5 ms·

Ex-Googler designed a heat pump you'll want in your home

30 points by thelastgallon 2y ago

hi-v-rocknroll 2y ago
Interesting. I need a 15k-18k BTU mini split (20+ SEER) right now to climate-control an exterior building, but they're far cheaper at $1-2k plus another $1.5k for installation. Considering adding solar too to offset ongoing electrical costs. Edit: Also considering a 42 SEER Carrier model that will be more expensive initially but cheaper to run.
mistrial9 2y ago
by astounding coincidence, in California Gov Newsom wrote as follows: ( new targets and requested actions outlined in the letter) Clean and Healthy Buildings: Creating a goal of 3 million climate-ready and climate-friendly homes by 2030 and 7 million by 2035, supplemented by 6 million heat pumps by 2030, and directing 50 percent of investments to low-income and disadvantaged communities. https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07.22.2022-Governors-Letter-to-CARB.pdf https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07.22.2022...
johnea 2y ago
Great! Another "innovative" heat pump that will be available somewhere around 2035, if it ever reaches the market... It's a sleeker, stylier, VC oriented heat pump! As an ex-goggler, I'm sure Paul will make millions in the first round and have a great story to tell on the golf course... The only substantial thing I could find was that the company has it's own installers and fixed, disclosed pricing. Both of these are a plus, unlike the double sided sticky tape veneer add-ons...
- okr 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - johnea 2y ago
    And, go alongs are gonna go along. It's great that vacuous VCs are keeping you employed, but it's not great for economic stability or technical progress. You're welcoming me to the world? That's a laugh, I've almost certainly been an electrical engineer longer than you've been on the planet. And having watched these cycles repeat ad-nauseum, I'm rendering my experience based opinion here, not just following the meme...
    - okr 2y ago
      I love to read everyone's opinion or expertise. But i just don't understand the hatred for companies, that raise private money, risk something and try to create an outcome, which may fail. The risk is on investors and on founders. And of course its a cycle. Live and die.
  - xattt 2y ago
    Early pre-Google Nest had this innovative underdog vibe (with the father of the iPod to boot!) but floundered on their own soon after they ran out of ideas beyond the thermostat. I bought into the hype and was disappointed it didn’t amount to much. WIRED had a profile touting post-thermostat Nest but.. it never made it off the ground. I have no idea how an unheard-of company like Inovelli managed to bring some solid home automation products to market in a matter of several years, while Nest just sat around cupping their hand and smelling their farts.
stevage 2y ago
As as an Australian the most interesting thing here is how unfamiliar the US market is with split systems. Here they are absolutely standard, except for older homes that use gas ducted heating, and fancy new homes that use underfloor hydronic heating. We just had some installed. Sure would be nice if we had pretty options like Quilt but...no. The integrated light seems very sensible.
- porphyra 2y ago
  Split systems are extremely standard in Asian countries, even in high rise buildings where each family gets their own mini split. Modern mini splits are just about as efficient as central AC, not to mention the energy savings from only having to cool individual rooms where the humans are, instead of the whole living area. Also, both Japanese brands like Daikin and Chinese brands like Mijia (Xiaomi) and Colmo (Midea) have pretty-looking air conditioners. [1] [2] [1] https://www.acdirect.com/daikin-12000-btu-mini-split-wall-mount-heat-pump-emura-silver-17-seer2-ftxr12wvjus9.html https://www.acdirect.com/daikin-12000-btu-mini-split-wall-mo... [2] https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804135466220.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804135466220.html?gateway...
- hedora 2y ago
  Mini-splits are common in the US too. The innovation seems to be two-fold: - looks stylish - vertically integrated installer network Of those two ideas, “looks stylish” seems like a winner to me, but it is also easily copied.
  - stevage 2y ago
    I'm surprised that lack of installers is even a pain point though. Here, I had dozens, perhaps hundreds of choices. And once we decided what we were getting it was done within a week.
- brianwawok 2y ago
  No airflow is a bummer. My boring ducted AC brings fresh air to each room. Optionally mixed with fresh air from outside. Minisplit guarantees you are just circulating the same air around the room.
gumby 2y ago
Doesn’t appear that they have injected a sufficient quantity of the word “Google” into this article. I can’t see that it has any bearing on the topic.
- bigiain 2y ago
