I watched this video and my jaw was on the floor! I ordered a unit, and found they were on backorder, so I called Dave and found they had a cosmetically damaged unit that I could get, so I had Dave send me that one. It has been SO BADASS!!! I cannot believe that this thing runs all day in my house near Phoenix WITH THE PLUG LAYING IN THE DIRT!! It's nuts! Full disclaimer I have to plug it back into the wall about 6 o'clock in the evening as the sun is heading very northwest of my south facing panels, then about 7 o'clock am the sun is high enough for me to go out and unplug it again. (I know I don't have to unplug it, but it is so cool to see it run all day with the plug lying on the ground, it makes me happy).
Man I’ll bet the Utility Monopoly in my town here in humid Mississippi would hate if this caught on and would probably require you to get a building permit that’s how corrupt they are here
The video shows the system switching back and forth from solar to grid automatically. Is this not accurate? Can you not just leave it plugged into the grid?
@@tdenton1138 you can. leave it unplugged from the grid and it will work really well as long as it's sunny out. if you go to their website there is a video from a lady who installed this unit on her off-grid cabin, she has NO option to plug it into the wall.
@@dougjones3057 does not make sense to buy these if youre already off grid. this is more for someone who doesnt have an inverter and wants to use the panels solely for some AC
@@MrMugenwii IDK what are other peoples motives or reasons for this system making sense, but for me the reason it makes sense is 1. lowers an extremely expensive electric bill in the summer (floating around $700/mo). 2. back up, redundant in case I lose one of my other units 3. SRP (power supplier here) makes having solar panels economically unattractive, they charge a fee, about $45/mo just to hook into the grid, so that negates pretty much everything I could produce, then if I happened to make extra power they will happily purchase it from me at the rate of 3 cents/KWh while they will sell it to me of an average of 14 cents/KWH. So with my provider, this system allows me to have solar panels (which I have always wanted) and bypass the corporate greed. I know it sucks, but that's the world we live in.
I'm a retired HVAC guy who spent 7 years in Iraq and 1 year in Afghanistan. I have installed a few thousand or more in to the trailers the soldiers slept in. 1 ton 12,000 but runs at 5 amps. Amps times voltage. If 220 volts you are looking at 1100 watts for a 1 ton. Start up can increase 1 or 2 amps for less than a second than goes back to 5 amps. A 2 ton 24,000 but is 12 amps and for less than a second start amps. Problems that are common with mini splits are inside evaporator fan motor a pain to remove and install. Another issue is the control board. Normally the condenser unit contactor is not installed on the outdoor compressor unit it is installed in the indoor circuit board which has a built in compressor relay that brings the outdoor unit on. Those are the 2 main issues I have found. Some of the indoor fan motors do not have metal ball bearings they use a cloth type material instead of metal bearings and that does not hold up as well as metal bearings. Sometimes they last but no wear near as well as a metal bearings. The systems we had were r-22 and it was pre charged we still purged the air out of system. Over all they are good systems and not noisey. Most were LG that we had I installed them as a contractor for the military and I repaired them when they went bad. My crew of 4 guys and myself could install 18 a day. We were fast. Took other crews a few days.
@danannield5810 you can run any AC on solar. The question is how much you're willing to pay to do it. From my research, this is likely your most affordable option, and it is probably cheaper to replace your current AC.
I have to give you BIG Kudos for this video! This is the first FULL demo of an off-grid system hookup that I have seen. I have been following the few makers of these isolated solar mini-split systems for a while, but this is my first exposure to this manufacturer. I love that the electric utility company is NOT involved because your solar array is dedicated solely to this device. You are providing your own solar energy and if your energy falls short, the system seamlessly makes up energy requirements with grid power. You gave a great live demo of the proper automated metering of grid power based upon a decrease in available solar. REAL NUMBERS! Thanks for taking the time to produce this video and the introduction to this manufacturer. (I also see some UA-camrs trying to figure out how adapt these systems to their RV.)
I'm off grid so it's a tri fuel generator running on propane. I thought I heard someone say if there's no sun on a cloudy day they can just plug it into grid power. I've got one of the strongest portable generators in its class. Does it have a Micro Air easy start built into it? Is it 1200 BTUs of heating and cooling or is it different?
@@tomtee4442 1. Inverter technology allows mini splits to “soft start,” which means the compressor and motor slowly gain power. This process is much less energy intensive than traditional systems so there is no real need for a soft start system. 2. 1200 BTUs?? This system is 12,000 BTU heating or cooling (it does have a nominal difference between heating and cooling). 3. I have no clue as to what "class" your generator is in, nor what is the strongest generator in that class. Looking at the spec sheet for this unit, it pulls less than 1200 watts so if your generator can supply 1800 watts or more it should work easily.
I have a 12,000 BTU A/C on my RV. 110v, with Unit running with temp 87*F inside and 96*F outside, the power from battery was 440 watt. With 8-140ah lithium batteries and 4000 watt total solar. During the day, with A/C, Fridge, lights and TV. The batteries were never discharged, it held at full charge. At night, with Fridge and A/C, no lights or TV. Batteries were at 40% charge when sun rose and started recharging batteries. So we are self sufficient. That was also running a 12v water pump on our 250 gallon tank when needed for washing dishes and 2 people showering.
Quick note for the next one, install the foam insulation tape bottom-up. That way if any liquid ever gets in there, it will drip over the overlaps instead of seeping in.
PLEASE EXPLAIN, AS IT APPEARED TO ME (LAY PERSON) AND OLD WOMAN, THAT HE FILLED THE HOLE WITH THE PUTTY TOP DOWN, SO THE WATER WOULD RUN OFF IT. IF WHAT YOU SAY IF I COMPREHEND IT CORRECTLY, ONE WOULD GO BENEATH THE PIPE AND WORK IT UP TO THE HOLE? SO LONG AS ITS OVERLAPPED, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? THANKS
@@wheepingwillow24u17 What he's saying is start wrapping at the bottom. That way subsequent wraps as you work your way up the piping, the bottom of each successive wrap will overlap the TOP of the previous wrap. Think of shingles on the roof. You start courses of shingles at the bottom, and work each course going up so that the flaps of each single overlap the TOPS of the previous course so that water will run off rather then get under the previous.
OP is talking about tape. Not putty. The point about starting the tape from bottom, is like shingles, or house siding, is the resulting overlap creates protection by covering the layer (wrap) below. How it was shown in video, each layer has to be 100% correct forever. There are now multiple points of potential failure.
My HVAC company was over for our bi-annual tune-up and was asked if I could extend a vent to heat/cool our porch. It could not be done due to the current duct system. He recommended the mini-split install to our current grid. I was not aware of this type of system to operate on solar and this video was recommended in my YT feed. Easy to install video. Side note: We purchased solar batteries and panels to run our full-size fridge and mini freezer off the grid saving us approximately 30-40 dollars a month. Savings, using off-the-grid power is our mission now. Thanks and subscribed.
why I drive Tesla Model Y. Safe, efficient, made in USA. Drove 20k miles and saved $4k over my Jeep wrangler. Two years in a row! That's over $8k in fuel savings that goes straight to car payment. Zero maintenance so far, either. So at least another $1k in savings. Batteries will last as long as a traditional car engine -- at least 200k~300k miles. There are Tesla's with over 400k miles on original batteries.
Hi @@ShyRage1 , we had saved up for solar and decided to purchase the EcoFlow Delta 2 ($$$) with spare battery. It is an all in one system. Put four 100w Renogy panels in a series / parallel config with an xt60i 10 AWG cable. In direct sun, which we get 5-6 hours of direct sun, pushing 320-330 watts. This enables us to charge the batteries without having to plugging them in. Unless it's cloudy for a few day of-course. We will be adding two additional 100 watt panels to this config which should give us close to 500 watts as we are looking to bring our charging station off grid too. In addition, one room is also on solar (med equip, electric beds and TV/cable. The Mini-split could be added to that system or as a stand alone. Baby steps, however, we are getting there.
We just installed a pioneer 12k Btu Pioneer in the garage fed by our 3.6Kw offgrid array we use to charge our EV. What I didn't expect was when we opened the door to the garage for a full day, that it cut our house electricity use by 20kw, helping out the house AC. This could lead to paying off the Mini-split in around two years, while effectively increasing our cooled and heated swuare footage by 400 sq/ft. I get a cool man cave, AND we will likely save $600/year in electricity.
Have been running my mini splits since 2010 using my solar system and battery backup. Being able to run "free" is nothing new. I'm 7/10 of a mile away from the center of town and am 100% off the grid. Computers, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, TVs, etc etc all the toys a modern home in the US have without any issues and once again 100% off the grid.
You might as well pull that out and tape it up all the way. If you leave gaps inside the wall you're going to have some problems with condensation that you won't see until it's mold guaranteed. I would have drilled a big enough hole for the size PVC pipe it took to run the set through and just totally eliminate the issue.
I have 3 of these..... AMAZING units!!! My house now here in AZ is ALL solar cooled!! And it's COLD in my house when its 107 to 114 outside! These work GREAT!!!!
@@wildwestunlimited unfortunately some people will make stupid choices , what good is it to live in a hot place if you are staying inside with your AC blasting 🤡
Holy Moly! THIS is the answer to my “Florida hurricane no -power -three -times- a -year woes!” I could avoid all the portable generator window ac hoops I have to jump through just to survive a few days of 100 degree weather until my power is restored. Also, I could run this guy…mounted in my master bedroom…the rest of the time and stop cooling my entire house all night just so I can sleep in a nice cool (cold) 🥶bedroom. Thank you SO MUCH! This is crazy simple to understand. .
@@bdiver6445 Already have that figured out 😉 mount on a frame with wheels (the panels are small) on the ground and roll it into the garage before the storm. The batteries should be loaded before storm hits. I live in central Florida in a wooded neighborhood with above ground power lines behind my home….as soon as the winds get strong…even in a bad summer storm…a limb knocks the power out…so this would be a great “backup” for my AC system. You know as a Floridian…most important is our AC! 🥵😃
Keep in mind that this is only 1200 BTUs. It's 1 ton. That's like a window unit. He is demonstrating this in conditions that are like the dead of winter here.
@@paramax55 thanks very much! Yep…I looked it up - but thank you. I will use it in lieu of my window ac run to a generator as a backup for power loss or to keep bedroom cool in July, August, September while my central AC is working extra hard. 😃
Amen Dave ! I though about this approximately 7 yrs ago and wander how come it wasn't in the market being that the Ac uses the most energy in the home. At least here in Florida. Thank you so much for putting this video out for the masses to see. Your the Man !
I’m getting my 2 Airspool units in two weeks and your video is going to be such a huge help. I know I’ll be going back to it over and over as I go through the install. Thank you soooo much!:)
Pro tip: use RT201 Nylog just one or two drops. It will save you from micro leaks and is completely harmless to all oils. Yes it costs 12 dollars a bottle but it will save you.
