Mini Split Opinion in Seasonal Cottages

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by feb

Does anyone have a mini-split system in a seasonal house that you close down for the winter? Since these systems do have condensation drains I'm curious if that creates an issue once the house temp becomes the same temp as the outside during the winter and something in these units is susceptible to freezing.

Thank you.

I have had mini splits in my seasonal camp for 15 years now. No winterizing whatsoever and never had an issue.

I do recommend you get the hyper heat model. Even though your camp is seasonal you may wish to visit it during the cold winter months. Having guaranteed heat to 15 below zero is real nice option to have when needed. They did not offer hyper heat models when mine were installed and there have been quite a few times over the years I wish I had them…

Dan

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I have had mini splits in my seasonal camp for 15 years now. No winterizing whatsoever and never had an issue.

I do recommend you get the hyper heat model. Even though your camp is seasonal you may wish to visit it during the cold winter months. Having guaranteed heat to 15 below zero is real nice option to have when needed. They did not offer hyper heat models when mine were installed and there have been quite a few times over the years I wish I had them…

Dan

I second
Again same situation as OP is asking and yes I went to the upgrade outdoor unit

[Winilyme]

I'm interested in how others handle the maintenance of their mini split units. I too am interested in installing these at some point in our camp. I read mostly good things about them but many information sources cite maintenance - sometimes monthly or even more frequent cleaning of filters - as being extremely important. Is it all about filters and are they easy to clean...or is there more to it than that? AC2717 mentions the difficulty of accessing the 'drum' for cleaning. I don't know what the drum is but the maintenance process doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me.

Is DIY maintenance generally onerous? Is it as frequent as I've read in some articles (monthly or even more frequent)? How do those of you with mini splits handle maintenance - DIY or professional?

Maintenance is my main concern at this point.

[John Mercier]

Lavalley Bristol runs six of these units.
Over the last five years, all we have done is keep the filters in the head's clean.

We occasionally check the compressors for debris, but other than that not much.

We just installed a sixth, but this was a Mr Cool unit without hyper heat into the shipping office.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

I'm interested in how others handle the maintenance of their mini split units. I too am interested in installing these at some point in our camp. I read mostly good things about them but many information sources cite maintenance - sometimes monthly or even more frequent cleaning of filters - as being extremely important. Is it all about filters and are they easy to clean...or is there more to it than that? AC2717 mentions the difficulty of accessing the 'drum' for cleaning. I don't know what the drum is but the maintenance process doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me.

Is DIY maintenance generally onerous? Is it as frequent as I've read in some articles (monthly or even more frequent)? How do those of you with mini splits handle maintenance - DIY or professional?

Maintenance is my main concern at this point.

I've had them in my home in Ma for 3 years now. I remove the inside filters in the spring and clean them, very easy. The outside unit collects a lot of debris, so I usually vacuum that every 6 months or more frequently if needed with a shop vac, also very easy.
I've never cleaned a drum, not even sure what that is?

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I've had them in my home in Ma for 3 years now. I remove the inside filters in the spring and clean them, very easy. The outside unit collects a lot of debris, so I usually vacuum that every 6 months or more frequently if needed with a shop vac, also very easy.
I've never cleaned a drum, not even sure what that is?

underneath the coils in the unit is the fan - it is a drum shape cylinder with slits in it. it pulls the air through the coils on the inside unit and out the directional fins. They can get very dirty which can turn into mold and mildew, and you can have build up the same stuff on the drum/fan compartment - very very hard to clean without the right tools

[bobkatfly]

Originally Posted by AC2717

underneath the coils in the unit is the fan - it is a drum shape cylinder with slits in it. it pulls the air through the coils on the inside unit and out the directional fins. They can get very dirty which can turn into mold and mildew, and you can have build up the same stuff on the drum/fan compartment - very very hard to clean without the right tools

Yes. The filters are very easy to clean but the fan and coils also get a lot of deposits that mix with condensation and can become a moldy mess. This area needs to be cleaned and as you mentioned, it's difficult to access and clean. I've done it a few times with common tools you might have on hand but it can be messy. Having it on the wall with a finished floor underneath requires protecting the floor. Also, the plastic housing can be a bear to remove.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this work on a ladder it might be worthwhile to have a HVAC company do it.
Have a look at this.

https://youtu.be/texGW7Gi3fg?si=B4hq8nNzRZrmvjm1

[Winilyme]

Originally Posted by bobkatfly

Yes. The filters are very easy to clean but the fan and coils also get a lot of deposits that mix with condensation and can become a moldy mess. This area needs to be cleaned and as you mentioned, it's difficult to access and clean. I've done it a few times with common tools you might have on hand but it can be messy. Having it on the wall with a finished floor underneath requires protecting the floor. Also, the plastic housing can be a bear to remove.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this work on a ladder it might be worthwhile to have a HVAC company do it.
Have a look at this.

https://youtu.be/texGW7Gi3fg?si=B4hq8nNzRZrmvjm1

That’s more work than the average homeowner is ever going to DIY. You’d think one of the mini split companies would be looking to distinguish themselves by engineering easy access to all areas needing cleaning versus glossing over those requirements. I don't mind committing to the cleaning. It’s the access that’s a big turnoff.

What’s the cost for an HVAC pro to come in and take care of this?