  Yeah. "Ex Googler" used to mean "probably a really smart person". Now as I was reading through that article I kept thinking things like "How are they gonna rug pull buyers?" "What's gonna happen when they hold someone's home heating to ransom because they aren't paying some backend service subscription?" "Who're they planning upon selling room occupancy and energy use data to?" "How much legitimately purchased and expensively installed hardware is gonna end up bricked when this "20% project" get's graveyarded because the person driving it got distracted by some new shiny project?"
  - vineyardmike 2y ago
    The individuals at google are largely not responsible for various business transgressions you might have. There are plenty of people trying to do their best in the environment they were in. Ex-Googlers aren't inherently people who want to be shady, there is no reason to assume this business would be any shadier than any other Silicon Valley business.
    - from-nibly 2y ago
      > any shadier than any other Silicon Valley business. That certainly doesn't inspire confidence.
    - voisin 2y ago
      Man, this is such horseshit. You work for Google, you do so voluntarily and you’re implicitly signing on to their way of business. You’re culpable. You don’t get to take the big salary paid for by the transgressions of the top guys and still have clean hands, and it is total bullshit to be an apologist for anyone that signs up for it. See: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Erg09oOpmo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Erg09oOpmo
superkuh 2y ago
Sounds like it's optimized for places that don't get cold.
- micromacrofoot 2y ago
  based on what?
  - superkuh 2y ago
    No mention of being better than existing heat pumps beyond heavy central emphasis on the aesthetics.
    - micromacrofoot 2y ago
      most of the population does not live in areas that regularly have below zero Fahrenheit temperatures, still a massive market despite not working in minnesota
      - superkuh 2y ago
        And still a speedbump to universal use because they only work situationally and can't just be used by default. Traditional heating technologies can. They just work everywhere. Heat pumps have to be opted into by choice on a regional basis as an alternative to the default heating options.
        alphabettsy 2y ago
        This is already the case. In the West, Seattle for example, electric heat is very common while in the Midwest it is not.
        micromacrofoot 2y ago
        This is kind of a nonsense argument. "They just work everywhere" isn't true. Not everywhere has natural gas access, not everywhere has oil/propane delivery, not everywhere has access to wood fuel. So now we're back to making situational decisions about heating technology anyway. One fuel source that's more universally available than any of the above is electricity. Electric heat pumps can work in more places than any single traditional fuel source. It's only when you combine all of those fuel sources you can make the "less universal" argument. Add electric baseboards as a backup for sub -5F temps and you can cover 100% of the country with electricity.
porphyra 2y ago
Another fancy-looking VC-funded aircon: https://www.electricair.io/ https://www.electricair.io/ Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Tesla to make residential heat pumps/air conditioners as per Master Plan 3.
- shrx 2y ago
  https://tesla.info/en/air-conditioning/ https://tesla.info/en/air-conditioning/
  - porphyra 2y ago
    That's a fake website with nothing to do with Tesla.
    - shrx 2y ago
      Why do you assume it's fake? Tesla is an established appliance company in Europe.
buildsjets 2y ago
There need to be more recessed/flush-mount options, no one wants a big ugly box on the wall even if it is a big box with avant-garde styling. I retrofit a Fujitsu 4-zone split system into my house, that I bought online. I installed a hidden air handler in a centrally located closet to cover the open-floorplan downstairs, which mostly made that space useless for other storage. I also installed 3 recessed flush-mount ceiling-mount units (called a "ceiling cassette") in the bedrooms, which luckily had attic access above. They were 22" wide to fit between the rafters. Nice unobtrusive look. They also offer a floor mounted unit that is less obtrusive than the ol' box on the wall, but it has a slightly lower SEER rating. And can limit where you put your furniture. Also LG has one called the "Art Cool" which is essentially a very thick picture frame you can hang on the surface and disguise with a pretty picture. They should make one built into an OLED TV...
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  I would love to see a YouTube walkthrough of your setup!
  - buildsjets 2y ago
    Sorry, I have toomuchtodo buildingjets to start a Youtube channel, lol! But there are probably a ton of videos out there from people with better video production skills and a more pleasant presentation style than mine. I really taught myself HVAC installation from YT videos and reading the equipment manuals a lot.
    - toomuchtodo 2y ago
      What about jet building videos! :)
- ortusdux 2y ago
