Sanyo mini split AC (inverter/variable speed)

[Dave Sparks]

Thought I would start a thread here as it is getting hot up here in the mountains.
The really nice thing about these units is the fan speed sets the DC compressor to nice small amounts of power (300 watts) on the 9,000 BTU unit.

For Offgrid you can run the unit continously at low power after the absorption point is hit. As the day goes on you can shift more power to the unit. It would not work well if you wanted to cool a hot room down fast. But for a slow cooldown it is the cats meow. 1600 square foot house is 72 degrees on this little unit at 95F outside.

The heat pump function is worth buying also! I do not know if I can post here where purchased the unit but they were as good as it gets also.

There are other split-type units also.........

[BB.]

Please feel free to post the link to where to purchase...

As in the other thread... I believe this is the unit/family you are referring too.

Sanyo Single Split systems (3,000-9,000 BTU)

We are always happy to hear about good vendors to.

Just don't post it 50 times and/or add it to your sig.

We only get a week or three of hot weather here (SF Peninsula--Bay Side)--Sounds like something we would be interested in to A/C a small section of our home.

-Bill

[Solar Guppy]

They are on eBay by the same supply houses that sell AC and Heat Pumps for the DIY type ... very good SEER ratings

[Dave Sparks]

There are other makes like Toshiba and such and as Solar Guppy says you can buy them on E-bay. I priced the Sanyo's all out and ended up with

http://www.minisplitsystems.com/cgi/...em_num=09KHS71

The testimonials from customers on the site was amazing. They backed it up with customer care like Hewlett Packard of decades past. I live in a very remote area and this company included everything you need to install the system. The whole system takes very little time to install but you do need a HVAC person to vacume down the system if you want the warranty. I did this myself on one system and on my customers I gave $75 to an HVAC guy to have a beer with me.

It is ironic that the system converts solar to DC, then DC to AC, then AC to DC, and finally DC to cold or hot air. Conversion and inversion loss might bring the SEER up well past 20. The key here is the variable speed DC motor. You all have heard the sound of the compressor kicking in! This unit just adjusts the motor speed to the fan speed that you set in the house. Nice constant relaxing sound that is just perceptable. Also a plus is that this unit will surge to a 12,000 BTU unit so if you have the power (10 AAC) it can do it. The rest of their line can scale up in BTU with multiple air handlers. A 3 inch hole in the wall is all it takes.

The main point to look for on other makes is the variable speed setpoint at 300 watts. This will allow you to just turn the unit on, leave for the day, and come home to comfort. The next speed is around 600 watts and then 1000 watts. The high power is around 1200 watts. As I said, the unit will stay in the power range you set so you do not have to worry about it using more power than you want. That was the key for my offgrid application!

They are not cheap! When you stand by the outdoor unit and can hear the water drops over the compressor sound it is an amazing slice of technology. I rate this up there in the top 5 best things I have ever bought!

[Brock]

Very cool (pun intended). So the unit stays in which ever mode you set it for? Say it's set in the 300w mode and it gets really hot in the home it wouldn't ramp up to a higher speed? I would think it would have a low, med, high and "auto" setting? How is the power hit when the unit starts? I would think it would be far less than a traditional motor start?

Oh and on the radio this morning I heard mini split heat pumps with a "high" SEER do qualify for part of the Federal Tax thingy, which of course was from a local HVAC and not a tax person...

[Dave Sparks]

Brock, Yep, already did the energy credit with the feds! Very cool! When the unit starts, it ramps up to 300 watts and stays there. If you were in some of the various auto modes it would try and maintain temperature. In the manual AC fan speed mode it just uses steady power. It heats very well also which helps alot in spring and fall. There are absolutely no surge spikes on the line voltage.

[JESSICA]

Dave:

To be honest, it just sound too good to be true. So, is it true? Just 300 watts for a 9k btu a/c?

Can you tell me the time it takes to cool a 10 x 12 room? Lets say to 75 degrees?

You wrotte that "They are not cheap!" Are we talking about $1,500, $1,000, or what? How much did you pay for it.?

[BB.]

From a quick reading the specifications--it appears that 300 watts ~ 3,000 BTU and 900 watts ~ 9,000 BTU (of cooling).

-Bill

[Brock]

Dave what was the Fed rebate? I have heard $500 and $1500 or is it a percentage of the total with some limit?

I don't understand why they don't make regular home AC unit using inverter tech or geothermal pumps using inverter tech. I guess all in good time...

[Dave Sparks]

Bill is correct on the BTU at 300 watts out. I never stated that you could get 9,000 BTU from 300 watts. I wish I could! The reason I moved to a new thread was so the OP would not think this was portable as she requested. Looks like I confused her still.

The credit was $300 and I teetered over the extra money to buy the heat-pump function. DO IT! A perfect load for unused capacity for offgrid and a nice way to get heat to odd places that may need it if you are grid tied. I think it is very efficient in heat mode but I never ran the numbers. The unit also does negative ions and a dehumidify mode but my applications are always dry so no comment.

As I said in my posts a small unit like this is not for cooling hot rooms!!!! The strategy here is to run the unit all day and avoid the room getting hot!!!! I live in an area that cools to 60F at night in summer and is dry.

Brock your comment about the inverter is a little off, I believe it is the variable speed DC compressor that allows the unit to work as well as it does.

There is some more I will add if you folks want but I gotta go now! Stay cool!