God bless you my friend, just moved to TN and first time installing my own mini split, working great though confused and worried about the "defrost cycle" this explained it quite well, and yes, I had no cover on my condenser. Just covered it and hopefully that will help me out from here forward. Thank you!
In Case anyone is interested: I just had a 7 Unit Head System with 2 Condensers installed in my house this February. I have old baseboard heaters that cost a fortune to run. They left the baseboard units in place as backup. It got down to at least -10 right after they got it installed and running and it actually kept the house warm in below zero weather. I had 1 unit turned up to 80 degrees but I didn't need the baseboards at all. It worked perfectly and I live in Minnesota! My system is Midea just for reference. So far I haven't had to clear any snow. Will see what happens this coming winter. Both my condensers are exposed to the elements. It's working perfectly! I have 1 large condenser running 5 heads and 1 smaller condenser running 2 heads. It cost $27,000 installed. I was extremely lucky because it was paid for through a grant from a weatherization program.
I am in SC and my Daikin inverter unit on the exhaust side was iced up almost completely the other day. We don't get much cold in SC so this was the first time. I built a roof over the entire unit and also installed screen wire around the suction side about 6 inches from the coils to help prevent trash from getting into the coils.
what would cause a confortotal mini split to freeze up outside unit... and not heat good, temp is around freezing outside, it dont seem to be goin in defrost mode
All the mini split heat pumps I install have a defrost mode and melt the ice off the coil... your right about covering only cause in icy condition it is hard for the fan itself to keep clear of ice. There is nothing to melt ice away from the condenser fan.... this is cause the fan is vertical position blowing air horizontal. A traditional heat pump doesn't have trouble keeping the fan clear cause in horizontal position it won't allow any build up. I have seen defrost boards fail and never defrost and ice close in on fan blades.
This year my heat pump kept freezing up, so I just stopped using it when temps got below freezing. It's been a beast of a winter. However, I kept going to examine it whenever the temps got higher, and I came to the conclusion that maybe water was getting on the coils. in Washington the humidity is high, it rains a lot, and we have freezing fog. I got a very large boot tray and covered the top to help prevent water from getting on the coils (upside down, of course). It hangs over the edges. It hasn't been as cold, so I'm not sure how it would work below 28F, but it has prevented ice buildup below freezing. Maybe I'll cut some foam board to put under the boot tray? Is the foam board to help insulate the unit too?
You installation is not correct. Your condenser should be elevated off of the ground. I have several Mitsubishi and Fujitsu hyper heat units installed in Buffalo NY and have never had issues with them icing up. Not sure if Samsung has a pan heater in it, if it does that’s why your condenser is icing up after defrost. The unit cannot drain out the water that has melted off the coil and in the pan.
Just because the unit is on the ground doesn't mean it's installed incorrectly. Mounting brackets work really well. This is for my Aquaponic Farm. This snow in Tennessee only last a week or 2 and then it's gone that's good. The outdoor unit is installed at an angle. the drain hose comes out the bottom and drains away from the equipment it has not been frozen once since I covered I get what your saying and agree with you I agree the water cannot drain If the Pan is iced over Also I will check and see if Samsung offers a Pan heater Thank you for your advice I appreciate you taking the time to watch the video 📹🙂 Thanks for the information too
You're absolutely right condenser need to be elevated so you wont get ice build up. That is my problem right now, so I bought a bracket to raise the condenser.
Hello, Tad. I recently came across with one of your videos about the mini split unit outside freezing up (a block of ice in the back and on the side). I am in Chicago, and I have 5 units. I am not sure if you are familiar with mini split DELLA. I installed these units myself. I own an old hose, and the heating system (running boards) was not helping. We recently had about 5 to 7 inches of snow, so before the snow came down, I covered them with plywood a date after the temperature dropped to -5 degrees and -15 degrees with the wind factor. And no snown got on the units, but they started building ice again. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do? Thank you in advance.
keep the top covered they will freeze but should thaw back out make sure they are blowing heat and that the charge is good or they will not thaw out the coil
Yes absolutely there are stands for pads that are built up off the ground and they help to reduce the amount of snow that accumulates on the outdoor unit. For me I live in Tennessee in a area where we only see snow for around one week. And it's 3 maybe 4 inches so I really don't need a stand.
