DuctlessAire Energy Star Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner and Heat Pump Variable Speed Inverter 220V, 25ft Installation Kit (12000 Btu 21 SEER)

Research I did before buying: I read about several brands of mini splits. In that period of review, I watched some YouTube videos. If you search for Ductlessaire on YouTube, there is a good looking guy named Toby installing these. I do not know if he works for Ductless or not, but he should get a commission for my purchase. His videos are the best available on YouTube. He is exceptionally knowledgeable, unassuming, and very well spoken.Country of Origin: China (most of the brands are made here, some with better components than others).Model: 12000 BTUETL Certified: YesEnergy Star: NoWarranty: Officially, there is no warranty if you are a DIY'er. If a warranty is a must-have, buy a different brand if you will install this yourself. Otherwise use a licensed HVAC contractor if you want the warranty. From the warranty document online: "In order for the base warranty to be valid, the original products must be installed by a currently licensed HVAC company in accordance with state and local code regulations, good trade practices and manufacturer’s instructions. In states or municipalities where state or local licenses are not required a NATE certification will be honored. The non-registered owner will be required to present proof of the original date of purchase, HVAC installation receipt." I changed this paragraph from my initial review because I did contact Ductlessaire about a replacement part shortly after my install. There was no question and no hesitation whatsoever in providing excellent support for the unit.You will either need an HVAC company to install this for you (if you want a warranty), or a good selection of tools and supplies including torque end wrenches (metric), gauges for 410a, matching hoses (not all gauges come with the correct size hose), a good two stage vacuum pump, micron gauge, nitrogen, Nylog blue (thread and flare sealant), hole cutter, stud finder and a few other odds and ends. And you should be EPA 608 certified. The certification is very easy to get and the basic premise is that you understand how these refrigerant gasses are capable of harming the environment and what you can do to minimize release. And the biggest note here, USE A SURGE PROTECTOR DEVICE regardless of where you live. All mini splits are susceptible to damage from electrical transients, protect your investment.My install: Indoor mount has only one location where the holes are 16" apart if you intend on mounting this into standard drywall/studs. Those holes are in the center. The most distal ends can be secured with mounting hardware. These tabs need to be firmly against the wall in order to have the unit look nice when finished. Make sure both the indoor and outdoor units are absolutely level. The outdoor unit installed very quickly, I'd already prepared a mounting location. I did order rubber feet to secure it to the deck where it would reside, these don't come with the unit. Next was running the copper tubing through the wall. Make sure that the pipe insulation is not damaged, or replace it completely. Any exposed copper will sweat, creating a moisture problem. Once the line is completely run/adjusted for length, connect both ends. Be very careful to inspect the factory flares. Use Nylog on the flare and threads. Do not over-tighten the flare fittings. This will crush the copper and you will have a leak, now or in the future. Use the torque guideline in the install manual. It is listed in inches/nm -- so convert as necessary based on your tools.Preparing the system: I first vacuumed my system down, then charged with nitrogen to 150PSI and left it sit for a full 24 hours. An hour would suffice, but I had to leave until the next day anyway -- so the timing was fine. Do not use an air compressor to do this. I've read a few reviews where people have done this -- usually followed up with an update to their review some months later that their compressor was dead and they wonder why. Nitrogen is a dry gas, compressed air is not. Moisture in your system will kill it in just a few months. I've also read many reviews of people skipping the vacuum process completely -- don't be one of those people, because you will be back posting about equipment failure. There are numerous videos on vacuuming down the system. Attach your vacuum pump, micron gauge and hose(s). Connect the micron gauge as far as possible from the pump. Make sure everything is tight and preferable to use hoses with a shutoff. You need to vacuum down to 500 micron or lower. Personally I left my vacuum running for about an hour, the manual says at least 15 minutes or longer. How long you vacuum depends on many factors. But the drier you get the system, the better. Once you have a good deep vacuum, close the valves and let the system sit for 15-30 minutes. If it rises to about 2000 microns and sits, vacuum again -- your system still has moisture in it. If it holds, you can release the refrigerant. If it goes slowly back to atmospheric, you have a leak to find.While the control wire and line set were 25' as indicated, the drain hose was not. I had to make a trip to the store for some drain hose. I also wrapped my copper lines with additional insulation and taped exposed sections with UV resistant tape. The existing insulation is adequate, not exceptional.My system heats and cools much better than any portable or window unit I've used. The air exiting the unit is frigid and can be felt across the room. In cooling and dry mode, it will pull copious amounts of water from the air. The "follow me" feature is excellent. This has the remote sense the temperature and report back to the head unit rather than the head unit's temperature readings. This does require line-of-sight between the remote and head unit. I did get a universal remote holder from Amazon to have a second place to hold the remote to make best use of this feature. If you live in an area that has a lot of moisture, look into drain pan tablets -- NuCalgon. At 80F outside with ample humidity, maintaining a 72F indoor temp all day and night resulted in 116Kw of energy use for the month.Downsides: Most mini split units sense the air temp at the return -- on top of the unit. It is always warmer nearest the ceiling, so expect that your "normal" set points are going to be different. I expected this.Update 10/29/2015: I had the first chance to use the heat. I wanted to know the temp of the discharge, so there I was standing precariously holding my temp probe up to the outlet. I started to feel unsteady, so I repositioned myself and in went the probe. Out came a couple of fan fins from the head unit fan, and a few choice words exited my mouth. What a stupid thing to do. I was prepared to purchase a new fan assembly because I don't want a repaired fan, and I certainly don't want a wobble to destroy bearings/motor. I contacted Ductlessaire and said I'd like to buy a fan assembly. I was asked for the part number of what I needed (available on the website), my name and address verified, was was my unit serial number. I was then placed on a very brief hold. When the gentleman returned, I was informed that my replacement fan would be shipped "today" at no charge to me. I was asked if there was anything else that I needed to ensure the proper operation of my unit. At no time was I asked why I needed the fan, or how it was damaged. Needless to say, I was a little bit shocked. Excellent customer service. My four star review has been changed to a solid five stars.There is zero question in my mind about their willingness to support the product. So I am updating my review to reflect my post-sale, real-world experience of dealing with Ductlessaire. They stood by the product and supported their customer without one single question. My experience also serves to answer another question I had -- the availability of spare parts. In my reviewing various brands before deciding on Ductlessaire, there were some reports of needing to wait weeks for a part. I'd crossed those brands off my list as a result. My requested part was in stock, and shipped the same day. Just awesome.UPDATE: 5/16/2016The unit is still functioning flawlessly. My heating costs are about one-third of what they were using electric baseboard units. The unit functioned throughout the entire winter heating my entire apartment with temps in the 30s-40s.Additionally, the unit cools remarkably well. It removes more humidity than any window or portable unit I've ever used. I did add a Sensibo device,  Sensibo - Smart Wi-Fi Air Conditioner Control, Compatible With iOS and Android, Works With Any Remote Controlled Air Conditioner.  to allow my unit to sense when I'm not home and turn itself off. It can also detect when I'm on the way home -- and pre-cool or pre-heat my home for me. I've saved about an additional 30% on my electric bill since I started using it. The install was easy, a little plastic puck shaped infrared transmitter gets attached to the front, plug in the hub - aim the remote and it's all configured. The other feature I use (I live by the ocean and have frequent morning fog, chilly mornings) is having the unit come on for a few minutes in the morning to take the chill off of the room.Together, the DuctlessAire and Sensibo have saved me a lot of money, and have added significant convenience to my day-to-day living.

