I consider myself to be at least an 8/10 stars do-it-yourselfer
and I perfrom a very wide variety of jobs in my two houses. Other
than painters can't remember the last time I had a service
professional over there.
Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?
(I have been looking at Samsungs.)
Thanks for your help!
Frank

Do you own or have access to the tools and materials required? Do
you have the knowledge to use them?

Some of the tasks:
Silver solder copper joints.
Use refrigerant gauges? (licensed trade)
Install electric, gas (if used), and control wiring? (licensed
trade)

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"frank1492" wrote in message
news
I consider myself to be at least an 8/10 stars do-it-yourselfer
and I perfrom a very wide variety of jobs in my two houses.
Other
than painters can't remember the last time I had a service
professional over there.
Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?
(I have been looking at Samsungs.)
Thanks for your help!
Frank

Are you saying that it is simply illegal for me to these "licensed
trade" items, or that they are simply very difficult. I have done all
kinds of wiring and soldering.




On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:16:54 -0500, "DanG" wrote:

Do you own or have access to the tools and materials required? Do
you have the knowledge to use them?

Some of the tasks:
Silver solder copper joints.
Use refrigerant gauges? (licensed trade)
Install electric, gas (if used), and control wiring? (licensed
trade)

"frank1492" wrote in message
...
Are you saying that it is simply illegal for me to these "licensed
trade" items, or that they are simply very difficult. I have done all
kinds of wiring and soldering.


You need an EPA license to buy and to install the refrigerant.

Electric depends on local laws. Some allow you to do your own wiring with a
permit, others do not.

Silver soldering takes more heat than water tubing solder. Contamination of
the lines (lack of, actually) is a big factor in having a dependable system.
Whe I was involved years ago, we ran nitrogen through the coils when they
were brazed.

If control wiring is 48 volts or less, no license is needed.

"frank1492" wrote in message
news
I consider myself to be at least an 8/10 stars do-it-yourselfer
and I perfrom a very wide variety of jobs in my two houses. Other
than painters can't remember the last time I had a service
professional over there.
Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?
(I have been looking at Samsungs.)
Thanks for your help!
Frank


EPA refrigerant license?

I think it is obvious that a particular skill can be learned
by reading the right material and doing the correct research.
I do it all the time and get good results. The question "Do you
think I can?" is simply a request for an explanation of what is
required.





On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:07:59 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

By asking "do you think I can", you prove that you don't have the skills.
Those who can... already are doing, and don't bother to post to Usenet to
ask if they can.

I learned HVAC by working for other companies and learning from guys who
know how.

Thanks to all for your comments!

frank1492 wrote:
I think it is obvious that a particular skill can be learned
by reading the right material and doing the correct research.

Theory can be learned by reading; actual implementation isn't
necessarily quite so simple. There's also "art" involved beyond the
technical aspects.

While not impossible, unless one already has the skills in hand,
learning the necessary skill set practicing on a new system install
isn't conducive to a quality installation.

Learning sheetrocking or how to sweat copper plumbing is pretty simple
and easy enough to fix screwups with very little cost or impact other
than time. Messing up a new HVAC system install is much more costly and
difficult to repair the damage.

....

To me it is what will the cost of the tools be -vs- paying someone to do it.

If I am only doing something once and it is less to pay someone to do it,
then I will go that route. If I do something frequently, then it would pay
to buy the tools and learn how to do it.

Anyway here is a bit about what this entails...
http://www.firstfives.org/faq/AC/ac_charge.html


"frank1492" wrote in message
I consider myself to be at least an 8/10 stars do-it-yourselfer
and I perfrom a very wide variety of jobs in my two houses. Other
than painters can't remember the last time I had a service
professional over there.
Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?
(I have been looking at Samsungs.)
Thanks for your help!
Frank

I purchased a Celiera unit on eBay and installed it myself. I am quite
happy with it after two years. Most of the systems have pre-charged outdoor
units and feature what they called "quick couplers" which are just flared
fittings. The installation manual outlines a method to bleed the air out of the
lines and indoor unit using a timed purge. This purge is designed to just
exhaust the air, and release a minimum of refrigerant. How well it works I
cannot attest to.

A friend installed a whole house unit years ago and bought a unit with
evacuated lineset and evaporator and true dry-break quick disconnects which did
not need to be purged, but I could not locate any.

I had to shorten the lineset so I had to cut and reflare the tubing (I have
years of experience at this and all the tools). I do some work on automotive
A/C so I have a vacuum pump with the correct fittings which are the same as the
mini-split. So I vacuum checked the entire system before releasing the
refrigerant instead of using their purge method.

So...yes it can be done if (1) you have the skills and buy a unit with the
proper connections and (2) you are satisfied with their purge method. Even
though the instructions show this method, reading the fine print reveals that
it has to be professionally installed in order to be guaranteed. And if you
need a lineset longer than the supplied length, you will have to have it filled
anyway, as the refrigerant only fills a certain line length.

--
Dennis

dpb wrote:
frank1492 wrote:
I think it is obvious that a particular skill can be learned
by reading the right material and doing the correct research.

Theory can be learned by reading; actual implementation isn't
necessarily quite so simple. There's also "art" involved beyond the
technical aspects.

While not impossible, unless one already has the skills in hand,
learning the necessary skill set practicing on a new system install
isn't conducive to a quality installation.

Learning sheetrocking or how to sweat copper plumbing is pretty simple
and easy enough to fix screwups with very little cost or impact other
than time. Messing up a new HVAC system install is much more costly and
difficult to repair the damage.

...

Actually, got to thinking--if I were really intent on doing a cheap
install, I'd call the instructor at the local Technical School and see
if he would bring his class out for an in-the-field lesson. They work
under instructors' direction to ensure no major screwups. Not sure just
how they do the remuneration thing, but am sure it's not a whole
lot...of course, their warranty is about the same as yours on the
complete self-install...