  I've been eyeing Mr Cool's DIY flush mount units. https://mrcool.com/diy-ceiling-cassette/ https://mrcool.com/diy-ceiling-cassette/ I have a 100+ y/o farm house, so retrofitting can require some creativity. These recessed units should work, but I'm also toying with the idea of integrating mini-splits into built-in cabinets/dressers. I've been obsessed with greeting a nice large format wood CNC and I like the idea of hiding the return unit behind cosmetic panels.
jay-barronville 2y ago
Wow, I can’t wait to learn more about this heat pump—it must be the most amazing heat pump ever, since it was designed by an ex-Googler!
- photonbeam 2y ago
  It’ll probably get cancelled though
mmastrac 2y ago
The article doesn't mention subscriptions, which is pretty interesting. Will this be a standalone hardware product?
phmqk76 2y ago
I’m sorry, but a major home improvement investment of $6,500 per room relying on a small VC-backed startup is a recipe for disaster, given its cloud-connected nature. If it shipped with Matter/HomeKit/etc support out of the box, I might feel more confident knowing I can still configure it long after the company goes belly up, or Google buys in and inevitably kills the product 10 years from now.
- vineyardmike 2y ago
  > If it shipped with Matter/HomeKit/etc support out of the box Tech specs mentions Matter on their website.
- bagels 2y ago
  It's too expensive anyways.
hndamien 2y ago
There are sleek units that don't have the external part for apartments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J-YyrU_D_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J-YyrU_D_I Cheaper too I think.
santabanta 2y ago
Having an ex-Googler on board could be seen as a potential yellow flag, as it opens the door to the future 'Google-ification' of things! But hey, let's give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they've seen the light since departing the Googleplex. After all, everyone deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf!
insaneirish 2y ago
Saw this recently. If I had to guess, this is a (heavily marked up) rebadging of a Midea or Gree [1] unit with some software around it. Nothing wrong with Midea or Gree, though they tend to be considered to be second-tier to Mitsubishi and Fujitsu, but the markup seems quite a bit for a marginally (debatable) better appearance. [1]: When you see a mini-split, if it's not Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, or Daikin, it's likely made by Midea or Gree.
mikestew 2y ago
Previous discussion on the Quilt heat pump: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40380594 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40380594
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
VincentEvans 2y ago
At over 6K per room it’s about 2-3k more than split acs that I had professionally installed. Just an observation.
dopylitty 2y ago
Whether this succeeds or not it's nice when people put their time into societally beneficial enterprises rather than ad companies. The greatest minds of our generation (if such things exist) have probably been wasted on serving ads and high frequency trading.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
windexh8er 2y ago
Two articles on Quilt hitting the front page? Compare the specs on these units to brands that make mini-splits you want - Quilt is either hiding performance numbers intentionally or because they think their target market doesn't care. But, nobody who lives in colder climates should buy these given the lack of technical specs Quilt provides. Look at my comment the other day in another thread comparing the Quilt to a GE unit. The Quilt is subpar - especially on the heating side.
jacknews 2y ago
" If someone installs a single system in one room, at a cost of $6,499 ..." WHAT??? I can buy a panasonic 1.5hp mini-split inverter, enough for a medium sized room, for <$500, then a couple hundred to install it at most. And probably a hand-crafted heirloom wood surround/cabinet with solid gold accents for the remaining $~6k.
Brian_K_White 2y ago
I just want one that can be cleaned inside. Several years ago I had 3 zones of a 4 zone mini split installed, and then after they filled up with mold and dust in one year (thanks, "eco" mode) I discovered it's practically impossible to clean the blower inside. I did it anyway, by taking them all apart while still attatched to the lines, but I had to flex the lines as the units had to come off the hangers away from the wall to get the blower housing apart. This was obviously not something you do very many times before you spring a leak and I never did it again. It was also super ungainly and messy and required moving everything out from underneath each unit, which was super inconvenient since this incuded book shelves and dressers and wall mounted shelves etc. I also ended up getting cleaner on the bearings. One time, on year-old sealed bearings probably didn't hurt anything, but it's not exactly good to get bearings wet, especially regularly like if cleaning were actually a regular maintenance operation. The units were clearly never meant to come apart, and I can't understand, why not??? The plastic screen does not actually keep the unit clean. It helps but it's just a screen not magic.

