way.
I even charge a "handy" guy fee and its quite steep.
If you take the time to learn and invest in the tools you can do it yourself its just very rare that its done even close to correct. even if they think they did. especially with the equiptment these days.
You wont know if you did a good job for potentially quite a while after your done. Well after bragging to all your friends.
Well I am handy. But I’ve read about Freon leaks and other issues with a dyi job. I wanted it done right and not wondering if I screwed something up that I can’t detect/fix.
Bentusi is correct on this. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I paid well over $9K for mine from a large company. I did the install during height of Covid before I was vaccinated and I just went with the place that installed furnace and AC in my home (which I won at a school fun raiser option). I could have likely saved a lot more by someone else doing it but it was Covid and I didn’t want a bunch of folks in my house for bids, etc. I trusted the company I used so at that time I was willing to pay a premium.
My basement shop is not on an outside wall. I had a system put in with an in-ceiling blower unit and a pump. The pump sends condensate to a drain 20' away and works just fine. I put an added filter layer over the unit's mesh filter and it catches quite a bit of dust. The extra filter is black so I can easily see when it is time for a cleanup.
Don't aim the fan unit directly at where you stand all day, the breeze will annoy you and your tools will get colder than the room.
Related question: how well insulated is your garage and garage door?
When I insulated my walls and ceilings, and installed new insulated, garage doors, it made a huge difference as in ten degrees cooler inside the garage. I still ended up installing a ductless system a decade later.
I have a three car garage, I installed two heads one near to where I work (about 8 feet away) and the other all the way on other side. The only complaint I have about the one nearer to me is that when I am woodworking, the blowing air moves shavings around which I find a little annoying. I do like the cool air blowing on me when it is warm in the garage. The one on the other side, I cannot really feel it thought it does cool things down. What I will typically do, is turn both on high for a while and when I'm ready to work, I turn off the one that is near to me.
As a professional commercial/MCR HVAC contractor, I have many concerns for you, naturally.
But to stay on point, assuming it's installed and sized properly, everyone has been correct so far in their advice.
Keep it away from you, or you'll be a bit annoyed, most likely. Do as Mj said, add filter material, and clean or replace it regularly. You don't want to be cleaning the evaporator, trust me.
If you do go for a condensate pump, I recommend NOT going with the dinky little slim inline ones that usually get installed.
I can't tell you how many times I've run emergency calls for those things.
Ask for a standard condensate pump. They are bigger and ugly but will last a long time. When they go, they won't be hard to find or hard to install, and unlike the small proprietary crappers, they can be MAINTAINED.
PS Opinion on the unit - I stay far away from minisplits. They are fantastic when they work (installed properly), but I don't like telling customers that they need new 2000-dollar control boards and that whatever breaks need to be ordered will take a week, along with costing a kidney.
I also don't like coming behind other companies and techs who don't understand electronics and constantly misdiagnose or otherwise destroy/damage the system.
I hope none of this befalls you. I know lots of people who love their mini-splits.
I just see the dark side of them all too often.
I would have gone with a bare-bones low-seer heat pump with simple ductwork. There would never be an issue for the next 20-30 years.
I have two in my out building (shop and man cave). I went online to ecomfort and bought two LG units for approx. $5,000. I had them professionally installed for $250 per unit. All wiring was already done when I had the building constructed. Had a warranty issue with a fan motor and ecomfort was very prompt and responsive in getting the issue resolved. Would do this again in a heartbeat.
"But to stay on point, assuming it's installed and sized properly, everyone has been correct so far in their advice."
Amen brother. Sizing is everything when it comes to long term satisfaction and economy. If you don't "have a guy", hire one for a consult at least.
The 1.5 ton is the smallest I'd go with. 20 feet away is probably perfect. You don't want to be real close when it's cranked up. And it's best to avoid the condensate pump too.
Be careful if it blows directly on a piece of cast iron machinery. It can make it very cold, and if you turn the unit off when you leave the shop you can get condensation on the cold iron.
Use a mini split in my detached shop ... love it. Gotta clean it regularly, though. I have my house and shop equipment checked every six months (live in Florida) and the tech showed me how to clean the mini split. Gotta get that sawdust out! When the shop was built we had a thick lawyer of spray foam put down in walls and between the roof trusses. The foam did a great job of ensuring electric cost was so low as to be unnoticeable.
I installed (professionally) a 1-ton Carrier 28 SEER mini split system in my attached garage. $6000. I'm in a cooling climate so heat isn't an issue for more than a few days a year.
I've had no problems with the unit, clean the filter regularly but haven't used an additional filter. My major equipment has good dust collection and most of my other tools are festool so really good dust collection there. My garage is well sealed and insulated. Walls nominally R-20, attic R-49, and garage door R-13. Keeps the garage very comfortable while barely running at very low fan speed. Couldn't work out there most of the year without the mini-split. Just don't tolerate the heat at 65 as I once did, not to mention, sweat is really bad on the cast iron.
I have a oversized, insulated double garage in central Texas. A couple years ago I priced mini-splits and was looking at $4500 for the installed unit, plus electrical. I chose the MrCool, a DIY option. Installation was straight forward and I saved over $2000. The company I used had good customer service, getting me set up with the right unit for my needs. Since install the performance has been great and I've had no problems at all. I highly recommend them.