“Pre-installed” is a slightly strange thing to call an air conditioner that arrives in boxes. Fair question. We haven't been to your house. We haven't put anything on your wall.
What we've done is the refrigerant work. The part that normally involves a vacuum pump, gauges, and knowing what to do with them. We connect the system here, test it, disconnect it for shipping, and send you the pieces that were just working together.
That's why Dave starts this video with a disconnected unit on a table. He's going to connect it, get it cooling, take it apart, and do it again. You can watch the whole thing below.
We've already had the vacuum pump out
With a conventional mini-split, getting the indoor and outdoor units into position is only part of the job. You still have to prepare the refrigerant circuit, make the connections, and check your work. If you've never done that before, there's a fair amount to learn before you even turn the thing on.
Our Quick ’n’ EasyTM system arrives with that work done. The refrigerant lines are pre-charged. The power cord is pre-installed. The communication cable has a twist-to-connect fitting, and the solar whips are already attached.
For the solar hybrid setup in this video, Dave also shows the isolator and 10 meters of solar wire. The indoor and outdoor units travel separately. Shipping them with everything connected would make for a fairly ridiculous box.
So yes, there's work involved in getting a mini-split ready to run. We do a lot of it before UPS gets involved.
By hand means by hand
Watch the stainless steel refrigerant connectors. Dave screws them together using the gloves we supply. He doesn't finish with two wrenches. He doesn't get out a torque wrench. These connections are designed to be completed by hand.
He also shows what a fully seated connection looks like. At first, there's still a gap. He keeps turning until the fitting reaches its stop and the gap is closed. That's a useful close-up if you're looking at your own unit and wondering whether you're done.
The two lines have different connector arrangements, too. Dave holds them up to show why the wrong pair won't screw together. It's a small detail, but a useful one when you're standing there with two lines in your hands.
The connections themselves take about five minutes. That isn't a five-minute installation. You still have to mount the units, drill the wall opening, and route the lines and drain. This video concentrates on the refrigerant connections; the installation guide covers the rest.
Then we turn it on
For this demonstration, the communication cable, solar connection, and grid power are already connected. Once the refrigerant lines are joined, Dave starts the unit and checks the indoor coil with a thermometer.
The reading drops into the 50s, then the 40s. That's the coil reading in this particular demonstration, by the way. It isn't the room temperature or a promise about how quickly your room will cool.
With the unit running, he applies Big Blu leak-detection fluid around the connections. Escaping refrigerant would make bubbles. He brings the camera in so you can see the connections he's checking.
This is part of what we do before shipping. You don't have to buy Dave's collection of testing equipment to connect a Quick ’n’ EasyTM system.
Now take it apart. Yes, really.
This is the reason we can pre-install the system in the first place: the valves seal when disconnected, keeping the refrigerant inside. We can run your unit here and still send it to you in separate boxes.
Dave shuts the unit down and explains the five-minute wait before disconnecting it. He says to disconnect power and let the refrigerant settle first. If you're moving yours, follow your model's shutdown and disconnection instructions, including isolating both grid and solar power.
After the wait, he unscrews the connections, checks the disconnected valves, wipes everything down, and reconnects the same unit. Then he turns it back on. The temperature starts dropping again.
There's quite a bit of wrestling with slippery gloves in between. Leak-detection fluid turns out to be very good at making things slippery. You get to see that, too.
The useful part is what this means later. Maybe you want the unit in a different bedroom. Maybe you're moving it to a cottage. Quick ’n’ EasyTM is designed to be disconnected and reconnected, and moving it using the proper procedure doesn't void your Airspool guarantee.
And if one half needs replacing?
Dave talks about that as well. If an outdoor unit needs replacing, we can send that component. You reconnect it to the rest of your system and send the faulty one back in the replacement's box. You don't have to start the entire installation over.
It's also why we spend the time assembling and testing these before they leave. We'd much rather find a problem here than have you find it halfway through your Saturday.
Our Quick ’n’ EasyTM systems come with the 365-day Buy and Try and five-year functionality guarantee. We're comfortable offering those because we've already seen your unit run.
One last thing about that water
There is water around the connections in the video. Some of it is the test fluid. Dave also explains condensation: cold tubing can collect moisture from the air, much like a glass of ice water.
So water and a refrigerant leak aren't the same thing. Your indoor coil produces condensate while cooling, and that water needs somewhere to go. Keep the drain hose sloping downhill as shown in the installation instructions. Even a small uphill section can back water up.
If something doesn't look right, call or text us at (725) 699-1200. We're the people putting these together. We can help you work out what you're looking at.
Ready to see which one fits your space? Here's the Airspool lineup.