30 points by thelastgallon 2y ago

Interesting. I need a 15k-18k BTU mini split (20+ SEER) right now to climate-control an exterior building, but they're far cheaper at $1-2k plus another $1.5k for installation. Considering adding solar too to offset ongoing electrical costs. Edit: Also considering a 42 SEER Carrier model that will be more expensive initially but cheaper to run.

mistrial9 2y ago

by astounding coincidence, in California Gov Newsom wrote as follows: ( new targets and requested actions outlined in the letter) Clean and Healthy Buildings: Creating a goal of 3 million climate-ready and climate-friendly homes by 2030 and 7 million by 2035, supplemented by 6 million heat pumps by 2030, and directing 50 percent of investments to low-income and disadvantaged communities. https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07.22.2022-Governors-Letter-to-CARB.pdf https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07.22.2022...

johnea 2y ago

Great! Another "innovative" heat pump that will be available somewhere around 2035, if it ever reaches the market... It's a sleeker, stylier, VC oriented heat pump! As an ex-goggler, I'm sure Paul will make millions in the first round and have a great story to tell on the golf course... The only substantial thing I could find was that the company has it's own installers and fixed, disclosed pricing. Both of these are a plus, unlike the double sided sticky tape veneer add-ons...

okr 2y ago
[flagged]
- johnea 2y ago
  And, go alongs are gonna go along. It's great that vacuous VCs are keeping you employed, but it's not great for economic stability or technical progress. You're welcoming me to the world? That's a laugh, I've almost certainly been an electrical engineer longer than you've been on the planet. And having watched these cycles repeat ad-nauseum, I'm rendering my experience based opinion here, not just following the meme...
  - okr 2y ago
    I love to read everyone's opinion or expertise. But i just don't understand the hatred for companies, that raise private money, risk something and try to create an outcome, which may fail. The risk is on investors and on founders. And of course its a cycle. Live and die.
- xattt 2y ago
  Early pre-Google Nest had this innovative underdog vibe (with the father of the iPod to boot!) but floundered on their own soon after they ran out of ideas beyond the thermostat. I bought into the hype and was disappointed it didn’t amount to much. WIRED had a profile touting post-thermostat Nest but.. it never made it off the ground. I have no idea how an unheard-of company like Inovelli managed to bring some solid home automation products to market in a matter of several years, while Nest just sat around cupping their hand and smelling their farts.

stevage 2y ago

As as an Australian the most interesting thing here is how unfamiliar the US market is with split systems. Here they are absolutely standard, except for older homes that use gas ducted heating, and fancy new homes that use underfloor hydronic heating. We just had some installed. Sure would be nice if we had pretty options like Quilt but...no. The integrated light seems very sensible.

porphyra 2y ago
Split systems are extremely standard in Asian countries, even in high rise buildings where each family gets their own mini split. Modern mini splits are just about as efficient as central AC, not to mention the energy savings from only having to cool individual rooms where the humans are, instead of the whole living area. Also, both Japanese brands like Daikin and Chinese brands like Mijia (Xiaomi) and Colmo (Midea) have pretty-looking air conditioners. [1] [2] [1] https://www.acdirect.com/daikin-12000-btu-mini-split-wall-mount-heat-pump-emura-silver-17-seer2-ftxr12wvjus9.html https://www.acdirect.com/daikin-12000-btu-mini-split-wall-mo... [2] https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804135466220.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804135466220.html?gateway...
hedora 2y ago
Mini-splits are common in the US too. The innovation seems to be two-fold: - looks stylish - vertically integrated installer network Of those two ideas, “looks stylish” seems like a winner to me, but it is also easily copied.
- stevage 2y ago
  I'm surprised that lack of installers is even a pain point though. Here, I had dozens, perhaps hundreds of choices. And once we decided what we were getting it was done within a week.
brianwawok 2y ago
No airflow is a bummer. My boring ducted AC brings fresh air to each room. Optionally mixed with fresh air from outside. Minisplit guarantees you are just circulating the same air around the room.

gumby 2y ago

Doesn’t appear that they have injected a sufficient quantity of the word “Google” into this article. I can’t see that it has any bearing on the topic.