Guys, normally, yes! But it's not needed for this unit. Just twist to connect. In fact, for this one, do not use Nylog where you twist to connect. --Airspool Dave
@@JohnDiMartino it does not harm the oils and is a neutral sealant that does not harden. so basically anywhere you think it may leak from threads , o'rings . mating surfaces etc. your not going to hurt anything just use a very thin layer. and that is just to keep it from your tools.
$1299 on Signature solar, a little more diy prep but worth saving about $700. It is a great unit, same unit just branded different. Great video, I have 4 of these and they are saving us tons of money.
@@engineerfalde He is referring to the EG4 Hybrid Solar Mini-Split unit on their site, it doesn't come with all the other stuff in the airspool kit. Like the isolator switch, etc.
some folks would rather not have to hassle with putting it all together and just have something plug n play like this. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for sharing the information. It is helpful to people with the capabilities and tools to do more involved DIY at a cost savings.
With some battery back-up this unit will perform after the sun goes down. Many people are putting these on their mobile units that are much more efficient than comes with from the factory. A few batteries and 24 hours heating and cooling.
@@andre0baskin A solar power generator could be a simple solution to this. There are many solar power generators available from companies like Eco-flow. An Ecoflow Delta 2 Max would give you 2 Kilowatts of power, 400 watts of solar panels for about $2,000. (There are many other options available, but let's just look at one.) A minisplit like this could run through those batteries in as little as 2 hours as it can pull 10 amps (1200 watts and hour); but realistically 500 watts running might be a better target. That would mean one could run the unit for 4 hours every night by plugging it in. The solar power generator should auto-recharge every day in Sunlight. If cooling demands are mild, and the unit only pulls 250 watts an hour, this amount of power could run the unit 8 hours. Af course, there are going to be conversion losses, solar power generators are only good for about 70-80% of rated capacity. All this said, actual experience will be a good thing. I think this could be useful for some folks. Several hours of operation, after night fall would do a great deal to get heat out of a house and allow people to fall asleep in comfort.
I can accomplish that far cheaper than this system. That's why I clicked this video. I wanted to make my Garage workshop comfortable. There are MANY cheaper options
While it worked for a temporary setup, keep in mind when you string solar panels in series it's important to understand that the voltage stacks, but the amperage will be limited by the panel with the lowest amp rating. I'm going to guess that your two 400W panels were being underutilized.
@@johannlopez4524 Not really. It's more complicated than what can be described in a UA-cam comment. The problem is mixing unlike panels. If they're the same or very similar you generally want to stack them in series up to the maximum usable voltage of your solar charge controller. Higher voltage is more efficient than higher current.
you should put down clean crushed stone around the outdoor unit to prevent it from getting dirty with all that soil around it, nice system i think its an awesome idea especially for RVs and boats
Mind blowingly awesome is an understatement. That is crazy! Wish there was an option to replace a normal outdoor a/c compressor with that simplicity and technology.
Outstanding video! I’ve assisted in mini-split installs and I’m super impressed by this particular unit. I’m an electrical engineer so that part is dead easy. But this unit goes the extra mile for installer-friendliness. The line-set connectors look to be very high quality which would rest my mind. My home contains a music control room so SPL is everything, mini-split is the way to go. Thank you so much for this top notch presentation.
This is awesome. The solar stuff I don't have much use for, but I love that more companies, like this one, are doing their own version of quick-connect linesets. This one takes it a step further with a nice twist-lock connector for the power/communication cable for the indoor unit. Yes, you pay a bit more for the convenience, but it's still way cheaper than hiring some HVAC company to install a $1000-$1500 minisplit for $5K+. This is a great step towards breaking the HVAC cartel and making a minisplit more like a window AC that anyone can install. I have all the tools and the EPA license, but this is a great option if you just want to get up and running with a minisplit with a few hours of work. If I lived somewhere sunnier, I'd be tempted to check it out for my large shed, which isn't currently hooked into power (besides an extension cord.)
As a former member of the HVAC Cartel, I couldn't agree more. Companies like to make it seem complicated and keep homeowners in the dark, Products like this will even the playing field.
At 11:25 You just taped the hot and cold side TOGETHER! Now that they have contact, most of the heat from hot side will transfer to the cold side reducing the efficiency by a considerable amount.
Missing a few key points on the solar panels. One, the panels need to be dedicated to this minisplit. They have to produce 80-310 vdc which means many in series as shown in the video to equal 1500w or more. For reference, you might need a minimum of four 400-450w panels with each producing 35-40vdc to get a reliable 1500 watts under full sun and they would have to be rated for series connection to produce 130-175 vdc. A good price for those four might be $1600 online. Much more at retailers like Harbor Freight where one 400w panel is $799. Bottom line: More information on selecting solar panels might be prudent. It would be nice to know if the vendor is designing these units or simply marketing them and adding value with nice instructions. There are reports of identically functioning units for less. Maintenance and parts availability is the next question. Are they an $1800 throwaway if a board or motor goes out? I would like to understand a little more about the unit’s power conversion technique and if they use any power buffering such as small batteries or large capacitors,
In the company literature they recommended 4 - 6 solar panels to provide the necessary wattage to power the mini split. At 12,000 btu's , the cooling capacity would be about a 400 sq ft room, so $ 2000.00 for a $ 500.00 window air conditioner . The company website only lists parts for installation but no parts listed for service or repair. Airspool is a distributor, not a manufacturer and with only a 1 year warranty gives the impression that when it does break, it is a throwaway device. Better to spend your money on a higher cost unit like a Panasonic or Mitsubishi system where service parts are readily available.
@@anthonygonzalez7488 12k BTUs should cover 500 to 750 sq. ft., depending on your insulation. These days, 3 of 4 solar panels are enough, since panels are normally higher wattage. So, 3 550w, say, or 4 370w. Doesn't need to be exact, since the grid will fill in if you're short. So, around 1,500 watts. Why 1,500 watts when it takes, at most, 1,250 on the very hottest days of the year? Because panels lose efficiency when it's super hot outside, and it's not always obviously peak sun. As for warranty, we have a 3-year parts and 5-year compressor warranty, but we also offer a 1-year buy-and-try guarantee. Since this is new technology, we want people to test for themselves that this unit is for real. --Airspool Dave
@@anthonygonzalez7488 LOL, Yes Panasonic or Mitsubishi are much better (and much much more expensive) but the parts are not necessarily readily available. I have a Mitsubishi and had to wait a month for a part.
Im a 40-year high/low voltage emergency troubleshooter for a State's largest publicly owned electric utility and might I add some detail advice to you. In voltage, the devil is in the details. I really like your videos and installed a soft start on one of my units based on your advice. So here's mine. There is no 110 or 220 voltage. I realize those are accepted values but when working with motors, capacitors, sectionalizers, reclosers, substations, residential issues or I could go on and on. 120, 240, 277 and the real dragon, 480, one has to provide the proper ratings. You talk about a 110 and the customer is reading 124, which is usual, and reads his motors nomanclature and sees 12%+_ it indicates actually is 132 max some may get confused. 12% of 110 = 13.2 and 12% of 120 + 14.4 meaning we as utilities scrutinize this with enormous and detail driven relays and breakers. Call it what it is, a Ford is a Ford, not a F132 but a F150. Your followers will be better for what you teach so well.
It's a bit tricky, since lots of electronics need to be gutted, including maybe the compressors and fans. Still, we see this idea as viable on rooftop units or large split units. If the coil is good, but the compressor is bad for large units, it'd save the crane for rooftop units or the rip and reinstall of the indoor coil on large split units. In that case, a new inverter compressor and new brushless DC fans and new electronics might be half what a new system would be, and then just add panels.
need to do this, wife and I have health problems if or when the grid goes down we need AC, got solar panels for well so we will have water, enough panels to keep lights and devices going in living room,,
The real savings is that it does not need a separate outdoor electrical disconnect. That normally means hiring a licensed electrician, pulling local permits and having an inspector come in. That alone is hundreds of dollars. This is about the most DIY minisplit I have seen. The other systems that are marketed as DIY have far more complicated processes for the refrigerant line sets that one might hire an HVAC company to do those parts negating much of the savings.
This year so far I have fixed a dozed mini split units. Two Fujitsu (main board, fan motor) the other units Mr Cool precharged line sets leaked out. The tech is not there yet, I would dump the line set charge and flare them.
Appreciate. Maybe you said and I missed it, need a follow up concerning the solar part to this. What’s realistically needed and life expectancy including dollar amount. Thanks.
We installed a Gree Mini-Split Heat Pump in 2013. It was kind of funny as the Neighbors had never heard of a Mini-Split/Ductless Heat Pump. I contacted a Friend in the HVAC business and he had never touched one. Got it installed myself and all the materials plus the unit was $1500. It's a 1.5 Ton. It is located in an upstairs Master Suite. Honestly, we mainly Cool with it in the Summer. It's been great and very economical to operate. The Supplier said to expect an 8 year life for the Gree and here we are 11 years later and no issues or leaks. Our Neighbor has Solar Installed on their roof and Patio Cover. After all the Tax rebates, his out-of-pocket was $68,000. But it's really more than that as he has a high interest 15 year loan to pay off. I know our electricity is high here but I imagine his loan with interest is around $80K. That would buy a lot of electricity. We are not being bit by the Solar Bug yet. Plus, all the Realtors here say Home Buyers don't want to assume the Solar System debt when purchasing the Home.
Thank you for the vid. Some questions / comments: 1) Is it also a heating unit - yes - I just checked the product site, apparently so. 2) You should use the same solar panel if you can. Maybe I'm nitpicking but your current is limited to the smallest panel in the series array. It would be useful to see the power or energy actually going to the unit from the panels but that would require more instrumentation. 3) Do you know what refrigerant is used? 4) I'm not an HVAC guy, but those HVAC guys I know obsess over pumping out the air. I just thought of something, however . . . perhaps the inside unit already has a vacuum drawn on it and the connectors are such that they seal before they break the homeside connection. That would makes sense. Can anyone shed light on this? 5) 12,000 BTU ?? is that per hour (usual way things are rated) That would be a 3.5 kW HVAC unit in most circumstances . . Please explain the math here considering you are drawing 0.175 kW. Thanks again for this informative video. Cheers!
Thanks man, I'm retiring soon and the place I'm looking at buying hasn't got HVAC, so this unit looks like it is not only easy to install, but very efficient.
This now can be down be a normal handiperson if you don't want to do it. Most (or many) handyfolk don't know, or down't own, the gauges and vacuum pump, so that's out of the way, not. The only tough part of this now is installing the solar panels, so ask at your local Greentech Renewables if they have anyone they know who could use a few extra hours. It'd be a good niche for them, too.
I have put in a few MrCool DIY and have never seen or heard one spray when putting the lines together. Yours may have had a bad seal. I also use the bug block spray foam for two reasons. 1 stops bugs and 2 it insulates where the insulation was moved out of the way inside of the wall.
