Mr Cool DIY Mini Split Review (After 1 Year of Use)

We've really liked our Mr Cool DIY mini split units... but how have they stood the test of time? Here's what we've learned after 1 year of owning these units with daily use! Links below on where we purchased them for a great price with great customer service.

#mrcooldiy #mrcool #minisplit

0:00 - Intro
0:37 - Pros
0:42 - 1. Easy to Install
1:08 - 2. Cost Efficient
1:34 - 3. Heats AND Cools
2:07 - 4. Doesn't Obstruct Window
2:32 - 5. Very WARM
2:53 - 6. Low Maintenance
3:44 - Ingram's Water & Air
4:55 - 7. Mobile App
6:48 - 8. No Ductwork
7:32 - Cons
7:41 - 1. Temperature Control Calibration
9:13 - 2. Louver Settings
9:59 - 3. Multi-zone Functionality
11:24 - 4. *Highly* Removeable Battery Cap
12:48 - 5. BEEPING
13:00 - 6. Loud Condenser
13:22 - SUBSCRIBE!!!

[markyager]

What’s the monthly cost to run them? Great video thanks!

[ScentofPlacenta]

I've had mine for about two and half years. Over the Winter it stopped working very effectively, and started throwing a PO error code. I messed around with it for a while and couldn't get it to work, even after several various attempts at resetting things. It didn't really matter too much at the time as it was getting to be spring. In any case, June comes around and it's getting warmer so I start to think about calling someone to come look at it. Then I saw something online that said they came with a five year warranty or something. So I emailed them and told them the issue. They had me check a few things with my multimeter, and within two days they warrenteed it. Five days later, I have a completely new entire set (head unit and condenser) sitting in my driveway. They don't warranty labor, so I have to put it in myself. But all of the holes and whatnot are already there, so it's just a matter of hooking everything up. I'm very happy with how well they took care of me when it really counted

[dsistudios]

Los Angeles, California. 3 Story Condo. A/C on roof died worked great for 20 years. Normally my monthly bill is approx $600 a MONTH during the heatwave summer. I bought a 24K Mr Cool 3rd Gen DIY model from CostCo $1, 800 for only my 2nd floor. I paid someone to install it. It is 110 outside and the entire 2nd floor is cold on low or medium setting. It has low, medium, high, TURBO. My monthly bill is now $200 per MONTH with the unit on almost all the time. I bought another unit for my bedroom which faces the SUN. I have both units on 24/7 $250 per month eletricity, includes 2 fridges, 4 computers always on, 3 tvs always on, 1 dedicated rack mount server 24/7, and lights. LADWP which they are expensive. $250 per month damn cheap compared to before.

[Browneye]

Season five with my two, a 1 ton and a 2 ton - absolutely fantastic. Keeps the house comfy and cool, and you never hear it.

[David-scir]

I purchased a 36, 000 btu five years ago and it was one of the best things I ever did! I live in a four season climate, very hot/humid summers
and cold/snowy winters.... This gem has performed without fail! Nice and toasty in the winter and perfectly cool and dry in the humid summers.
A great advantage is when power goes out in a 'blip' when power returns the system restarts and continues at the setting you had it without
you having to restart/reset it. Cleaning the filters is very easy and I blow out the aluminum fins to get dust off about once a year. I only paid
$1, 200 for this five years ago and they have gone up a bit but I would buy another in a second if needed! Very cost effective!

[sprockkets]

Your unit isn't miscalibrated. The temperature it is sensing is what goes inside the unit. It's going to be hotter since it is taking in air that is higher in the room. A better alternative is to use the follow me function of the remote. Then it will use its thermometer instead of the one inside the unit. In any case what shows on the unit itself should be the set point, not the room temp.
Also, your app might be able to turn off the beeping since the remote doesn't. If not, open the indoor unit and look at the circuit board for the buzzer. Cover it up with electrical tape to quiet it down.

[travismackillop]

I installed a 24K unit 3 years ago with no issues. For the cost, at this rate even if I had to replace it I would still be on top relative to a professionally installed brand such as Mitsubishi etc.
it was super easy to instal and works flawlessly. As well as being extremely affordable as a DYI proposition.
I hear comments occasionally about the struggle to find a technician to perform service to a Mr. Cool unit but I have not been confronted with that…yet. We’ll see. Even so, I have to imagine that if you were to have to replace certain components to resolve service issues, you would still be ahead of the game relative to a more costly household name brand. Mr. Cool is a good value and you really don’t give up any real features and functions that other manufacturers offer.