bigiain 2y ago
Yeah. "Ex Googler" used to mean "probably a really smart person". Now as I was reading through that article I kept thinking things like "How are they gonna rug pull buyers?" "What's gonna happen when they hold someone's home heating to ransom because they aren't paying some backend service subscription?" "Who're they planning upon selling room occupancy and energy use data to?" "How much legitimately purchased and expensively installed hardware is gonna end up bricked when this "20% project" get's graveyarded because the person driving it got distracted by some new shiny project?"
- vineyardmike 2y ago
  The individuals at google are largely not responsible for various business transgressions you might have. There are plenty of people trying to do their best in the environment they were in. Ex-Googlers aren't inherently people who want to be shady, there is no reason to assume this business would be any shadier than any other Silicon Valley business.
  - from-nibly 2y ago
    > any shadier than any other Silicon Valley business. That certainly doesn't inspire confidence.
  - voisin 2y ago
    Man, this is such horseshit. You work for Google, you do so voluntarily and you’re implicitly signing on to their way of business. You’re culpable. You don’t get to take the big salary paid for by the transgressions of the top guys and still have clean hands, and it is total bullshit to be an apologist for anyone that signs up for it. See: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Erg09oOpmo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Erg09oOpmo

superkuh 2y ago

Sounds like it's optimized for places that don't get cold.

micromacrofoot 2y ago
based on what?
- superkuh 2y ago
  No mention of being better than existing heat pumps beyond heavy central emphasis on the aesthetics.
  - micromacrofoot 2y ago
    most of the population does not live in areas that regularly have below zero Fahrenheit temperatures, still a massive market despite not working in minnesota
    - superkuh 2y ago
      And still a speedbump to universal use because they only work situationally and can't just be used by default. Traditional heating technologies can. They just work everywhere. Heat pumps have to be opted into by choice on a regional basis as an alternative to the default heating options.
      - alphabettsy 2y ago
        This is already the case. In the West, Seattle for example, electric heat is very common while in the Midwest it is not.
      - micromacrofoot 2y ago
        This is kind of a nonsense argument. "They just work everywhere" isn't true. Not everywhere has natural gas access, not everywhere has oil/propane delivery, not everywhere has access to wood fuel. So now we're back to making situational decisions about heating technology anyway. One fuel source that's more universally available than any of the above is electricity. Electric heat pumps can work in more places than any single traditional fuel source. It's only when you combine all of those fuel sources you can make the "less universal" argument. Add electric baseboards as a backup for sub -5F temps and you can cover 100% of the country with electricity.

porphyra 2y ago

Another fancy-looking VC-funded aircon: https://www.electricair.io/ https://www.electricair.io/ Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Tesla to make residential heat pumps/air conditioners as per Master Plan 3.

shrx 2y ago
https://tesla.info/en/air-conditioning/ https://tesla.info/en/air-conditioning/
- porphyra 2y ago
  That's a fake website with nothing to do with Tesla.
  - shrx 2y ago
    Why do you assume it's fake? Tesla is an established appliance company in Europe.

buildsjets 2y ago

There need to be more recessed/flush-mount options, no one wants a big ugly box on the wall even if it is a big box with avant-garde styling. I retrofit a Fujitsu 4-zone split system into my house, that I bought online. I installed a hidden air handler in a centrally located closet to cover the open-floorplan downstairs, which mostly made that space useless for other storage. I also installed 3 recessed flush-mount ceiling-mount units (called a "ceiling cassette") in the bedrooms, which luckily had attic access above. They were 22" wide to fit between the rafters. Nice unobtrusive look. They also offer a floor mounted unit that is less obtrusive than the ol' box on the wall, but it has a slightly lower SEER rating. And can limit where you put your furniture. Also LG has one called the "Art Cool" which is essentially a very thick picture frame you can hang on the surface and disguise with a pretty picture. They should make one built into an OLED TV...

toomuchtodo 2y ago
I would love to see a YouTube walkthrough of your setup!
- buildsjets 2y ago
  Sorry, I have toomuchtodo buildingjets to start a Youtube channel, lol! But there are probably a ton of videos out there from people with better video production skills and a more pleasant presentation style than mine. I really taught myself HVAC installation from YT videos and reading the equipment manuals a lot.
  - toomuchtodo 2y ago
    What about jet building videos! :)
ortusdux 2y ago
I've been eyeing Mr Cool's DIY flush mount units. https://mrcool.com/diy-ceiling-cassette/ https://mrcool.com/diy-ceiling-cassette/ I have a 100+ y/o farm house, so retrofitting can require some creativity. These recessed units should work, but I'm also toying with the idea of integrating mini-splits into built-in cabinets/dressers. I've been obsessed with greeting a nice large format wood CNC and I like the idea of hiding the return unit behind cosmetic panels.