WRAP YOUR TAPE FROM THE BOTTOM UP TO PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING WITH THE OVERLAP LIKE A SHINGLE . ON THE BOTTOM . NICE WORK AND LOOKS LIKE A GREAT UNIT .
Hola 👋 señor Dave!!! I’m amazed about this ac unit I’m going to start watching the video again and listen to your review I want to understand every detail of the unit…Saludos!!!👋😃👋You have a great day now!!! And a great weekend as well!!!!😊
@@diyhvacguy Gracias for taking some of your busy time to reply back to my comments I want to ask you about the solar panels that come included with the unit or is sold separately?? And how much for the whole system??$$$ I’m trying to figure out how much is to spend on this unit cause I want to see if I can send it to my uncle who lives in Mexico and the solar option is a great idea for his situation due the power flow is affected by some welding shops around his location who they built metal doors and window protection frames you know the power fluctuates because they don’t follow building codes…yep unfortunately that’s a different world 👀😳😫😫I love the saddle ac unit that you made a video about it but this is probably more effective and efficient for his applications…Gracias!!! Once again to keep us updated with the latest on everything in the AC system subject…You have a great weekend!!!Saludos!!👋😃👋
At first, I thought "perfect for my upstairs bonus room!" Then I realized I'd have to mount a platform up on the side of the house so the lines would reach the inside unit. All of a sudden, not so simple. Looks pretty easy assuming your indoor unit is just on the other side of the wall.
It'll do 12k BTU in the winter, too with HSPF efficiency of 9.5 on grid. Less sun in the winter, obviously, but whenever there is sun, it's free free free to run.
It looks neat. It would be great if a company made a solar kit that would run a window unit in a similar way taking only what power is needed from the grid.
I agree. A window unit with a wall plug on the inside and solar wires on the outside and nothing else to fiddle with. And best of all, make it portable in case ya move.
If you have a battery/generator like the one he showed and plug your panels into that, you can plug your window unit straight into the AC outlet on the generator. No need for anything else.
@@HeadCannonPrime you make an interesting point. battery/generator like the one in this video can pull how many btu's without the solar during the night?
@@HeadCannonPrime Sure, that's a great idea. Might as well dump the solar power between cycles into a battery to help with cloudy days and evening/night use. I still would like to be able to pull power from the grid for overcast/rainy days and hot summer nights. The solar power in this case is meant as supplemental power. You can always add more solar panels and batteries to use as little grid power as possible. Complete solar power can get expensive, and the goal here is to save money. People think solar power is free when it's actually not. You have to consider how much money you're putting into the system into payments over years to pay off any debt. It can actually cost more money than grid power if you're not careful.
Price works out almost 2,000 Euro I can get x4 normal mains split inverter units for that and they run quite happily off my solar panels & 10 KVA inverter or batteries when the sun sets. Normal mains units also have cheap spares because they are popular I bet the spares for these DC units are expensive.
What type and size solar panels are required ? How and were do you put and mount the solar panels if you can not install on roof of house ? And how do you wire the solar panels to the unit ? If you have the time please make a video on above questions .Thank you very much for the information and great video on the installation of this heat pump unit.
Get 3 550w or 4 370w. Or, similar is okay. Grid power will fill in if needed, but solar is always used first. Hook them up in series. Very simple. If you can't do rooftop, there are now some innovative ways to do ground mount panels.
Many people lean them against the walls of their yards, or they install ground mounts angled up at the sky in the corner of their backyards. Many people are also using solar panels as fences. No roof install needed.
@@airspool 550 watt panels are about 500/each here...plus wires etc. So quite pricey to install on top of the ac unit price. Say $3300+ for a unit that still costs to run with electricity on cloudy days and at night. Do you think theres a good return on this investment? I'm pretty sure you can run an electric 12000 btu mini split for about $25 a month. I think it's a good product for already in place solar systems.
I picked up the EG4 version last may for 999, have it running on 4 panels and it keeps my house around 70 with the outside temp at 100. Used it most of the winter as well for heat.
This is amazing!! I wonder if their engineers are working on a way to modify existing central hvac units to be supplemented by solar? Wow, the potential here is huge.
No the hybrid spooling fan and design to run more efficient would have to be built in. 2/3 of the world use mini splits so I doubt they would spend time on one but get a team together and create one. Great idea
No… you would need enough solar to operate it. This is not the only manufacture using this. It is because the compressor is powered directly from an inverter… the inverter is what actually makes it variable speed, slow/soft start, and gives it to the ability to run off of very little power (just not at complete load). An existing system isn’t going to be able to accomplish this, but installing a soft start kit could aid.
Thank you for sharing. It looks like you installed the solar panels on the roof of your shed instead of the roof of your house. Smart move. I've seen UA-cam videos about fires started by solar panels on the roofs of houses and businesses.
This is very similar to the EG-4 unit, which is $500 cheaper. I chose the more efficient 28.5 Seer-2 EG-4 unit that I run off a 48v battery bank through a 95% efficient inverter. I couldn't use this unit nor the EG-4 mini-split that runs directly off solar because they both have the same 380v maximum, whereas the solar array on my motorhome is rated at 400voc (and I've seen it spike to 430v with cloud lensing). If your solar array is around 350voc think it's safer to run it through a charge controller and a battery rather than risk damaging your mini split with a voltage spike coming off your solar panels.
SSD, for motor homes, plug in 3 or 4 panels for around 1,500w if you happen to have room. Or, do 2 panels to clear the minimum 80v requirement. The 380v limit would only be a problem for panels plugged directly into the unit. Then, you can also plug in your plug to your RV inverter for AC power even if it has 400v coming into it.
If I'm googling correctly, the one you're speaking of doesn't run on solar. The one that does is the same efficiency and about the same price. Still the EG-4 comes with a larger variety of models (up to 2-ton) and has a better warranty. Also, I'm not looking for solar, so the EG-4 is an interesting option.
@@BillyBobDingledorf The one I have runs off of 120v AC power, not DC power, as my solar array's voltage is too high for the hybrid. I'm running it completely off of 120v AC power from my inverter, which is powered by a 16.3 kwh 48v battery bank charged by 4,400 watts of solar. So, my mini split is running entirely off solar, as I haven't had to connect to external power in over 6 months. However, the 23% higher efficiency of my unit, from 22 to 28.5 Seer-2 more than makes up for the 5% efficiency loss of my inverter, so it is more efficient, using less power than their hybrid model for my application. If you are running it off of 120v grid power, it will use 5% less electricity as you won't have the inefficiency of an inverter to contend with. My EG-4 12k 28.5 Seer-2 120v AC unit sells for $1,449. The EG-4 12k btu 22 Seer-2 hybrid is $1,299 from Solar Sovereign. The comparable Airspool 12k btu 22 Seer-2 hybrid sells for $1,850.
You're running on solar yes, but you have batteries and an invertor between them, this isn't that , this is for throwing out some panels and having ac anywhere utilities aren't available and you don't have batteries, wires, invertors, monitors etc..
I'm thinking about building a pergola with the solar panels for a roof. I would use it to assist my 5 ton unit in keeping the house cooler, so it would only need to run during the day when temperatures are highest. 20 foot ceilings look beautiful, but very energy inefficient.
Great vid. I would like to suggest tht you amend or add that the evap line should have been taped closed before running it through the wall which would have made pushing it through easier but also ascertains that no condensate leakage would occur inside the wall. I want one!
Thank you for these videos, please keep going! But, Please talk with lawn company people; this pad for the ac outside unit. The way you left soil around the whole pad really makes it hard to mow or weed eat the unit without destroying any cables. Please make it easier to maintain by either making a longer pad towards the side of the outside lines; or making the pad all the way to the corner of the house. The natural dripping of all ac units causes grass to grow really fast and an easier to maintain plan would be best. Thanks again, really like to know what is going on during house updates. And will pass on the idea to my next ac person. Since this looks like a real winner of a system on that hard to cool west side!
Important note: This system does NOT come with solar panels, nor are the panels availble to order from the company. You need to supply them separately. Although this may seem obvious to some of you, it was not obvious to me, seeing as the first image shows the outside unit with a solar panel above it.
I agree. And the image is always just one panel. 1500w is a lot of panels. I think I only have 1000w for my whole off grid house so a nother1500w is a big investment and installation. Looks like a fan will have to do. 😆
QUESTIONS: SO DOES IT ALSO WARM UP A ROOM ALSO? HOW MANY SOLAR PANELS DOES IT TAKE TO RUN IT AND WHAT WATTAGE? HOW MANY SQUARE FOOT SPACE WILL IT COOL AND HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE? CAN YOU USE SOLAR PANELS THAT ARE SITTING ON THE GROUND IN YOUR BACKYARD VERSES PUTTING THEM ON A ROOF? THANKS SO MUCH
Shoot for around 1500 watts. Old panels are fine. Just keep the wattage around here, and keep the open circuit voltage when you add up all the panels between 80 volts and 380 volts. Fore 0:58 most insulation situations, it covers 500 ft to 750 ft. And yes, it's a heat pump, so it also does heating in the winter
Hi Andy, we're good for a 1-year buy-and-try guarantee, and then 3-year parts and 5-year compressor warranty. So, yes, your happiness is our happiness. --Airspool Dave
Finally going back to the fourties and the home kits from back then they were featured in the sears bay and McCloud catalogs you bought the air-conditioning unit and installed it yourself kits were available for your whole house it was amazing for the house the only tool needed was a hammer and a hand saw all kits were designed for average people install with simple tools
Thanks for sharing. You might already know this: you need to get those panels off of your roof; they all need to be equally flat. That should give you a nice bump in solar production…. Might save you another couple more years on that 30year shingle roof 😄
Great video! But some questions please: 1) how many sq ft (size room) will this model cool 2) how many watts solar panels does it need/ use (min&max) solo Thanks!
12,000 BTUs is generally good for 500 to 750 sq. ft., depending on your insulation. And, shoot for 1,500 watts of solar. It doesn't need to be exact. If you are under, then more grid power will be used. But solar will always be prioritized.
Hi Peter, yes, the off-gridders are our initial core market, since no need to upgrade MPPT/batteries/inverter. Just get an Airspool and plug in 3 panels around 500w each.
Nice video, but i must point out that the different types and sizes of the solar panels will cause a bottle neck effect, so you will probably get only around 800 watt, not the full 1300w capacity ...
One simple way to store some of this cool for the night could be water. If one wanted to take water and decrease the temperature from 80 to 50, it would take about 400 pounds of water (50 gallons) to hold that much cool. If you wanted to have a cool home all night long, one 50 gallon barrel could store all "theoretical cool" this unit produces in 1 hour by dropping water form 80 degrees to 50 degrees. The unit produces 12,000 BTU per hour if we assume it ran for 8 hours, and we wanted cool for 16 hour, it would take about 4 50 gallon barrels of water or 40 5 gallon pails of water to absorb half of the cool and release it later in the night. One might build a wall of water with 70 cases of bottled water in 1 liter bottles and the run a fan to cool it off. Having that cool later in the night (when there was no solar and no power), it would slowly come out and cool the room. Obviously, that much water is heavy, and one must be careful in the house, but there is a simple solution to holding onto the cool for later in the day for those who want it. Thermal Mass. Use it to your advantage. A simple stack of 70 cases of bottled water, stacked in a way a fan could easily cool them and or a door or curtain could open to reveal them later, would allow the cool out at night.
