Quick AC question

[harley34]

Hi farmers, iv been looking into a mini split read a load of info on them, so know a little bit about them. Just got some questions that i cant find the answers to on here, iv used the search etc. Can anyone shed some light

When there described as easy install or DIY what is actually the difference to a normal non DIY unit etc, when iv seen these on the net there not described as coming with any of the pipe work, just the stand alone 2 piece etc which isnt the problem but if the unit is pre gassed, how would i know what the set lenght of piping its gassed to? Do use know where im coming from. Basically are these the only differences between installing the DIY and normal (lg,mr slim, fuji etc)

They need vacumming
Flare fittings

Just wanted to know if it was worthwhile buying a quality brand name, sanyo, mistubushi, LG etc which all need fittings professionally or opting for one of the easy installs, i really want to get the best i can get but if theres not much difference in quality between the DIY and normal units then i can just go for a easy install. When i say DIY/ Easy install the units are described or named as TCL, CHIGO, No name but always say toshiba compressor, KFR range and ECO AIR. ECO AIR being the best i can tell.

If i went with either type say it comes with 5m of copper piping, will that unit be pre gassed to that lenght, what would have to be done if i needed 10m?

Most condensers from what iv seen range from 51db to 62db. Im looking for a quiet as possible unit, which brands are know for being quiet. If the unit was 55db how loud would it, how far away would you have to be to not hear it?

Do any of use connect these with sentinel or similiar controllers (CHHC-4) or do you use just run it on its own, set the parameters and away you go?

Thanks in advance for anyone who sheds some light on these, got me pretty stumped :)

If it helps been looking at the 24,000BTU range, 7KW

 

[CannabisJohn]

I am a HVAC tech. Name brands are best. They are not going out of business soon. Also their warranties are usually better. If you have a HVAC guy available to you have him do it right for you. Do not connect to any controller which I doubt you could easily anyway. My personal preference is Fujistu but they can't be bought on the internet. You can buy them online but Fujistu will not honor the warranty. If you are in Socal I can help you. Good luck.

 

[harley34]

Thanks for the reply bud, been reading over the last week you obviously know your shit man! Understood on the controller didnt think you could. What id do to be in socal!

If you was say 6m from the condenser unit LG 30,000BTU how loud would it be do you reckon, being an HVAC guy do you know how hot the heat would be coming from the outside unit. Will be situating it not too far from deck so trying to get it as quiet as possible.

Do the flares need brazing

thanks john for the reply

 

[Jalisco Kid]

If noise is a problem get an inverter unit. I have the LG 24k,wish I bought the multizone so I could have two air handlers. JK

 

[harley34]

If noise is a problem get an inverter unit. I have the LG 24k,wish I bought the multizone so I could have two air handlers. JK

I am getting an inverter unit the LG 30K iv been looking at. What do you think of yours JK, how come you wanted 2 air handlers, more air flow around the room? Did you install yours or get an HVAC guy in

 

[CannabisJohn]

Thanks for the reply bud, been reading over the last week you obviously know your shit man! Understood on the controller didnt think you could. What id do to be in socal!

If you was say 6m from the condenser unit LG 30,000BTU how loud would it be do you reckon, being an HVAC guy do you know how hot the heat would be coming from the outside unit. Will be situating it not too far from deck so trying to get it as quiet as possible.

Do the flares need brazing

thanks john for the reply

Flares don't require brazing unless you need to shorten or lengthen the tubing. Main reason you need a HVAC guy to complete proper evacuation and startup. Most manufacturer's require a licensed contractor to do full install or warranty could be void. 6m or 20 ft from unit will be very quiet. I can't tell sometimes that they are running when I am 4-5 ft away w/o looking at the fan.

 

[harley34]

Flares don't require brazing unless you need to shorten or lengthen the tubing. Main reason you need a HVAC guy to complete proper evacuation and startup. Most manufacturer's require a licensed contractor to do full install or warranty could be void. 6m or 20 ft from unit will be very quiet. I can't tell sometimes that they are running when I am 4-5 ft away w/o looking at the fan.

the LG unit im looking doesnt come with pre flared lines so im just going to have to buy a 15m roll of soft copper coil and cut it down to 7.5m which is what the LG unit is pre charged to. Am i right in thinking 4 flares and 4 lots of brazing (2 on each line). My buddy is a plumber so just trying to save on the install costs, il get a hvac guy to do the evacuation. It will be pad mouted, is a concrete slab sufficient or will buying something rubberised reduce vibration etc

Thanks again :)

 

[the rrock]

Where are you located Harley,ive installed over 1oo of these things and would be willing to help plus I have contacts all over the country if your not local.

 

[the rrock]

the LG unit im looking does come with pre fabricated lines so im just going to have to buy a 15m roll of soft copper coil and cut it down to 7.5m which is what the LG unit is pre charged to. Am i right in thinking 4 flares and 4 lots of brazing (2 on each line). My buddy is a plumber so just trying to save on the install costs, il get a hvac guy to do the evacuation. It will be pad mouted, is a concrete slab sufficient or will buying something rubberised reduce vibration etc

Thanks again :)

concrete pads are better if you want to anchor the unit, you can also get a plastic lightweight pad for a reasonable price. There isnt much vibration as the compressor is isolated as is fan motor

 

[harley34]

il go with a concrete pad then. Im in the UK mate

 

[CannabisJohn]

Where are you located Harley,ive installed over 1oo of these things and would be willing to help plus I have contacts all over the country if your not local.

All his measurements are in meters so I don't think he is in the US.