jay-barronville 2y ago

Wow, I can’t wait to learn more about this heat pump—it must be the most amazing heat pump ever, since it was designed by an ex-Googler!

photonbeam 2y ago
It’ll probably get cancelled though

mmastrac 2y ago

The article doesn't mention subscriptions, which is pretty interesting. Will this be a standalone hardware product?

phmqk76 2y ago

I’m sorry, but a major home improvement investment of $6,500 per room relying on a small VC-backed startup is a recipe for disaster, given its cloud-connected nature. If it shipped with Matter/HomeKit/etc support out of the box, I might feel more confident knowing I can still configure it long after the company goes belly up, or Google buys in and inevitably kills the product 10 years from now.

vineyardmike 2y ago
> If it shipped with Matter/HomeKit/etc support out of the box Tech specs mentions Matter on their website.
bagels 2y ago
It's too expensive anyways.

hndamien 2y ago

There are sleek units that don't have the external part for apartments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J-YyrU_D_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J-YyrU_D_I Cheaper too I think.

santabanta 2y ago

Having an ex-Googler on board could be seen as a potential yellow flag, as it opens the door to the future 'Google-ification' of things! But hey, let's give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they've seen the light since departing the Googleplex. After all, everyone deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf!

insaneirish 2y ago

Saw this recently. If I had to guess, this is a (heavily marked up) rebadging of a Midea or Gree [1] unit with some software around it. Nothing wrong with Midea or Gree, though they tend to be considered to be second-tier to Mitsubishi and Fujitsu, but the markup seems quite a bit for a marginally (debatable) better appearance. [1]: When you see a mini-split, if it's not Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, or Daikin, it's likely made by Midea or Gree.

mikestew 2y ago

Previous discussion on the Quilt heat pump: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40380594 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40380594

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

VincentEvans 2y ago

At over 6K per room it’s about 2-3k more than split acs that I had professionally installed. Just an observation.

dopylitty 2y ago

Whether this succeeds or not it's nice when people put their time into societally beneficial enterprises rather than ad companies. The greatest minds of our generation (if such things exist) have probably been wasted on serving ads and high frequency trading.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

windexh8er 2y ago

Two articles on Quilt hitting the front page? Compare the specs on these units to brands that make mini-splits you want - Quilt is either hiding performance numbers intentionally or because they think their target market doesn't care. But, nobody who lives in colder climates should buy these given the lack of technical specs Quilt provides. Look at my comment the other day in another thread comparing the Quilt to a GE unit. The Quilt is subpar - especially on the heating side.

jacknews 2y ago

" If someone installs a single system in one room, at a cost of $6,499 ..." WHAT??? I can buy a panasonic 1.5hp mini-split inverter, enough for a medium sized room, for <$500, then a couple hundred to install it at most. And probably a hand-crafted heirloom wood surround/cabinet with solid gold accents for the remaining $~6k.

Brian_K_White 2y ago

I just want one that can be cleaned inside. Several years ago I had 3 zones of a 4 zone mini split installed, and then after they filled up with mold and dust in one year (thanks, "eco" mode) I discovered it's practically impossible to clean the blower inside. I did it anyway, by taking them all apart while still attatched to the lines, but I had to flex the lines as the units had to come off the hangers away from the wall to get the blower housing apart. This was obviously not something you do very many times before you spring a leak and I never did it again. It was also super ungainly and messy and required moving everything out from underneath each unit, which was super inconvenient since this incuded book shelves and dressers and wall mounted shelves etc. I also ended up getting cleaner on the bearings. One time, on year-old sealed bearings probably didn't hurt anything, but it's not exactly good to get bearings wet, especially regularly like if cleaning were actually a regular maintenance operation. The units were clearly never meant to come apart, and I can't understand, why not??? The plastic screen does not actually keep the unit clean. It helps but it's just a screen not magic.