Our neighbors are paying $12k to have $3500 worth of HVAC Equipment installed in less than a full day. A $15 capacitor costs $300 to replace by these "professionals." They are professional at ripping customers off. The more DIY options out there the better. This industry is out of control and I will find a cost effective alternative when my time for replacement arrives.
It cost something to have a properly trained technician have the right size capacitor on their truck. Along with that they are going to go over your system and see if there is any other problem.
@@YoungsterJory I hear you but your overhead as everything else in this country has become outrageous. DIY is an out for homeowners to save a few thousand dollars and still enjoy an A/C and be able to buy some groceries on the weekend. How's that for goofy?
The biggest reason the DIY Mr. Cool exists is the cost HVAC companies charge for install. I just had 3 contractors supply quotes for a 3 head Mitsubishi system and the lowest was 22k and the highest was 34k. The highest quote had 3 days of labor for 3 techs. Broken down that was close to $300/hr for each tech. Just crazy
I think most heating and air companies are just trying to get by these days. I've never met an HVAC business owner that was driving a Bentley. That said, some companies are taking advantage and gouging people and making everyone look bad
Very similar experience in Northern VA for a 2 head mini split. I got the impression they just wanted me to go with a conventional solution "variable speed" condenser and air handler or duct zoning vs mini splits.
@@NewHVACGuide I agree most HVAC companies aren't raking in the dough. I want to swap to mini splits because I want to get rid of my 16 year old oil furnace. I thought the savings in electric vs heating oil should pay for itself fast with oil at 5.50/gallon (650 gallons per year). But even the $22k quote is crazy.
@@sd0753 Can you put in a wood stove? That's what I did. My LP gas has been increasing exponentially for years so like with your heating oil I needed some reprieve. It works great but it takes time to implement. I look at it as working for myself because reducing expenditures amounts to the same net monetary effect as working more to earn more. I still use gas to heat domestic water and to cook, and the furnace is still available should the need or desire arise. I also have a whole house heat pump on the furnace air handler. And recently I installed two mini splits, one for previously unconditioned space and one to cool the attic bedroom which is effective at cooling the entire house. Wood heat is also a blessing for us retirement age folks because we can warm up close to the stove after coming out of the cold.
I did a MrCool 4th Gen 3 zone system 4 months ago. I love it. It's a pretty stright forward system if you ask me nothing very complex about imo. You got ur 2 charged lines, both different sizes, and ur cables that are numbered. Read the book thoroughly before attempting anything very valuable information to keep you on track. Label the zones keep it organized, and it's impossible to screw up at that point. If you can hook up a stereo system up and count to 3 , you can definitely wire this thing up it just gets a little tedious because it's in a small space.
I bought a 24k Mr. Cool unit for 1400 bucks and got a 800 dollar rebate from my electrical company..... Installed myself, heats great, cools great 3 yrs later. For 600 bucks I'm laughing!!!!
Thanks for making your videos I am not a diehard Mr. Cool just a working man I have the 2-3-ton universal unit that came with the pre charged line set, as for installing the unit it doesn't get any easier than this it's truly plug and play, the electrical might be challenging for someone who hasn't done any electrical but if you can install a receptacle, you got this. My family owns a HVAC company that does a ton of work in our area and are very well liked I have worked for them for many years during college and on the side to make ends meet, I ultimately went with Mr. Cool for the price it was way less than what I could buy other comparable equipment for by more than half and that was getting it at cost not with any markup on it. When looking at the specs there were many advantages one of them being it's an inverter driven compressor and there is a lot of tech built into the unit to help with energy savings. I have always had heat pumps and with that comes heat strips for defrost cycles and aux heat, I don't need heat strips with this unit I was a bit skeptical when I read that no heat strips are needed but decided not to get any heat strip because the clam is in my area, I would not need them. and sure, enough I didn't need them, and my electric bill was half what it had been in the past. I have always had to still use a small electric heater here or there, but we did not use them last year our Mr. cool universal unit did the job. as with anything you buy there are good and bad of any brand and I could have gotten lucky, I know a lot of people in the HVAC community around here and I tell them all that the Mr. Cool universal has surpassed all the expectations I had, A friend who works for one of the big named HVAC places here put the same unit in his house and has had the same experience as I have, we had a lightning storm role through, and his unit took a hit, and the main board and inverter were damaged he called the Mr. Cool help line and a couple day later he had his parts at no charge, they covered them under warranty. Warranty issues might be easier for us because we are licensed HVAC, I'm not sure hope this is helpful to someone
We just had the big cold snap cone through and with my old heat pump I would of had to run the emergency heat strips to keep the house warm. With the new unit I don't even have any heat strip and when the Temps got down to 2 and 3 degrees not counting wind chill the system still kept up and cycled we keep our house at 74 during the coldest night the temp coming out of the vents was still 100 to 108. With older heat pumps when you go into a defrost cycle the straps come on with this unit the fan will shut of or barely move at all when the defrost is done the fan comes back on and back to heating. Where I live most everyone is all electric and they were all amazed that I have no heat strips or backup heat. This unit has out preformed and put all the doubts I had to rest. I had space heaters ready but never needed them.
You're right. Most DIYers may lack the expertise to navigate the newer, more complex heat pump systems. Unfortunately, many experienced HVAC professionals also lack that expertise. It's bad for your profession, and it's really bad for homeowners.
I agree. I had an instructor at a trade school come out to braze a filter drier on a new inverter system. 1 he said didn't need to flow nitrogen since it was such a small weld. Wrong! 2 he said to charge the system with a rule of thumb temp on subcooling Wrong! On inverters the only proper way is charge by weight. Now this guys is teaching other new techs. I learned more on UA-cam than this guy preaches. Really sad!
That's actually a great point. It seems over half of the people in my trade are falling into one of two categories. The first category is those that don't want to learn the new technologies, and the second is people that are lazy and don't want to learn the new technologies. Unfortunately, those that fall in these two categories make us all look bad.
@@NewHVACGuide my experience with many HVAC contractors is they dont want to learn anything newer than installing single stage AC units. Anything inverter or heatpump is too new fangled. one started blaming the government for pushing these technologies. I just shake my head and move on to the next company in my area. can't make this stuff up. heat pumps /minisplits have been in use around the world for at least a decade or more now.
@@drsg9124 I live in a modest, all-electric house that was seeing $800+ monthly bills after purchase, with three-figure bills during the summer. Had the local HVAC business owner out multiple times. He advised I replace my thermostat, which I had only just installed a few months beforehand. I knew that a faulty brand-new thermostat was a an iffy explanation because I "inherited" a box of documents from the late homeowner which suggested that she had replaced the thermostat every year for five years, beginning with year one after the heat pump was installed. From that, I could infer that she had been subject to "professionals" who really didn't make the time to properly troubleshoot. Selling an elderly woman on a new thermostat was easier than troubleshooting. I turned to "Dr. Google" and finally concluded that the heat strips must be wired incorrectly. Brought it to the attention of the HVAC tech (runs own business), and he just shrugged his shoulders. Finally I insisted on running new electrical, and sure enough the heat strips were wired "always on". I went three years paying for the emergency heat to run around the clock! That wasn't the end of it. Every year, usually in the dead of winter after snow (rare where I live), the heat pump would blow a fuse. Every year the HVAC tech installed a new fuse/transformer and then left. I would be good until the following winter, then the system would go down on the coldest night of winter. Once again took to Google and narrowed it down to a faulty defrost control board. Installed a new defrost control board and solved issue myself - but not before I paid for three more years of annual service calls to get my heat pump going. I'm not sure if it is really the case that heat pumps and similar are just too new for techs to work on and that they don't have patience for learning new skills - or the fact that "ignorance" is an investment in future service calls, at least until the homeowner becomes fed up enough to work with someone else and/or figure it out on their own.
Currently having my house built in East TX, had 3 bid ranging from 14-22K. I decided to take my HVAC needs in to my own hands. And im installing mrcool. Saving 80% :D
I installed a 36k BTU DIY mini split in my garage. It’s been a great experience and investment. Total I spent $2550 total. I already had a 220v 30 amp electric line ran by my father who was an electrician. Local HVAC wanted 5+K to put on a 24k unit. Over 6K for a 36K BTU unit. It wasn’t difficult.
More than 1/2 the video about where it's made. Nobody care as long as it works, is reliable, easy to install, has a good warrantee, and, most importantly, cost effective.
I like to buy American but it is difficult to determine the "extent" of American made content and I gave up going down that rabbit hole. Does "assembled in Kentucky" mean "made in Kentucky with American made parts"? No. If everything inside a MrCool Mini split is made in America except for a few fasteners that come from China Does that mean "made in America" cannot be applied to the overall product? No.
Ductless mini splits have been used overseas for years. The USA is just catching up. The reason why they are so popular is because you can put them in yourself , or with help from some friends. I put one in, they work great. Please don't take this personally. Most HVAC, plumbers and electricians. Think they have a licence to steal. It's not that hard. Il fight it to the death before I call a licenced installer.
Just FYI, I own a Mr. Cool Universal Heat Pump 4-5 Ton ducted split system. What I have experienced since installing this unit and using it since early February 2023 in Southern Arizona, has for the most part, been positive. What I have found after one concern showed up with the summer heat was with the Mr. Cool tech line, after exhausting the most common problems for my particular concern, most of which would be installation concerns, they did not know what to do. I am 608 certified, but not a residential HVAC professional. Before retirement, I was as an IT tech which included servicing and repairing units for server rooms. After doing a thourough diagnosis with voltage checks, and followed a sequence of events strategy, etc., I determined the fault was with the blower motor control module. After discussing my findings with the tech on the hot line, I hit a brick wall with them as they told me they did not have the module and would be looking at about four months back order, or more. I decided to do some research and see if I could find a fix elsewhere. What I found was, both my system outside and inside units were 98% a mirror unit to the Gree Flexx, even right down to the sheet metal. I had found a Mr. Cool Universal air handler service manual on line, but found it was an outdated one to my system. After noticing the similarities to the Gree Flexx I found their service manual on their website. It is exactly the same manual as the Mr. Cool, except for the cover page. I did however, find the answer to my concern in their service bulletins. I also found that the information was 100% accurate for my Mr. Cool unit and it gave me the information I needed to correct the fault. The negative side for Mr. Cool is that they are individual parts poor with their arrangement with Gree, and what could have been an easy and relatively low cost repair, required them to send me an entire air handler instead. Luckly the replacement unit was manufactured after the period the faulty part was made and had the updated ECM blower motor module I needed. So I am completely in agreement with your assessment that Mr. Cool has just obtained the branding and packaging rights from the actual manufacturer. Who I believe to be Gree, who is based in China, and are selling us a Gree manufactured product with the Mr. Cool name and packaging. I beleive even the Cooper and Hunter units are probably Gree units as well. Since Mr. Cool went out of their way to take care of me, I just had to pay the $400 freight, I cannot be to harsh on them. I do want to stress this product is well made, sturdy and has met or exceeded their claims for this product line. I also made out in that I have an almost complete air handler unit to address any future concerns with the rest of the air handler. And, even the old ECM blower module works with a cleaner 240 AC voltage signal coming from the utility. The original module was programmed to go into default and not commutate the motor if the voltage signal is to erratic and stays outside of the industry standard voltage high and/or low ranges. See Gree product bulletin, document #: TB-FLX-11222022B. This also stresses the absolute necessity, on these new high efficiency systems with the more complex electronic controls, to surge protect your investment. I had already installed a whole home surge protector, but with this updated fault correction, I also installed a voltage monitoring system that will cut the power until the voltage signal is within safe perameters. I installed a Kool Guard 2 on both the inside and outside units.
Let me add that I really appreciate your efforts to discuss stuff both from the industry professional point of view and also from customer/end user point of view. Because sometimes they cross purposes and it seems rare to see the contrary points from one source what with most people just trying to forward a narrative. Blessings to you and yours Josh!
I had my HVAC business for 20 years and I just ordered a Mr. Cool for my house. The 3-ton split system cost under 4k. A Bosch system would have cost me 7K. I know that it isn't the same quality but if I get 10 - 15 years out of it in the SC heat, I will be happy. I just change the condenser at my daughter's house. She had a 9-year-old Carier system that had a lot of leaks in the coil and the compressor went. I installed a Oxbox by Train, and it runs great.
I have two now, a first gen 24k and a gen 3 12k. A single story home with a gas forced air furnace. I’ve realized savings and better heat distribution in the areas we frequent. Paying to heat hallways and empty rooms with gas is sure nice but not necessary 95% of the time. The result was that I can heat areas to 72-73 instead of 69-70 previously and pay less too. Install was easier now that the lineset is completely separate from the air handler. A real revolution and I don’t fret much about the company or the warranty with the hundreds of thousands of great reviews stretching back at least 6 years or more.
Adding another of these units in our cabin this summer. Putting one in the sewing room in the spring. The other ones are about three years old and other than a drop cleaning once a year and checking the drain tubes every now and then they have gone way over expectations. Saved a ton of money doing it myself. The units will last as long if not longer than one installed professionally made by some other brand. And I installed it where I wanted it and how I wanted it and didn't charge myself extra for doing it that way. After talking with many HVAC installers I have the opinion that most of them are butt hurt about the fact that these are a quality product that a home owner can install and get many years of great service. Admit it. Most of you don't want to mess with these because they are easy to install, you can't charge as much to install them and you would much rather do these for a weekend extra cash for a tool type of job.
Perhaps there was a bad production run of these units during the pandemic? Mr. Cool's Better Business Bureau profile has 13 pages, as of this writing, of customer complaints about faulty units. (Each of those 13 pages has about 10 complaints apiece.) I bought my Mr. Cool from Costco early this summer thinking I can't go wrong because it's Costco. I am relieved that I went with Costco vs. Amazon because it has been nearly 90 days since purchase and it has not worked for ONE HOUR (EL 01 and PC 04 error codes) since the date of install. (Had an electrician out to verify the DIY install said everything is good on my end. Apparently bought a lemon!) If I can't get the unit working by the end of this month, it will be dumped on the return desk at my nearest Costco. AND I will be contacting Costco management to ask that they drop this line from their website since, upon closer review, even the web reviews on Costco suggest that if there is a problem, reaching Mr. Cool's overworked tech support by phone is akin to Mission Impossible.
Google shows lots of places to get parts for Mr Cool products. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Wish you had taken the time to actually look at a unit and assess the build quality. Everything I hear about that is positive. There are scores of YT videos on this brand, and I've yet to see a negative one. To me, that's significant.
Unfortunately I think there's a reason for that but I'm not allowed to talk about it. But I think you can probably figure it out. And it's not because the products are so amazing. Every brand has good and bad reviews.
You wrote, Google shows "lots of places to get parts"? Are you sure about that? There are tons of reviews online - from Home Depot to the Better Business Bureau website - suggesting that HVAC pros often refuse to work on Mr. Cool because they don't have distributors for Mr. Cool parts, apart from Mr. Cool itself and they are next to impossible to reach in a timely way by phone. Even if customers can get a pro out to work on these units, they can't afford to pay an HVAC tech to play phone tag with Mr. Cool tech support - and it is only with Mr. Cool's involvement in the repairs process that anything will be replaced under warranty! As for the idea that the positive videos are an indication that a product/brand is solid, I would only point out that regardless of the product in question people collect revenue on their UA-cam channels if not also from posting affiliate links to the likes of Amazon. There is a financial motivation to post glowing "product review" videos for any number of consumer products. The other thing that is commonplace online is that "social media influencers" are given free or discounted products in exchange for their "honest opinions". Many of them don't disclose it or are prohibited by the manufacturer from which they obtain their review products from disclosing it if they wish to receive further merchandise. Posting videos is a revenue source. You can't take the presence of positive videos for any sort of product to be an indicator of long-term performance or quality control.
Here's what I know. I can install a Mr. Cool universal system THREE TIMES for what it would cost me to have a carrier heat pump installed by a professional. I just got a $3300 estimate to get my carrier heat pump fixed. Then I'll still have a 13 year old heat pump. Or, for less than $1000 more, I can DIY a new system.
