What Mini-Split did you use, and Why?

[Gotshocked!]

What were the main reasons for choosing the Aurora instead of a Pioneer Hyperformance (-22F) or Inverter ++ (-13F)?

I'm in the market for another Pioneer but if something better is out there in all for it.

I know you've got a Pioneer. I wish I new if the Aura was better/best, but...

• I like what I hear from others that landed on the Senville units, either one really. The reviews are the best, at least on Amazon and there's a lot of'em. Still, there's plenty of 1 star nightmares.
• The Aura has a 10/5 year compressor/parts warranty and on their own site they say go ahead and install that thing yourself, just get the lines done by a pro and your warranty is valid. That's cool. It does conflict with the manual though, as the manual says get it installed professionally. I wouldn't doubt them defaulting to the manual over the website.
• I felt like it's a good balance all around and the performance appears to be tip top, so between that and the warranty, it may never be introduced to the KSG.
• I threw a dart and it landed on Senville, so I chose the higher-end one, even though I read a guy who wrote that he has both and the Leto performed better. I compared the stats side by side, and either his Aura has issues or it's not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[Supervstech]

I've seen these pics before, in this thread I think.
I'm in the country, so nobody gives a damn what I do, which I love after having been a city dweller up until 2022.
I do have a 110 outlet and I do recall reading about this but I'm not sure if it's close enough to the mini's location. Maybe 25' away.

As long as the minimum ampacity of the appliance states 15a or less, you will be fine.
The issue would be if you didnt have the correct maximum OCP if it calls for a 15, and you put a 20A breaker on because you have #12, it would be incorrect.
The two things required are minimum ampacity of the circuit conductor, and maximum breaker size.

 

[Gotshocked!]

What were the main reasons for choosing the Aurora instead of a Pioneer Hyperformance (-22F) or Inverter ++ (-13F)?

I'm in the market for another Pioneer but if something better is out there I'm all for it.

There's a good bit of back and forth here. One wrote the Senville is very similar to the Pioneer. I'm assuming they're mostly writing about the Leto as most do not specify. If the Leto is good, the Aura should be great.

Bought a Senville mini split... wish me luck!

I've been casually shopping mini splits for a few years now, but didn't want to pull the trigger because mini split money also spends nicely on tools and car parts! I can just be hot or cold while I work in my shop. I travel a lot for work, and ended up taking money from Delta over the summer...

www.garagejournal.com

Here's someone on pg 1 of this thread comparing the 2.

What Mini-Split did you use, and Why?

Hey Y'all, I'm doing my due diligence, and trying to research the Mini-Split to use in my garage. There's as many choices for mini-splits as there are different brands/makes/models of Solar Panels! My question to those of you who have a mini-split, specifically if you installed it yourself, is...

diysolarforum.com

"I have a Senville Leto 12k and a Pioneer 24k. The Senville is much better as a heater in the winter. Both are good for cooling. When I installed the Senville, I got it in 120 volt to save on wire as it only needed a 14 gauge run. Both have the wifi module installed and can be run on a schedule from a phone app or Home Assist.
I should add, both run off the Growatt perfectly. They start off with a low current demand and slowly ramp up over 30 seconds or so. Extremely inverter friendly designs."

There's a good bit of bad out there too, but I've found some bad even in Mitsubishi.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Thank you @Gotshocked! I looked at Senville last year and honestly can't remember why I went with the Pioneer, iirc the Aurora wasn't released yet.

Be sure to follow up with your thoughts and ask questions, if you need to, during the install; there are a few experts here.

I linked what I used for the AC outside wiring below.
I know the disconnect is overkill but I used the appropriate amperage breaker and wire.
DIVERSITECH DDS-60u 60 Amp Disconnect https://a.co/d/7tIyEBN

Liquid-Tight Conduit - 1/2inch 25 Foot Flexible Non Metallic Liquid Tight Electrical Conduit Kit, with 4 Straight and 3 Angle Fittings Included. 1/2" Dia https://a.co/d/gMsa5Te

 

[tomy2]

I am referring to the Aura which is 230v. 14 gauge then? If I'm right and the cable from the 220 2 pole to the 220 plug is 12ga, can I terminate that into a junction box and go with 14/2 from there

You will need to place a 15amp breaker somewhere and start the 14 guage wire from there.