I purchased this mini-split unit to cool and heat my new vacation Tiny House (240 sq ft).The unit does a remarkable job in cooling the house and the outside unit is amazingly quiet. The remote control feature is very handy for controlling the temperature setting without getting up.The unit looks great and I used a certified HVAC firm to install. Only cost $600 for certified installation, which also included the cable cover kit. The affordable unit cost and the 22 SEER efficiency were the selling points for me. Additionally the unit and remote have the automatic switch capability feature, so all you have to do is set the temperature you want and the unit automatically switches from heat to cool as needed. Fantastic! There are a couple points I’ll mention that would make the mini-split superb. The digital display (blue light digits) on the inside unit tends to be a little too bright. Would like a way to dim the lights at night time. Lastly the inside air handler fan runs 24/7 when the unit is on. Of course you can control the fan speed, but would like the option to shut the fan off when unit is not cooling or heating.Overall very pleased with the purchase. See pictures of inside and outside units.

This DuctlessAire 12000 BTU mini split system is doing some serious work in our little shop! Very easy to use and install. Had a HVAC buddy of mine assist with the install for warranty purposes, but complete installation was a breeze. User guide is thorough and clear. Remote is very easy to use and understand. For my space (435sq ft shop with 13 ft vaulted ceilings and lots of windows), this unit is doing well. I think the 1.5 ton would’ve been a bit much, and I’m glad with my decision.Customer service wrote handwritten notes in the included paperwork so that leads me to believe they are customer oriented and willing to help. I did not have to contact them, but I’m confident that they would take care of me if I needed parts or had a concern.The indoor and outdoor units are very sleek and very quiet! I mounted my indoor unit about 10.5ft high in my shop and the outdoor unit I purchased brackets from Amazon and installed it off the ground against my building. There is no vibration heard when the condenser is running. This unit comes with 25’ of copper (plenty for most applications). I actually was able to trim a few feet off and re-flare the end to connect to the condenser. I covered my lines with sheet metal to protect them and make the finished product look more appealing. I plan on color matching the sheet metal at a later date.Overall, I recommend this unit being that it was so easy to install and it has a GREAT SEER rating! I would definitely purchase another one and will consider this option more now that I’ve never had a mini split heat pump before this unit.**Being that it has been warm here in South Louisiana, I have not tried the heat function yet but I will update this review when I use it more extensively. **