The issue you mention is not so much with Mr Cool disrupting the HVAC's gravy train but the internet and free flow of information changing the game and the manufacturers are responding to their market. It has happened in many industries. What used to be lucrative trade info about the mysterious black boxes that we call our appliances and cars are now available to anyone with a web connection, and the truth always was that many of the service calls of old were actually simple fixes, and mini split installations are not all that difficult. As far as Mr Cool, they have went out of their way to make it as DIY as possible as they do see this trend.
IMHO, the pros are working themselves out of a job and can't really blame the customer for taking matters into their own hands. I bought an all-electric home with a heat pump. Don't get snow much where I live but a curious pattern developed where a fuse would blow on the coldest night of winter, usually with snow on the ground. First few times it happened I thought it was fixed, only for it to reoccur the following winter. (In one case, a transformer also fried along with the fuse.) I feared my heat pump would eventually be severely damaged so I began doing my own research and settled on a defrost control board. Ended up having to install it myself because the HVAC guy just shrugged his shoulders at my "theory". So far so good and no more blown fuses. If that were the extent of it, I might write it off as a fluke. However, I had a similar experience with crazy high electric bills from my supposedly "efficient" (2014 Carrier) heat pump after buying my home. HVAC pro wanted to sell me on a brand-new thermostat. I balked at that because I had a pile of inherited documents from the prior homeowner that appeared to show that the thermostat had been replaced essentially every year since the heat pump was installed. So again I turned to Google. I wish I would have done so MUCH sooner. Could have spared me years worth of astronomical electric bills - three figures in the summer! - caused by emergency heat strips that were always running (incorrectly wired). Brought my "theory" for what was driving up my electric bills to the HVAC pro's attention and again he kind of shrugged his shoulders. (He wasn't the only person I had out to try to troubleshoot. Worked with a number of companies who all wanted to sell me a new thermostat vs. take the time to do a proper diagnosis.) Went ahead and asked that he completely re-run the wiring and sure enough, the heat strips had been improperly wired by the original installer. Would have vastly preferred to have a pro solve the above problems within a single visit vs. years' worth of poking around online until I figured it out on my own. But my experience is that oftentimes they book their appointments in such a way that they don't really leave enough time to do a proper diagnosis. This leaves the customer no choice but to learn how to troubleshoot.
@@newsview7844 I had a Goodman SEER 15 heat pump installed in 2016 and spent almost as much on repair labor as the unit cost. Freezing up at 30 degrees, then when repaired, it would stay in defrost with aux heat for 30 minutes. Compressor always made loud bang when unit came on. Electric bill doubled after replacing SEER 10 unit with Goodman. After 3 years, compressor blew out - hole in side. Authorized Goodman repairman said there was a problem with defective compressor on the model I had and Goodman was selling them cheap at the time to get them out of inventory. He tried to get Goodman to pay for freon since it was a known problem with that compressor but they said Freon was not included in warranty. Total cost of that repair was over $900. Now here I am going on 8 years and the unit is on its last legs. Electric bill has tripled and Goodman repair said the unit is just worn out and needs to be replaced.
Mr Cool products are designed in the U.S.A. and manufactured for them in China. But so are Apple i-Phones. So are some John Deere tractors. All that matters is: are they decent quality, and good value for money? I think they are. To have a local company install a similar system by Mitsubishi I was quoted $11,500. I'm installing a Mr Cool minisplit for $3,200.
All the design work is done at the MrCool site in Hickory, Kentucky, according to the company. The manufacturing is farmed out, which is standard practice these days (unfortunately). There seems to be some uncertainty as to who is building the units, some HVAC pros sure that they come out of a Gree factory (in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China: the largest residential AC manufacturer in the world)), and others sure that Midea (in Beijiou, Guangdong province, China: also manufactures for Toshiba, Carrier, Trane and Lennox) does the manufacturing. @@NewHVACGuide
Great information and thank you for what you do. Just an FYI from the MrCool Limited Liability page: "*State certified or licensed HVAC contractor not required for warranty on the DIY series units. (Always check your local laws.)"
They arent made in Kentucky at least not in the hickory location. They have 3 warehouses here. I bought one and picked it up from the warehouse since i only live 8 miles from there. Problem is after a few years doubt you can get any parts for them. Bought 1 5 years ago and inquired about an evaporator coil for it and they told me they dont have parts for it anymore.
@@daveschmidt4504 When dealing with "made in U.S.A." it pays to read closely. Often it's either "Designed in the U.S.A" (but assembled in China) or "Assembled in the U.S.A" (using any number of third party suppliers from China).
I come here wanting to know how good/bad mr cool is, and was lectured about where product and its parts are made. I just wanted to find a reliable ac unit, is all. I don't care who makes it. I care reliability.
I have installed a Mr Cool unit at my house and it’s been working great, now the only thing that made my install a little more work was that I had to drill through my brick for the 3.5 sleeve for the AC piping to go through but other than that, no problems.
Had Mr. COOL 2 years. It is AMAZING!! Cut my power bill by $100 to $200 a month. I installed 2 units (including one on an INTERIOR wall) completely BY MYSELF and I'm a camera guy, not a HVAC professional nor an electrician!
I just ordered a 27,000 BTU Mr Cool 2 zone for my small house I bought a year ago, to replace currant old A/C and gas heater ducted system was going to run around $10,000.00 and does Not include the old wore out ducts that mice have chewed thru in crawl space, Mr Cool cost delivered to my door is $3800, and includes the bracket to install off ground. Yes I know my way around a tool box very well and won't have a problem installing the unit, and won't have to deal with the old ducts, I have removed them and threw them away. So if the Mr Cool only last 8 years and goes bad and I have to buy a new one than I will still be less than the cost of the new complete duct system after buying the 2nd Mr Cool and the lower cost to run and no more nasty ducts and carbon monoxide to worry about. Its a win win as I see it.
Nice. Were your ducts nasty? In my experience, ductless mini splits get nastier on the inside than ductwork does. They aren't maintained very well and I've seen mold growing in a lot of them. Have you done anything to inhibit that?
@@NewHVACGuide The unit is new and not installed yet but will be very soon, I can keep the unit inside house cleaner vs trying to clean the ducts under the house. The house is 43 years old I bought it a year ago and mice have chewed thru the flexable ducts and built nest and the ducts had many leaks.
Who ever thought that it would be so hard to get an answer to such a simple question: "Where is your product made?". Great Video ... Thanks for sharing!
Overall, you gave out and took the time to give a good review of Mr Cool. I would like to add to it though is that almost all units sold are having problems. I watch a lot of different HVAC companies on here and they all seem to be having problems, either with parts, warranties and availability of said repair parts. I have installed 2 of the 24,000 Mr Cool units in my home ,one is 3 years old the other is 2 years old . So far everything is good . All told I spent $4000.00 for both which includes all wiring and disconnect boxes , and the 2 surge protectors. My girl friend spent over $28,000 to have a company come out and install her 36,000 4 head system in her home a few months ago with about the same warranty for a Mitsubishi system. Big difference in money ! As for how long will they last , well never know but we had one at work that lasted for 14 years that was a no name brand ductless . Plus I had a Rheem 2.5 installed in another house of mine that went out after 2 years and had to pay over $600 to have fixed. With all that being said I guess it depends on a persons skill level,and how much risk and money they want to spend .As for me being an auto tech is wasn't too big of a leap to install the DIY Mr Cool units . Thanks for taking the time to research and post your findings.
@@NewHVACGuide Don't get me wrong , I think you did a great job in researching the facts about Mr Cool ! With inflation affecting everyone,all options must be explored . Same thing is happening in the automotive side of things too . Again , thank you for taking the time and making the effort to look at the things that affect all of us !
I did mine myself. No issue at all very easy and with zero experience. Just watch videos on how to do it, and you'll be fine. I did my electrical and have no issue, but that part would be where I recommend hiring a professional! The rest is easy.
I’ve done a lot of research on mini split brands, and am 99% sure that their mini splits are made by Midea. I purchased a Senville 2 zone unit, and asked their tech support for a service manual for the 2 zone system and it was the midea manual. I’ve also seen that midea’s user manuals look exactly like Mr Cool’s and those other manufacturers like Blueridge, C&H, and carrier. My local HVAC company quoted $25k to changeout a 3 ton 14 seer heat pump and install the 2 head 2.5ton mini split, and thus began my DIY HVAC journey. 😂
@@NewHVACGuide - I just emailed you a link to the midea manual I was sent from the Senville people. As far as the user manual, if you check any user manual from mr cool, they look just like the ones from those other “manufacturers” I mention. They have a white label thing going on I think. Appreciate your videos. They have been helpful!
I just got a 27 k quote, ridiculous. My scenario required duct work from using in the attic, bit still ridiculous of you ask me. The products are like 5k cost.
I, too, have heard that they are Mideas, and Mideas are supposedly a Toshiba product. However, my local HVAC guy said he thought Mr. Cool was a lower-end Mitsubishi. Hmm…
I have a 5 ton in my house. I bought it from scratch and dent for $1900. Mr cool is a gree. The first unit i bought my compressor went. The sent me a brand new condensing unit. After that i have had no issues. I also installed a 3 ton in my church 2 years ago and have had no issues. They work very well. Of course i would prefer mitsubishi but in this economy you have to do what you have to do.
I had bids from "local pros" ranging from 35 to 50k to install a mini-split system in my house. To me, that is insane. It's no wonder handy people go with a DIY system. In my case, I installed two separate MrCool systems, a 27k BTU and a 36k BTU, for a total of 14k including electrical and some framing work. My system also covers my garage which was not included in the bids.
And I forgot to mention, my neighbor had a pro do his system and he has line sets running around his house exposed and they look terrible. Mine are all hidden. I feel my install is superior to the work the pros did on his house.
@@NewHVACGuide Oh, it's true. The first estimator came in, took photos and measurements, and spent a good hour here before saying he'd get us a quote, we never heard back from that company. The second guy walks in, asks me what I want, looks around for 10 minutes, and says "You're looking at a minimum of 35 grand". The third company shows up with two guys, I tell them what I'm looking for and 5 minutes later says it will cost about 50k. My house was built in 1948 with a somewhat flat roof and I wanted mostly ceiling cassettes. The attic is tight. I'm pretty sure the bids were high because they really did not want the job. And the housing market here is red hot and contractors are making money hand over fist and can charge absurd money for labor. I was willing to pay a pro, but not for what they wanted. As a lifelong tradesman, I have the skills to do most things myself and cannot afford to pay a premium in this economy. I will say, in my house, an average Joe would not be able to do the install I did.
We bought a Mr Cool for our pool house. I installed it my self no problem at all. It works like a charm! Saved thousands of dears going with the Mr Cool option
I just purchased a Mr. Cool 3 ton universal split system with their 35 ft. pre-charged line set, it should arrive tomorrow, hopefully undamaged. I got quotes for a Rheem, Bosch BOVA, and Trane ranging from 8k to over 22k. With R410a being phased out in the near future, I couldn't justify spending the big bucks on a system that will be obsolete fairly soon. My current Amana 3 ton split is R22 and not worth repairing at this point. With two blown compressors on the Amana since install, contamination in the line set is a real concern. I planned on going with the lowest quote for the Rheem RP14 with a new air handler. It would do the job, but it's a very basic "old school" heat pump. The upside is that parts and service are readily available. My primary concern in all cases was that existing contamination in my line set would cause premature failure of the new unit. I'm not sure that flushing lines would make them 100% as good as new. The Mr. Cool universal was less expensive, has the same 10 parts warranty, is a DC inverter system with higher SEER rating and the entire system will be all new. $3500 for the whole package seems to be quite a value. If I get 10 years out of it, I'll be quite happy. Warranty, available parts and local service are great, but I would prefer no failure at all. If this system fails before the warranty is out, it's going to be a quality problem that Mr. Cool can't easily pass blame on. I agree 100% that installation will make the biggest difference in the lifespan of a unit. I would gladly pay a local pro to install it, but so far, none that I have contacted are willing to bother. I'm still calling around but I have a feeling I may end up needing to do it myself. I'll will be documenting the installation process either way in case I do have a failure in the future. Made in China by itself doesn't mean poor quality. My Apple iPhone and MacBook Pro are made in China and quite reliable. It seems the Bosch BOVA is also made in China. The country of origin of manufacturer's sticker on the box doesn't mean what most people think it does.
Let me know how you the install goes. My goal wasn’t to say all products made in China are bad. Rather, my goal was to say companies that aren’t honest about it… might not be honest about a lot of things.
Same here. I plan on buying a Universal and called many contractors who all state we only install units that you purchase from us. The nearest Mr. Cool installer and service center is 90 miles away and they only work out up to 75 miles from location.
Please don't use up your time wasting my time about where a product is made. As you mentioned, it is done by almost every body. Just like Teslas from China, IPhone from China, Samsung TV from China. Point is not really as important to me!
I agree with everything you say. But when I can get a Mr Cool 9000 BTU unit for under $900 (and all I need is vac pump and gauges which I already have) and I am getting quotes for $6000 or more for another brand and install, then I am probably going to give the Mr Cool a shot. Installing the non-DIY version myself means I have no warranty, but saving >$5000 is worth the risk to me.
I had a geothermal installed by a “Professional” company and they did a crap job on the lineset and had a tiny leak and had low refrigerant and they ended up topping it off for a few hundred bucks. Year later same thing and couldnt find the leak another few hundred bucks. Down the road same issue this time reversing valve failed. One guy told me if i got the maintenance contract it would be easier to find the leak. Told them send a different guy and he found the lineset leaking where it was brazed poorly. So after that mess with a “Pro” company i bought the right tools and installed 3 units upstairs. First a mr cool cause it was convenient and i could get it that day. Then 2 mitsubishi 6k units. Doubt all companies are that way but way too expensive to find out afterwards. I do like having individual ac units for each zone if one goes out not out of heat or ac for the entire floor. Problem with mr cool is it does a terrible job of controlling room temperature from what i have experienced. Having 3 units for the past 5 years i do really do prefer a mini split over the central ducted units.
I loved my Mr Cool. Worked great for 2.5 years. When it was broken and it was time for parts under warranty, MR Cool took (still taking) a very very long time to ship the warranty parts. It's been over 2 weeks and still haven't been shipped. Still waiting on the warranty dept to ship, which they charge you for shipping. Furthermore, it's hard for you to hire a technician. Many HVAC people don't know how to fix your Mr. Cool. If I had to do it again, I would have spent money on a company that installs, services, and has access to parts quickly. If you don't believe me, go google MR. Cool's BBB complaints. Getting parts for their unit is a nightmare. Your MR COOL might be working now but I guarantee you it will one day break down. Where will you get your parts when that happens?
We just replaced one that the customer couldn’t get a call back from MRCOOL. May just need a simple part but he couldn’t get warranty coverage without getting in contact with them
I could have written your exact same comment word for word. I thought my HVAC pro was being unreasonable to insist on his own make/model vs. me supplying what I wanted at my own price point. But I wasn't thinking about future service and related supply chain issues. Basically a mini split is like window AC unit in many respects. Many HVAC companies won't touch those, either.
Here is a little reality check on economics. “Professional” HVAC installers created the DIY market by attempting to overcharge people for installation. Other companies seized on this and created these DIY HVAC kits. Instead of getting their prices back in line, these “professional” HVAC installers raised their prices even more to try and make up for lost revenue, driving more people down the DIY route. Then they want to throw temper tantrums about the DIY kits and refuse service on them. Here is another little economic reality check. I can use a Mr. Cool or other DIY kit and if it fails, forget using the warranty, I literally pull it off the wall, throw the entire system in the dumpster, buy another one, and reinstall it. I can do this four times and still be money ahead. If I choose to go the warranty route, this will get me 28 years of warranty coverage if I replace the entire unit once the warranty expires. I can also do this four times and still be money ahead. I guess it's good that these "professionals" still have the elderly, single women, and guys who can't do the installation themselves to prey on.