 

[tomy2]

There's a good bit of back and forth here. One wrote the Senville is very similar to the Pioneer. I'm assuming they're mostly writing about the Leto as most do not specify. If the Leto is good, the Aura should be great.

The Pioneer and Senville look very similar, and may come from the same factory. I own one Sena and three Auras, the Auras are more efficient and better made, I'm not an engineer but I have taken both apart and see the build differences. That being said, I just bought another Sena for a small studio, where 220v would be difficult to run. That and the $500. price difference sold me. I have the 26 seer 9k Aura in my bedroom, and really like it and the low watts it consumes.

 

[ChrisG]

@Gotshocked! , note that the Senville Aura comes with a remote and should come with the Alexa USB device for integration, not the typical Senville app. Check if still the case, if so you can control it by remote, Alexa voice device or Alexa App and works fine if you need 'remote' control capability. I have since added a Sensibo Air simply to test integration with Home Assistant which also works great.

Alexa App:

 

[justgary]

You will need to place a 15amp breaker somewhere and start the 14 guage wire from there.

... But 12 gauge will be fine if that is what is available.

@Gotshocked! - Be sure to use red tape to wrap a few inches of both ends of the white wire when you use it for 240v. Black and white imply 120v where the white is neutral. Black and red imply 240v. Marking the ends red is sufficient as long as it is obviously visible.

 

[Gotshocked!]

Thank you @Gotshocked! I looked at Senville last year and honestly can't remember why I went with the Pioneer, iirc the Aurora wasn't released yet.

Be sure to follow up with your thoughts and ask questions, if you need to, during the install; there are a few experts here.

I linked what I used for the AC outside wiring below.
I know the disconnect is overkill but I used the appropriate amperage breaker and wire.
DIVERSITECH DDS-60u 60 Amp Disconnect https://a.co/d/7tIyEBN

Liquid-Tight Conduit - 1/2inch 25 Foot Flexible Non Metallic Liquid Tight Electrical Conduit Kit, with 4 Straight and 3 Angle Fittings Included. 1/2" Dia https://a.co/d/gMsa5Te

I dropped those off in the Amazon cart. Thank you sir.

 

[Gotshocked!]

This must be 12/3 w/ground then? Hopefully the steps below are correct. Thanks for all the help gentlemen.

• Swap the existing 50a 2 pole for a 20a 2 pole in the panel.
• Use the black, red & ground 12ga wire from the 240 outlet & bring to junction box in crawlspace. Tie in another 50' of 12/2 w/ground there.
• Land 12/2 w/ground onto the 60a non-fusable disconnect.
• Run 14/4 in liquid tight conduit from 60a non-fusable disconnect and land on outside condenser.
• Run Senville's comm & power cables in liquid tight conduit from outside condenser to inside air handler.

 

[Supervstech]

Id use a 30A disconnect. No reason for a 60

 

[justgary]

That wire looks a lot more like #8 than #12.

 

[Gotshocked!]

It seems that this is the most common issue. Getting a clean straight cut on the lines and squaring up the lines to the connections is important but what about insurance on these connections? I was thinking, and I'm sure this will make some of you pro's gag or worse, but I was thinking an ultra-thin seal of original jb weld at the thread end and where the pipe enters the coupling on what I suspect would be 4 points of connection, 2 per line. Those connections will never ever leak, but the seals would need to be no thicker than what would fill in the areas where 2 pieces come together, otherwise it's never ever going to come apart either.

I saw this as an alternative to my version of a seal.

https://www.amazon.com/FlareSeal-Model-MSP-0408-Flare-Connections/dp/B07M81FBF9/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?crid=2XGJPGRT1MBSO&keywords=hvac%2Bflaring%2Btool&qid=1702244178&sprefix=hvac%2Bbrake%2Blinflaring%2Btool%2Caps%2C1388&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

FlareSeal® Model MSP-0408 Leak Free SAE Flare Connections - Refrigerant Leaks Refrigeration, HVAC, Ductless, Schrader Valve or Mini Split Applications (1/4", Mini Split Pack - (2) 1/4" and (2) 1/2")​

 

[Gotshocked!]

That wire looks a lot more like #8 than #12.

