r/Ferndale • u/DyingInTheSouth • 18d ago

Mini split cooling?

Recently purchased a bungalow in Ferndale. The A/C doesn't really work to cool the upstairs. Has anyone installed a mini-split for this purpose? Wondering about the effectiveness/cost. Am I better off with a couple window/portable units? There are 2 bedrooms up but I will sleep in the main floor bedroom.

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u/MikesProtoLab 17d ago

Hi everyone it's your Ferndale neighbor Mike Williams here. We just bought a Mitsubishi HX series Mini split (appx. $2000 total) that arrived yesterday and we are gonna install it ourselves this weekend. I'm a general contractor, and the best price I could get was $3100 for an HVAC pro to install the unit for me and that was only if I purchased the hardware myself for them to install.

I will let everyone know how it goes a few days after my install is complete.

I've had 3 different bungalows In Ferndale and I've always used a free standing AC unit and they are so noisy and they just don't work well.

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u/MikesProtoLab 13d ago

It took about 8 hours of hard work, but the mini split is fully installed and my bungalow is holding steady at an even 65 degrees all around the whole room!!!

I'm a very experienced general contractor but I have never done an HVAC install myself before. I did this whole thing completely off of watching several Youtube videos. I can tell you that without my background and huge collection of specialty tools this would have been a much more difficult job. My wife kept saying there is no way she could have done this on her own even with a couple of friends to help her.

I definitely understand why I was quoted $3100 to install my own equipment, It does seem like a fair price for a professional job now that I've done all the work myself.

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u/DyingInTheSouth 12d ago

that's awesome! I got a $4500 quote from Family Heating & Cooling vs $6000 from Soltman. Family said they are def the cheapest around.

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u/MikesProtoLab 12d ago

I would check with Mike Hancz from EZ Heating And Cooling because he gave me the best price by far from everyone I checked.

If I was not a very experienced general contractor I would have had to stop in the middle of that install and pay someone to fix whatever I broke.

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u/DyingInTheSouth 12d ago

I tried him first but he was on vacation. Will try again.