Recently installed a 12k Mrcool mini split heat pump It was my first. I am pretty handy and do house flips. So I thought I would give it a try for my 4 season room project. Overall, the installation was without any issues. Was able to do it in 2 days. There are 3 different controls shipped with the unit. The wifi seems to be the most complete. The only complaint I have is when operating in heat mode, and the set point is satisfied . The unit fan continues to run circulating air. Although at a minimum speed you get a cool draft, that is annoying. Customer support says it is designed to do this for comfort and efficiency. Well this has been the issue with heat pumps since day 1. I think they missed the boat on this control mode.
My unit threw a communications error within minutes of install - then after Mr. Cool sent a replacement control board it threw yet another error so I have never actually had mine running for more than 10 minutes. However, from what little I have done, it looks like you can't set a different temp for heating vs. cooling, either - at least not if one wishes to use the auto setting. Would like to have set a lower winter heating temp and a higher summer cooling temp - since mine is installed in an attached garage - but the only option would appear to be a setpoint. On my main household heat pump, I can set separate cooling and heating temps on the thermostat (not sure of the technical term for this but I think it may be called a swing setting). At any rate, a bit of a disappointment :-(
I'm researching gas furnace + heat pumps. I was told that MRCOOL signature series furnaces, i.e. gas not the straight air handlers are made by Allied (Lennox). The condensers are definitely made in Asia but pretty much all DC inverter condensers are made by 4 companies in Asia (so I was told - and grew from the mini split market). Parts and and installer availability are non existent in my area. Where else can you get a 20 SEER compressor , 70k 2 stage 95% gas furnace and evaporator for $4700 not installed. I'm not even sure 20seer compressor/pump exists from another name brand in the 2.5-3 ton size.
2 місяці тому
Where I live comfort first was going to charge me 13500 dollars and use same ductwork for only 5 years mrcool is 4000 what’s the difference really
I have installed a 24K mini split at our parish community center (20x40 trailer). Has been running flawlessly for over 4 years now. Back then it cost about $1100 plus about $500 for vacuum pump/ cps micron gauge/ridgit flaring tool. (DIY option at that time was over $1900). So I would recommend to any future buyers to calculate if DIY option is more expensive. It's super easy to cut and flare pipes ( just buy the right tools) vacuum down to at least 500 microns ( plenty of you tube research) and all set.
I have the vac pump and gauges, but I don't have the flaring tool. I was getting a Mr Cool Advantage (non-DIY) and it comes with a line kit, but I need longer lines. Do you just buy any copper lines of the right size, and purchase the insulation and then cut and flare it? I assume it is just a standard 45 degree flare. Buying the Mr Cool lines in 25 ft increments and the kit for joining them gets more expensive than the mini-split itself.
It all comes down to cost! The reason people love these Mr cool units and all these other cheap No name brand units is when comparing the cost of them to the cost of a daikin or other high end units the difference is night and day. Also the DIY part of the mr cool and other low cost Mini split units is attractive for 2 reasons, One being a Handy person can save a ton of money on Install cost, And since you are so bent on businesses not being misleading, Do you let your customers know upfront that your labor on a new install is about 50-70 percent of their total price? The bottom-line is installing a Mini Split unit is not "Rocket Science" Just about any basic handy man can handle it, And in todays world We have UA-cam to turn to for help if needed. In all reality I can purchase 3 Mr cool units and install them myself for the same cost as one Daikin installed by someone like you. The other reason for myself (and I think a lot of other people) these DIY units are so attractive is that I like to build and fix things myself. I do like watching most of your videos as you do give a lot of useful information in them. But the fact is these "bashing other company videos while wearing your Daikin Gear" is really just taking the low road in my opinion. Fact is your reviews are Bias! People buying units that you don't sell and installing themselves is not good for your business. And all my comments are Just my opinion as well and should be taken that way.
In asia, a 12000 BTU Daikin mini split costs about 600 US dollars including installation. Chinese brands costs less, but not by much, and in most cases the quality is not far off either. Honestly I'm amazed in the US they cost that more for the unit itself, let alone installation cost.
I think mrcool turns back to Ingram's location. Both locations are in Hickory Kentucky. Have had no problem with with warranty in my dealings with both companies. Who may be interconnected in some way.
I installed five mr. cool mini splits (including all electrical work) and I am just home owner. One DIY and four contractor model. DIY model was slightly easier. But once you get the hang of it, contractor model is almost as easy and much less expensive than DIY model. Biggest pitfalls are avoiding kinking the line set and making sure there is no leak after pressurization. If you can get past these two bugaboos, installing mini split is not hard.
What specialty tools and refrigerants are needed to connect and charge the contractor versions? I have repaired automotive A/C systems before using vacuum pump, gage set and freon canisters, but not home HVAC. I assume it's similar but, haven't done one yet.
@@drott150 Mr. Cool recommends the use of an HVAC torque wrench in the install manual. The install manual doesn't mention this at all, but I would add that it would probably be a good idea to have on hand HVAC sealant, also. The connections are apparently subject to contraction in cold weather and if they don't leak the refrigerant out right away due to improper torque, they may very well do so within the following year or so. (Heat loss on subsequent winter season use is one sign of low refrigerant, error codes are another.) For a few extra bucks, Mr. Cool could include Nylog Gasket Thread Sealant and probably save their customers and their warranty division a lot of frustration and money.
Here is the biggy staying neutral as possible. Id say in most areas people meet bad hvac people and get over charged or just hvac guys think its a extra to have ac so charge them for it. Well sorry to say them days are almost over .hvac people are beginning to scrabble to make money because most are now losing installs due to mrcool and others that sell these systems. You know what i say we greediness gets a person no where and if u got away with it for a long time it will catchup and bite you in the butt. So my answer is in this hvac people are losing jobs due to their self.
Disruptive technology and disruptive brands, like Mr Cool DIY, naturally produce loyal early adopters while annoying the main industry brands. Mr cool diy customers are passionate because it’s diy friendly w/ great new heat pump technology that saves tons of money during winter. All without the crazy pricing. It makes sense customers would be happy and want to share that.
I can buy 3 mrcool systems and it is still cheaper than getting a pro to install the average brand system. IU am going with diy any time. Not all but most of trade prof and companies are ripping off customers because customers can't do electric, hvac or plumbing. I had an electrician friend who did a 1-bedroom unit for me in 2 days max. The electrician prof gave me a quote for 15k. Tell me it is not ripping of for 2 days of work = 15 grants.
It's because everyone went into computers in last 30-40 years and now huge shortage of trades people that can rip off people now. They have a license to steal.
So when you find a leprechaun who installs mini-splits, that's the guy you should hire. Until you find that needle in the biggest haystack you can imagine, Do It Yourself
If their website dances around the question of "is it made in the USA" No it isn't. If it were, they would proudly say, "Yes it is". That would be the first thing said. Made in China doesn't necessarily mean its an inferior product. Plenty of well made product coming from there. Also a bunch of junk. It depends on the companies quality standards and engineering.
Great video. I have installed two Mr Cool mini splits in a previous home and they were a great solution. I am considering installing two of their universal heat pumps in my latest home. My concern is less about the units but ensuring I have the correct number and sized returns on each floor of the home as well as the correctly sized ductwork to support a larger unit. re: Made in the USA…no one makes circuit boards in the US anymore. They are likely sourcing components from various sources and doing final assembly, quality control, and shipment from Kentucky, which is fine, just say that and there will be no ambiguity.
Some mrcool units are made by Midea and like the mrcool universal heatpumo systems are made by Gree. I have a Mrcool universal on my house that I put in. You move the compressor blanket out the way a little bit and the Gree compressor is for the world to see
Too much of the video was spent about if it’s American made or not. I’d also like to see something about overall energy usage and how many watts it draws.
As a person that currently has a single unit R10 ducted central air system in a two-story split level home; Mr Cool DIY offers the ability to purchase adequate air conditioning tailored for each room, scale the project over time that meets budget constraints and offers me an upgrade for less money spent overall, even after considering proper electrical upgrade costs.
Additionally, I believe that if I can complete the DIY project prior to the existing R10 system failing, I could sell the salvaged R10 from the old system to a couple licensed pros I know if it’s legal. And I know that R10 is $$$$$$
Mr cool is made by a Chinese company called midea. Midea also makes the same machine for daikin, Goodman, amana. These brands are more expensive because they have warranty, service/parts network, and some components are better but not spectacularly better. I agree that diy install is not for the faint of heart, but it is not mission impossible. If you good with electrical and plumbing you can save yourself a lot of $$ but may have problems finding someone to service your unit and parts although the parts are likely the same as Goodman. Lastly, doing things diy off permit may have other implications. If diy unit electrical causes a fire (unlikely) your homeowners may not cover the damage. Basically, you are paying $$ to break the monopoly so you can get someone to service your machine, better warranty, and get easy access to parts for what is pretty much the same machine.
I bet its manufactured by Gree or Medea. I'm in the process of deciding between Mr. Cool and a quote from my local hvac company. I have called 3 companies only one was decent enough to return my call and come out. I want to pay the extra money for my local company, warranty, FUTURE SERVICE REPAIRS. Many hvac companies won't touch a diy install. I don't blame them. Hell, in my situation I can't even get guy's out here and I pay cash for everything. Waiting on quote to see what direction I take. Thank you for this vid. If you were in my service area, I would hire you today! Btw I just noticed 804 area code... I'm N.C just below Virginia State line, lol
Hey Joshua, I have been trying for 2 years calling and trying to get an HVAC company to come out and upgrade my old inefficient hvac system. It's been impossible to get people to come out for a quote. The only company that did come out, quoted me 70k to upgrade the air-handler + condenser w/ a Trane heat-pump/air handler & upgrade the boiler to an on-demand propane unit w/ a hydrostatic coil for supplemental heat while keeping existing ducting.. Now from everything I could find that whole system parts maybe 20-25k. It's getting to the point where I genuinely am going to have to do it myself. Mr. Cool seems to be the only option I have.
Lol. You must live near me. Tried to get more than one quote for my HVAC issue and struck out - only quote I got was excessively priced - so I ended up with Mr. Cool, which unfortunately has been nothing but a headache despite having the skills to install it. (Multiple error codes. Never worked right from Day One.) Meanwhile, I have been trying for six years to get structural issues to my house fixed. After being asked to show up with business cards, license and an estimate pad, they would waste my time by walking through and promising to send the missing info over email - with no follow through. Struck out on Yelp, Angi's list too (no callbacks and/or no estimate follow through). Now all of a sudden my calls are being returned. Must be the economy. Not enough kitchen/bath remodels to keep them busy, apparently!
The most important thing that people need to know is one of the last points you touched on at about the 15 min mark of this video. Barely any reputable HVAC service companies will work on DIY type units. I must have called 10 local service companies in my area and they all said that they DO NOT work on these types of units. In my case I was fortunate because one of the companies referred me to a guy who does work on the side and he was able to help out. I probably would have never bought this type of unit had I know service and repair would be such a problem.
Larry, did any of them say why??? Once installed, it’s just another unit.. DYI only means it’s been prepped for easy installation… once installed, it operates like any other system….
@@bman6502 ya I get it and agree with you. I don't know the reason why. Maybe it's an affiliation with a certain brand(s)? Not sure. This was just my experience in Massachusetts.
Thanks for you help, i will keep all this in mind, i am going to stay away from brands that it seems like it would be hard to get serviced or parts for, also Customer service will be big factor for me as well,thanks again
Can anyone name 3 HVAC brands that are made completely in the USA? The passive-aggressive commentary aside, Griffin does gives some good advice on things you consider before deciding on ANY system or professional.
@@daveschmidt4504 Could also be much more than a week waiting on HVAC company. My central AC is going out and I called to have it looked at. Spent over two months calling 7 different contractors who never showed up. Calling them back, they stated they are extremely busy and I was on the schedule but it would be next week before the technician could get to me. Call back the next week and they say it will be next week. I then called another company and same story.
No different than calling a HVAC company to come out in July. I called many last year and most of them want to know how old the system is and brand. I tell them Goodman 17 years old and I never could get anyone to come out and check the outside unit. Four different HVAC companies said they would be out a certain day but never showed up. Called back and they all have the excuse they had a lot of emergencies, or they were really busy.
I've heard that Mr Cool are Midea parts that are "assembled" in the USA by Mr Cool. The assembly might just be stickers, doing the line sets, and charging the units, however. Midea does have a reputation for quality products but they are likely non-USA components. Most good inverters are not USA products anyway.
My central unit is going out so I am running window units until I replace. I have a Midea 8000 btu inverter windows unit. It draws at 100 to 700 watts and running it 24/7 at 75 degrees in 90 degree weather, it only increased my electric bill less than $10. I first added an LG 8000 btu unit and when I ran that unit only 16 hours a day, my electric bill went up over $30. The LG has a thick cord and draws up to 1100 watts. I am considering getting a Mr. Cool 2 to 3 ton 20 SEER Heat Pump vented system. I already have new ductwork in the current system. Total system is under $4000 with pre-charged quick connects and all accessories. You cannot touch one of the brand name SEER 20 Heat pumps for under 10K and that is without installation. I would rather have a contractor install it with quick connects which cuts the installation down to a few hours. None of the contractors I talked to will install a unit if I purchase it myself.
@@webkennection8158 That's probably because the contractors likely make a nice markup of around 30-50% on the unit itself and then add their labor on top to do the install. Most A/C or HVAC parts sold by Pro's that come out to your home have a tremendous markup, sometimes several hundred percent. Anyone try to buy R-22 refrigerant recently?? And of course, there is the Trip Charge and the 2 hour minumum labor charges...
Bought a 5 ton MrCool prodirect split system. Installed everything properly. From start up, unit was running at equalized pressures. These units are no good.
I liked it cause it was easy to install and cheep I installed a 115 unit in like a hour Iv had it for 3 years now and had no major issues, I did have to regas it at one point due to a loose fitting
You have to look at the cost factor also. Most well known brands like Trane or Goodman cost $7000 to $9000 for a SEER 20 condensor and close to $10k when you add new air handler without installation. Local contractor rates have skyrocketed here and the installation cost is between $4000 and $5000. In 2016, I replaced a SEER 10 heat pump with a Goodman 14 SEER. The complete unit sells for around $2500. I had estimates from $3800 (Goodman Authorized) to over $11,000 for a 2.5 ton SEER 14 installed. Even the brand names have issues. I spent $1600 in labor and R401 cost (compressor blew in year 3) on the Goodman unit in the first 3 years I owned it.
This is America. You are welcome to voice your opinions on whatever you like. It also doesn’t stop someone or a company from disagreeing with you. I think it is respectful that they reached out to you directly instead of ignoring it or posting a video to show you wrong or something nefarious. The Mr. Cool mini split appears to be a good system based on the many reviews of it and seeing them in use as first person. I would doubt they manufacture their own products. Some forums say they are made by Midea. I have seen that name tossed out frequently in relation to Mr. Cool.
A while back I read all the fine print too, and I said how is this a DIY system if they’re not gonna warrantee it without professional installation. So I decided to check again a few months later and lo and behold they added an exception for DIY systems. I thought they did the right thing, that makes sense. Now they’ve changed it back; It’s not DIY at all.
I have a brand new house with builder grade 3 ton colman units. The HVAC contractor seems to not install to the manual yet alone know HVAC operation theory. They used little tiny home depot condensate traps that didnt work and the unit only drained when the air handler turned off. Not even a year old and the inside units are corroding from holding this moisture. The upsstairs unit has a really long 80' lineset and 24' elevation delta and im afraid it wont ever work right as a heat pump without a pumpdown relay or upsising the line diameter. It is actually hard to find a good contractor who even knows that they too are installing this stuff wrong.