I just had a Mitsubishi 3Ton Ductless HP installed. We are on the Lake and the Wind is fiercely cold in winter with snow drifting concerns. The unit we have is: MSZ-GS36NA Thinking of building /stacking a 3 sided cinder block wall then adding a 3/4” Plywood top sitting on 4 corners of cinderblocks to allow airflow in, is this a good idea? I would have the cinderblocks 3’ away from the unit for airflow.
Hi, Do you know what the normal temp range for a 12000 BTU inverter mini split compressor is please?.. I want to know if it safe to slap some butyl sound dampening pads on it to quiet it down, like the stuff they put in cars to quite down vibrations?.. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought of the idea but I cant find a single mention of it anywhere. I would try one of those sound dampening jacket things, but it's a rectangle type, not the big American type, so there is probably not enough room for one of those jackets. I need to open it up and see tho to be sure. My manual says it can work down to -15 C. It's about -1 now and it iced up and is already struggling to keep up because of having to do the defrost cycles (does it on temps not timer I think). It's absolutely normal for it to ice up when it's -1 isn't it?.. Because it's going to be making the fins even colder than the ambient temp to suck heat out of the air. I only got it very recently so this is the first time I saw it ice up.
The refrigerant keeps the compressor cool So putting a sound blanket over it is not going to make it overheat. You're fine to put a blanket over it to make it quieter.
@@TaddyDigest Is that the temp of the actual metal that makes up the compressor?.. Like if you pointed a laser thermometer at the side of the compressor when it’s at it hottest and coldest. Butyl pads are supposed to be able to handle -50 to 120 C (-75°F to 250°F maybe). I would have thought it was easy to find how hot and cold compressors get but I can't find that information anywhere.
Your statement isn't quite true about traditional heat pumps having emergency heat. All heat pumps have a defrost mode. The heat pump will defrost on its own if it meets one or two things ( timer or o/a ambient temp sensor) . Most have a timer function built on their defrost board with a selection of 30/60/90 mins . It should go into defrost mode and shut off ODF . Pump hot gas through condenser coil and melt any ice off coil. When doing so it will not heat the space... I don't know why anyone would install a traditional heat pump without electric back up elements to help while in defrost plus for additional heating...
It's good to have one of those unit's series but that ice build up prevention mechanism/algorithm built in this generation's units is debateable, it needs to be improved/updated, maybe by a software update to the controller. I am not talking about the usual defrost cycle. If you are using samsung of this gen or a technician for samsung then you should know what I am talking about. Most of the winter, the weather is mild where I live and my samsung still goes for these little frost protection cycles every 3 hours or so although the weather temp outside is at lower 60s F / 16C. You know Its literally impossible for any frost to build on condenser at those temps unless something is wrong with your unit... Nice video! That simple plane of wood or wtv it is you used there literally saves alot of energy for heavy winter regions!!!
Wow you are the 1st and probably the only person that will actually get the point in this video and I am so glad that you took the time to leave this information yes I am aware of snow prevention mode on DVM model Samsung outdoor units Thank you for taking the time you're right there is no time at temperatures like 60ﾟF for the frost accumulate with the algorithm in the equipment Glad you watch this video Think you
FYI: I just had a 7 Unit Head System with 2 Condensers installed in my house this February. I have old baseboard heaters that cost a fortune to run. They left the baseboard units in place as backup. It got down to at least -10 right after they got it installed and running and it actually kept the house warm in below zero weather. I had 1 unit turned up to 80 degrees but I didn't need the baseboards at all. It worked perfectly and I live in Minnesota! My system is Midea just for reference. So far I haven't had to clear any snow. Will see what happens this coming winter. Both my condensers are exposed to the elements.
You can do a forced defrost using the K switches You can find the information on www.samsunghvac.com You will need to download the installation manual for the outdoor unit Actually a service manual
@@TaddyDigest they're getting banned in the uk. already from june this year they're bringing in laws to limit flow and temp through radiators to standardised around how they expect heat pumps to perform.