Around $2k each unit?? Ok, legit surprised because I was expecting these to be a bit more pricey than that. I am definitely adding one of these to my wishlist for the future. I'm definitely turning into a fan of solar powered things. Started off with little garden decorations/lights that were solar powered, loved those, now I'm wanting to change more of my actual domestic and home based necessities to solar power as well!
@@julianchillby1024 Fair points. A 1 year warranty is not unusual for most things these days, it's more shocking to find something with 2, 3, 5, or longer warranties. For me personally I don't see the issue of it not including it's own panels. Ideally most people would be installing this to an existing solar setup on their home, so they'd already have panels in place. If this were an initial power station, I'd expect panels... but for a climate unit, I personally don't.
I am off grid and made the mistake of putting a mini split in. It is better than an air conditioner, but a swamp cooler work far better and uses a lot less energy. The Mini spilt would suck 10 Battle born lithium batteries near dry in a few hours after the Sun was not hitting the panels . It Worked fine while the sun was out, but I had to run my generator for 5-6 hours a day on real hot days. Swamp coolers work far better in hot dry climates like Northern California, not well at all in swampy humid areas like the south east!
Evaporative is good, too, for sure. These are good potentially for you during the daytime, since it'll dry out the latent heat of the swamp cooler for twice as much cooling.
Make sure you use an inverter type mini split. If you pull 12kwh in a few hours after the sun goes down. Something is wrong. I'm thinking you do not have an inverter type perhaps.
Yes, I saw a video on one in Florida a year ago but it was the EG4 branded one. Which is only 1299.00 not 1850.00. It did have free shipping anything over 2000 so 2 units or one unit with solar and free shipping.
Guys, great for FL. Also, there, you can run in dehumidification mode when not so hot but oh so humid and the compressor only needs around half the energy of full a/c ua-cam.com/video/I3GK_Zgytu0/v-deo.html --Airspool Dave
I love the unit and you sharing. It works for city folks. Us country people have a natural cooling method. They are called trees. I literally might have 4 -6 hrs in any one place in my yard or roofs for solar for this. I still have moss on an garage roof that I have sprayed once already after clearing a bunch of limbs twice within about a year. Super happy for anyone that this will work for. It is much easier than others brands that I have seen.
Why are you completely ignoring the fact that there’s also many other country folk out there in the wild boonies that don’t have any trees for shade like in the desert areas? Cmon sir
@@abevilla27 I think you make my point. Huh. It’s a great video regardless. But ppl living in skyscrapers have a similar problem really. I kinda know both sides I guess. But buildings get built and trees grow. What can you do perfectly.
I love my giant tree, but it took over 100 years to develop. It cools mine and my neighbors house nicely in the summer. I get sick when I see bare yards.
Many electrical appliances can be run directly off of solar, like high speed motors, vacuum cleaners, side grinders, power drills, a blender and of course toasters. They do not need an inverter because a brushed motor can run on DC or AC. Your box window fan will not. It is a slow speed induction motor. I believe refrigerators and Deep Freezers can run directly off of Solar DC.
As of now, the panels are too heavy for UPS, so better to get from a local source for good savings. We'll help find you one! Panels right now are around $500 to $600 + mounting hardware for the recommended +/- 1,500 watts.
Keep in mind that this is only 1200 BTUs. That's 1 ton, or the size of a big window unit from Walmart. It probably works up North, but it would only cool a couple of large bathrooms in Florida.
Hola 👋 señorDave !!! Im here again to check if you put more information about the brand and the price $$$for the solar ac system one of the comments said it is about $1,200 dollars 💵 and you are the expert on this subject…Saludos!!!👋😊👋You have a great day and a great weekend!!!😊
So i looked at their website, they're out of stock BTW, but in any event they have 2 versions, the quick and easy and the none quick and easy, and the difference is $400.00 in the price, so basically they are charging you almost an installation fee of $400.00 , nice video though got me thinking about this product for my bedroom, I'm wondering if 1200 BTU is sufficient to cool off a normal size bedroom, as they don't have larger units it looks like.
The 400 is money well spent. It takes a fraction of the time to install. Not to mention having to buy a vacuum pump and learning how to use it. In either case, this is an awesome system. Just make sure you are ordering the correct unit! Quick n Easy is the one displayed in this video. The standard kit is $400 less but requires more work and some specialty tools. Best, Dave
Guys, it takes us around 3 1/2 hours, and we supposedly know what we're doing. And, yes, you get a lot of other goodies like the DC isolator and the extra wire to make your life easy, and quick! For people who haven't done one of these before, probably a 7-hour job if you don't have experience with the vacuum pump and the gauges, and after first getting them, then learning how to use them, and then actually hopefully having a good successful result in the implementation. So we run these units for a while both on ac, on solar, and then on a combination the two to make sure everything works perfectly before we ship, too. So, a few extra benefits for y'all to enjoy guaranteed success.
@@airspool He slipped right past the part where you have to buy the solar panels seperately I guess. Looks like he has several up there. How many panels are needed to operate this thing?
There is no chance this only pulls a max of 178w as a 12k btu unit. If it only pulled 400w max that would still be excellent. Hopefully @airspool will reply and let us know the max power this can draw.
I like it. Not so much because of the solar, but because of the efficiency and DIY installation. With a 1 ton capacity, it can't handle most homes on its own. However, it can supplement an existing system. It can provide zone cooling (bedroom at night). It'll easily run off my moderate portable generator during a power outage. Note: Reading their page, this will consume up to 1200W of AC. In your testing, it was drawing far less than that. It appears to have multiple stages and I suspect you saw the power draw at the lowest stage.
Inverter driven mini splits will modulate anywhere between 30% to 100% of their output. Rarely do they pull 100%, choosing to rather spool down and maintain a given temp than run at 100 or 50% like traditional single or dual stage units.
Billy Bob, yes great for zone cooling, and you can increase the setpoint of your main unit, saving around 2.5% cooling energy per degree of increase. Also, the unit will run well below 1200W 99% of the time. This is the peak energy. So, if you think of SEER ratings as an average over time from the beginning to peak days of the cooling system, this would be July 15 for 4 hours or whatever, and then the unit can run on 500W or so for early/late days in the cooling season. --Airspool Dave
I watched this video and my jaw was on the floor! I ordered a unit, and found they were on backorder, so I called Dave and found they had a cosmetically damaged unit that I could get, so I had Dave send me that one. It has been SO BADASS!!! I cannot believe that this thing runs all day in my house near Phoenix WITH THE PLUG LAYING IN THE DIRT!! It's nuts! Full disclaimer I have to plug it back into the wall about 6 o'clock in the evening as the sun is heading very northwest of my south facing panels, then about 7 o'clock am the sun is high enough for me to go out and unplug it again. (I know I don't have to unplug it, but it is so cool to see it run all day with the plug lying on the ground, it makes me happy).
Man I’ll bet the Utility Monopoly in my town here in humid Mississippi would hate if this caught on and would probably require you to get a building permit that’s how corrupt they are here
The video shows the system switching back and forth from solar to grid automatically. Is this not accurate? Can you not just leave it plugged into the grid?
@@tdenton1138 you can. leave it unplugged from the grid and it will work really well as long as it's sunny out. if you go to their website there is a video from a lady who installed this unit on her off-grid cabin, she has NO option to plug it into the wall.
@@dougjones3057 does not make sense to buy these if youre already off grid. this is more for someone who doesnt have an inverter and wants to use the panels solely for some AC
@@MrMugenwii IDK what are other peoples motives or reasons for this system making sense, but for me the reason it makes sense is 1. lowers an extremely expensive electric bill in the summer (floating around $700/mo). 2. back up, redundant in case I lose one of my other units 3. SRP (power supplier here) makes having solar panels economically unattractive, they charge a fee, about $45/mo just to hook into the grid, so that negates pretty much everything I could produce, then if I happened to make extra power they will happily purchase it from me at the rate of 3 cents/KWh while they will sell it to me of an average of 14 cents/KWH. So with my provider, this system allows me to have solar panels (which I have always wanted) and bypass the corporate greed. I know it sucks, but that's the world we live in.
I'm a retired HVAC guy who spent 7 years in Iraq and 1 year in Afghanistan. I have installed a few thousand or more in to the trailers the soldiers slept in. 1 ton 12,000 but runs at 5 amps. Amps times voltage. If 220 volts you are looking at 1100 watts for a 1 ton. Start up can increase 1 or 2 amps for less than a second than goes back to 5 amps. A 2 ton 24,000 but is 12 amps and for less than a second start amps. Problems that are common with mini splits are inside evaporator fan motor a pain to remove and install. Another issue is the control board. Normally the condenser unit contactor is not installed on the outdoor compressor unit it is installed in the indoor circuit board which has a built in compressor relay that brings the outdoor unit on. Those are the 2 main issues I have found. Some of the indoor fan motors do not have metal ball bearings they use a cloth type material instead of metal bearings and that does not hold up as well as metal bearings. Sometimes they last but no wear near as well as a metal bearings. The systems we had were r-22 and it was pre charged we still purged the air out of system. Over all they are good systems and not noisey. Most were LG that we had I installed them as a contractor for the military and I repaired them when they went bad. My crew of 4 guys and myself could install 18 a day. We were fast. Took other crews a few days.
Where did you get 220 volts. It is clearly a 110 volt plug. Am I missing something?
@@SurefireWoodsman well he mentioned working in Iraq and the grid there is all 220 volts.
which solar panels do i buy to mount on my roof and how many? do you sell those also?
So only special ac units can run on solar? i have a normal 12000 btu Comfee unit ... i am a novice 😪😢
@danannield5810 you can run any AC on solar. The question is how much you're willing to pay to do it.
From my research, this is likely your most affordable option, and it is probably cheaper to replace your current AC.
I have to give you BIG Kudos for this video! This is the first FULL demo of an off-grid system hookup that I have seen. I have been following the few makers of these isolated solar mini-split systems for a while, but this is my first exposure to this manufacturer. I love that the electric utility company is NOT involved because your solar array is dedicated solely to this device. You are providing your own solar energy and if your energy falls short, the system seamlessly makes up energy requirements with grid power. You gave a great live demo of the proper automated metering of grid power based upon a decrease in available solar. REAL NUMBERS! Thanks for taking the time to produce this video and the introduction to this manufacturer. (I also see some UA-camrs trying to figure out how adapt these systems to their RV.)
