Fitting your own air con unit?

[HappyHippyDad]

I have a large gym in the garden and it gets ridiculously hot in the summer.

I have utilised pretty much every inch of space and do not want to put a plug in air con unit that sits on the floor as it would just be in the way.

What puts me off a wall unit is the fact you have to get an F-gas registered engineer to fit and these guys are quite expensive. I would like to do it myself.

I have seen this unit Buy electriQ Easy-Fit 12000 BTU A++ WiFi Smart Wall-Mounted Split Air Conditioner with Heat Pump and 4.5-Meter Pipe Kit from Aircon Direct - https://www.aircondirect.co.uk/p/865335/1000-btu-panasonic-powered-easy-fit-inverter-wall-split-air-conditioner-with-5-meters-pipe-kit-and-5-years-warranty
which states it does not need an F-gas engineer to install.

Does anyone have any experience with these units? Are they equally as good as the ones that contain fluorinated gases?

Any other clever ideas?

 

[littlespark]

Seems fairly plug-n-play…. Just go for it. It shouldn’t be a problem.

I always think there should be someway of utilising the energy spent by the average gym user, converting to electricity and stored in a battery.

 

[SparkySy]

Not that exact make and model but I have fitted them before.
They are really straight forward to install, fit the two units, pipe up between them, wire it up jobs a goodun!
The ones I have fitted come with the gas in them ready, once installed turn the isolators for the refrigerator circuit on and that will release the liquid/gas for the refrigeration circuit.
The only thing is that I couldn't see a way to check that the couples for the fridge side didn't leak.
Sy

 

[James]

R290 | Product Information

R290 (Propane) is refrigerant grade propane, used as an alternative to R22 and R502 in low, medium and high-temperature refrigeration and air conditioning applications.

www.agas.com

I have fitted similar in the past, before f gas regs came along.
The instructions will tell you that you should pressure test pipework and vacuum the air out before opening the valves to introduce refrigerant.

 

[plugsandsparks]

The gas used is R290 which is basically propane, its a great gas for A/C systems in terms of efficiency so no issues there, its main stumbling block (not really an issues for you) is it does not scale well as you need gas detection and ventilation systems to manage the build up of propane should a leak occur. Just be aware that you have , in effect, a bottle of propane sitting in the gym and take appropriate measures.

The disadvantage of the pre-piped systems is the fit, as the pipe is pre-prepared at a certain length so you need to consider how to use up the pipe to make it look good. it is the opposite of when an a/c engineer fits a system where the location of the indoor unit is first choice, location of outdoor unit and then the pipes are custom fit.

I moved to fitting a/c systems after having got fed up with being asked to run power to a/c units only to see the nice work going to the a/c engineers. You could always take the C&Gs course, buy some essential equipment, join Refcom and fit your own as a test site and then make money on A/C as the planet heats up

 

[oscar21]

I think with those DIY units only one side of them is pre-gassed so when you pipe it up you need a vacuum pump to get the air out before you release the gas into the closed system.

I fitted one a few years ago from the same place but it had a different method of fitting, both sides were gassed and sealed and it had a quick type connector you just plugged together and it all worked without any extra work. Cant seem to find that version anywhere now, worked perfectly for years as well.

I think it also seals itself again if you disconnect the two unions again.

 

[Julie.]

I have fitted my own in both the bedroom and living room. Pretty straightforward, I did not get the ones with the quick connect pipework.

Just a matter of mounting and interwiring then running 1/4" and 3/8" pipework between them and plumbing a drain. (you do need proper pipe insulation)

Given the cost saving over getting them fitted, we just bought a 2nd hand vacuum pump and the gauges/pipework in order to test the pipework before we opened the unit (pregassed).

We still saved a bunch of cash - and of course could sell the pump and gauges on for similar to their purchase price.

I think it's pretty important to ensure the pipework is good before letting the gas in.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I think I'm going to get someone to fit it! Pipes, vacuum pumps, insulation!

I just want it to click together and press play.

 

[plugsandsparks]

I have fitted my own in both the bedroom and living room. Pretty straightforward, I did not get the ones with the quick connect pipework.

Just a matter of mounting and interwiring then running 1/4" and 3/8" pipework between them and plumbing a drain. (you do need proper pipe insulation)

Given the cost saving over getting them fitted, we just bought a 2nd hand vacuum pump and the gauges/pipework in order to test the pipework before we opened the unit (pregassed).

We still saved a bunch of cash - and of course could sell the pump and gauges on for similar to their purchase price.

I think it's pretty important to ensure the pipework is good before letting the gas in.

The last line is the issue when you are flaring your own pipes. Most simple units have enough pre-charged gas for a modest run of pipework suitable for Domestic so no need to add additional gas. This is how i do it.
1. Flare pipe-ends using a specific orbital flaring tool using lots of hydraulic oil to make sure the flare is perfect.
2. Connect up again using hydraulic oil smeared onto the flares to ensure a good seal and low drag on wrenches.
3. Pressurise to 30Bar (R410A & R32) using Nitrogen and leave for half a day for a small system and overnight for a large multi-branch system. If it holds, all good, if it does not - its probably a dodgy flare, almost always on the larger pipe.
4. Release the Nitrogen and vacuum for about half an hour for a small system and half a day for a large system.
5. release R gas with pipework under vacuum.
power up and enjoy the coolness

As you can see, to do it properly and to the MIs, there is potential for lots of standing around time. I do all the electrical work and condensate run, whilst pressure testing and vacuuming.

 

[nicebutdim]

None of the aircon companies I come into contact with are happy with anything other than brazed joints. No matter what fancy tools are supplied, they always expect a leak somewhere if forced to use compression joints.