@@TaddyDigest all about going "net zero" and "decarbonising". Now that people are realising the horror approaching them there's beginning to be some pushback and they're talking about substituting some of the natgas with hydrogen, but that's merely a stay of execution. They want to centralise the energy grid and be able to cut people off at whim. In the meantime, i'm looking at the technology to see how i can understand it, hack it, get more out of it, and try to ignore that in comparative pricing, gas is 7p/kwh and electric is 28p, and that's how much my heating bill is going to go up, minimum.
Wow thank you for this insight I love the knowledge that you provide. Also I can't believe that the electricity is nearly 4 times more expensive where you live I don't blame you for not wanting to switch You're right they want more control
well ive tossed mine in the garbage a month ago! It just froze solid as soon as temp went below freezing. this heat pump crap is probably the biggest heating scam ever....nobody told me of ice build up when i installed it. no im fine with mine dirty oil tyvm....
God bless you my friend, just moved to TN and first time installing my own mini split, working great though confused and worried about the "defrost cycle" this explained it quite well, and yes, I had no cover on my condenser. Just covered it and hopefully that will help me out from here forward. Thank you!
In Case anyone is interested: I just had a 7 Unit Head System with 2 Condensers installed in my house this February. I have old baseboard heaters that cost a fortune to run. They left the baseboard units in place as backup. It got down to at least -10 right after they got it installed and running and it actually kept the house warm in below zero weather. I had 1 unit turned up to 80 degrees but I didn't need the baseboards at all. It worked perfectly and I live in Minnesota! My system is Midea just for reference. So far I haven't had to clear any snow. Will see what happens this coming winter. Both my condensers are exposed to the elements. It's working perfectly! I have 1 large condenser running 5 heads and 1 smaller condenser running 2 heads. It cost $27,000 installed. I was extremely lucky because it was paid for through a grant from a weatherization program.
I am in SC and my Daikin inverter unit on the exhaust side was iced up almost completely the other day. We don't get much cold in SC so this was the first time. I built a roof over the entire unit and also installed screen wire around the suction side about 6 inches from the coils to help prevent trash from getting into the coils.
Whaaaat im in sc and my unit is a block of ice right now too
@@KleinHeister I don't like the cold so I built that roof the other day so I will not have to go out there and keep ice off of the exhaust grates.
Great knowledge good to know this information thank you for sharing
Awesome that you built something to keep the ice off
Time to take it apart and put a 2 ft stand underneath it so it runs correctly install electric pan heater in it welcome to the UA-cam fish tank
what would cause a confortotal mini split to freeze up outside unit... and not heat good, temp is around freezing outside, it dont seem to be goin in defrost mode
All the mini split heat pumps I install have a defrost mode and melt the ice off the coil... your right about covering only cause in icy condition it is hard for the fan itself to keep clear of ice. There is nothing to melt ice away from the condenser fan.... this is cause the fan is vertical position blowing air horizontal.
A traditional heat pump doesn't have trouble keeping the fan clear cause in horizontal position it won't allow any build up. I have seen defrost boards fail and never defrost and ice close in on fan blades.
thanks that ice does not play Thanks for your support
This year my heat pump kept freezing up, so I just stopped using it when temps got below freezing. It's been a beast of a winter. However, I kept going to examine it whenever the temps got higher, and I came to the conclusion that maybe water was getting on the coils. in Washington the humidity is high, it rains a lot, and we have freezing fog. I got a very large boot tray and covered the top to help prevent water from getting on the coils (upside down, of course). It hangs over the edges. It hasn't been as cold, so I'm not sure how it would work below 28F, but it has prevented ice buildup below freezing. Maybe I'll cut some foam board to put under the boot tray? Is the foam board to help insulate the unit too?
One word - ZUBADAN. Works 100% capacity in -25C /-30C.
Enough said.
You installation is not correct. Your condenser should be elevated off of the ground. I have several Mitsubishi and Fujitsu hyper heat units installed in Buffalo NY and have never had issues with them icing up. Not sure if Samsung has a pan heater in it, if it does that’s why your condenser is icing up after defrost. The unit cannot drain out the water that has melted off the coil and in the pan.
Just because the unit is on the ground doesn't mean it's installed incorrectly.
Mounting brackets work really well.
This is for my Aquaponic Farm.
This snow in Tennessee only last a week or 2 and then it's gone that's good.