If you look up the address where Mr. Cool is (on google ;) It's the building of Ingram Water Air equipment Supply.. a known distributor. If they are put in right, there is nothing wrong with them. But... as a HVAC contractor.. I would gladly come close or meet Mr. Cool's price, and give a customer a Daikin and all the stuff to install it themselves, plus instruction's to put it in. I've installed a Mr. Cool and had to get parts under warranty.. it was a nightmare. Multiple calls to get through to them, multiple emails over a month and then when we got the go ahead, 1.5 months wait time to get the pcb boards. It was a pain. So we "will not" install them anymore.
I no longer service internet bought hvac equipment. There’s a chance you take buying cheap things. The companies require a licensed contractor to process warranties, so you’re going to call us out if there’s an issue. We don’t like dealing with this because we spend large amounts of time and effort building a support network for products we service and sell. People get bent out of shape over installation costs. A new service van is 60-80k, then you have too fill it with tools, then stock it up. When we pull into your drive way there can easily be over $ 130k in one van. Not to mention all the other costs associated with running a legitimate hvac business, building, insurance, licensing, staffing etc.
Very good point pal. Most heating and air guys are just trying to get by. Folks are making it seem like all heating and air companies are driving Bentleys. We have the same policy in place at our company
If you're willing to install Mr Cool units for your customers, you will be the first one they can if they need service. Distributors have discount pricing for pros so you will still make a bit of a markup and be paid fair value for your labor and other supplies. So why can't you just take a proactive approach from the get go?
@@NewHVACGuide It's not about what they're driving. It's about how much they charge for their labor and expertise. It's about how their product costs three or four times as much as the equivalent product from Mr. Cool. The customers aren't driving Bentleys either.
Because my supplier facilitates much more than just providing equipment. There’s a support system behind the products I sell. They stock warranty parts, provide factory training to me and their staffso we’re all knowledgeable. We assume the liability for the equipment. Every decision I make about products I install and service is proactive. That’s why I choose to stay away from products that don’t provide this support.
corporations can play a lot of word games like lawyer jargon for example free range chickens can mean a small exposure to the outdoors for thrity minutes a day and that qualifies them to be called free range when most think it means something else but it's corporations lying to you and using enough language and loop holes to not get sued for fraud.
Mr Cool has certain warranties for homeowner install vs contractor install. I actually had to get a warrantied condenser and they were easy and shipped it for free
In states such as California, companies are not allowed, under law, to charge shipping related to warranty claims. However in many States, this is not the case. If an entire condenser is replaced, freight costs can run several hundreds of dollars. There is little to no supply chain available to HVAC installers for Mr. Cool parts apart from Mr. Cool itself, so there is no way to obtain parts locally and save the shipping costs. IMHO, no retailer should sell these units without an extended warranty option to cover labor costs, since that is typically where things get expensive too. (Unfortunately, places like Costco that sell this line don't offer an extended warranty.) If I had to do it all over again, I would buy from somewhere that offers an extended warranty. Mr. Cool's 10-year compressor warranty for registered owners is better than industry standard at the face of it - but by the time the customer absorbs freight and labor, it can end up costing nearly as much as the unit itself.
So what is the point of where they are made. Trane advertises as one of the oldest Made in America companies yet they have factories in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Ireland and Mexico. Their compressors are made in Mexico. They source parts and electronics from China and Taiwan. A 20 SEER Train will cost you $12,000+ and another $8000 for a 4 hour installation. Installers around here will not install a unit unless you buy from them and will not sell a Mr Cool because they cannot mark them up 400%. HVAC professionals are just one step above lawyers and politicians. I had a Goodman 15 SEER heat pump installed in 2016 by a 4 man company. Using existing vents, I was charged $4000 for unit and install. I have put out over $2000 for labor for repairs to that unit in first 3 years I owned it. Last repair was compressor blew a hole in side. Goodman authorized rep said the compressor was defective and Goodman supplied new compressor but not the $900 for labor or freon. I priced replacing bad Goodman condensor in this house last year and Goodman installer wants $4000 for the condensor and $2200 for installation. I talked to a small contractor 90 miles away who installs Mr Cool but does not service my area. He said he has installed over 100 of the mini-split and central split Mr Cool and has not had one service call on any of them over the years.
I love the concept of their sealed lines and units, precharged or already at vacuum. But... For me I couldn't see paying double (hundreds more) when I only needed a new vacuum pump for about $100 to install the normal mini splits that don't even need brazing.
There are a few things that I like about the pre charged line set speed #1 I didn't need to leave a vac pump for hours to pull down the old-line set or weld on the flex connectors sent with the Mr. Cool unit it, you hook it up bubble test and go. 2nd It is inevitable that you will need to clean your coil at some point in the life of the unit, I have 2" MERV 13 filters, UV lights, Air Ionization System and I will still need to clean the coil at some point the pre charged line set ends are spring loaded as well as the connections on the coil you can simply unhook the line set from the coil your charge will stay in the line set and a VERY small amount of gas will leak out when unhooking the line set from the coil, pull the coil clean it put it back in hook up the line set and you're back going. No big mess in the air Handler cabinet or return plenum and you can clean the coil in a direction to where you are not pushing dirt or whatever into the coil fins further. Also, you get a better warranty I would have to look at my paperwork, but I believe with my system it was 10 years with the pre charged line set and only 7 with an existing line set. It was another 250 for the pre charged line set concentering the time you save and its fully insulated it's well worth the money to me
I agree but I'm close to $500 dollars in tools for my install. Vacuum pump, micron guage, nitrogen regulator, some hoses, fittings, flare tool, vacuum oil, nylog and a torque wrench
@@chrisE815 Well I had most of that stuff from previous installs but all I needed for the pioneer mini splits was a vacuum pump and my manifold set. I needed a new vacuum pump, that was under $100 and included the oil. My manifold set was like $50-$60 years ago, I think you can get them for that same ballpark on Amazon for Chinese knockoffs. No need for nitrogen or flaring tool. One could get a torque wrench at habba frate or Amazon pretty cheap -- I didn't use one since I have a calibrated wrist. Bottom line for me, I'm saving $700-$800 per unit (I got four) and the dedicated tools needed are in total under $200 so I'm roughly $2800 ahead. It wasn't a hard decision! 😂
I bought a Mr cool universal ducted system about a year ago, and DIYed it due to quotes coming in around $15k for a system with less performance. My total for the Mr cool system was about $3k(I think it’s gone up since then). No heat strips and good performance initially down to 10F here in TN. I’ve been happy with the system until recently. Recently it has not been heating well - I had a tech come out and said I didn’t have leaks and appeared to have plenty of refrigerant, and the gas line that is supposed to get hot is blazing hot at 135 degrees at the air handler, however the return line and the air coming out of the air handler are both near ambient temperature. Not sure where the heat is going. I don’t necessarily think it’s a fatal issue, but I do need heat and currently not getting it. IWAE is recommending cleaning the indoor and outdoor coils, hopefully things get resolved soon.
I'm coming to the conclusion that I have low refrigerant. The licensed tech didn't seem familiar with heat pumps, and he was taking pressures off the service ports while it was in heat pump mode, and getting really high pressures. However, when the system is in heat pump mode, the indoor coil is in bypass and there's no substantial pressure drop, so basically the tech was measuring pressures on the high side. I now believe that the only way to check pressure and superheat is in cool mode when you have a pressure drop across the indoor coil and you can see what the suction pressure is. I have enough refrigerant that I was getting effective cooling during the summer, but the temperature delta in the winter between outdoor and indoor temps is the harder case. The system is still getting a little heat in, but the quantity of refrigerant means that it is able to raise the temp of the supply side hose and fittings to 135 but that doesn't translate to enough refrigerant mass to keep the indoor coil hot. My air vents are at 73F, when they should be 95F or so. I guess the point is unless you want to DIY, don't expect a tech used to working on mainstream HVAC to know what is going on - at least this guy didn't insist on measuring pressures in cool mode, which appears to be the only way to evaluate what the charge level is. I believe that the precharged hoses were mis-installed at the beginning, and enough charge leaked out to reduce the effectiveness of the heat. But until I get a gauge on the suction side when in cool mode, I won't know exactly where my charge is at.
I had the HVAC guy back out, and explained that we needed to check pressures while in cool mode, and we quickly figured out that the charge was low. I had about 45psi on the suction side while in cool mode. ~2lbs of R410a later, I've got about 125PSI at the suction side, got 95F air coming out of the vents in heat mode, i.e. 20F differential. I think he was a bit embarrassed to have not figured out the charge was low on the first visit. He figured that I should have about 9lbs of charge given the length of my lineset, so at 7lbs the system wasn't really doing much. It's kind of amazing how sensitive this system is to low charge. He used his refrigerant sniffer around the system and we couldn't find any obvious leaks, so we concluded that either the precharged line set was low from the factory, or things leaked during the installation. I'm a happy MrCool Universal owner again!
I did a Mr. Cool Universal 2/3 ton install and just replace my furnace's A-Coil, in a 'Dual-fuel' configuration using a Google Nest Thermostat to control the system. So at -1F it will use the gas furnace instead of the heat pump. Anyway, this has been a big suscess for me. Compared with the $15K quotes, it was like $4.5k with labor to help me. Best DIY project I've ever taken on. Mr. Cool Universal is a Gree AC, top quality, lot of options. Just look it up and do a lot youtube. My hardest part was simply bending the large side copper tubing into place. Nothing more. I don't understand why AC installers would not want to install this unit... Why? Or refuse to service it like most HVAC companies I've taked to. I'm a rank amature DIYer and I can do it!
When I built my house back in 2005, I went high quality on all appliances; $13k Thermador frig, $9k professional range, top of line HVAC unit, etc,,,,, and they’ve all had issues,,,, and my guess, this guy makes his living servicing/repairing these high quality units…
Your video and the responding comments have convinced me that installing my own mini splits is better than dealing with HVAC scams. I know you're trying to promote the need for HVAC professionals, but if you weren't collectively scamming the public, we wouldn't be so quick to turn away from y'all.
A professional asked me to pay 10k to install a single unit. I installed a mr cool myself; it is working and cost me around 1k and a day in the weekend. This the main story. The rest is bs IMO. Half of this video is about where mr cool is manufactured. He says he doesn't want to give the wrong info but speculates anyways until the half way through the video :) also in this day and age all world manufacturing is so intertwined. If you buy two parts from China connect them together in US does it make is US made? I would expect a review video to be a bit more technical. What is the efficiency compared to other brands etc.
Don't think there are *any* mini-splits produced in the US, even those sold by contractors (Daiken, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Gree,...). Like everything else many are produced from the same "lines" overseas as more budget brands. I could be wrong.
I have a Mr Cool for about 18 months now and really liked it until it started a P4 code right before Christmas when it was the colds nights of the year, and we had the whole family staying with us! Thing break and I understand that but their customer service SUCK!! They are replacing the outside unit, but it will not arrive until February 17, it went out December 23.....you do the math. This is with me jumping though ever kind of hoop, talking to many people, having a tech come out and look at it and more. It is great when it works but may God have mercy on you if it goes out!
If you have to replace it yourself still come out cheaper than dealing with over price HVAC Techs like me installing overpriced system. We will charge you a price that would pay for 4 to 5 Mr cool.
I have a 18 k mr cool mini split for 3 years now and performing very well but it’s a hyper heat pump not a DYY , I’m an installer here in Canada , DIY mini splits recharged line set has too much restrictions and it burns out the compressors
Mr Cool is a tech disrupter and they are trying to cut out local HVAC companies! They want you to buy equipment directly off the internet with zero local support or training for their products. No HVAC company in my area will touch their equipment because they don't work with us. There is no local parts distribution or anything setup to help us service their equipment. If you are extremely handy and can work with plumbing and electrical then you can probably handle a DIY install.
good video ,thanks. i bought a LG AC 12000 btu ,duel inverter in september.23. it works excellent BUT on heat mode it does not ever shut down or cycle off. it maintains the temp to within 1 %. it does so by the temp of the output air and the volume of air. is this normal .? the dealer that installed it is nowhere to be found. thanks
I can replace the whole danm Mr Cool unit for what a lot of A/C companys want for a service call and a replacement capacitor. And this is why they they hate DIY Mini Splits.
I have a few people I know that have a Mr. Cool unit here in Detroit Michigan where gas furnaces dominate our state because it gets really cold here. I was very surprised that each installation was not done by the homeowner but by professional heating and cooling pros. Also in the dead of winter, they all could keep each home as warm as their gas furnaces when I followed up with them on a -7 winter night. Either way, other manufacturers have heat pumps that do the same thing which is good considering natural gas may or may not be around in 20 years right? One thing I noticed is that the outside unit needs to have a hood to prevent snow from resting/building up on top of the unit.
I would also suggest that they are wall mounted to avoid being buried in snow. But even in areas not prone to snow, ground pad installation is asking for trouble. People have had snakes and rodents get in and short their units out, and it's not covered. Mr. Cool condenser design is not animal proof, which is a safety hazard. Get a wall bracket and thank me later!
a) the more expensive and particular commercial grade multi unit condensers can do simultaneous heating and cooling. Handy if some spaces have a high solar or sensible (moisture) loading and others have none. b) I would consider failure of three indoor blower motors in 2.5 years unacceptable. c) In the comparison of your hot water radiator system to electric baseboard heat, you did not mention the type hot water boiler you had. If it is less expensive than baseboard heat, it must be fossil fuel fired, most likely natural gas. An electric boiler system could never be less expensive than electric baseboard heat. We find electric baseboard heat in tract housing as it has lowest initial cost to the builder.
I was quoted 15k for 3 zone mini split that’s just insane. The DIY will cost you a lot less less then 4K these so called professionals are ripping off everyone
Our neighbors are paying $12k to have $3500 worth of HVAC Equipment installed in less than a full day. A $15 capacitor costs $300 to replace by these "professionals." They are professional at ripping customers off. The more DIY options out there the better. This industry is out of control and I will find a cost effective alternative when my time for replacement arrives.
Specially insured companies take 1 eye from your face.
Even if they are not DIY you can still get a pump and vacuum the lines at DIY style.
It cost something to have a properly trained technician have the right size capacitor on their truck. Along with that they are going to go over your system and see if there is any other problem.
Try owning a business, you'll realize how goofy your comment is. There's a thing called overhead
@@YoungsterJory I hear you but your overhead as everything else in this country has become outrageous. DIY is an out for homeowners to save a few thousand dollars and still enjoy an A/C and be able to buy some groceries on the weekend. How's that for goofy?
The biggest reason the DIY Mr. Cool exists is the cost HVAC companies charge for install. I just had 3 contractors supply quotes for a 3 head Mitsubishi system and the lowest was 22k and the highest was 34k. The highest quote had 3 days of labor for 3 techs. Broken down that was close to $300/hr for each tech. Just crazy
I think most heating and air companies are just trying to get by these days. I've never met an HVAC business owner that was driving a Bentley. That said, some companies are taking advantage and gouging people and making everyone look bad
Very similar experience in Northern VA for a 2 head mini split. I got the impression they just wanted me to go with a conventional solution "variable speed" condenser and air handler or duct zoning vs mini splits.
@@NewHVACGuide I agree most HVAC companies aren't raking in the dough. I want to swap to mini splits because I want to get rid of my 16 year old oil furnace. I thought the savings in electric vs heating oil should pay for itself fast with oil at 5.50/gallon (650 gallons per year). But even the $22k quote is crazy.
Oh wow. Yeah that’s not a good look
@@sd0753
Can you put in a wood stove? That's what I did. My LP gas has been increasing exponentially for years so like with your heating oil I needed some reprieve. It works great but it takes time to implement. I look at it as working for myself because reducing expenditures amounts to the same net monetary effect as working more to earn more. I still use gas to heat domestic water and to cook, and the furnace is still available should the need or desire arise. I also have a whole house heat pump on the furnace air handler. And recently I installed two mini splits, one for previously unconditioned space and one to cool the attic bedroom which is effective at cooling the entire house.
Wood heat is also a blessing for us retirement age folks because we can warm up close to the stove after coming out of the cold.