It is huge wire. The existing run is really short between the outlet and the panel. Probably less than 20' including up and down the walls. It lands on a 50amp 2 pole breaker.
I might have to run new wire from the panel to the mini-split which is around 50'.

I should probably use solid and not stranded 14/2 w/ground?

 

[ChrisG]

It seems that this is the most common issue. Getting a clean straight cut on the lines and squaring up the lines to the connections is important but what about insurance on these connections? I was thinking, and I'm sure this will make some of you pro's gag or worse, but I was thinking an ultra-thin seal of original jb weld at the thread end and where the pipe enters the coupling on what I suspect would be 4 points of connection, 2 per line. Those connections will never ever leak, but the seals would need to be no thicker than what would fill in the areas where 2 pieces come together, otherwise it's never ever going to come apart either.

I saw this as an alternative to my version of a seal.

https://www.amazon.com/FlareSeal-Model-MSP-0408-Flare-Connections/dp/B07M81FBF9/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?crid=2XGJPGRT1MBSO&keywords=hvac%2Bflaring%2Btool&qid=1702244178&sprefix=hvac%2Bbrake%2Blinflaring%2Btool%2Caps%2C1388&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

FlareSeal® Model MSP-0408 Leak Free SAE Flare Connections - Refrigerant Leaks Refrigeration, HVAC, Ductless, Schrader Valve or Mini Split Applications (1/4", Mini Split Pack - (2) 1/4" and (2) 1/2")​

Yeah. Don’t ever use those. Get a flare tool from lowes for $50 and just redo the flares if using lines from manufacturer. Also nylog, a little dab will do ya.

 

[Gotshocked!]

Yeah. Don’t ever use those. Get a flare tool from lowes for $50 and just redo the flares if using lines from manufacturer. Also nylog, a little dab will do ya.

This will seal the thread end, but what about the other end? I'll get a flare tool for sure, but I might still seal the other end and use jb weld. I used jb weld on the hard coolant pipes on this engine maybe 5-6 years ago when I deleted several heater hoses and rewired the bay. It's very much like a weld and the original product is like thin honey when mixed, so it's easy to put it on very thin and remove any unwanted excess.
I don't know exactly how leaks are so commonplace, but this would remove that possibility.

 

[timselectric]

JB weld will ruin the fitting. It's great for permanent things.
I would not recommend it for something that may need to be taken apart in the future.

 

[justgary]

It is huge wire. The existing run is really short between the outlet and the panel. Probably less than 20' including up and down the walls. It lands on a 50amp 2 pole breaker.
I might have to run new wire from the panel to the mini-split which is around 50'.

I should probably use solid and not stranded 14/2 w/ground?

Can you just leave that circuit and add another? You'll want a new breaker anyway, so just get the 15A you need and run your 14/2 w/ground or 14/3 (you can use 12 gauge also if you have it lying around). You could replace full height breakers with half height if you need the space in the panel.

 

[42OhmsPA]

This must be 12/3 w/ground then? Hopefully the steps below are correct. Thanks for all the help gentlemen.

• Swap the existing 50a 2 pole for a 20a 2 pole in the panel.
• Use the black, red & ground 12ga wire from the 240 outlet & bring to junction box in crawlspace. Tie in another 50' of 12/2 w/ground there.
• Land 12/2 w/ground onto the 60a non-fusable disconnect.
• Run 14/4 in liquid tight conduit from 60a non-fusable disconnect and land on outside condenser.
• Run Senville's comm & power cables in liquid tight conduit from outside condenser to inside air handler.

View attachment 182139 View attachment 182138 View attachment 182140

That looks like 6awg, I don't think it will fit into a 20a breaker. I know it won't fit in a homeline 20a.

How hard is running a new circuit?

 

[Gotshocked!]

Can you just leave that circuit and add another? You'll want a new breaker anyway, so just get the 15A you need and run your 14/2 w/ground or 14/3 (you can use 12 gauge also if you have it lying around). You could replace full height breakers with half height if you need the space in the panel.

That's right, 15amp min for this unit. I'm getting confused between what I'm reading and watching on YT.
14/2 for sure.
I was just planning on replacing the existing 50amp 2 pole with a 15amp 2 pole and using the old 8ga wire to pull the new 14ga in the panel. I have no use for 240v in the garage.