 

[harley34]

Do people with ac still go for sentinel or high quality full enviromental controllers considering the ac handles the heat, cools and dehumidifies. Or do most people just go for a co2 controller.

Not really an AC question but iv been looking at co2 generators. The hydrogen pro and the cap gen 1/2, the cap gen generators say they are 100% cooler than other generators or something along those lines, is this true? If i got the hydrogen pro i would use it drip to waste, (set water price), my room is 12"x13"x7" height. 1092 cubic feet. Does anyone know how much water the unit would use to set the ppm to 1500.

Iv been researching both models gen1 and the gen 2, would i benefit from the gen2 even though my room size fits the gen 1 specs, im thinking bigger the unit faster it produces co2 therefore turning off faster, less heat. The heat isnt to much of a problem unless they get really hot, iv over specced on the AC. Would one of the unit be easier than the other to maintain the correct PPM's and keep it stable etc

What do you guys think the best co2 generators are. Hydro gen pro or the gen 1 or 2

The only place i can hang it will be at the side of the AC air handler, and it will be above the dehumidifier on chains, would there be any problems with this. It will be roughly 2m away from the air handler

sorry for all the questions, just trying to get my head around it all, i didnt know shit about ac's and co2 a week ago

 

[harley34]

anyone :)

 

[Bobby Smith]

I have an "unbranded" Hydrogen - it's the identical same unit, but it's called a "Marey Tankless Water Heater" - had to get it because they stopped making Hydrogens in a natural gas model because CA has too low of pressure for them to run correctly.

My room is 14x10x8, and mine runs for ~8 minutes every twelve hours, and uses ~10 gallons in that time (and that was before my room was 100% sealed, it was only 97% at that time).

Here's a video I shot of my drain to waste setup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWTX5CqEALw

As far as your Sentinel question, I have one of those as well - IMO, it's an integral piece of equipment, regardless of whether or not you have your AC hooked up to it (I'm planning on getting a mini-split in the near future and will NOT hook it up to my Sentinel) - however, my Sentinel will still control my AC, heater, and dehuey functions.........plus I can place a fan or two in strategic locations and plug those into my AC port to move the air around a little better and reduce the amount that the mini-split needs to run.

So in conclusion, yes, get a watercooled drain to waste CO2 generator, and yes, get a Sentinel.

EDIT: if you're choosing between the Cap 1 or 2 (I disagree with that choice and had a Cap 1 for a while before getting my watercooled, but if you do), definitely go with the Cap 1 - an oversized CO2 generator is no good because it's too hard to maintain a tight band around your target PPMs - plus, heat is heat, so they'll produce the identical amount of heat per cubic foot of CO2, but the Cap 1 will let you (again) maintain more accuracy.

 

[harley34]

thanks for the reply dude, actually seen that vid before, just searching about on youtube and yours and the others popped up. "i know your not surposed to use brass with pvc but.....you know whatever" haha

i didnt know they had an ac port, or do is it the cooling port your on about?

If going for the cap 1 you reckon i should get the extra burners, i read somewhere one burner only does like 3cfm or something like that. 10 gallons so 45 litres, didnt think it would be that much man. Did you go with the hydro inovations valve for the drain to waste or did you source one from somewhere else.

 

[harley34]

if i decided to go recirculating route with the hydrogen pro then what size res you reckon i could use so i dont have to use a chiller, the room the res will be is normal temps not heat in there etc.

 

[Bobby Smith]

thanks for the reply dude, actually seen that vid before, just searching about on youtube and yours and the others popped up. "i know your not surposed to use brass with pvc but.....you know whatever" haha

i didnt know they had an ac port, or do is it the cooling port your on about?

If going for the cap 1 you reckon i should get the extra burners, i read somewhere one burner only does like 3cfm or something like that. 10 gallons so 45 litres, didnt think it would be that much man. Did you go with the hydro inovations valve for the drain to waste or did you source one from somewhere else.

I was talking about my Sentinel with the ports - it's got four - AC, Heat, Dehuey (or huey, but not both), and CO2.

If you install a mini-split (which would be operating independently), than I'd put a couple of fans into the AC port of the Sentinel and set that for two degrees less than the mini, with the hopes that circulating the air better in your room could preclude the AC from coming on as often, saving you money.

I sourced my solenoid from eBay - $35 vs. $70 for the Hydro Innovations one (link is at the top of the comments from that video).

Yeah, if going with the Cap, I'd get three or four burners for your size room........each burner puts out three cubic feet per hour.

I had the four burner (serving a 4x4 tent, don't ask why :evilgrin0040:) and it was massive overkill.

 

[Bobby Smith]

if i decided to go recirculating route with the hydrogen pro then what size res you reckon i could use so i dont have to use a chiller, the room the res will be is normal temps not heat in there etc.

Really bad idea, IMO - that water comes out HOT...........and if you're just going to keep the heat in your growroom, you might as well just get a standard burner (i.e. Cap) for simplicity.

Makes more sense (IMO) to remove that heat and lessen the load on your AC - that's why I did it.

 

[harley34]

Really bad idea, IMO - that water comes out HOT...........and if you're just going to keep the heat in your growroom, you might as well just get a standard burner (i.e. Cap) for simplicity.

Makes more sense (IMO) to remove that heat and lessen the load on your AC - that's why I did it.

even with a larger res? like 200 litre. If not i could just run to waste. Iv got to make a decision know cap gen 1 or hydrogen pro, where im getting it from works out more of less the same price. Gonna have to sleep on it