Love my Mr Cool. Had it 17 months now. 26 degrees outside and does a fantastic job. Install was very straight forward.
I did a MrCool 4th Gen 3 zone system 4 months ago. I love it.
It's a pretty stright forward system if you ask me nothing very complex about imo. You got ur 2 charged lines, both different sizes, and ur cables that are numbered. Read the book thoroughly before attempting anything very valuable information to keep you on track. Label the zones keep it organized, and it's impossible to screw up at that point. If you can hook up a stereo system up and count to 3 , you can definitely wire this thing up it just gets a little tedious because it's in a small space.
Thanks for the info Conrad!
I bought a 24k Mr. Cool unit for 1400 bucks and got a 800 dollar rebate from my electrical company..... Installed myself, heats great, cools great 3 yrs later. For 600 bucks I'm laughing!!!!
Thanks for making your videos I am not a diehard Mr. Cool just a working man I have the 2-3-ton universal unit that came with the pre charged line set, as for installing the unit it doesn't get any easier than this it's truly plug and play, the electrical might be challenging for someone who hasn't done any electrical but if you can install a receptacle, you got this. My family owns a HVAC company that does a ton of work in our area and are very well liked I have worked for them for many years during college and on the side to make ends meet, I ultimately went with Mr. Cool for the price it was way less than what I could buy other comparable equipment for by more than half and that was getting it at cost not with any markup on it. When looking at the specs there were many advantages one of them being it's an inverter driven compressor and there is a lot of tech built into the unit to help with energy savings. I have always had heat pumps and with that comes heat strips for defrost cycles and aux heat, I don't need heat strips with this unit I was a bit skeptical when I read that no heat strips are needed but decided not to get any heat strip because the clam is in my area, I would not need them. and sure, enough I didn't need them, and my electric bill was half what it had been in the past. I have always had to still use a small electric heater here or there, but we did not use them last year our Mr. cool universal unit did the job. as with anything you buy there are good and bad of any brand and I could have gotten lucky, I know a lot of people in the HVAC community around here and I tell them all that the Mr. Cool universal has surpassed all the expectations I had, A friend who works for one of the big named HVAC places here put the same unit in his house and has had the same experience as I have, we had a lightning storm role through, and his unit took a hit, and the main board and inverter were damaged he called the Mr. Cool help line and a couple day later he had his parts at no charge, they covered them under warranty. Warranty issues might be easier for us because we are licensed HVAC, I'm not sure hope this is helpful to someone
Thanks for your insight. Where in the country are you located?
@@NewHVACGuide In Hot Springs Arkansas
Thanks for sharing this perspective.
During your coldest nights, do you know what temp air your vents are putting out? I have the same setup.
We just had the big cold snap cone through and with my old heat pump I would of had to run the emergency heat strips to keep the house warm. With the new unit I don't even have any heat strip and when the Temps got down to 2 and 3 degrees not counting wind chill the system still kept up and cycled we keep our house at 74 during the coldest night the temp coming out of the vents was still 100 to 108. With older heat pumps when you go into a defrost cycle the straps come on with this unit the fan will shut of or barely move at all when the defrost is done the fan comes back on and back to heating. Where I live most everyone is all electric and they were all amazed that I have no heat strips or backup heat. This unit has out preformed and put all the doubts I had to rest. I had space heaters ready but never needed them.
You're right. Most DIYers may lack the expertise to navigate the newer, more complex heat pump systems. Unfortunately, many experienced HVAC professionals also lack that expertise. It's bad for your profession, and it's really bad for homeowners.
I agree. I had an instructor at a trade school come out to braze a filter drier on a new inverter system. 1 he said didn't need to flow nitrogen since it was such a small weld. Wrong! 2 he said to charge the system with a rule of thumb temp on subcooling Wrong! On inverters the only proper way is charge by weight. Now this guys is teaching other new techs. I learned more on UA-cam than this guy preaches. Really sad!
That's actually a great point. It seems over half of the people in my trade are falling into one of two categories. The first category is those that don't want to learn the new technologies, and the second is people that are lazy and don't want to learn the new technologies. Unfortunately, those that fall in these two categories make us all look bad.
@@NewHVACGuide my experience with many HVAC contractors is they dont want to learn anything newer than installing single stage AC units. Anything inverter or heatpump is too new fangled. one started blaming the government for pushing these technologies. I just shake my head and move on to the next company in my area. can't make this stuff up. heat pumps /minisplits have been in use around the world for at least a decade or more now.
@@drsg9124 I live in a modest, all-electric house that was seeing $800+ monthly bills after purchase, with three-figure bills during the summer. Had the local HVAC business owner out multiple times. He advised I replace my thermostat, which I had only just installed a few months beforehand. I knew that a faulty brand-new thermostat was a an iffy explanation because I "inherited" a box of documents from the late homeowner which suggested that she had replaced the thermostat every year for five years, beginning with year one after the heat pump was installed. From that, I could infer that she had been subject to "professionals" who really didn't make the time to properly troubleshoot. Selling an elderly woman on a new thermostat was easier than troubleshooting.
I turned to "Dr. Google" and finally concluded that the heat strips must be wired incorrectly. Brought it to the attention of the HVAC tech (runs own business), and he just shrugged his shoulders. Finally I insisted on running new electrical, and sure enough the heat strips were wired "always on". I went three years paying for the emergency heat to run around the clock! That wasn't the end of it. Every year, usually in the dead of winter after snow (rare where I live), the heat pump would blow a fuse. Every year the HVAC tech installed a new fuse/transformer and then left. I would be good until the following winter, then the system would go down on the coldest night of winter. Once again took to Google and narrowed it down to a faulty defrost control board. Installed a new defrost control board and solved issue myself - but not before I paid for three more years of annual service calls to get my heat pump going.
I'm not sure if it is really the case that heat pumps and similar are just too new for techs to work on and that they don't have patience for learning new skills - or the fact that "ignorance" is an investment in future service calls, at least until the homeowner becomes fed up enough to work with someone else and/or figure it out on their own.
Currently having my house built in East TX, had 3 bid ranging from 14-22K. I decided to take my HVAC needs in to my own hands. And im installing mrcool. Saving 80% :D
Hope it works out for you. I thinking about getting a couple to replace my 2.5 ton central unit. Major cost difference.
I installed a 36k BTU DIY mini split in my garage. It’s been a great experience and investment. Total I spent $2550 total. I already had a 220v 30 amp electric line ran by my father who was an electrician. Local HVAC wanted 5+K to put on a 24k unit. Over 6K for a 36K BTU unit. It wasn’t difficult.
More than 1/2 the video about where it's made. Nobody care as long as it works, is reliable, easy to install, has a good warrantee, and, most importantly, cost effective.
I like to buy American but it is difficult to determine the "extent" of American made content and I gave up going down that rabbit hole. Does "assembled in Kentucky" mean "made in Kentucky with American made parts"? No. If everything inside a MrCool Mini split is made in America except for a few fasteners that come from China Does that mean "made in America" cannot be applied to the overall product? No.
@StephenConley-py7fd Mrcool doesn’t manufacture anything that I know of. It’s mostly imported and/or rebranded equipment made by someone else.
Ductless mini splits have been used overseas for years. The USA is just catching up. The reason why they are so popular is because you can put them in yourself , or with help from some friends. I put one in, they work great. Please don't take this personally. Most HVAC, plumbers and electricians. Think they have a licence to steal. It's not that hard. Il fight it to the death before I call a licenced installer.
Just FYI, I own a Mr. Cool Universal Heat Pump 4-5 Ton ducted split system. What I have experienced since installing this unit and using it since early February 2023 in Southern Arizona, has for the most part, been positive. What I have found after one concern showed up with the summer heat was with the Mr. Cool tech line, after exhausting the most common problems for my particular concern, most of which would be installation concerns, they did not know what to do. I am 608 certified, but not a residential HVAC professional. Before retirement, I was as an IT tech which included servicing and repairing units for server rooms. After doing a thourough diagnosis with voltage checks, and followed a sequence of events strategy, etc., I determined the fault was with the blower motor control module. After discussing my findings with the tech on the hot line, I hit a brick wall with them as they told me they did not have the module and would be looking at about four months back order, or more. I decided to do some research and see if I could find a fix elsewhere. What I found was, both my system outside and inside units were 98% a mirror unit to the Gree Flexx, even right down to the sheet metal. I had found a Mr. Cool Universal air handler service manual on line, but found it was an outdated one to my system. After noticing the similarities to the Gree Flexx I found their service manual on their website. It is exactly the same manual as the Mr. Cool, except for the cover page. I did however, find the answer to my concern in their service bulletins. I also found that the information was 100% accurate for my Mr. Cool unit and it gave me the information I needed to correct the fault. The negative side for Mr. Cool is that they are individual parts poor with their arrangement with Gree, and what could have been an easy and relatively low cost repair, required them to send me an entire air handler instead. Luckly the replacement unit was manufactured after the period the faulty part was made and had the updated ECM blower motor module I needed. So I am completely in agreement with your assessment that Mr. Cool has just obtained the branding and packaging rights from the actual manufacturer. Who I believe to be Gree, who is based in China, and are selling us a Gree manufactured product with the Mr. Cool name and packaging. I beleive even the Cooper and Hunter units are probably Gree units as well. Since Mr. Cool went out of their way to take care of me, I just had to pay the $400 freight, I cannot be to harsh on them. I do want to stress this product is well made, sturdy and has met or exceeded their claims for this product line. I also made out in that I have an almost complete air handler unit to address any future concerns with the rest of the air handler. And, even the old ECM blower module works with a cleaner 240 AC voltage signal coming from the utility. The original module was programmed to go into default and not commutate the motor if the voltage signal is to erratic and stays outside of the industry standard voltage high and/or low ranges. See Gree product bulletin, document #: TB-FLX-11222022B. This also stresses the absolute necessity, on these new high efficiency systems with the more complex electronic controls, to surge protect your investment. I had already installed a whole home surge protector, but with this updated fault correction, I also installed a voltage monitoring system that will cut the power until the voltage signal is within safe perameters. I installed a Kool Guard 2 on both the inside and outside units.
Wow, thank you for adding so much to the community knowledge base.
Let me add that I really appreciate your efforts to discuss stuff both from the industry professional point of view and also from customer/end user point of view. Because sometimes they cross purposes and it seems rare to see the contrary points from one source what with most people just trying to forward a narrative. Blessings to you and yours Josh!
Thank you so much!
I had my HVAC business for 20 years and I just ordered a Mr. Cool for my house. The 3-ton split system cost under 4k. A Bosch system would have cost me 7K. I know that it isn't the same quality but if I get 10 - 15 years out of it in the SC heat, I will be happy. I just change the condenser at my daughter's house. She had a 9-year-old Carier system that had a lot of leaks in the coil and the compressor went. I installed a Oxbox by Train, and it runs great.
I hope you get 10-15 years too. Keep us updated on how it’s going 🙂
I have two now, a first gen 24k and a gen 3 12k. A single story home with a gas forced air furnace. I’ve realized savings and better heat distribution in the areas we frequent. Paying to heat hallways and empty rooms with gas is sure nice but not necessary 95% of the time. The result was that I can heat areas to 72-73 instead of 69-70 previously and pay less too. Install was easier now that the lineset is completely separate from the air handler. A real revolution and I don’t fret much about the company or the warranty with the hundreds of thousands of great reviews stretching back at least 6 years or more.
Adding another of these units in our cabin this summer. Putting one in the sewing room in the spring.
The other ones are about three years old and other than a drop cleaning once a year and checking the drain tubes every now and then they have gone way over expectations. Saved a ton of money doing it myself. The units will last as long if not longer than one installed professionally made by some other brand. And I installed it where I wanted it and how I wanted it and didn't charge myself extra for doing it that way. After talking with many HVAC installers I have the opinion that most of them are butt hurt about the fact that these are a quality product that a home owner can install and get many years of great service. Admit it. Most of you don't want to mess with these because they are easy to install, you can't charge as much to install them and you would much rather do these for a weekend extra cash for a tool type of job.
lol facts
Perhaps there was a bad production run of these units during the pandemic? Mr. Cool's Better Business Bureau profile has 13 pages, as of this writing, of customer complaints about faulty units. (Each of those 13 pages has about 10 complaints apiece.) I bought my Mr. Cool from Costco early this summer thinking I can't go wrong because it's Costco. I am relieved that I went with Costco vs. Amazon because it has been nearly 90 days since purchase and it has not worked for ONE HOUR (EL 01 and PC 04 error codes) since the date of install. (Had an electrician out to verify the DIY install said everything is good on my end. Apparently bought a lemon!)
If I can't get the unit working by the end of this month, it will be dumped on the return desk at my nearest Costco. AND I will be contacting Costco management to ask that they drop this line from their website since, upon closer review, even the web reviews on Costco suggest that if there is a problem, reaching Mr. Cool's overworked tech support by phone is akin to Mission Impossible.
Google shows lots of places to get parts for Mr Cool products. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Wish you had taken the time to actually look at a unit and assess the build quality. Everything I hear about that is positive. There are scores of YT videos on this brand, and I've yet to see a negative one. To me, that's significant.
Unfortunately I think there's a reason for that but I'm not allowed to talk about it. But I think you can probably figure it out. And it's not because the products are so amazing. Every brand has good and bad reviews.
You wrote, Google shows "lots of places to get parts"? Are you sure about that? There are tons of reviews online - from Home Depot to the Better Business Bureau website - suggesting that HVAC pros often refuse to work on Mr. Cool because they don't have distributors for Mr. Cool parts, apart from Mr. Cool itself and they are next to impossible to reach in a timely way by phone. Even if customers can get a pro out to work on these units, they can't afford to pay an HVAC tech to play phone tag with Mr. Cool tech support - and it is only with Mr. Cool's involvement in the repairs process that anything will be replaced under warranty!
As for the idea that the positive videos are an indication that a product/brand is solid, I would only point out that regardless of the product in question people collect revenue on their UA-cam channels if not also from posting affiliate links to the likes of Amazon. There is a financial motivation to post glowing "product review" videos for any number of consumer products.
The other thing that is commonplace online is that "social media influencers" are given free or discounted products in exchange for their "honest opinions". Many of them don't disclose it or are prohibited by the manufacturer from which they obtain their review products from disclosing it if they wish to receive further merchandise. Posting videos is a revenue source. You can't take the presence of positive videos for any sort of product to be an indicator of long-term performance or quality control.
Here's what I know. I can install a Mr. Cool universal system THREE TIMES for what it would cost me to have a carrier heat pump installed by a professional. I just got a $3300 estimate to get my carrier heat pump fixed. Then I'll still have a 13 year old heat pump. Or, for less than $1000 more, I can DIY a new system.
The issue you mention is not so much with Mr Cool disrupting the HVAC's gravy train but the internet and free flow of information changing the game and the manufacturers are responding to their market. It has happened in many industries. What used to be lucrative trade info about the mysterious black boxes that we call our appliances and cars are now available to anyone with a web connection, and the truth always was that many of the service calls of old were actually simple fixes, and mini split installations are not all that difficult. As far as Mr Cool, they have went out of their way to make it as DIY as possible as they do see this trend.
IMHO, the pros are working themselves out of a job and can't really blame the customer for taking matters into their own hands. I bought an all-electric home with a heat pump. Don't get snow much where I live but a curious pattern developed where a fuse would blow on the coldest night of winter, usually with snow on the ground. First few times it happened I thought it was fixed, only for it to reoccur the following winter. (In one case, a transformer also fried along with the fuse.) I feared my heat pump would eventually be severely damaged so I began doing my own research and settled on a defrost control board. Ended up having to install it myself because the HVAC guy just shrugged his shoulders at my "theory". So far so good and no more blown fuses.