I second that. Much appreciated.
I'm off grid so it's a tri fuel generator running on propane. I thought I heard someone say if there's no sun on a cloudy day they can just plug it into grid power. I've got one of the strongest portable generators in its class. Does it have a Micro Air easy start built into it? Is it 1200 BTUs of heating and cooling or is it different?
@@tomtee4442 1. Inverter technology allows mini splits to “soft start,” which means the compressor and motor slowly gain power. This process is much less energy intensive than traditional systems so there is no real need for a soft start system. 2. 1200 BTUs?? This system is 12,000 BTU heating or cooling (it does have a nominal difference between heating and cooling). 3. I have no clue as to what "class" your generator is in, nor what is the strongest generator in that class. Looking at the spec sheet for this unit, it pulls less than 1200 watts so if your generator can supply 1800 watts or more it should work easily.
I have a 12,000 BTU A/C on my RV. 110v, with Unit running with temp 87*F inside and 96*F outside, the power from battery was 440 watt. With 8-140ah lithium batteries and 4000 watt total solar. During the day, with A/C, Fridge, lights and TV. The batteries were never discharged, it held at full charge. At night, with Fridge and A/C, no lights or TV. Batteries were at 40% charge when sun rose and started recharging batteries. So we are self sufficient. That was also running a 12v water pump on our 250 gallon tank when needed for washing dishes and 2 people showering.
Quick note for the next one, install the foam insulation tape bottom-up. That way if any liquid ever gets in there, it will drip over the overlaps instead of seeping in.
My late FIL was a contractor. He would say "Think like a raindrop!"
PLEASE EXPLAIN, AS IT APPEARED TO ME (LAY PERSON) AND OLD WOMAN, THAT HE FILLED THE HOLE WITH THE PUTTY TOP DOWN, SO THE WATER WOULD RUN OFF IT. IF WHAT YOU SAY IF I COMPREHEND IT CORRECTLY, ONE WOULD GO BENEATH THE PIPE AND WORK IT UP TO THE HOLE? SO LONG AS ITS OVERLAPPED, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? THANKS
@@wheepingwillow24u17 What he's saying is start wrapping at the bottom. That way subsequent wraps as you work your way up the piping, the bottom of each successive wrap will overlap the TOP of the previous wrap. Think of shingles on the roof. You start courses of shingles at the bottom, and work each course going up so that the flaps of each single overlap the TOPS of the previous course so that water will run off rather then get under the previous.
@dolfinwriter5389 did you see the shingles on his house?
OP is talking about tape. Not putty. The point about starting the tape from bottom, is like shingles, or house siding, is the resulting overlap creates protection by covering the layer (wrap) below. How it was shown in video, each layer has to be 100% correct forever. There are now multiple points of potential failure.
My HVAC company was over for our bi-annual tune-up and was asked if I could extend a vent to heat/cool our porch. It could not be done due to the current duct system. He recommended the mini-split install to our current grid. I was not aware of this type of system to operate on solar and this video was recommended in my YT feed. Easy to install video. Side note: We purchased solar batteries and panels to run our full-size fridge and mini freezer off the grid saving us approximately 30-40 dollars a month. Savings, using off-the-grid power is our mission now. Thanks and subscribed.
why I drive Tesla Model Y. Safe, efficient, made in USA. Drove 20k miles and saved $4k over my Jeep wrangler. Two years in a row! That's over $8k in fuel savings that goes straight to car payment. Zero maintenance so far, either. So at least another $1k in savings. Batteries will last as long as a traditional car engine -- at least 200k~300k miles. There are Tesla's with over 400k miles on original batteries.
what all do you have to run your fridge and mini freezer? I would like to do this as well
Hi @@ShyRage1 , we had saved up for solar and decided to purchase the EcoFlow Delta 2 ($$$) with spare battery. It is an all in one system. Put four 100w Renogy panels in a series / parallel config with an xt60i 10 AWG cable. In direct sun, which we get 5-6 hours of direct sun, pushing 320-330 watts. This enables us to charge the batteries without having to plugging them in. Unless it's cloudy for a few day of-course. We will be adding two additional 100 watt panels to this config which should give us close to 500 watts as we are looking to bring our charging station off grid too. In addition, one room is also on solar (med equip, electric beds and TV/cable. The Mini-split could be added to that system or as a stand alone. Baby steps, however, we are getting there.
@@BRAVO_TWO_NINE That's impressive. Thank you for reaching out and explaining your setup. This surely will help others who want to do the same thing.
We just installed a pioneer 12k Btu Pioneer in the garage fed by our 3.6Kw offgrid array we use to charge our EV. What I didn't expect was when we opened the door to the garage for a full day, that it cut our house electricity use by 20kw, helping out the house AC. This could lead to paying off the Mini-split in around two years, while effectively increasing our cooled and heated swuare footage by 400 sq/ft. I get a cool man cave, AND we will likely save $600/year in electricity.
I’d like to try and find how you use solar panels and connect it to the mini split.
From the panels to a combiner box, the to an EG4 split phase Hybrid inverter, with 240v out to a subpanel with a 15amp breaker then to the Mini-split.
You never said where you get them from and with the prices
Have been running my mini splits since 2010 using my solar system and battery backup. Being able to run "free" is nothing new. I'm 7/10 of a mile away from the center of town and am 100% off the grid. Computers, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, TVs, etc etc all the toys a modern home in the US have without any issues and once again 100% off the grid.
What type of battery 🔋 system you have set up? These don’t offer back up batteries only DC connection to solar which is partially good
How many square feet, and in what climate zone?
bump
@@ricardokennedy9320 I'm interested as well
share your setup bro
You might as well pull that out and tape it up all the way. If you leave gaps inside the wall you're going to have some problems with condensation that you won't see until it's mold guaranteed. I would have drilled a big enough hole for the size PVC pipe it took to run the set through and just totally eliminate the issue.
I have 3 of these..... AMAZING units!!! My house now here in AZ is ALL solar cooled!! And it's COLD in my house when its 107 to 114 outside! These work GREAT!!!!
Yeah... RIGHT! 😏
How much is this unit??? @@NM-ro5nf
Who the hell want to live in a place where temp reach 107 degrees???.
@@EivinSukoi Well, there's almost 5 million people here.... That's who.
@@wildwestunlimited unfortunately some people will make stupid choices , what good is it to live in a hot place if you are staying inside with your AC blasting 🤡
Holy Moly! THIS is the answer to my “Florida hurricane no -power -three -times- a -year woes!” I could avoid all the portable generator window ac hoops I have to jump through just to survive a few days of 100 degree weather until my power is restored. Also, I could run this guy…mounted in my master bedroom…the rest of the time and stop cooling my entire house all night just so I can sleep in a nice cool (cold) 🥶bedroom. Thank you SO MUCH! This is crazy simple to understand. .
being a Floridian myself, the hurricane, depending upon its category, is likely to remove the panels for you... Just plan for that.
@@bdiver6445 Already have that figured out 😉 mount on a frame with wheels (the panels are small) on the ground and roll it into the garage before the storm. The batteries should be loaded before storm hits. I live in central Florida in a wooded neighborhood with above ground power lines behind my home….as soon as the winds get strong…even in a bad summer storm…a limb knocks the power out…so this would be a great “backup” for my AC system. You know as a Floridian…most important is our AC! 🥵😃
Yes, these make a great backup to the backup, plus the generator doesn't need to be filled constantly.
Keep in mind that this is only 1200 BTUs. It's 1 ton. That's like a window unit. He is demonstrating this in conditions that are like the dead of winter here.
@@paramax55 thanks very much! Yep…I looked it up - but thank you. I will use it in lieu of my window ac run to a generator as a backup for power loss or to keep bedroom cool in July, August, September while my central AC is working extra hard. 😃
Amen Dave ! I though about this approximately 7 yrs ago and wander how come it wasn't in the market being that the Ac uses the most energy in the home. At least here in Florida. Thank you so much for putting this video out for the masses to see. Your the Man !
I’m getting my 2 Airspool units in two weeks and your video is going to be such a huge help. I know I’ll be going back to it over and over as I go through the install. Thank you soooo much!:)
Pro tip: use RT201 Nylog just one or two drops. It will save you from micro leaks and is completely harmless to all oils. Yes it costs 12 dollars a bottle but it will save you.
I have two more to install I use the plumbers tape but I will try that next time. Do not want any leaks.
Use it where on the threads of the refrigerant connections?
Guys, normally, yes! But it's not needed for this unit. Just twist to connect. In fact, for this one, do not use Nylog where you twist to connect. --Airspool Dave
@@JohnDiMartino it does not harm the oils and is a neutral sealant that does not harden. so basically anywhere you think it may leak from threads , o'rings . mating surfaces etc. your not going to hurt anything just use a very thin layer. and that is just to keep it from your tools.
@@airspool Not needed but recommended IMHO
When wrapping tape of any kind, START AT THE BOTTOM. That way your overlap is sealed from above with each pass of the tape.
GREAT tip!
I'm not a handyman, but can appreciate the simplicity of this setup. Nice job
$1299 on Signature solar, a little more diy prep but worth saving about $700. It is a great unit, same unit just branded different. Great video, I have 4 of these and they are saving us tons of money.
You have a link to the 1299$ kit?
@@engineerfalde He is referring to the EG4 Hybrid Solar Mini-Split unit on their site, it doesn't come with all the other stuff in the airspool kit. Like the isolator switch, etc.
CONSIDEERING YOU CAN BUY A 12K MINI SPLIT $ 500,,THEN ADD THIS SWITCH ETC..,IM SURE HEES GETTING PAID FOR THIS VIDEO..
some folks would rather not have to hassle with putting it all together and just have something plug n play like this. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for sharing the information. It is helpful to people with the capabilities and tools to do more involved DIY at a cost savings.
@@stevenstadterman9725who cares if he is. You can buy it or not buy it. It looks like a decent set up, and the video is informative.
With some battery back-up this unit will perform after the sun goes down. Many people are putting these on their mobile units that are much more efficient than comes with from the factory. A few batteries and 24 hours heating and cooling.
I was thinking the same thing. We rarely run the AC during the day, but always over night.
@@andre0baskin A solar power generator could be a simple solution to this. There are many solar power generators available from companies like Eco-flow. An Ecoflow Delta 2 Max would give you 2 Kilowatts of power, 400 watts of solar panels for about $2,000. (There are many other options available, but let's just look at one.) A minisplit like this could run through those batteries in as little as 2 hours as it can pull 10 amps (1200 watts and hour); but realistically 500 watts running might be a better target. That would mean one could run the unit for 4 hours every night by plugging it in. The solar power generator should auto-recharge every day in Sunlight. If cooling demands are mild, and the unit only pulls 250 watts an hour, this amount of power could run the unit 8 hours. Af course, there are going to be conversion losses, solar power generators are only good for about 70-80% of rated capacity. All this said, actual experience will be a good thing. I think this could be useful for some folks. Several hours of operation, after night fall would do a great deal to get heat out of a house and allow people to fall asleep in comfort.
