Super easy YouTube it get a 2400 btu higher seer the better

That seems high, but not astronomical. We've had quotes a couple times around the $3K mark - that just seems to be the going rate. They are pretty awesome, and no more lugging the window unit in/out, cleaning the filter, noise level is SOOOOOO much better...

I haven't been able to price anything below about $2400 for a small one. I was talked out of doing it myself (I'm not in the trades but do most of our own electrical and plumb work, including build-outs) by a colleague who does HVAC. He basically said "you're paying the guy $500 for the install, after you take into account all the components. Why would you risk screwing it up for $500?"

i just installed a Mits dual zone ducted. It's a lot more work for the ducted for sure. The thing is completely silent.

I'd say the ductless units are more do it yourself... if you know how to run 240AC and can do general construction. Ducted, I'd get a professional to build the vents, plentums etc...

I had a 21ton mini-split system installed for my garage workshop conversion and it ran me $2,500.00 installed. The major reason I paid to have it installed was for the manufacturers warranty. I was told (taking the guys word for it) that the manufacturer won't cover anything if it's not installed by a certified installer. Yours should be cheaper though because being in Louisiana, you should only need cooling, mine is a heat pump too providing heat in the winter months.

As for the amazon units I was told and also read that they are junk. I did a ton of reading and watching of YouTube videos and finally settled on Mitsubishi unit. The one thing I regret is there are newer models that allow for it to be hooked to a wall thermostat.

All in all they are phenomenal. Ultra quiet. Both the indoor head unit and the condenser outside. Hard to hear them running. It makes my two heat pumps out side sound like freight trains barreling down the tracks. It is a worthy investment.

The biggest cost and time consuming aspect is if there is 240v/30 amp electrical service close by. If they're running a lot of copper wire, the costs add up. Luckily for me, I had just installed a 100 amp subpanel in my garage on the same wall as the unit so wiring to it was less than 10'. I have a lot of info about the addition and conversion of my garage in my Flash Gordon restoration thread.

Excuse the mess of the garage in these pictures. They were taken before my garage renovation took place. I had to get it conditioned first to be able to start the renovations.

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Just get a through the wall AC. It will run you about $400 and you can self install fairly easy. This little guy wedged between WPT and WW was $300 shipped on amazon warehouse deals. It keeps the garage nice and cool.

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Friedrich make a diy no charge for the line and just plug in 12000btu runs on 110 and 24 runs on 240
Mr cool has one also you dont have to charge the line but you have to connect the electric to
The panel
Both work great

I'm trying to wrap my head around the paper plates under the table legs.

Great room, by the way!

The unit i was looking was dual zone and heating and cooling - sorry, forgot to mention that! Still $3500 if you're just getting a/c, yeah that's too much

Lol, and thanks. I had just cut and threaded the pipes so had some oil leaking out of them. Paper plates are now gone

Incredibly, incredibly less efficient, plus some mini splits can do heating

Those are junk. stay the hell away. Loud and do not cool well at all.

I do this for a living. Don't buy 1 online they are junk. Don't get a 110volt unit they are not as efficient. The going rate around Iowa is about 3k depending on how difficult the install and how far the wiring needs ran from the panel. FYI a decent vac pump is around $400 a micron gauge is around $150, a gauge set with hoses is around $150, and a tank of 410a refrigerant is around $250 that you can't purchase without an EPA certification just leave it to the pros and shop around if you think the price is too high.

The fantastic thing about the mini-splits is the inverter technology. It is what allows them to be incredibly efficient. A mini-spilt is always running when on to maintain the set temp point. While it is at temp, the condenser is throttled down to the point you can't hear it. If the temp falls out of the set point, it ramps up to regain the set point then throttles down. It is fantastic tech and incredibly efficient. A window shaker will never compare.

1 Ton Pioneer I got on Amazon about 3 years ago. I run it anywhere from 15 hours a day to a week straight non-stop. It's been rock solid. Cools, heats, dehumidifies, looks great and it's quiet.

