split air cons

[dzcook]

ok have been offered a very ( what i think is ) good deal on some split system reverse cycle air conditioners ( buying 7 for 2 houses ) fitjitsu brand not that i really like air conditioners but i think most pple do so future sale of house would be a good point and also as some of the walls at monent are unlined will be easier to run pipes etc and the installer is working out a price for the instalation as well cheap

but some questions about them do they need to be run ( like car units ) every few weeks / months to stop seals driying out etc as i can see them being rarely used

are they really ecomical on the heat cycle ? compared to other forms of heating or would just cooling ones be as good with small heaters for when its cold ? ( its down to 6 degress to night and i am freezing , joys of living in nth qld ,you get so use to it being warm )

can the oiutside units be installed under the houses they are about 1.5 to 2 mtrs of the ground and have a good air flow under them as this would also cut down on the pipeing etc ?

and i am sure that someone had post about installing them your self but is it as easy as it sounded or would it be better left to the pros ?

thanks for any info

[Tas_Dean]

They are extremely economical on heating, compared to other forms of electric heating. All other forms of electric heating give one kilowatt of heat for one kilowatt of power. A reverse cycle air conditioner will output up to 3 kilowatts of heat for one kilowatt of power, due to the refrigeration process.

Do they need to be run frequently? A good question, I wouldn't leave them sitting for years, but as a fully sealed unit there are no seals etc to be lubricated, therefore it's not a big deal as it is in a car air-con situation.

Can they be installed under a house? It's not recommended, but if there is a huge air flow under the house then maybe. I just re-read your post, are the houses on stilts? if so then under the house is fine.

Installing yourself? Unless you have a vacuum pump, refrigeration flaring tools (They are different angles to plumbing/gas flares) and an CFC licence then no. You could run the pipework (Be sure that it is refrigeration grade copper), prepare a level slab or similar to sit the outdoor units on, and perhaps pull through the inter-connecting wiring, but at that point would be time to call a sparky/fridgy.
Here in Tassie, a lot of electricians have a cfc licence and their own tools so that they can do AC installs themselves. Generally works out a bit cheaper than getting two different tradesmen in.
I take it your houses are in construction stage. Be sure that the sparky allows for the load of them in your mains wiring.

[totoblue]

Installing yourself?

I was looking at a Mistral cheapy recently at Bunnings and on the box it said the warranty was void unless installed by professionals.

[Tas_Dean]

I was looking at a Mistral cheapy recently at Bunnings and on the box it said the warranty was void unless installed by professionals.

Correct that is also. However, running the pipework and cabling and having a professional hook it up and sign the warranty card shouldn't be an issue, provided the cabling and pipework is run correctly.