I am literally 25 seconds into this video and I am shouting FINALLY!! Garages and sheds can finally be comfortable.
I can accomplish that far cheaper than this system. That's why I clicked this video. I wanted to make my Garage workshop comfortable. There are MANY cheaper options
@@dgperforms1maybe you should share than then🤔🤨
Finally? as in technology developed in the 1950s, and became widely popular in the USA starting over 20 years ago?
While it worked for a temporary setup, keep in mind when you string solar panels in series it's important to understand that the voltage stacks, but the amperage will be limited by the panel with the lowest amp rating. I'm going to guess that your two 400W panels were being underutilized.
was gona say the same, the 2x 400w panels alone would probably produce more on their own
So would stringing them in parallel be the best option or something else?
@@johannlopez4524 Not really. It's more complicated than what can be described in a UA-cam comment. The problem is mixing unlike panels. If they're the same or very similar you generally want to stack them in series up to the maximum usable voltage of your solar charge controller. Higher voltage is more efficient than higher current.
@@hobbes1069 "Higher voltage is more efficient than higher current." I^2R!!!
you should put down clean crushed stone around the outdoor unit to prevent it from getting dirty with all that soil around it, nice system i think its an awesome idea especially for RVs and boats
Mind blowingly awesome is an understatement. That is crazy! Wish there was an option to replace a normal outdoor a/c compressor with that simplicity and technology.
Yup, just installed mine yesterday! Right in time for 100 deg temps in Phoenix!
Nice! 🙌🏼
My main question was the wattage...thanks for providing that. At 1500w, why is this better than any unit that runs on 1500 watts?
No global warming though. Turns out felons, like 45, will lie about anything for power.
Why not use swamp coolers? It's dry there.
@@michaelbuckley7884 because swamp cooler is both costlier (to operate) and less effective
Outstanding video! I’ve assisted in mini-split installs and I’m super impressed by this particular unit. I’m an electrical engineer so that part is dead easy. But this unit goes the extra mile for installer-friendliness. The line-set connectors look to be very high quality which would rest my mind. My home contains a music control room so SPL is everything, mini-split is the way to go.
Thank you so much for this top notch presentation.
This is awesome. The solar stuff I don't have much use for, but I love that more companies, like this one, are doing their own version of quick-connect linesets. This one takes it a step further with a nice twist-lock connector for the power/communication cable for the indoor unit. Yes, you pay a bit more for the convenience, but it's still way cheaper than hiring some HVAC company to install a $1000-$1500 minisplit for $5K+. This is a great step towards breaking the HVAC cartel and making a minisplit more like a window AC that anyone can install.
I have all the tools and the EPA license, but this is a great option if you just want to get up and running with a minisplit with a few hours of work. If I lived somewhere sunnier, I'd be tempted to check it out for my large shed, which isn't currently hooked into power (besides an extension cord.)
As a former member of the HVAC Cartel, I couldn't agree more. Companies like to make it seem complicated and keep homeowners in the dark, Products like this will even the playing field.
Seems like someone finally got mini splits right. Easy install all the way around. Thanks for sharing..
This is amazing! I think you may have made up my mind which direction I will go when I decide to install mine. Thanks and well done Dave!
At 11:25 You just taped the hot and cold side TOGETHER! Now that they have contact, most of the heat from hot side will transfer to the cold side reducing the efficiency by a considerable amount.
When he did that I was like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" lol! Seems they should have insulated the cold line but what do I know.
You are completely right 👍
🎉
The instructions are so good - maybe he missed that part ?
Missing a few key points on the solar panels. One, the panels need to be dedicated to this minisplit. They have to produce 80-310 vdc which means many in series as shown in the video to equal 1500w or more.
For reference, you might need a minimum of four 400-450w panels with each producing 35-40vdc to get a reliable 1500 watts under full sun and they would have to be rated for series connection to produce 130-175 vdc. A good price for those four might be $1600 online. Much more at retailers like Harbor Freight where one 400w panel is $799. Bottom line: More information on selecting solar panels might be prudent.
It would be nice to know if the vendor is designing these units or simply marketing them and adding value with nice instructions. There are reports of identically functioning units for less.
Maintenance and parts availability is the next question. Are they an $1800 throwaway if a board or motor goes out?
I would like to understand a little more about the unit’s power conversion technique and if they use any power buffering such as small batteries or large capacitors,
In the company literature they recommended 4 - 6 solar panels to provide the necessary wattage to power the mini split. At 12,000 btu's , the cooling capacity would be about a 400 sq ft room, so $ 2000.00 for a $ 500.00 window air conditioner . The company website only lists parts for installation but no parts listed for service or repair. Airspool is a distributor, not a manufacturer and with only a 1 year warranty gives the impression that when it does break, it is a throwaway device. Better to spend your money on a higher cost unit like a Panasonic or Mitsubishi system where service parts are readily available.
@@anthonygonzalez7488 12k BTUs should cover 500 to 750 sq. ft., depending on your insulation. These days, 3 of 4 solar panels are enough, since panels are normally higher wattage. So, 3 550w, say, or 4 370w. Doesn't need to be exact, since the grid will fill in if you're short. So, around 1,500 watts. Why 1,500 watts when it takes, at most, 1,250 on the very hottest days of the year? Because panels lose efficiency when it's super hot outside, and it's not always obviously peak sun. As for warranty, we have a 3-year parts and 5-year compressor warranty, but we also offer a 1-year buy-and-try guarantee. Since this is new technology, we want people to test for themselves that this unit is for real. --Airspool Dave
That's the issue with mini splits! Parts are a hassle to replace it's easier to replace Outdoor or indoor unit.
@@anthonygonzalez7488 LOL, Yes Panasonic or Mitsubishi are much better (and much much more expensive) but the parts are not necessarily readily available. I have a Mitsubishi and had to wait a month for a part.
@@airspool12k BTUs will do about 409 sq. Ft. In humid areas in the south. The 750 sq. ft. In much dryer areas. Humidity removal isn’t free.
Hola 👋 señor Dave I just finished watching the video and I’m still amazed by how easy and efficient this a/c unit is 👀
The simplicity of this system is amazing! Thanks for making this video!!
Love that you used the stud buddy. I have 3 different stud finders and the stud buddy is more reliable than the fancy electronic ones.
Im a 40-year high/low voltage emergency troubleshooter for a State's largest publicly owned electric utility and might I add some detail advice to you. In voltage, the devil is in the details. I really like your videos and installed a soft start on one of my units based on your advice. So here's mine. There is no 110 or 220 voltage. I realize those are accepted values but when working with motors, capacitors, sectionalizers, reclosers, substations, residential issues or I could go on and on. 120, 240, 277 and the real dragon, 480, one has to provide the proper ratings. You talk about a 110 and the customer is reading 124, which is usual, and reads his motors nomanclature and sees 12%+_ it indicates actually is 132 max some may get confused. 12% of 110 = 13.2 and 12% of 120 + 14.4 meaning we as utilities scrutinize this with enormous and detail driven relays and breakers. Call it what it is, a Ford is a Ford, not a F132 but a F150. Your followers will be better for what you teach so well.
True. And, these units will run on 110v to 240v, 50hz or 60hz. So, in areas where these's not stable 120v, it'll keep on truckin'
A conversion kit to change pre-installed mini splits for this type of setup would be nice. I'd do it in a heartbeat for my 4 mini's.
It's a bit tricky, since lots of electronics need to be gutted, including maybe the compressors and fans. Still, we see this idea as viable on rooftop units or large split units. If the coil is good, but the compressor is bad for large units, it'd save the crane for rooftop units or the rip and reinstall of the indoor coil on large split units. In that case, a new inverter compressor and new brushless DC fans and new electronics might be half what a new system would be, and then just add panels.
need to do this, wife and I have health problems if or when the grid goes down we need AC, got solar panels for well so we will have water, enough panels to keep lights and devices going in living room,,
The real savings is that it does not need a separate outdoor electrical disconnect. That normally means hiring a licensed electrician, pulling local permits and having an inspector come in. That alone is hundreds of dollars. This is about the most DIY minisplit I have seen. The other systems that are marketed as DIY have far more complicated processes for the refrigerant line sets that one might hire an HVAC company to do those parts negating much of the savings.
Its hybrid so it should b hooked up to the grid to run at night for instance. Ahhh 15:02
This year so far I have fixed a dozed mini split units. Two Fujitsu (main board, fan motor) the other units Mr Cool precharged line sets leaked out. The tech is not there yet, I would dump the line set charge and flare them.
I bet a dollar they did not use Nylog. and in my opinion flared set are better
I got 6.5kw solar Air Con over 10 years ago the best thing ever,
The whole installation is like plug and play👍
Appreciate. Maybe you said and I missed it, need a follow up concerning the solar part to this. What’s realistically needed and life expectancy including dollar amount. Thanks.
We installed a Gree Mini-Split Heat Pump in 2013. It was kind of funny as the Neighbors had never heard of a Mini-Split/Ductless Heat Pump. I contacted a Friend in the HVAC business and he had never touched one. Got it installed myself and all the materials plus the unit was $1500. It's a 1.5 Ton. It is located in an upstairs Master Suite. Honestly, we mainly Cool with it in the Summer. It's been great and very economical to operate. The Supplier said to expect an 8 year life for the Gree and here we are 11 years later and no issues or leaks.
Our Neighbor has Solar Installed on their roof and Patio Cover. After all the Tax rebates, his out-of-pocket was $68,000. But it's really more than that as he has a high interest 15 year loan to pay off. I know our electricity is high here but I imagine his loan with interest is around $80K. That would buy a lot of electricity. We are not being bit by the Solar Bug yet. Plus, all the Realtors here say Home Buyers don't want to assume the Solar System debt when purchasing the Home.
I contacted a fiend 😂 sorry I couldn't help it.
Also be ABSOLUTELY SURE to contact your homeowner's insurance agent before installing solar! You might have a NASTY surprise!
This will save our family when they come to visit...our loft is infamous for being too hot. Thanks!
Hotspot Energy is a solar AC that I was looking at they’ve been doing it since 2006. Off grid solar AC is the way to go.
My ac is working since 2014 with my pv solar modules. I also can reverse and heat my house with it. as i said 10 years ago i build the stuff.
Greetings from a kindred spirit who likes your style! Thanks for posting!
Thank you for the vid. Some questions / comments:
1) Is it also a heating unit - yes - I just checked the product site, apparently so.
2) You should use the same solar panel if you can. Maybe I'm nitpicking but your current is limited to the smallest panel in the series array. It would be useful to see the power or energy actually going to the unit from the panels but that would require more instrumentation.
3) Do you know what refrigerant is used?
4) I'm not an HVAC guy, but those HVAC guys I know obsess over pumping out the air. I just thought of something, however . . . perhaps the inside unit already has a vacuum drawn on it and the connectors are such that they seal before they break the homeside connection. That would makes sense. Can anyone shed light on this?