The outdoor unit is
installed at an angle.
the drain hose comes out the bottom and drains away from the equipment
it has not been frozen once since I covered
I get what your saying and agree with you I agree the water cannot drain If the Pan is iced over
Also I will check and see if Samsung offers a Pan heater
Thank you for your advice
I appreciate you taking the time to watch the video 📹🙂
Thanks for the information too
Does't matter where the outdoor unit is, in Aust they are usually on the ground next to the house.
You're absolutely right condenser need to be elevated so you wont get ice build up. That is my problem right now, so I bought a bracket to raise the condenser.
Great video buddy
Glad you enjoyed
Hello, Tad. I recently came across with one of your videos about the mini split unit outside freezing up (a block of ice in the back and on the side). I am in Chicago, and I have 5 units. I am not sure if you are familiar with mini split DELLA. I installed these units myself. I own an old hose, and the heating system (running boards) was not helping. We recently had about 5 to 7 inches of snow, so before the snow came down, I covered them with plywood a date after the temperature dropped to -5 degrees and -15 degrees with the wind factor. And no snown got on the units, but they started building ice again. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do?
Thank you in advance.
keep the top covered
they will freeze but should thaw back out
make sure they are blowing heat and that the charge is good or they will not thaw out the coil
Shouldn't it be higher off the ground if you get snow?
Yes absolutely there are stands for pads that are built up off the ground and they help to reduce the amount of snow that accumulates on the outdoor unit.
For me I live in Tennessee in a area where we only see snow for around one week. And it's 3 maybe 4 inches so I really don't need a stand.
I just had a Mitsubishi 3Ton Ductless HP installed. We are on the Lake and the Wind is fiercely cold in winter with snow drifting concerns.
The unit we have is: MSZ-GS36NA
Thinking of building /stacking a 3 sided cinder block wall then adding a 3/4” Plywood top sitting on 4 corners of cinderblocks to allow airflow in, is this a good idea? I would have the cinderblocks 3’ away from the unit for airflow.
Hi,
Do you know what the normal temp range for a 12000 BTU inverter mini split compressor is please?.. I want to know if it safe to slap some butyl sound dampening pads on it to quiet it down, like the stuff they put in cars to quite down vibrations?.. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought of the idea but I cant find a single mention of it anywhere. I would try one of those sound dampening jacket things, but it's a rectangle type, not the big American type, so there is probably not enough room for one of those jackets. I need to open it up and see tho to be sure.
My manual says it can work down to -15 C. It's about -1 now and it iced up and is already struggling to keep up because of having to do the defrost cycles (does it on temps not timer I think). It's absolutely normal for it to ice up when it's -1 isn't it?.. Because it's going to be making the fins even colder than the ambient temp to suck heat out of the air. I only got it very recently so this is the first time I saw it ice up.
The refrigerant keeps the compressor cool
So putting a sound blanket over it is not going to make it overheat.
You're fine to put a blanket over it to make it quieter.
Discharge temperature is usually maintained around a 135 to a 140 F
@@TaddyDigest Is that the temp of the actual metal that makes up the compressor?.. Like if you pointed a laser thermometer at the side of the compressor when it’s at it hottest and coldest. Butyl pads are supposed to be able to handle -50 to 120 C (-75°F to 250°F maybe). I would have thought it was easy to find how hot and cold compressors get but I can't find that information anywhere.
Your statement isn't quite true about traditional heat pumps having emergency heat. All heat pumps have a defrost mode. The heat pump will defrost on its own if it meets one or two things ( timer or o/a ambient temp sensor) . Most have a timer function built on their defrost board with a selection of 30/60/90 mins . It should go into defrost mode and shut off ODF . Pump hot gas through condenser coil and melt any ice off coil. When doing so it will not heat the space... I don't know why anyone would install a traditional heat pump without electric back up elements to help while in defrost plus for additional heating...