About $800 new and $700 to install. Including all parts and adding a breaker. Nice to have a friend in the A/C trade.
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I was worried mine wasn't a Mitsubishi. This one has worked flawlessly though under heavy use. I bought it because it had great reviews from other purchasers as well. It handles an oversized garage in Florida. I don't have insulation over my garage either. <<<need to fix this though.

These are used almost exclusively down here in Central America. I've been here 2 years and have 5 in my house. I don't like them. I think they are loud, don't have a low enough setting, the auto function is worthless on all of them and they need quarterly cleaning or they drop greatly in efficiency(granted I'm in hot, humid Panama City. I'm not a fan.

What would be an alternative in Panama?

Open the windows.

I've never seen anything else used here. There may be some window units but I've never seen one. I've never seen Central air here.

Lol, well that IS an alternative! A good reminder for us stateside that we are embarrassed with choices. Window units kind of suck too but it's nice to have the option

I miss being embarrassed with choices.

Best bang for your dollar would be a Media unit. You can buy a 12000 btu system including freon lines,condenser pad,communication wire, disconnect,fuses for $1000.00. Installation is fairly easy but you would need a flaring tool, vacuum pump refrigerant gages, Tubing cutters and a R410a adapter

Seriously couldn't recommend it more. It has been great, and maybe other manufacturers units are loud, but this isn't. I think you will be very happy if you get it.

I have a mini-split in my garage shop area. It is amazingly quiet and works great. Keeps it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Very efficient too. It is amazing how little power it consumes to keep it comfortable.

I probably could have installed it myself, but I'm glad I paid to have it done. The wiring alone would have been a PITA. Yesterday I did some wiring work and it reinforced how good of a decision it was to pay an electrician to crawl around in my hot attic and get the job done. I could have done it, but he got it done quicker and probably neater that I'd have done. Plus who knows how many trips to the hardware store and back I'd have to make for stuff I forgot or didn't realize I needed.

I had insulation blown into my walls and attic and also insulated my garage door. All of that helps quite a bit.

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I have a Mitsubishi unit installed in my theater. Even during very quiet parts of the movie, you can't hear it running. It does a great job of both heating and cooling the space. I'd definitely recommend one.

I've also heard Mitsubishi is one of the better all around units. I think LG also makes these, which are supposed to be pretty good

You're over thinking it. Buy the Mitsubishi on Amazon. It's around $1200. Then pay a Hvac guy $350 to install it. It takes them less than 2 hours. Ive had several done and they are excellent and going strong now for several years.

I wish these were as affordable as you guys make them out to be. At least in jersey, they are not.I got multiple estimates from large companies and mom and pop shops, and all were about twice what is mentioned here . I have an LG unit getting installed next week for my main floor, bit have to wait til next year to do the upstairs with a separate unit. $$$$ hopefully we love the first and continue on with the upstairs.

I'm getting 2 more estimates this week as a result of this thread. Will post back when I get the bad news.

Aside from a brick facade to drill through, I thought it would be a simple 1 to 2 hour install at my place (easy access to electrical panel, short run for the lineset, etc.) but it still took two guys most of the day to install mine. They had no incentive to work slow as we already agreed on price.

I had many quotes from low 3000's to high 5000's (fairly large unit, 3 car garage with very high ceilings). I went the cheapest route. Several nearby paid roughly the same from those I asked. I had a buddy recommend a couple of installers who would do the work on the side after-hours, and couldn't get them to return my calls or show up to quote it (would be helpful to have a friend in this field!). After seeing the work involved, and then adding refrigerant/etc., I doubt I'd get an installer to do it for $350, but YMMV.

I friend locally used a PTAC unit to heat and cool his game room. They require only power and a hole in your wall.

Something else to consider.

i had to look that up - it's bulky, but it looks like those things they have in hotel rooms. they are WAY cheaper than a mini split, too.

I have a 2 ton Mirage installed

$700 from Mexico and $800 to install

Greatest mod ever!

Shouldn't have to add Freon. It comes pre charged for maybe 15-30' of copper connect lines. You can adjust it based on your line length but it's insignificant.

