"Other than the idiots who installed the mini split and after three days of them here and not able to figure out the problem, (this was the first mini split the supposed well known company had instslled). The old guy blamed the malfunction on everything from my house having bad wiring to telling me that I broke it myself. "

Therein lies the problem. Minisplits are so uncommon in the US that most contractors don't know how to install them and charge an arm and a leg because there is no competition. I think minisplits are great in the right application but they are a little ahead of their time here in the land of the free (enterprise)!

I had a Mr. Slim 9,000 put in. It cost $900 and $300 to install by a licensed man. Yes it was a small Unit with one inside Unit, but it took the guy about two- three hours if I remember correctly.

What you don't say is 'WHEN' you did this. Time doesn't stand still and prices change not to mention quality of the unit. You had a problem with one of them did you not?

If you maintain them they aren't any better or any worse than anything else out there except that the longer you have the unit the better the chance you won't find parts for it. The other problem I would hate about them is condensate problems.

Mold problems tend to be a problem of the structure, not the equipment. This doesn't mean you can't have mold in the equipment, but most of this depends on the maintenance that is performed on the machine.

Magic 8 ball says: Just because you read it on the internet doesn't mean it's true or false. Your mileage, like all things in life will vary.

Upside: There is a big advantage in efficiency in many situations. Dehumidification is excellent with variable speed models.

Downside: Maintenance (cleaning) and repair is time-consuming and costly if you have a lot of rooms requiring a lot of units.

An overlooked advantage that might not be important to all is that you can keep comfortable with a relatively small genset in a power failure situation by selectively running some of the system. Load is less for obvious reasons. In addition to that, there is no start-up surge.

Austin Aire- yes I did state when the me was installed- it states ' 2008', although I was supposed to be typing 2009... just as I don't clean the filters with 'fish soap'. Dish soap... As far as the guys not knowing how to install ms... That company is also crooked or dumb. I suspect both. The main hvac was serviced by them prior to us buying this ' flipped' house. Main hvac did not work first time used (heat/January/central Florida). This company came out three consecutive days. First day it was a capacitor. Second day it was something else I don't remember AND a 'broken' thermostat $125 for thermostat alone! I found same exact the thermostat at Lowes for $40. Seriously. Third day it still did not work. I called a different company recommended by someone. THAT company found two parts in the outside unit that were present but not hooked up- a fan of some sort and something else. Took him about 6 seconds to find the problem. I was standing next to him. Also had too much coolant. The first company came out anyway after already told that the two prior days work was wrong. The second company showed the first how poor work/assessing skills. Second company actually wrote a short letter for me to send to first. Never heard from first. Did not have time/energy/emotions due to family impending death. It is not always the inexperienced hvac company- sometimes they are just crooked as well. Every type of company has these, sadly.

Well on the cost of the thermostat at Lowes... will Lowes come to you home and install it for you?

Out of what the company charged you for the thermostat how many people are they paying for that call?

dispatch person you talked to on phone, Tech, the boss.

Your warranty on a thermostat from Lowes 90 days. After that you have to talk to the manufacturer yourself.

If a company isn't providing you the service you want, find another company. But with a company with more higher skilled techs and the $125 thermostat will probably be double that. (I am a HVAC contractor... [no techs here] there is no magical place higher for me in terms of skill.)

You pay for skill. That's what you're paying for... or should be paying for. Otherwise you're left to complaining on forum boards. What is your time worth?

You want better AC service and you live in Katy, Tx? Call me 832.475.6895

Honestly, the real difficulty in minisplits is finding a good location to put the indoor and outdoor units and then hiding the refrigerant lines and drain so it looks good.

In new construction as you said its not as hard, but I would have to say most work guys do are on houses already existing. Otherwise, yea its basically installing an evap coil and compressor combo so I dont see why they cant figure it out. If they can install a heat pump why cant they figure out a minisplit, its the same thing.

Agreed Vith!! Another reason I love them - as in my home, the addition has a ms. If the main house were to lose its hvac (or visa-versa), at least you still have hvac to use while the other is repaired. Something I never thought about until I came to the climate that is Hot as Hell!! Next house will also have a hand pump attached to the water/well line, as if no electric the well pump can't go on. Also built in generator. Friends here had no electric/water for 6 weeks and livestock needed water... Am collecting items for my 'list' of things I want/feel necessary for next little house. Will be rural. Maybe I should build an 'Outhouse'... :)

Mini splits are mostly a fad and or niche product - they don't work well for large open areas without multiple cooling heads (AH units) they are better for small single room type application... and because they do fail quite often, much more frequently than regular ducted system, a lot of companies will not venture down this path with you.

Give it some time... you'll see.

Austin Air- my point was that every day the company said it was ' Something elde'. The thermostat- AND everything else they did was not broken- as I found out when I finally called the second recommended company who immediately found the real problem. I also always save any psrts- be it house car, whatever. Second guy tested the 'Broken parts' n which worked fine. He is the one who wrote the letter for me. I observed him testing 3 ' broken items I now have the old/broken thermostat on as it has more settings as the 'New one'.... The cost of a call/tech/new thermostat/ for $125 would not have been a problem if that WAS the problem. It was not the problem..

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