5) 12,000 BTU ?? is that per hour (usual way things are rated) That would be a 3.5 kW HVAC unit in most circumstances . . Please explain the math here considering you are drawing 0.175 kW.
Thanks again for this informative video.
Cheers!
Yeah is there a valve to open to send refrigerant to the head unit?
You saved me from the desert heat! Thank you for posting this video.
Wow that is a game changer!!! I'll be looking more into solar A/C.
Thanks man, I'm retiring soon and the place I'm looking at buying hasn't got HVAC, so this unit looks like it is not only easy to install, but very efficient.
I so wish there were companies that installed these for us non-mechanical folk!
This now can be down be a normal handiperson if you don't want to do it. Most (or many) handyfolk don't know, or down't own, the gauges and vacuum pump, so that's out of the way, not. The only tough part of this now is installing the solar panels, so ask at your local Greentech Renewables if they have anyone they know who could use a few extra hours. It'd be a good niche for them, too.
You are the best hvac dyi guy on the internet!
Yes he is!
Certainly he is !
I have put in a few MrCool DIY and have never seen or heard one spray when putting the lines together. Yours may have had a bad seal. I also use the bug block spray foam for two reasons. 1 stops bugs and 2 it insulates where the insulation was moved out of the way inside of the wall.
WRAP YOUR TAPE FROM THE BOTTOM UP TO PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING WITH THE OVERLAP LIKE A SHINGLE . ON THE BOTTOM . NICE WORK AND LOOKS LIKE A GREAT UNIT .
I was just thinking the same thing
This is the most easy mini split installation ever thanks man
Hola 👋 señor Dave!!! I’m amazed about this ac unit I’m going to start watching the video again and listen to your review I want to understand every detail of the unit…Saludos!!!👋😃👋You have a great day now!!! And a great weekend as well!!!!😊
You as well friend. Thanks for stopping by! Cheers
@@diyhvacguy Gracias for taking some of your busy time to reply back to my comments I want to ask you about the solar panels that come included with the unit or is sold separately?? And how much for the whole system??$$$ I’m trying to figure out how much is to spend on this unit cause I want to see if I can send it to my uncle who lives in Mexico and the solar option is a great idea for his situation due the power flow is affected by some welding shops around his location who they built metal doors and window protection frames you know the power fluctuates because they don’t follow building codes…yep unfortunately that’s a different world 👀😳😫😫I love the saddle ac unit that you made a video about it but this is probably more effective and efficient for his applications…Gracias!!! Once again to keep us updated with the latest on everything in the AC system subject…You have a great weekend!!!Saludos!!👋😃👋
nice, I am in the process of restoring a small hunting store into a living home, I was looking for a small air unit with solar tech. great video
At first, I thought "perfect for my upstairs bonus room!" Then I realized I'd have to mount a platform up on the side of the house so the lines would reach the inside unit. All of a sudden, not so simple. Looks pretty easy assuming your indoor unit is just on the other side of the wall.
Like to see a follow up of this for how well it heats in the winter.
It'll do 12k BTU in the winter, too with HSPF efficiency of 9.5 on grid. Less sun in the winter, obviously, but whenever there is sun, it's free free free to run.
It looks neat. It would be great if a company made a solar kit that would run a window unit in a similar way taking only what power is needed from the grid.
I'm sure that product intro is only months away.
I agree. A window unit with a wall plug on the inside and solar wires on the outside and nothing else to fiddle with. And best of all, make it portable in case ya move.
If you have a battery/generator like the one he showed and plug your panels into that, you can plug your window unit straight into the AC outlet on the generator. No need for anything else.
@@HeadCannonPrime you make an interesting point. battery/generator like the one in this video can pull how many btu's without the solar during the night?
@@HeadCannonPrime Sure, that's a great idea. Might as well dump the solar power between cycles into a battery to help with cloudy days and evening/night use. I still would like to be able to pull power from the grid for overcast/rainy days and hot summer nights. The solar power in this case is meant as supplemental power. You can always add more solar panels and batteries to use as little grid power as possible. Complete solar power can get expensive, and the goal here is to save money. People think solar power is free when it's actually not. You have to consider how much money you're putting into the system into payments over years to pay off any debt. It can actually cost more money than grid power if you're not careful.
Price works out almost 2,000 Euro I can get x4 normal mains split inverter units for that and they run quite happily off my solar panels & 10 KVA inverter or batteries when the sun sets. Normal mains units also have cheap spares because they are popular I bet the spares for these DC units are expensive.
What type and size solar panels are required ? How and were do you put and mount the solar panels if you can not install on roof of house ? And how do you wire the solar panels to the unit ? If you have the time please make a video on above questions .Thank you very much for the information and great video on the installation of this heat pump unit.
Get 3 550w or 4 370w. Or, similar is okay. Grid power will fill in if needed, but solar is always used first. Hook them up in series. Very simple. If you can't do rooftop, there are now some innovative ways to do ground mount panels.
Many people lean them against the walls of their yards, or they install ground mounts angled up at the sky in the corner of their backyards. Many people are also using solar panels as fences. No roof install needed.
@@airspool
550 watt panels are about 500/each here...plus wires etc. So quite pricey to install on top of the ac unit price. Say $3300+ for a unit that still costs to run with electricity on cloudy days and at night. Do you think theres a good return on this investment? I'm pretty sure you can run an electric 12000 btu mini split for about $25 a month.
I think it's a good product for already in place solar systems.
I picked up the EG4 version last may for 999, have it running on 4 panels and it keeps my house around 70 with the outside temp at 100. Used it most of the winter as well for heat.
how many watts are your solar panel?
@@Stormin505 395w each
This is amazing!! I wonder if their engineers are working on a way to modify existing central hvac units to be supplemented by solar? Wow, the potential here is huge.
No the hybrid spooling fan and design to run more efficient would have to be built in. 2/3 of the world use mini splits so I doubt they would spend time on one but get a team together and create one. Great idea
No… you would need enough solar to operate it. This is not the only manufacture using this. It is because the compressor is powered directly from an inverter… the inverter is what actually makes it variable speed, slow/soft start, and gives it to the ability to run off of very little power (just not at complete load). An existing system isn’t going to be able to accomplish this, but installing a soft start kit could aid.
You're barking up our tree!
Thank you for sharing. It looks like you installed the solar panels on the roof of your shed instead of the roof of your house. Smart move. I've seen UA-cam videos about fires started by solar panels on the roofs of houses and businesses.
What a fantastic unit for shed project.
Wow. I can do that. I have 2.5 acres in a remort location and this looks like a Godsend.
This is very similar to the EG-4 unit, which is $500 cheaper. I chose the more efficient 28.5 Seer-2 EG-4 unit that I run off a 48v battery bank through a 95% efficient inverter. I couldn't use this unit nor the EG-4 mini-split that runs directly off solar because they both have the same 380v maximum, whereas the solar array on my motorhome is rated at 400voc (and I've seen it spike to 430v with cloud lensing). If your solar array is around 350voc think it's safer to run it through a charge controller and a battery rather than risk damaging your mini split with a voltage spike coming off your solar panels.
SSD, for motor homes, plug in 3 or 4 panels for around 1,500w if you happen to have room. Or, do 2 panels to clear the minimum 80v requirement. The 380v limit would only be a problem for panels plugged directly into the unit. Then, you can also plug in your plug to your RV inverter for AC power even if it has 400v coming into it.
If I'm googling correctly, the one you're speaking of doesn't run on solar. The one that does is the same efficiency and about the same price. Still the EG-4 comes with a larger variety of models (up to 2-ton) and has a better warranty. Also, I'm not looking for solar, so the EG-4 is an interesting option.
@@BillyBobDingledorf The one I have runs off of 120v AC power, not DC power, as my solar array's voltage is too high for the hybrid. I'm running it completely off of 120v AC power from my inverter, which is powered by a 16.3 kwh 48v battery bank charged by 4,400 watts of solar. So, my mini split is running entirely off solar, as I haven't had to connect to external power in over 6 months. However, the 23% higher efficiency of my unit, from 22 to 28.5 Seer-2 more than makes up for the 5% efficiency loss of my inverter, so it is more efficient, using less power than their hybrid model for my application. If you are running it off of 120v grid power, it will use 5% less electricity as you won't have the inefficiency of an inverter to contend with.
My EG-4 12k 28.5 Seer-2 120v AC unit sells for $1,449.
The EG-4 12k btu 22 Seer-2 hybrid is $1,299 from Solar Sovereign. The comparable Airspool 12k btu 22 Seer-2 hybrid sells for $1,850.
You're running on solar yes, but you have batteries and an invertor between them, this isn't that , this is for throwing out some panels and having ac anywhere utilities aren't available and you don't have batteries, wires, invertors, monitors etc..
@@Liimpy Yes, but you only have A/C when the sun is shining. I have A/C all night long. I'm running mine now.
I'm thinking about building a pergola with the solar panels for a roof. I would use it to assist my 5 ton unit in keeping the house cooler, so it would only need to run during the day when temperatures are highest. 20 foot ceilings look beautiful, but very energy inefficient.
Some RVer"s install this with solar panels and batteries and it works well.
Yes, inverter backup, or not. If no inverter/shore power, then just run directly off of solar without batteries.
@@airspool If you could shrink it a bit for a marine version, that would be awesome.
Great vid. I would like to suggest tht you amend or add that the evap line should have been taped closed before running it through the wall which would have made pushing it through easier but also ascertains that no condensate leakage would occur inside the wall. I want one!
Perfect for you. Save you serious money . Lot of sun all day.
Thank you for these videos, please keep going!
But, Please talk with lawn company people; this pad for the ac outside unit. The way you left soil around the whole pad really makes it hard to mow or weed eat the unit without destroying any cables. Please make it easier to maintain by either making a longer pad towards the side of the outside lines; or making the pad all the way to the corner of the house. The natural dripping of all ac units causes grass to grow really fast and an easier to maintain plan would be best.
Thanks again, really like to know what is going on during house updates. And will pass on the idea to my next ac person. Since this looks like a real winner of a system on that hard to cool west side!
Important note: This system does NOT come with solar panels, nor are the panels availble to order from the company. You need to supply them separately. Although this may seem obvious to some of you, it was not obvious to me, seeing as the first image shows the outside unit with a solar panel above it.
Yep, they'll get a certain amount of people with that little "mistake" in advertisement.
I could see how that could happen
I agree. And the image is always just one panel. 1500w is a lot of panels. I think I only have 1000w for my whole off grid house so a nother1500w is a big investment and installation. Looks like a fan will have to do. 😆
QUESTIONS:
SO DOES IT ALSO WARM UP A ROOM ALSO?
HOW MANY SOLAR PANELS DOES IT TAKE TO RUN IT AND WHAT WATTAGE?