I had no spare breakers so I had to pay an electrician to do load tests and share a circuit ( this one needs a dedicated curcuit). Otherwise I would have only paid my HVAC guy about $75 to vacuum the lines and do a leak check. You do need the right tools though for drilling through your wall ( brick in my case). I need to insulate the garage attic to make it work better, still on my to do list.

I've been looking into the mini split option for over a year for my garage in the West suburbs of Chicago. My concerns were how it would run in extreme low temps (minus zero) as I didn't want my pins to be exposed to the elements. Also, my garage isn't set up to run 230 and my panel is in the basement on the opposite side of the house. I have no idea on how much it would cost to have that extra wiring done but standard installation by me was $3500-$4000. That killed it for me so now I'm stranded in the basement, lol.

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Get upstairs done first. Heat rises so that's where most of your load will be.

Was going to , but the main living floor is where I hate having loud, room darkening window units. The updates bedrooms , at least the fan noise is soothing.

While you are looking at getting a good air conditioner, don't skimp on the insulation. I spent $1000 to have my garage spray insulated with cellulose. They sprayed the sticky stuff in the walls before sheet rock and the loose fill on top of the ceiling. The best part is that I didn't have to deal with pink crap.

I have a 20X24 detached garage that I keep cool with a 6000btu window unit and it keeps up fine in Virginia summers. I know that the unit isn't rated for my square footage, but it doesn't struggle. I heat it all winter with a single portable space heater. I was going to install a minisplit, but I spend so little on conditioning that I'm not sure there is a break even point before I would have to replace the unit.

No, you just live in the wrong location.

Yeah I've had the same experience. Like everything, it def cost more up here in the northeast.

Got my quote yesterday - for one compressor and 2 indoor units, $7,200 installed . That does NOT include any elec panel upgrade work.

I told the guy to go (use your imagination) and bought 2 huge LG wall units for $200 each.

Those Mini Splits are used in a lot of smaller data closets where the equipment runs 24/7.

Finally had one installed yesterday. So far pleased with it.

I bought the largest "Senville" unit I could find from JustMiniSplits.com, 4 years ago. I think the unit was only $1300 or so. It is a walk-out basement. I hung the unit, ran power to it and hammer-drilled the brick for the exterior pad. I set the exterior pad and compressor and called my AC guy out to finish the job, release the charge and certify the install. I think he charged me around $350 and had done some other stuff for me, as well.

The unit works, I'm surprised that I've gotten 4 years out of it, honestly.

On the up side:

It blows cold in the hot Alabama summers
Acts like a great dehumidifier when I need it to
Can heat in the winter, though 16 games does a good enough job of that, usually
$1300

On the down side:

The reversing valve sticks when switching seasonally from cold to heat but I can usually free it with some power cycling
Unknown brand and support: Senville
It doesn't auto/off - at temperature and is controlled with a janky remote control
It doesn't have a traditional thermostat so I can add it to my Nest ecosystem

Other comments: Since it is a ductless system, insure that you have it in a place that can adequately spread the cool air or plan to install additional fans elsewhere to circulate the air. Before going to the mini split, I tried those roll-around A/C units that are the size of a large dehumidifier that you sometimes see in server rooms or labs for auxiliary cooling. Those didn't work for my case, at all and were terribly inefficient.

I've got a friend looking at one now for his garage, it sounds like the price differences between the off-brand and the trusted brands have started to shrink. Good luck with your search!

I've had a Daikin 3 port system for about 6 years and I love it. My local PUD gave me a rebate check for almost 50% of the installed price. That was a great incentive to go ductless.

Just about everybody in FL is in the AC business.

I just installed another one a couple of weeks ago, it was a Pioneer 12,000 BTU unit. My previous one had died earlier this year. The new one was about $750 with prime shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Air-Conditioner-Inverter-Ductless/dp/B01DVW6G06/

I do have a vacuum pump and the required gauges, also bought on amazon, but it looks like the specific one I ordered is not available right now:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KQ06BXI/

It's a super easy process and I'd think anyone that can repair pinball machines well could handle it.