If that were the extent of it, I might write it off as a fluke. However, I had a similar experience with crazy high electric bills from my supposedly "efficient" (2014 Carrier) heat pump after buying my home. HVAC pro wanted to sell me on a brand-new thermostat. I balked at that because I had a pile of inherited documents from the prior homeowner that appeared to show that the thermostat had been replaced essentially every year since the heat pump was installed. So again I turned to Google. I wish I would have done so MUCH sooner. Could have spared me years worth of astronomical electric bills - three figures in the summer! - caused by emergency heat strips that were always running (incorrectly wired).
Brought my "theory" for what was driving up my electric bills to the HVAC pro's attention and again he kind of shrugged his shoulders. (He wasn't the only person I had out to try to troubleshoot. Worked with a number of companies who all wanted to sell me a new thermostat vs. take the time to do a proper diagnosis.) Went ahead and asked that he completely re-run the wiring and sure enough, the heat strips had been improperly wired by the original installer. Would have vastly preferred to have a pro solve the above problems within a single visit vs. years' worth of poking around online until I figured it out on my own. But my experience is that oftentimes they book their appointments in such a way that they don't really leave enough time to do a proper diagnosis. This leaves the customer no choice but to learn how to troubleshoot.
@@newsview7844 I had a Goodman SEER 15 heat pump installed in 2016 and spent almost as much on repair labor as the unit cost. Freezing up at 30 degrees, then when repaired, it would stay in defrost with aux heat for 30 minutes. Compressor always made loud bang when unit came on. Electric bill doubled after replacing SEER 10 unit with Goodman. After 3 years, compressor blew out - hole in side. Authorized Goodman repairman said there was a problem with defective compressor on the model I had and Goodman was selling them cheap at the time to get them out of inventory. He tried to get Goodman to pay for freon since it was a known problem with that compressor but they said Freon was not included in warranty. Total cost of that repair was over $900. Now here I am going on 8 years and the unit is on its last legs. Electric bill has tripled and Goodman repair said the unit is just worn out and needs to be replaced.
Mr Cool products are designed in the U.S.A. and manufactured for them in China. But so are Apple i-Phones. So are some John Deere tractors. All that matters is: are they decent quality, and good value for money? I think they are. To have a local company install a similar system by Mitsubishi I was quoted $11,500. I'm installing a Mr Cool minisplit for $3,200.
They aren’t designed in the USA.
All the design work is done at the MrCool site in Hickory, Kentucky, according to the company. The manufacturing is farmed out, which is standard practice these days (unfortunately). There seems to be some uncertainty as to who is building the units, some HVAC pros sure that they come out of a Gree factory (in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China: the largest residential AC manufacturer in the world)), and others sure that Midea (in Beijiou, Guangdong province, China: also manufactures for Toshiba, Carrier, Trane and Lennox) does the manufacturing. @@NewHVACGuide
Great information and thank you for what you do. Just an FYI from the MrCool Limited Liability page:
"*State certified or licensed HVAC contractor not required for warranty on the DIY series units. (Always check your local laws.)"
We talked with their customer service recently and the mini splits are manufactured by Midea, the Universal is manufactured by Gree.
Good info.
I believe this is true. Definitely not made in USA.
They arent made in Kentucky at least not in the hickory location. They have 3 warehouses here. I bought one and picked it up from the warehouse since i only live 8 miles from there. Problem is after a few years doubt you can get any parts for them. Bought 1 5 years ago and inquired about an evaporator coil for it and they told me they dont have parts for it anymore.
China junk that won't last
@@daveschmidt4504 When dealing with "made in U.S.A." it pays to read closely. Often it's either "Designed in the U.S.A" (but assembled in China) or "Assembled in the U.S.A" (using any number of third party suppliers from China).
I come here wanting to know how good/bad mr cool is, and was lectured about where product and its parts are made. I just wanted to find a reliable ac unit, is all. I don't care who makes it. I care reliability.
The title says good and bad. Was there anything good?
I have installed a Mr Cool unit at my house and it’s been working great, now the only thing that made my install a little more work was that I had to drill through my brick for the 3.5 sleeve for the AC piping to go through but other than that, no problems.
Had Mr. COOL 2 years. It is AMAZING!! Cut my power bill by $100 to $200 a month. I installed 2 units (including one on an INTERIOR wall) completely BY MYSELF and I'm a camera guy, not a HVAC professional nor an electrician!
Nice. If your system develops a refrigerant leak, would you call a pro or just replace the system since you're saving money?
@HVAC Guide for Homeowners no leaks if installed properly 😆
@@stringerfilms. I haven’t seen one installed properly yet 🙂
@HVAC Guide for Homeowners well come on over!!! 🤣🤣
I just ordered a 27,000 BTU Mr Cool 2 zone for my small house I bought a year ago, to replace currant old A/C and gas heater ducted system was going to run around $10,000.00 and does Not include the old wore out ducts that mice have chewed thru in crawl space, Mr Cool cost delivered to my door is $3800, and includes the bracket to install off ground.
Yes I know my way around a tool box very well and won't have a problem installing the unit, and won't have to deal with the old ducts, I have removed them and threw them away.
So if the Mr Cool only last 8 years and goes bad and I have to buy a new one than I will still be less than the cost of the new complete duct system after buying the 2nd Mr Cool and the lower cost to run and no more nasty ducts and carbon monoxide to worry about.
Its a win win as I see it.
Nice. Were your ducts nasty? In my experience, ductless mini splits get nastier on the inside than ductwork does. They aren't maintained very well and I've seen mold growing in a lot of them. Have you done anything to inhibit that?
@@NewHVACGuide The unit is new and not installed yet but will be very soon, I can keep the unit inside house cleaner vs trying to clean the ducts under the house.
The house is 43 years old I bought it a year ago and mice have chewed thru the flexable ducts and built nest and the ducts had many leaks.
Who ever thought that it would be so hard to get an answer to such a simple question: "Where is your product made?". Great Video ... Thanks for sharing!
Overall, you gave out and took the time to give a good review of Mr Cool. I would like to add to it though is that almost all units sold are having problems. I watch a lot of different HVAC companies on here and they all seem to be having problems, either with parts, warranties and availability of said repair parts.
I have installed 2 of the 24,000 Mr Cool units in my home ,one is 3 years old the other is 2 years old . So far everything is good . All told I spent $4000.00 for both which includes all wiring and disconnect boxes , and the 2 surge protectors. My girl friend spent over $28,000 to have a company come out and install her 36,000 4 head system in her home a few months ago with about the same warranty for a Mitsubishi system. Big difference in money !
As for how long will they last , well never know but we had one at work that lasted for 14 years that was a no name brand ductless . Plus I had a Rheem 2.5 installed in another house of mine that went out after 2 years and had to pay over $600 to have fixed.
With all that being said I guess it depends on a persons skill level,and how much risk and money they want to spend .As for me being an auto tech is wasn't too big of a leap to install the DIY Mr Cool units . Thanks for taking the time to research and post your findings.
Yeah. Unfortunately I had to be careful what I said in the video. But you have raised some very valid points
@@NewHVACGuide Don't get me wrong , I think you did a great job in researching the facts about Mr Cool ! With inflation affecting everyone,all options must be explored . Same thing is happening in the automotive side of things too . Again , thank you for taking the time and making the effort to look at the things that affect all of us !
@@SEEMORE45 Thank you for your kind words
Good information
I did mine myself. No issue at all very easy and with zero experience. Just watch videos on how to do it, and you'll be fine. I did my electrical and have no issue, but that part would be where I recommend hiring a professional! The rest is easy.
I’ve done a lot of research on mini split brands, and am 99% sure that their mini splits are made by Midea. I purchased a Senville 2 zone unit, and asked their tech support for a service manual for the 2 zone system and it was the midea manual. I’ve also seen that midea’s user manuals look exactly like Mr Cool’s and those other manufacturers like Blueridge, C&H, and carrier. My local HVAC company quoted $25k to changeout a 3 ton 14 seer heat pump and install the 2 head 2.5ton mini split, and thus began my DIY HVAC journey. 😂
Would you happen to still have both of those manuals? I’d love to see that
@@NewHVACGuide - I just emailed you a link to the midea manual I was sent from the Senville people. As far as the user manual, if you check any user manual from mr cool, they look just like the ones from those other “manufacturers” I mention. They have a white label thing going on I think. Appreciate your videos. They have been helpful!
@@shr0p thanks pal
I just got a 27 k quote, ridiculous. My scenario required duct work from using in the attic, bit still ridiculous of you ask me. The products are like 5k cost.
I, too, have heard that they are Mideas, and Mideas are supposedly a Toshiba product. However, my local HVAC guy said he thought Mr. Cool was a lower-end Mitsubishi. Hmm…
I have a 5 ton in my house. I bought it from scratch and dent for $1900. Mr cool is a gree. The first unit i bought my compressor went. The sent me a brand new condensing unit. After that i have had no issues. I also installed a 3 ton in my church 2 years ago and have had no issues. They work very well. Of course i would prefer mitsubishi but in this economy you have to do what you have to do.
Where did you buy a scratch and dent?
I had bids from "local pros" ranging from 35 to 50k to install a mini-split system in my house. To me, that is insane. It's no wonder handy people go with a DIY system. In my case, I installed two separate MrCool systems, a 27k BTU and a 36k BTU, for a total of 14k including electrical and some framing work. My system also covers my garage which was not included in the bids.
And I forgot to mention, my neighbor had a pro do his system and he has line sets running around his house exposed and they look terrible. Mine are all hidden. I feel my install is superior to the work the pros did on his house.
If that’s true, that’s a shame
@@NewHVACGuide Oh, it's true. The first estimator came in, took photos and measurements, and spent a good hour here before saying he'd get us a quote, we never heard back from that company. The second guy walks in, asks me what I want, looks around for 10 minutes, and says "You're looking at a minimum of 35 grand". The third company shows up with two guys, I tell them what I'm looking for and 5 minutes later says it will cost about 50k.
My house was built in 1948 with a somewhat flat roof and I wanted mostly ceiling cassettes. The attic is tight. I'm pretty sure the bids were high because they really did not want the job. And the housing market here is red hot and contractors are making money hand over fist and can charge absurd money for labor.
I was willing to pay a pro, but not for what they wanted. As a lifelong tradesman, I have the skills to do most things myself and cannot afford to pay a premium in this economy. I will say, in my house, an average Joe would not be able to do the install I did.
We bought a Mr Cool for our pool house. I installed it my self no problem at all. It works like a charm! Saved thousands of dears going with the Mr Cool option
That's a lot of dears. Wow!
I just purchased a Mr. Cool 3 ton universal split system with their 35 ft. pre-charged line set, it should arrive tomorrow, hopefully undamaged. I got quotes for a Rheem, Bosch BOVA, and Trane ranging from 8k to over 22k. With R410a being phased out in the near future, I couldn't justify spending the big bucks on a system that will be obsolete fairly soon. My current Amana 3 ton split is R22 and not worth repairing at this point. With two blown compressors on the Amana since install, contamination in the line set is a real concern. I planned on going with the lowest quote for the Rheem RP14 with a new air handler. It would do the job, but it's a very basic "old school" heat pump. The upside is that parts and service are readily available. My primary concern in all cases was that existing contamination in my line set would cause premature failure of the new unit. I'm not sure that flushing lines would make them 100% as good as new. The Mr. Cool universal was less expensive, has the same 10 parts warranty, is a DC inverter system with higher SEER rating and the entire system will be all new. $3500 for the whole package seems to be quite a value. If I get 10 years out of it, I'll be quite happy. Warranty, available parts and local service are great, but I would prefer no failure at all. If this system fails before the warranty is out, it's going to be a quality problem that Mr. Cool can't easily pass blame on. I agree 100% that installation will make the biggest difference in the lifespan of a unit. I would gladly pay a local pro to install it, but so far, none that I have contacted are willing to bother. I'm still calling around but I have a feeling I may end up needing to do it myself. I'll will be documenting the installation process either way in case I do have a failure in the future. Made in China by itself doesn't mean poor quality. My Apple iPhone and MacBook Pro are made in China and quite reliable. It seems the Bosch BOVA is also made in China. The country of origin of manufacturer's sticker on the box doesn't mean what most people think it does.
Let me know how you the install goes.
My goal wasn’t to say all products made in China are bad. Rather, my goal was to say companies that aren’t honest about it… might not be honest about a lot of things.
Same here. I plan on buying a Universal and called many contractors who all state we only install units that you purchase from us. The nearest Mr. Cool installer and service center is 90 miles away and they only work out up to 75 miles from location.
Please don't use up your time wasting my time about where a product is made. As you mentioned, it is done by almost every body. Just like Teslas from China, IPhone from China, Samsung TV from China. Point is not really as important to me!
I agree with everything you say. But when I can get a Mr Cool 9000 BTU unit for under $900 (and all I need is vac pump and gauges which I already have) and I am getting quotes for $6000 or more for another brand and install, then I am probably going to give the Mr Cool a shot. Installing the non-DIY version myself means I have no warranty, but saving >$5000 is worth the risk to me.
You make a good point 🙂
I had a geothermal installed by a “Professional” company and they did a crap job on the lineset and had a tiny leak and had low refrigerant and they ended up topping it off for a few hundred bucks. Year later same thing and couldnt find the leak another few hundred bucks. Down the road same issue this time reversing valve failed. One guy told me if i got the maintenance contract it would be easier to find the leak. Told them send a different guy and he found the lineset leaking where it was brazed poorly. So after that mess with a “Pro” company i bought the right tools and installed 3 units upstairs. First a mr cool cause it was convenient and i could get it that day. Then 2 mitsubishi 6k units. Doubt all companies are that way but way too expensive to find out afterwards. I do like having individual ac units for each zone if one goes out not out of heat or ac for the entire floor. Problem with mr cool is it does a terrible job of controlling room temperature from what i have experienced. Having 3 units for the past 5 years i do really do prefer a mini split over the central ducted units.
I loved my Mr Cool. Worked great for 2.5 years. When it was broken and it was time for parts under warranty, MR Cool took (still taking) a very very long time to ship the warranty parts. It's been over 2 weeks and still haven't been shipped. Still waiting on the warranty dept to ship, which they charge you for shipping. Furthermore, it's hard for you to hire a technician. Many HVAC people don't know how to fix your Mr. Cool. If I had to do it again, I would have spent money on a company that installs, services, and has access to parts quickly. If you don't believe me, go google MR. Cool's BBB complaints. Getting parts for their unit is a nightmare. Your MR COOL might be working now but I guarantee you it will one day break down. Where will you get your parts when that happens?
We just replaced one that the customer couldn’t get a call back from MRCOOL. May just need a simple part but he couldn’t get warranty coverage without getting in contact with them
I could have written your exact same comment word for word. I thought my HVAC pro was being unreasonable to insist on his own make/model vs. me supplying what I wanted at my own price point. But I wasn't thinking about future service and related supply chain issues. Basically a mini split is like window AC unit in many respects. Many HVAC companies won't touch those, either.
Here is a little reality check on economics. “Professional” HVAC installers created the DIY market by attempting to overcharge people for installation. Other companies seized on this and created these DIY HVAC kits. Instead of getting their prices back in line, these “professional” HVAC installers raised their prices even more to try and make up for lost revenue, driving more people down the DIY route. Then they want to throw temper tantrums about the DIY kits and refuse service on them. Here is another little economic reality check. I can use a Mr. Cool or other DIY kit and if it fails, forget using the warranty, I literally pull it off the wall, throw the entire system in the dumpster, buy another one, and reinstall it. I can do this four times and still be money ahead. If I choose to go the warranty route, this will get me 28 years of warranty coverage if I replace the entire unit once the warranty expires. I can also do this four times and still be money ahead. I guess it's good that these "professionals" still have the elderly, single women, and guys who can't do the installation themselves to prey on.
It’s safe to say that you’re butthurt that the homeowner is no longer held hostage by stupid expensive gouging
Recently installed a 12k Mrcool mini split heat pump
It was my first.