HOW MANY SQUARE FOOT SPACE WILL IT COOL AND HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?
CAN YOU USE SOLAR PANELS THAT ARE SITTING ON THE GROUND IN YOUR BACKYARD VERSES PUTTING THEM ON A ROOF?
THANKS SO MUCH
Shoot for around 1500 watts. Old panels are fine. Just keep the wattage around here, and keep the open circuit voltage when you add up all the panels between 80 volts and 380 volts. Fore 0:58 most insulation situations, it covers 500 ft to 750 ft. And yes, it's a heat pump, so it also does heating in the winter
Awsome presentation 👌. Finally, some competition to the EG4 mini split. Parts & warranty will be the next factor. Cheers.
Hi Andy, we're good for a 1-year buy-and-try guarantee, and then 3-year parts and 5-year compressor warranty. So, yes, your happiness is our happiness. --Airspool Dave
Finally going back to the fourties and the home kits from back then they were featured in the sears bay and McCloud catalogs you bought the air-conditioning unit and installed it yourself kits were available for your whole house it was amazing for the house the only tool needed was a hammer and a hand saw all kits were designed for average people install with simple tools
Thanks for sharing. You might already know this: you need to get those panels off of your roof; they all need to be equally flat. That should give you a nice bump in solar production…. Might save you another couple more years on that 30year shingle roof 😄
This is a great unit it uses less Watts than my RV refrigerator on electric mode😮.
Great video! But some questions please:
1) how many sq ft (size room) will this model cool
2) how many watts solar panels does it need/ use (min&max) solo
Thanks!
12,000 BTUs is generally good for 500 to 750 sq. ft., depending on your insulation. And, shoot for 1,500 watts of solar. It doesn't need to be exact. If you are under, then more grid power will be used. But solar will always be prioritized.
This would be really nice for an off grid set up. Cool product!
Hi Peter, yes, the off-gridders are our initial core market, since no need to upgrade MPPT/batteries/inverter. Just get an Airspool and plug in 3 panels around 500w each.
Great vid. Lots of solar scams going on in Florida, and a DIY unit with separate panels on shed or on ground sound nice.
Nice video, but i must point out that the different types and sizes of the solar panels will cause a bottle neck effect, so you will probably get only around 800 watt, not the full 1300w capacity ...
Solar definitely has its place, but it's often overrated.
One simple way to store some of this cool for the night could be water. If one wanted to take water and decrease the temperature from 80 to 50, it would take about 400 pounds of water (50 gallons) to hold that much cool. If you wanted to have a cool home all night long, one 50 gallon barrel could store all "theoretical cool" this unit produces in 1 hour by dropping water form 80 degrees to 50 degrees. The unit produces 12,000 BTU per hour if we assume it ran for 8 hours, and we wanted cool for 16 hour, it would take about 4 50 gallon barrels of water or 40 5 gallon pails of water to absorb half of the cool and release it later in the night. One might build a wall of water with 70 cases of bottled water in 1 liter bottles and the run a fan to cool it off. Having that cool later in the night (when there was no solar and no power), it would slowly come out and cool the room. Obviously, that much water is heavy, and one must be careful in the house, but there is a simple solution to holding onto the cool for later in the day for those who want it. Thermal Mass. Use it to your advantage. A simple stack of 70 cases of bottled water, stacked in a way a fan could easily cool them and or a door or curtain could open to reveal them later, would allow the cool out at night.
wow! this is a game changer for DIY beginners.
Around $2k each unit?? Ok, legit surprised because I was expecting these to be a bit more pricey than that. I am definitely adding one of these to my wishlist for the future. I'm definitely turning into a fan of solar powered things. Started off with little garden decorations/lights that were solar powered, loved those, now I'm wanting to change more of my actual domestic and home based necessities to solar power as well!
Only 1 year warranty and they don't supply 3 panels of 500 watts each. It is a lot more expensive than $2000 with 0 help if it fails after a year
@@julianchillby1024 Fair points. A 1 year warranty is not unusual for most things these days, it's more shocking to find something with 2, 3, 5, or longer warranties. For me personally I don't see the issue of it not including it's own panels. Ideally most people would be installing this to an existing solar setup on their home, so they'd already have panels in place. If this were an initial power station, I'd expect panels... but for a climate unit, I personally don't.
This looks so much more DIY friendlier than MrCool.
Does it come with any solar panels?
I am off grid and made the mistake of putting a mini split in. It is better than an air conditioner, but a swamp cooler work far better and uses a lot less energy. The Mini spilt would suck 10 Battle born lithium batteries near dry in a few hours after the Sun was not hitting the panels . It Worked fine while the sun was out, but I had to run my generator for 5-6 hours a day on real hot days.
Swamp coolers work far better in hot dry climates like Northern California, not well at all in swampy humid areas like the south east!
Evaporative is good, too, for sure. These are good potentially for you during the daytime, since it'll dry out the latent heat of the swamp cooler for twice as much cooling.
Make sure you use an inverter type mini split. If you pull 12kwh in a few hours after the sun goes down. Something is wrong. I'm thinking you do not have an inverter type perhaps.
This is the future 😊, Thanks 😊
Masonary is a rarely used word meaning "made of masonry" or the trade of a mason. The bit is called a masonry bit. Keep up the great videos!
Great instruction on setup. Unit seems very efficient
Hey HVAC guy ...looks like a dream come true--what state are you in?
Think this could work at all in blistering Florida?
Yes, I saw a video on one in Florida a year ago but it was the EG4 branded one. Which is only 1299.00 not 1850.00. It did have free shipping anything over 2000 so 2 units or one unit with solar and free shipping.
Guys, great for FL. Also, there, you can run in dehumidification mode when not so hot but oh so humid and the compressor only needs around half the energy of full a/c ua-cam.com/video/I3GK_Zgytu0/v-deo.html --Airspool Dave
I love the unit and you sharing. It works for city folks. Us country people have a natural cooling method. They are called trees. I literally might have 4 -6 hrs in any one place in my yard or roofs for solar for this. I still have moss on an garage roof that I have sprayed once already after clearing a bunch of limbs twice within about a year. Super happy for anyone that this will work for. It is much easier than others brands that I have seen.
Why are you completely ignoring the fact that there’s also many other country folk out there in the wild boonies that don’t have any trees for shade like in the desert areas?
Cmon sir
@@abevilla27 I think you make my point. Huh. It’s a great video regardless. But ppl living in skyscrapers have a similar problem really. I kinda know both sides I guess. But buildings get built and trees grow. What can you do perfectly.
I love my giant tree, but it took over 100 years to develop. It cools mine and my neighbors house nicely in the summer. I get sick when I see bare yards.
Nice video!
However, I believe the insulation tape should have been installed from bottom to top!
👍👍Correct. Just like shingles on a roof for waterproof, start at bottom.
As I was watching, I was thinking the same thing.
@@Robnord1…He said he is going to put a cover on it in another video.
Many electrical appliances can be run directly off of solar, like high speed motors, vacuum cleaners, side grinders, power drills, a blender and of course toasters. They do not need an inverter because a brushed motor can run on DC or AC. Your box window fan will not. It is a slow speed induction motor. I believe refrigerators and Deep Freezers can run directly off of Solar DC.
Wish you would have mentioned at the start that the solar panels are not included.
As of now, the panels are too heavy for UPS, so better to get from a local source for good savings. We'll help find you one! Panels right now are around $500 to $600 + mounting hardware for the recommended +/- 1,500 watts.
That is mind blowing that the unit only uses 175W per hour! That is super efficient!
Keep in mind that this is only 1200 BTUs. That's 1 ton, or the size of a big window unit from Walmart. It probably works up North, but it would only cool a couple of large bathrooms in Florida.
12000 btu.
The site says it’s 12000 not 1200 BTUs.
Correct. I was in the middle of making my coffee, not fully functional, and I missed a zero. It's still 1 ton - the size of a window unit.
My central is only 2 tons
@@joltjolt5060 In Florida, that will only cool 1,000 sq ft max. Even less if it's classic construction from the 1940's - 1960's.
Hola 👋 señorDave !!! Im here again to check if you put more information about the brand and the price $$$for the solar ac system one of the comments said it is about $1,200 dollars 💵 and you are the expert on this subject…Saludos!!!👋😊👋You have a great day and a great weekend!!!😊
So i looked at their website, they're out of stock BTW, but in any event they have 2 versions, the quick and easy and the none quick and easy, and the difference is $400.00 in the price, so basically they are charging you almost an installation fee of $400.00 , nice video though got me thinking about this product for my bedroom, I'm wondering if 1200 BTU is sufficient to cool off a normal size bedroom, as they don't have larger units it looks like.
The 400 is money well spent. It takes a fraction of the time to install. Not to mention having to buy a vacuum pump and learning how to use it. In either case, this is an awesome system. Just make sure you are ordering the correct unit! Quick n Easy is the one displayed in this video. The standard kit is $400 less but requires more work and some specialty tools.
Best,
Dave
You're probably good as 12,000 BTU cools 450 - 550 sq. ft or a 22x22 room, 22x24 room
Guys, it takes us around 3 1/2 hours, and we supposedly know what we're doing. And, yes, you get a lot of other goodies like the DC isolator and the extra wire to make your life easy, and quick! For people who haven't done one of these before, probably a 7-hour job if you don't have experience with the vacuum pump and the gauges, and after first getting them, then learning how to use them, and then actually hopefully having a good successful result in the implementation. So we run these units for a while both on ac, on solar, and then on a combination the two to make sure everything works perfectly before we ship, too. So, a few extra benefits for y'all to enjoy guaranteed success.
@@airspool He slipped right past the part where you have to buy the solar panels seperately I guess. Looks like he has several up there. How many panels are needed to operate this thing?
There is no chance this only pulls a max of 178w as a 12k btu unit. If it only pulled 400w max that would still be excellent. Hopefully @airspool will reply and let us know the max power this can draw.
I like it. Not so much because of the solar, but because of the efficiency and DIY installation. With a 1 ton capacity, it can't handle most homes on its own. However, it can supplement an existing system. It can provide zone cooling (bedroom at night). It'll easily run off my moderate portable generator during a power outage.
Note: Reading their page, this will consume up to 1200W of AC. In your testing, it was drawing far less than that. It appears to have multiple stages and I suspect you saw the power draw at the lowest stage.
Inverter driven mini splits will modulate anywhere between 30% to 100% of their output. Rarely do they pull 100%, choosing to rather spool down and maintain a given temp than run at 100 or 50% like traditional single or dual stage units.
Billy Bob, yes great for zone cooling, and you can increase the setpoint of your main unit, saving around 2.5% cooling energy per degree of increase. Also, the unit will run well below 1200W 99% of the time. This is the peak energy. So, if you think of SEER ratings as an average over time from the beginning to peak days of the cooling system, this would be July 15 for 4 hours or whatever, and then the unit can run on 500W or so for early/late days in the cooling season. --Airspool Dave