Good info Thanks for sharing with others so we can all learn Thanks for watching
It's good to have one of those unit's series but that ice build up prevention mechanism/algorithm built in this generation's units is debateable, it needs to be improved/updated, maybe by a software update to the controller. I am not talking about the usual defrost cycle. If you are using samsung of this gen or a technician for samsung then you should know what I am talking about. Most of the winter, the weather is mild where I live and my samsung still goes for these little frost protection cycles every 3 hours or so although the weather temp outside is at lower 60s F / 16C. You know Its literally impossible for any frost to build on condenser at those temps unless something is wrong with your unit... Nice video! That simple plane of wood or wtv it is you used there literally saves alot of energy for heavy winter regions!!!
Wow you are the 1st and probably the only person that will actually get the point in this video and I am so glad that you took the time to leave this information yes I am aware of snow prevention mode on DVM model Samsung outdoor units
Thank you for taking the time you're right there is no time at temperatures like 60ﾟF for the frost accumulate with the algorithm in the equipment
Glad you watch this video
Think you
@@TaddyDigest Thanks to you! Your videos are very helpfull & instructive!
Hot water will quickly thaw frozen condenser and evaporator coils.
great idea You should make a video doing that
@@TaddyDigest LOL!
hahaha lol
What part of the world is this that snow doesn’t blow sideways?
Tennessee
Thanks for the explanation. My Fujitsu unit outdoor fan shows a fault code so I’m assuming it’s just frozen. Will have to thaw it out later today.
You're welcome so glad that you watched
Thank you EK
Why no cover the coil ? U. A can build like a wooden table and put it over it. But no cover coil ?
That's a good idea
Like build Cover or a hood above it
Couldn't you just install an awning right above it instead attached to your siding?
Seems to me that would be more structurely secure.
Absolutely that is the best option and a great idea
Thanks for watching hit that like button please
FYI: I just had a 7 Unit Head System with 2 Condensers installed in my house this February. I have old baseboard heaters that cost a fortune to run. They left the baseboard units in place as backup. It got down to at least -10 right after they got it installed and running and it actually kept the house warm in below zero weather. I had 1 unit turned up to 80 degrees but I didn't need the baseboards at all. It worked perfectly and I live in Minnesota! My system is Midea just for reference. So far I haven't had to clear any snow. Will see what happens this coming winter. Both my condensers are exposed to the elements.
How do I unthaw it when it's-10?
You can do a forced defrost using the K switches
You can find the information on www.samsunghvac.com
You will need to download the installation manual for the outdoor unit
Actually a service manual
Spilt heat pumps wont work under -15C, unfortunately for colder climates.
That is correct Very cool that you know this. Most techs do not
A small green house
Thanks for watching I like your name
Where can I get a large piece of foam?
lowes or home depot maybe
You replaced your unit i see
yes I did
@@TaddyDigest i did a maintenence on a heat pump that previously took its spot, i recall
What if my banana split is frozen?!
hahahaha
@@TaddyDigest O I am going to tell your Wife
please don't 🥺
and they want me to replace my combi boiler with this bs??
If you like burning oil or gas then stick with what you got
@@TaddyDigest they're getting banned in the uk. already from june this year they're bringing in laws to limit flow and temp through radiators to standardised around how they expect heat pumps to perform.
Wow I can't believe they're doing something like that
Sounds like they're really pushing the heat pumps
@@TaddyDigest all about going "net zero" and "decarbonising". Now that people are realising the horror approaching them there's beginning to be some pushback and they're talking about substituting some of the natgas with hydrogen, but that's merely a stay of execution. They want to centralise the energy grid and be able to cut people off at whim. In the meantime, i'm looking at the technology to see how i can understand it, hack it, get more out of it, and try to ignore that in comparative pricing, gas is 7p/kwh and electric is 28p, and that's how much my heating bill is going to go up, minimum.
Wow thank you for this insight
I love the knowledge that you provide.
Also I can't believe that the electricity is nearly 4 times more expensive where you live I don't blame you for not wanting to switch
You're right they want more control
well ive tossed mine in the garbage a month ago! It just froze solid as soon as temp went below freezing. this heat pump crap is probably the biggest heating scam ever....nobody told me of ice build up when i installed it. no im fine with mine dirty oil tyvm....
Samsung heat pumps suck big time
Thanks for your comment appreciate your support you are awesome
It’s not a Samsung, it’s a Gnusmas.
hahaha
Bro go to manufacture training or best if you do get to collage … clueless
Ok will do