I am pretty handy and do house flips. So I thought I would give it a try for my 4 season room project. Overall, the installation was without any issues. Was able to do it in 2 days. There are 3 different controls shipped with the unit. The wifi seems to be the most complete. The only complaint I have is when operating in heat mode, and the set point is satisfied . The unit fan continues to run circulating air. Although at a minimum speed you get a cool draft, that is annoying. Customer support says it is designed to do this for comfort and efficiency. Well this has been the issue with heat pumps since day 1. I think they missed the boat on this control mode.
My unit threw a communications error within minutes of install - then after Mr. Cool sent a replacement control board it threw yet another error so I have never actually had mine running for more than 10 minutes. However, from what little I have done, it looks like you can't set a different temp for heating vs. cooling, either - at least not if one wishes to use the auto setting. Would like to have set a lower winter heating temp and a higher summer cooling temp - since mine is installed in an attached garage - but the only option would appear to be a setpoint. On my main household heat pump, I can set separate cooling and heating temps on the thermostat (not sure of the technical term for this but I think it may be called a swing setting). At any rate, a bit of a disappointment :-(
I'm researching gas furnace + heat pumps. I was told that MRCOOL signature series furnaces, i.e. gas not the straight air handlers are made by Allied (Lennox). The condensers are definitely made in Asia but pretty much all DC inverter condensers are made by 4 companies in Asia (so I was told - and grew from the mini split market). Parts and and installer availability are non existent in my area. Where else can you get a 20 SEER compressor , 70k 2 stage 95% gas furnace and evaporator for $4700 not installed. I'm not even sure 20seer compressor/pump exists from another name brand in the 2.5-3 ton size.
Where I live comfort first was going to charge me 13500 dollars and use same ductwork for only 5 years mrcool is 4000 what’s the difference really
I have installed a 24K mini split at our parish community center (20x40 trailer). Has been running flawlessly for over 4 years now. Back then it cost about $1100 plus about $500 for vacuum pump/ cps micron gauge/ridgit flaring tool. (DIY option at that time was over $1900). So I would recommend to any future buyers to calculate if DIY option is more expensive.
It's super easy to cut and flare pipes ( just buy the right tools) vacuum down to at least 500 microns ( plenty of you tube research) and all set.
I have the vac pump and gauges, but I don't have the flaring tool. I was getting a Mr Cool Advantage (non-DIY) and it comes with a line kit, but I need longer lines. Do you just buy any copper lines of the right size, and purchase the insulation and then cut and flare it? I assume it is just a standard 45 degree flare. Buying the Mr Cool lines in 25 ft increments and the kit for joining them gets more expensive than the mini-split itself.
It all comes down to cost! The reason people love these Mr cool units and all these other cheap No name brand units is when comparing the cost of them to the cost of a daikin or other high end units the difference is night and day. Also the DIY part of the mr cool and other low cost Mini split units is attractive for 2 reasons, One being a Handy person can save a ton of money on Install cost, And since you are so bent on businesses not being misleading, Do you let your customers know upfront that your labor on a new install is about 50-70 percent of their total price? The bottom-line is installing a Mini Split unit is not "Rocket Science" Just about any basic handy man can handle it, And in todays world We have UA-cam to turn to for help if needed. In all reality I can purchase 3 Mr cool units and install them myself for the same cost as one Daikin installed by someone like you. The other reason for myself (and I think a lot of other people) these DIY units are so attractive is that I like to build and fix things myself. I do like watching most of your videos as you do give a lot of useful information in them. But the fact is these "bashing other company videos while wearing your Daikin Gear" is really just taking the low road in my opinion. Fact is your reviews are Bias! People buying units that you don't sell and installing themselves is not good for your business. And all my comments are Just my opinion as well and should be taken that way.
In asia, a 12000 BTU Daikin mini split costs about 600 US dollars including installation. Chinese brands costs less, but not by much, and in most cases the quality is not far off either. Honestly I'm amazed in the US they cost that more for the unit itself, let alone installation cost.
I think mrcool turns back to Ingram's location. Both locations are in Hickory Kentucky. Have had no problem with with warranty in my dealings with both companies. Who may be interconnected in some way.
I installed five mr. cool mini splits (including all electrical work) and I am just home owner. One DIY and four contractor model. DIY model was slightly easier. But once you get the hang of it, contractor model is almost as easy and much less expensive than DIY model.
Biggest pitfalls are avoiding kinking the line set and making sure there is no leak after pressurization. If you can get past these two bugaboos, installing mini split is not hard.
What specialty tools and refrigerants are needed to connect and charge the contractor versions? I have repaired automotive A/C systems before using vacuum pump, gage set and freon canisters, but not home HVAC. I assume it's similar but, haven't done one yet.
@@drott150 Mr. Cool recommends the use of an HVAC torque wrench in the install manual. The install manual doesn't mention this at all, but I would add that it would probably be a good idea to have on hand HVAC sealant, also. The connections are apparently subject to contraction in cold weather and if they don't leak the refrigerant out right away due to improper torque, they may very well do so within the following year or so. (Heat loss on subsequent winter season use is one sign of low refrigerant, error codes are another.) For a few extra bucks, Mr. Cool could include Nylog Gasket Thread Sealant and probably save their customers and their warranty division a lot of frustration and money.
@@newsview7844 Thank you, I will definitely keep your helpful advice in mind when I eventually install my own unit.
Parts availability is my biggest concern.
Here is the biggy staying neutral as possible. Id say in most areas people meet bad hvac people and get over charged or just hvac guys think its a extra to have ac so charge them for it. Well sorry to say them days are almost over .hvac people are beginning to scrabble to make money because most are now losing installs due to mrcool and others that sell these systems. You know what i say we greediness gets a person no where and if u got away with it for a long time it will catchup and bite you in the butt. So my answer is in this hvac people are losing jobs due to their self.
Disruptive technology and disruptive brands, like Mr Cool DIY, naturally produce loyal early adopters while annoying the main industry brands. Mr cool diy customers are passionate because it’s diy friendly w/ great new heat pump technology that saves tons of money during winter. All without the crazy pricing. It makes sense customers would be happy and want to share that.
I can buy 3 mrcool systems and it is still cheaper than getting a pro to install the average brand system. IU am going with diy any time. Not all but most of trade prof and companies are ripping off customers because customers can't do electric, hvac or plumbing. I had an electrician friend who did a 1-bedroom unit for me in 2 days max. The electrician prof gave me a quote for 15k. Tell me it is not ripping of for 2 days of work = 15 grants.
It's because everyone went into computers in last 30-40 years and now huge shortage of trades people that can rip off people now. They have a license to steal.
So when you find a leprechaun who installs mini-splits, that's the guy you should hire.
Until you find that needle in the biggest haystack you can imagine, Do It Yourself
If their website dances around the question of "is it made in the USA"
No it isn't. If it were, they would proudly say, "Yes it is". That would be the first thing said.
Made in China doesn't necessarily mean its an inferior product.
Plenty of well made product coming from there. Also a bunch of junk. It depends on the companies quality standards and engineering.
Also if the fan base is loyal and speaks highly of them.
Great video. I have installed two Mr Cool mini splits in a previous home and they were a great solution. I am considering installing two of their universal heat pumps in my latest home. My concern is less about the units but ensuring I have the correct number and sized returns on each floor of the home as well as the correctly sized ductwork to support a larger unit. re: Made in the USA…no one makes circuit boards in the US anymore. They are likely sourcing components from various sources and doing final assembly, quality control, and shipment from Kentucky, which is fine, just say that and there will be no ambiguity.
Let me know how you like them round 2 🙂
Some mrcool units are made by Midea and like the mrcool universal heatpumo systems are made by Gree. I have a Mrcool universal on my house that I put in. You move the compressor blanket out the way a little bit and the Gree compressor is for the world to see
Yeah. Unfortunately I had to be careful what I said in the video. But you have raised some very valid points
That info is straight from a dealer in Nashville, TN. They deal directly with Mrcool, so that info should be pretty accurate.
Is that a problem?
Not to me it's not
@@devongreen7308 😎
Too much of the video was spent about if it’s American made or not. I’d also like to see something about overall energy usage and how many watts it draws.
Not sure, is it just your opinion?
I usually dont like what you say , This Is not one of those days , Everything in this video was Great !
I had Mr Cool DIY for 6 years ...with no issues. Before they were cheap and now expensive
Geeze dude just give your reviews my god
As a person that currently has a single unit R10 ducted central air system in a two-story split level home; Mr Cool DIY offers the ability to purchase adequate air conditioning tailored for each room, scale the project over time that meets budget constraints and offers me an upgrade for less money spent overall, even after considering proper electrical upgrade costs.
Additionally, I believe that if I can complete the DIY project prior to the existing R10 system failing, I could sell the salvaged R10 from the old system to a couple licensed pros I know if it’s legal. And I know that R10 is $$$$$$
Mr cool is made by a Chinese company called midea. Midea also makes the same machine for daikin, Goodman, amana. These brands are more expensive because they have warranty, service/parts network, and some components are better but not spectacularly better. I agree that diy install is not for the faint of heart, but it is not mission impossible. If you good with electrical and plumbing you can save yourself a lot of $$ but may have problems finding someone to service your unit and parts although the parts are likely the same as Goodman. Lastly, doing things diy off permit may have other implications. If diy unit electrical causes a fire (unlikely) your homeowners may not cover the damage. Basically, you are paying $$ to break the monopoly so you can get someone to service your machine, better warranty, and get easy access to parts for what is pretty much the same machine.
I bet its manufactured by Gree or Medea. I'm in the process of deciding between Mr. Cool and a quote from my local hvac company. I have called 3 companies only one was decent enough to return my call and come out. I want to pay the extra money for my local company, warranty, FUTURE SERVICE REPAIRS. Many hvac companies won't touch a diy install. I don't blame them. Hell, in my situation I can't even get guy's out here and I pay cash for everything. Waiting on quote to see what direction I take. Thank you for this vid. If you were in my service area, I would hire you today! Btw I just noticed 804 area code... I'm N.C just below Virginia State line, lol
Hey Joshua, I have been trying for 2 years calling and trying to get an HVAC company to come out and upgrade my old inefficient hvac system. It's been impossible to get people to come out for a quote. The only company that did come out, quoted me 70k to upgrade the air-handler + condenser w/ a Trane heat-pump/air handler & upgrade the boiler to an on-demand propane unit w/ a hydrostatic coil for supplemental heat while keeping existing ducting.. Now from everything I could find that whole system parts maybe 20-25k. It's getting to the point where I genuinely am going to have to do it myself. Mr. Cool seems to be the only option I have.
Wow. So sorry to hear that. There has to be a good contractor somewhere near you. Don’t give up!
Lol. You must live near me. Tried to get more than one quote for my HVAC issue and struck out - only quote I got was excessively priced - so I ended up with Mr. Cool, which unfortunately has been nothing but a headache despite having the skills to install it. (Multiple error codes. Never worked right from Day One.) Meanwhile, I have been trying for six years to get structural issues to my house fixed. After being asked to show up with business cards, license and an estimate pad, they would waste my time by walking through and promising to send the missing info over email - with no follow through. Struck out on Yelp, Angi's list too (no callbacks and/or no estimate follow through). Now all of a sudden my calls are being returned. Must be the economy. Not enough kitchen/bath remodels to keep them busy, apparently!
The most important thing that people need to know is one of the last points you touched on at about the 15 min mark of this video. Barely any reputable HVAC service companies will work on DIY type units. I must have called 10 local service companies in my area and they all said that they DO NOT work on these types of units. In my case I was fortunate because one of the companies referred me to a guy who does work on the side and he was able to help out. I probably would have never bought this type of unit had I know service and repair would be such a problem.
Larry, did any of them say why??? Once installed, it’s just another unit.. DYI only means it’s been prepped for easy installation… once installed, it operates like any other system….
@@bman6502 ya I get it and agree with you. I don't know the reason why. Maybe it's an affiliation with a certain brand(s)? Not sure. This was just my experience in Massachusetts.
Thanks for you help, i will keep all this in mind, i am going to stay away from brands that it seems like it would be hard to get serviced or parts for, also Customer service will be big factor for me as well,thanks again
Can anyone name 3 HVAC brands that are made completely in the USA? The passive-aggressive commentary aside, Griffin does gives some good advice on things you consider before deciding on ANY system or professional.
I would be concerned if it fails in the dead of winter and no one locally can repair it, can you wait a week for a replacement part?
Could be much more than a week
@@daveschmidt4504 Could also be much more than a week waiting on HVAC company. My central AC is going out and I called to have it looked at. Spent over two months calling 7 different contractors who never showed up. Calling them back, they stated they are extremely busy and I was on the schedule but it would be next week before the technician could get to me. Call back the next week and they say it will be next week. I then called another company and same story.
No different than calling a HVAC company to come out in July. I called many last year and most of them want to know how old the system is and brand. I tell them Goodman 17 years old and I never could get anyone to come out and check the outside unit. Four different HVAC companies said they would be out a certain day but never showed up. Called back and they all have the excuse they had a lot of emergencies, or they were really busy.
I've heard that Mr Cool are Midea parts that are "assembled" in the USA by Mr Cool. The assembly might just be stickers, doing the line sets, and charging the units, however. Midea does have a reputation for quality products but they are likely non-USA components. Most good inverters are not USA products anyway.
My central unit is going out so I am running window units until I replace. I have a Midea 8000 btu inverter windows unit. It draws at 100 to 700 watts and running it 24/7 at 75 degrees in 90 degree weather, it only increased my electric bill less than $10. I first added an LG 8000 btu unit and when I ran that unit only 16 hours a day, my electric bill went up over $30. The LG has a thick cord and draws up to 1100 watts.
I am considering getting a Mr. Cool 2 to 3 ton 20 SEER Heat Pump vented system. I already have new ductwork in the current system. Total system is under $4000 with pre-charged quick connects and all accessories. You cannot touch one of the brand name SEER 20 Heat pumps for under 10K and that is without installation. I would rather have a contractor install it with quick connects which cuts the installation down to a few hours. None of the contractors I talked to will install a unit if I purchase it myself.
@@webkennection8158 That's probably because the contractors likely make a nice markup of around 30-50% on the unit itself and then add their labor on top to do the install. Most A/C or HVAC parts sold by Pro's that come out to your home have a tremendous markup, sometimes several hundred percent. Anyone try to buy R-22 refrigerant recently?? And of course, there is the Trip Charge and the 2 hour minumum labor charges...
Bought a 5 ton MrCool prodirect split system. Installed everything properly. From start up, unit was running at equalized pressures. These units are no good.
I liked it cause it was easy to install and cheep I installed a 115 unit in like a hour Iv had it for 3 years now and had no major issues, I did have to regas it at one point due to a loose fitting
You have to look at the cost factor also. Most well known brands like Trane or Goodman cost $7000 to $9000 for a SEER 20 condensor and close to $10k when you add new air handler without installation. Local contractor rates have skyrocketed here and the installation cost is between $4000 and $5000. In 2016, I replaced a SEER 10 heat pump with a Goodman 14 SEER. The complete unit sells for around $2500. I had estimates from $3800 (Goodman Authorized) to over $11,000 for a 2.5 ton SEER 14 installed. Even the brand names have issues. I spent $1600 in labor and R401 cost (compressor blew in year 3) on the Goodman unit in the first 3 years I owned it.
Professionals always say it's for safety issues to not do it yourself. Gotta pay them.
I listened to the whole video and I didn’t hear anything about quality or design flaws.
This is America. You are welcome to voice your opinions on whatever you like. It also doesn’t stop someone or a company from disagreeing with you. I think it is respectful that they reached out to you directly instead of ignoring it or posting a video to show you wrong or something nefarious. The Mr. Cool mini split appears to be a good system based on the many reviews of it and seeing them in use as first person. I would doubt they manufacture their own products. Some forums say they are made by Midea. I have seen that name tossed out frequently in relation to Mr. Cool.
Yeah. Unfortunately I had to be careful what I said in the video. But you have raised some very valid points
A while back I read all the fine print too, and I said how is this a DIY system if they’re not gonna warrantee it without professional installation. So I decided to check again a few months later and lo and behold they added an exception for DIY systems. I thought they did the right thing, that makes sense. Now they’ve changed it back; It’s not DIY at all.