[ds]

Youtube suggested this video because I'm investigating installing one of these in my garage in the Midwest for when I retire and make space for a woodworking shop. I had a Mitsubishi unit installed 10 years ago for a room addition when code required a professional installation. I went 10 years without having any maintenance work done--I was told they were reliable (just vacuum the filters regularly). When they came to give it its first checkup, they said it was all good. The inside unit is amazing quiet as is the outside unit. Often the only way to know the outside unit is on is to feel the air from fan. This unit doesn't have a wifi app which sounds like a great thing to have. I agree with you on how wonderful they are. I've recently heard of Mr Cool and the DIY install. That sounds appealing. I'll revisit these YT videos when the time comes for installing one in the garage. I hope you continue to enjoy your mini splits.

[asgerjrgensen]

Maintenance
Indoor: you should vacuum clean the dust filter once a month to keep up the efficiency.
Outdoor: You should visually inspect regularly and vacuum for spiders web when needed.
Free airflow is VERY important.

[Greg-ioip]

I'm sure it's a good fit for most people. Study your seasons and attics. Your attic is a 'lung' of warmer air to moderate in warm weather, a barrier to be a layer of controlled air in winter. You won't know how little energy you can use to stay comfortable until your attic spaces are being properly regulated to accommodate the change of seasons.

[petermaz]

Nice video you covered just about everything. The one thing on the pros that you forgot to mention was the fact that they are incredibly quiet units and you hardly even know that they’re running to me that would be very important to know.

[leodanryan]

I don't about you, but I love mine. It only takes 475 watts to start and 1/3 of that to run. It's a heat pump and a dehumidifier, and you can run it mostly on solar.

[alexandergadomski]

Initially I noticed a difference between the set temperature and actual temperature the room. the temperature sensor is on the unit, 7 ft or so off the ground. of course the air is warmer up there. Using follow me helps maintain better temperature where you want it

[laserbeam]

I hope to be getting a MrCool within the next month or two. All the cons you mentioned are no big deal for me. I see no real problems. Thank you for posting.

[zelowatch]

Sounds way too good to be real. This is exactly what I needed and I'm buying. 😀

[robbieparis]

Thank you so much for doing this! Ive converted a detached 150 sqr ft shed into a fully insulated office (as I work from home now). We are on southern Ontario, Canada. The summer can have some very hot days, and winter can have some very cold ones. This looks like it will be an excellent option.

[khengsweegoh]

Good review. Never bothered to calibrate my temperature settings or the other features on the app (so lazy - I just "Alexa" voice control the minisplit these days). Learned something new. Thanks! I installed 8 units (3 zone multi-split, 5 singles) between 2018-2021. I noticed you left your control wires exposed outside. Since these should last you a number of years, I would recommend you cover up the control wires outside from being exposed to the elements by installing flexible Liquidtight conduit and fittings (like what your electrician did on the power cables). You might also want to look at raising the outside units on blocks so the leaves won't collect and rot behind them. An unfortunate thing about Mr.Cool DIY units is you need to figure out how to neatly coil/store the excess lineset length since you can't cut it without losing the pre-charged advantage. I went with the traditional lines so I could neatly run the lines to exact length (saved a bunch on the purchase price too). I also wall mounted all of my outside units (on heat pumps, you really can't call them condensers since they become evaporators on heat cycle). One thing you forgot to mention is cost. Compared to electric (resistive) baseboard heating, heat pumps will heat at approximately half the cost because they're not generating the heat, but simply moving it. In fact, it's currently only slightly more expensive than natural gas furnace heat. But you offset that by only heating/cooling the rooms you need, saving on unnecessary heating/cooling in rooms you're not using. Not sure about the noise level you were talking about though. Compared to traditional ducted AC and all other kinds of AC (including window AC), they are super quiet. Thanks again for the review!

[LoneTiger]

1. Is your room too cold in winter or too warm in summer? The room with the brick wall I mean. If you ever decide to upgrade your home some, a 1-inch insulation+vapor barrier on that brick wall would help keep temperatures more stable in that room.
2. You may want to call an AC technician to trim down the excess pipes to the condensers, this is just a minor thing and will look much nicer, plus shorter lines improve gas flow.
3. Isn't the beeping turned off when you turn the display/light off also?
4. The vent should open like a slit when the heater is on as it warms the gas in the condenser, as soon as the fan starts the vent should open like normal. You didn't mention if that happened during winter or summer.
5. There's one piece of maintenance you do need to do once a month / two months, open the head unit and clean the screens.
Keep up the good videos, very nice review overall. 😺 👍

[jeffreyhare]

Getting a Mitsubishi unit installed next Tuesday for the new sunroom. Single duct in there can't keep up year round. This will help keep the room comfortable and the whole house furnace can catch a break. Super excited and salesman said it will use much less electricity than the electric radiator in there now. Have read about the super efficiency elsewhere.

[jgnmtz]

Bought the Mr Cool 3rd gen 22 SEER 12, 000 BTU mini-split .. handyman says he can install July 11th.. it’s mid June in concord, Ca so I know we will likely have to put up with at least 4-6 days of 100 degrees by then but it will be worth it .. so excited .. I even bought the pad and the cover guards 🙏