--

Once again, thanks to all for your comments. A special thanks
to DT for his detailed "can do" answer. I never thought this would
be easy (and I still don't know if I will attempt it) but if I do
decide to go ahead at least now I have a better idea of what I
am in for and the amount of time I will have to take to get it
right!
Thanks again!
Frank






On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:47:27 GMT, frank1492
wrote:

I consider myself to be at least an 8/10 stars do-it-yourselfer
and I perfrom a very wide variety of jobs in my two houses. Other
than painters can't remember the last time I had a service
professional over there.
Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?
(I have been looking at Samsungs.)
Thanks for your help!
Frank

frank1492 writes:

Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?

No. I know do-it-yourselfer's who have successfully installed mini-splits.
The bigger problem is whether you will get it right enough the first time,
and whether you're willing to deal with the possibility of fouling it up.

If your bent is to do it yourself, I would encourage you to do so.

I agree with everything said in this post. I bought a mini-split on Ebay
and had the exact same experience.

"DT" wrote in message
...
I purchased a Celiera unit on eBay and installed it myself. I am quite
happy with it after two years. Most of the systems have pre-charged
outdoor
units and feature what they called "quick couplers" which are just flared
fittings. The installation manual outlines a method to bleed the air out
of the
lines and indoor unit using a timed purge. This purge is designed to just
exhaust the air, and release a minimum of refrigerant. How well it works I
cannot attest to.

A friend installed a whole house unit years ago and bought a unit with
evacuated lineset and evaporator and true dry-break quick disconnects
which did
not need to be purged, but I could not locate any.

I had to shorten the lineset so I had to cut and reflare the tubing (I
have
years of experience at this and all the tools). I do some work on
automotive
A/C so I have a vacuum pump with the correct fittings which are the same
as the
mini-split. So I vacuum checked the entire system before releasing the
refrigerant instead of using their purge method.

So...yes it can be done if (1) you have the skills and buy a unit with the
proper connections and (2) you are satisfied with their purge method. Even
though the instructions show this method, reading the fine print reveals
that
it has to be professionally installed in order to be guaranteed. And if
you
need a lineset longer than the supplied length, you will have to have it
filled
anyway, as the refrigerant only fills a certain line length.

--
Dennis

"Stormin Mormon" wrote:

By asking "do you think I can", you prove that you don't have
the skills. Those who can... already are doing, and don't
bother to post to Usenet to ask if they can.

I learned HVAC by working for other companies and learning
from guys who know how.

This is a wonderful newsgroup. People come here all the time
asking "Is this something I can do myself?" in the hope of
learning what they may not know about a project. The OP
stated what skills he had and they appeared to be extensive.
So IMO your reply was not helpful.

Personally I would not touch HVAC, but I have completely
rewired two houses by myself. The one thing I will not do
is to work on the main panel. For that I will gladly pay a
contractor.

I'm seriously thinking of taking a course in plumbing because
what I have paid plumbers for simple tasks is outrageous and
I am reasonably certain my finidhed product will be at least
as good as theirs and will look a hell of a lot better.

Dick

I've never understood why plumbers draw such large fees. There
are only 7 things you need to know to be a plumber:

1. Hot's on the left
2. Cold's on the right
3. Farts go up
4. **** goes down
5. Fridays are paydays
6. Boss is a Son of a bitch
7. Don't chew your fingernails grin

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Dick Adams" wrote in message
...
"Stormin Mormon" wrote:

By asking "do you think I can", you prove that you don't have
the skills. Those who can... already are doing, and don't
bother to post to Usenet to ask if they can.

I learned HVAC by working for other companies and learning
from guys who know how.

This is a wonderful newsgroup. People come here all the time
asking "Is this something I can do myself?" in the hope of
learning what they may not know about a project. The OP
stated what skills he had and they appeared to be extensive.
So IMO your reply was not helpful.

Personally I would not touch HVAC, but I have completely
rewired two houses by myself. The one thing I will not do
is to work on the main panel. For that I will gladly pay a
contractor.

I'm seriously thinking of taking a course in plumbing because
what I have paid plumbers for simple tasks is outrageous and
I am reasonably certain my finidhed product will be at least
as good as theirs and will look a hell of a lot better.

Dick

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:47:27 GMT, frank1492
wrote:

I consider myself to be at least an 8/10 stars do-it-yourselfer
and I perfrom a very wide variety of jobs in my two houses. Other
than painters can't remember the last time I had a service
professional over there.
Is there anything that would prevent me from being able
to install a mini-split without professional help?
(I have been looking at Samsungs.)
Thanks for your help!
Frank

Do you have an an oxy/acetelene torch set? Do you have a vacum pump?
Do you have a reclaimer?

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Do you have an an oxy/acetelene torch set?
Silver braze rods, and flux
Do you have a vacum pump?
Four valve manifold
Micron gage
Refrigerant leak detector
Do you have a reclaimer?
DOT approved jugs for the refrigerant
Charge weight scale



You might be amazed at how often I have had AC
techs show up without the above.
Better add thermometers to your list.
I had one AC tech show up to charge the system without
having any working thermometers. He had only one and it
was off by about 20 F. I wasn't so sure about his manifold,
as it had the glass/plastic cover broken off of it and some
good dents.
He overcharged the AC.
The next tech (same company) showed up without any way to reclaim the
excess refrigerant and just bled it off to the atmosphere.

On Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:37:50 GMT, M Q
wrote:


The next tech (same company) showed up without any way to reclaim the
excess refrigerant and just bled it off to the atmosphere.

So what, that greenhouse gas stuff is all over blown bull****.