Shady practices
I have a brand new house with builder grade 3 ton colman units. The HVAC contractor seems to not install to the manual yet alone know HVAC operation theory.
They used little tiny home depot condensate traps that didnt work and the unit only drained when the air handler turned off. Not even a year old and the inside units are corroding from holding this moisture.
The upsstairs unit has a really long 80' lineset and 24' elevation delta and im afraid it wont ever work right as a heat pump without a pumpdown relay or upsising the line diameter. It is actually hard to find a good contractor who even knows that they too are installing this stuff wrong.
Eek. Sorry to hear that. Builders always go with the lowest bidder. New homeowners are always the one that ends up stuck with the poor workmanship.
If you look up the address where Mr. Cool is (on google ;) It's the building of Ingram Water Air equipment Supply.. a known distributor. If they are put in right, there is nothing wrong with them. But... as a HVAC contractor.. I would gladly come close or meet Mr. Cool's price, and give a customer a Daikin and all the stuff to install it themselves, plus instruction's to put it in. I've installed a Mr. Cool and had to get parts under warranty.. it was a nightmare. Multiple calls to get through to them, multiple emails over a month and then when we got the go ahead, 1.5 months wait time to get the pcb boards. It was a pain. So we "will not" install them anymore.
I no longer service internet bought hvac equipment. There’s a chance you take buying cheap things. The companies require a licensed contractor to process warranties, so you’re going to call us out if there’s an issue. We don’t like dealing with this because we spend large amounts of time and effort building a support network for products we service and sell. People get bent out of shape over installation costs. A new service van is 60-80k, then you have too fill it with tools, then stock it up. When we pull into your drive way there can easily be over $ 130k in one van. Not to mention all the other costs associated with running a legitimate hvac business, building, insurance, licensing, staffing etc.
Very good point pal. Most heating and air guys are just trying to get by. Folks are making it seem like all heating and air companies are driving Bentleys. We have the same policy in place at our company
I wouldn’t service anything that I can’t get parts for or has been installed by a homeowner.
If you're willing to install Mr Cool units for your customers, you will be the first one they can if they need service. Distributors have discount pricing for pros so you will still make a bit of a markup and be paid fair value for your labor and other supplies. So why can't you just take a proactive approach from the get go?
@@NewHVACGuide It's not about what they're driving. It's about how much they charge for their labor and expertise. It's about how their product costs three or four times as much as the equivalent product from Mr. Cool. The customers aren't driving Bentleys either.
Because my supplier facilitates much more than just providing equipment. There’s a support system behind the products I sell. They stock warranty parts, provide factory training to me and their staffso we’re all knowledgeable. We assume the liability for the equipment. Every decision I make about products I install and service is proactive. That’s why I choose to stay away from products that don’t provide this support.
corporations can play a lot of word games like lawyer jargon for example free range chickens can mean a small exposure to the outdoors for thrity minutes a day and that qualifies them to be called free range when most think it means something else but it's corporations lying to you and using enough language and loop holes to not get sued for fraud.
Mr Cool has certain warranties for homeowner install vs contractor install. I actually had to get a warrantied condenser and they were easy and shipped it for free
In states such as California, companies are not allowed, under law, to charge shipping related to warranty claims. However in many States, this is not the case. If an entire condenser is replaced, freight costs can run several hundreds of dollars. There is little to no supply chain available to HVAC installers for Mr. Cool parts apart from Mr. Cool itself, so there is no way to obtain parts locally and save the shipping costs. IMHO, no retailer should sell these units without an extended warranty option to cover labor costs, since that is typically where things get expensive too. (Unfortunately, places like Costco that sell this line don't offer an extended warranty.) If I had to do it all over again, I would buy from somewhere that offers an extended warranty. Mr. Cool's 10-year compressor warranty for registered owners is better than industry standard at the face of it - but by the time the customer absorbs freight and labor, it can end up costing nearly as much as the unit itself.
So what is the point of where they are made. Trane advertises as one of the oldest Made in America companies yet they have factories in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Ireland and Mexico. Their compressors are made in Mexico. They source parts and electronics from China and Taiwan. A 20 SEER Train will cost you $12,000+ and another $8000 for a 4 hour installation. Installers around here will not install a unit unless you buy from them and will not sell a Mr Cool because they cannot mark them up 400%. HVAC professionals are just one step above lawyers and politicians.
I had a Goodman 15 SEER heat pump installed in 2016 by a 4 man company. Using existing vents, I was charged $4000 for unit and install. I have put out over $2000 for labor for repairs to that unit in first 3 years I owned it. Last repair was compressor blew a hole in side. Goodman authorized rep said the compressor was defective and Goodman supplied new compressor but not the $900 for labor or freon. I priced replacing bad Goodman condensor in this house last year and Goodman installer wants $4000 for the condensor and $2200 for installation.
I talked to a small contractor 90 miles away who installs Mr Cool but does not service my area. He said he has installed over 100 of the mini-split and central split Mr Cool and has not had one service call on any of them over the years.
I love the concept of their sealed lines and units, precharged or already at vacuum. But... For me I couldn't see paying double (hundreds more) when I only needed a new vacuum pump for about $100 to install the normal mini splits that don't even need brazing.
That’s a very good point
There are a few things that I like about the pre charged line set speed #1 I didn't need to leave a vac pump for hours to pull down the old-line set or weld on the flex connectors sent with the Mr. Cool unit it, you hook it up bubble test and go. 2nd It is inevitable that you will need to clean your coil at some point in the life of the unit, I have 2" MERV 13 filters, UV lights, Air Ionization System and I will still need to clean the coil at some point the pre charged line set ends are spring loaded as well as the connections on the coil you can simply unhook the line set from the coil your charge will stay in the line set and a VERY small amount of gas will leak out when unhooking the line set from the coil, pull the coil clean it put it back in hook up the line set and you're back going. No big mess in the air Handler cabinet or return plenum and you can clean the coil in a direction to where you are not pushing dirt or whatever into the coil fins further. Also, you get a better warranty I would have to look at my paperwork, but I believe with my system it was 10 years with the pre charged line set and only 7 with an existing line set. It was another 250 for the pre charged line set concentering the time you save and its fully insulated it's well worth the money to me
@@chrishunter1672
Sounds like it's just the ticket for you. Glad you're happy. I'm happy with my choice too, Parker Davis done right by me. Cheers!
I agree but I'm close to $500 dollars in tools for my install. Vacuum pump, micron guage, nitrogen regulator, some hoses, fittings, flare tool, vacuum oil, nylog and a torque wrench
@@chrisE815
Well I had most of that stuff from previous installs but all I needed for the pioneer mini splits was a vacuum pump and my manifold set. I needed a new vacuum pump, that was under $100 and included the oil. My manifold set was like $50-$60 years ago, I think you can get them for that same ballpark on Amazon for Chinese knockoffs. No need for nitrogen or flaring tool. One could get a torque wrench at habba frate or Amazon pretty cheap -- I didn't use one since I have a calibrated wrist.
Bottom line for me, I'm saving $700-$800 per unit (I got four) and the dedicated tools needed are in total under $200 so I'm roughly $2800 ahead. It wasn't a hard decision! 😂
I bought a Mr cool universal ducted system about a year ago, and DIYed it due to quotes coming in around $15k for a system with less performance. My total for the Mr cool system was about $3k(I think it’s gone up since then). No heat strips and good performance initially down to 10F here in TN. I’ve been happy with the system until recently. Recently it has not been heating well - I had a tech come out and said I didn’t have leaks and appeared to have plenty of refrigerant, and the gas line that is supposed to get hot is blazing hot at 135 degrees at the air handler, however the return line and the air coming out of the air handler are both near ambient temperature. Not sure where the heat is going. I don’t necessarily think it’s a fatal issue, but I do need heat and currently not getting it. IWAE is recommending cleaning the indoor and outdoor coils, hopefully things get resolved soon.
Thanks! Keep us updated on how it goes!
I'm coming to the conclusion that I have low refrigerant. The licensed tech didn't seem familiar with heat pumps, and he was taking pressures off the service ports while it was in heat pump mode, and getting really high pressures. However, when the system is in heat pump mode, the indoor coil is in bypass and there's no substantial pressure drop, so basically the tech was measuring pressures on the high side. I now believe that the only way to check pressure and superheat is in cool mode when you have a pressure drop across the indoor coil and you can see what the suction pressure is. I have enough refrigerant that I was getting effective cooling during the summer, but the temperature delta in the winter between outdoor and indoor temps is the harder case. The system is still getting a little heat in, but the quantity of refrigerant means that it is able to raise the temp of the supply side hose and fittings to 135 but that doesn't translate to enough refrigerant mass to keep the indoor coil hot. My air vents are at 73F, when they should be 95F or so.
I guess the point is unless you want to DIY, don't expect a tech used to working on mainstream HVAC to know what is going on - at least this guy didn't insist on measuring pressures in cool mode, which appears to be the only way to evaluate what the charge level is. I believe that the precharged hoses were mis-installed at the beginning, and enough charge leaked out to reduce the effectiveness of the heat. But until I get a gauge on the suction side when in cool mode, I won't know exactly where my charge is at.
I had the HVAC guy back out, and explained that we needed to check pressures while in cool mode, and we quickly figured out that the charge was low. I had about 45psi on the suction side while in cool mode. ~2lbs of R410a later, I've got about 125PSI at the suction side, got 95F air coming out of the vents in heat mode, i.e. 20F differential. I think he was a bit embarrassed to have not figured out the charge was low on the first visit. He figured that I should have about 9lbs of charge given the length of my lineset, so at 7lbs the system wasn't really doing much. It's kind of amazing how sensitive this system is to low charge. He used his refrigerant sniffer around the system and we couldn't find any obvious leaks, so we concluded that either the precharged line set was low from the factory, or things leaked during the installation.
I'm a happy MrCool Universal owner again!
99% of heat pumps are on heat strips at 10 drg. that is Why the TVA had Rolling Blackouts
I did a Mr. Cool Universal 2/3 ton install and just replace my furnace's A-Coil, in a 'Dual-fuel' configuration using a Google Nest Thermostat to control the system. So at -1F it will use the gas furnace instead of the heat pump. Anyway, this has been a big suscess for me. Compared with the $15K quotes, it was like $4.5k with labor to help me. Best DIY project I've ever taken on. Mr. Cool Universal is a Gree AC, top quality, lot of options. Just look it up and do a lot youtube. My hardest part was simply bending the large side copper tubing into place. Nothing more. I don't understand why AC installers would not want to install this unit... Why? Or refuse to service it like most HVAC companies I've taked to. I'm a rank amature DIYer and I can do it!
When I built my house back in 2005, I went high quality on all appliances; $13k Thermador frig, $9k professional range, top of line HVAC unit, etc,,,,, and they’ve all had issues,,,, and my guess, this guy makes his living servicing/repairing these high quality units…
Your video and the responding comments have convinced me that installing my own mini splits is better than dealing with HVAC scams. I know you're trying to promote the need for HVAC professionals, but if you weren't collectively scamming the public, we wouldn't be so quick to turn away from y'all.
A professional asked me to pay 10k to install a single unit. I installed a mr cool myself; it is working and cost me around 1k and a day in the weekend. This the main story. The rest is bs IMO. Half of this video is about where mr cool is manufactured. He says he doesn't want to give the wrong info but speculates anyways until the half way through the video :) also in this day and age all world manufacturing is so intertwined. If you buy two parts from China connect them together in US does it make is US made? I would expect a review video to be a bit more technical. What is the efficiency compared to other brands etc.
It's more about the misrepresentation. It's fine to have imported products and have a lack of support as long as you're honest about it 🙂
Don't think there are *any* mini-splits produced in the US, even those sold by contractors (Daiken, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Gree,...). Like everything else many are produced from the same "lines" overseas as more budget brands. I could be wrong.
I have a Mr Cool for about 18 months now and really liked it until it started a P4 code right before Christmas when it was the colds nights of the year, and we had the whole family staying with us! Thing break and I understand that but their customer service SUCK!! They are replacing the outside unit, but it will not arrive until February 17, it went out December 23.....you do the math. This is with me jumping though ever kind of hoop, talking to many people, having a tech come out and look at it and more. It is great when it works but may God have mercy on you if it goes out!
Sorry to hear that happened. Hopefully they make it right.
If you have to replace it yourself still come out cheaper than dealing with over price HVAC Techs like me installing overpriced system. We will charge you a price that would pay for 4 to 5 Mr cool.
I have a 18 k mr cool mini split for 3 years now and performing very well but it’s a hyper heat pump not a DYY , I’m an installer here in Canada , DIY mini splits recharged line set has too much restrictions and it burns out the compressors
Mr Cool is a tech disrupter and they are trying to cut out local HVAC companies! They want you to buy equipment directly off the internet with zero local support or training for their products. No HVAC company in my area will touch their equipment because they don't work with us. There is no local parts distribution or anything setup to help us service their equipment. If you are extremely handy and can work with plumbing and electrical then you can probably handle a DIY install.
Parts availability is always a concern 🙂
Can you clarify something for me? Is this video your opinion?
My opinion would be to go with a good HVAC company in your area and what they recommend. And I’ll leave it at that 🙂
good video ,thanks. i bought a LG AC 12000 btu ,duel inverter in september.23. it works excellent BUT on heat mode it does not ever shut down or cycle off. it maintains the temp to within 1 %. it does so by the temp of the output air and the volume of air. is this normal .? the dealer that installed it is nowhere to be found. thanks
It specifically says plans designs and ships. It purposefully left out manufacture
I can replace the whole danm Mr Cool unit for what a lot of A/C companys want for a service call and a replacement capacitor.
And this is why they they hate DIY Mini Splits.
Got a quote for a mini split system - $16k. I bought a better system from Mrcool from Home Depot for $5800….
Awesome. Let us know how it goes!
I have a few people I know that have a Mr. Cool unit here in Detroit Michigan where gas furnaces dominate our state because it gets really cold here. I was very surprised that each installation was not done by the homeowner but by professional heating and cooling pros. Also in the dead of winter, they all could keep each home as warm as their gas furnaces when I followed up with them on a -7 winter night. Either way, other manufacturers have heat pumps that do the same thing which is good considering natural gas may or may not be around in 20 years right? One thing I noticed is that the outside unit needs to have a hood to prevent snow from resting/building up on top of the unit.
Cool. Do you think you’ll be getting one now?
I would also suggest that they are wall mounted to avoid being buried in snow. But even in areas not prone to snow, ground pad installation is asking for trouble. People have had snakes and rodents get in and short their units out, and it's not covered. Mr. Cool condenser design is not animal proof, which is a safety hazard. Get a wall bracket and thank me later!
a) the more expensive and particular commercial grade multi unit condensers can do simultaneous heating and cooling. Handy if some spaces have a high solar or sensible (moisture) loading and others have none.
b) I would consider failure of three indoor blower motors in 2.5 years unacceptable.
c) In the comparison of your hot water radiator system to electric baseboard heat, you did not mention the type hot water boiler you had. If it is less expensive than baseboard heat, it must be fossil fuel fired, most likely natural gas. An electric boiler system could never be less expensive than electric baseboard heat. We find electric baseboard heat in tract housing as it has lowest initial cost to the builder.
I was quoted 15k for 3 zone mini split that’s just insane. The DIY will cost you a lot less less then 4K these so called professionals are ripping off everyone
I hear ya… out of curiosity, if the equipment costs 4k and the company budgets 3 days of labor, what do you think a fair price should be?
Ironic, but this guy ‘s company is a huge fan of Goodman which comes from the same Chinese factory that makes the identical unit for Mr cool
Hmmm, and Daikin owns the Goodman Brand. I believe he is a Daikin Dealer and speaks highly of them. Hmmmm....
Unlike Mr Cool, Daikin has factories in the USA 🙂