I just purchased and installed myself a Pioneer 30,000 btu Inverter/AC/heat pump kit from Parker Davis at my home. I did not purchase through Amazon as I wanted to deal directly with the manufacturer to glean the most info I could before making the purchase.
As an avid DYI if figured I’d be able to handle the job myself after reviewing forums and YouTube clips on how to do the install. So to all those contemplating one of these units and thinking of tackling it yourself I wanted to give you some info that will hopefully help you as I had to do this by myself with no help from on site professionals. So here is the GOOD, the BAD, the UGLY.
The GOOD
âCustomer serviceâParker Davis:
It’s professional, courteous and prompt. All questions were responded to in a timely fashion and if info was needed a reply was furnished quickly when the proper answers were obtained (thanks Karla). A technical question was answered by Tech Support with a direct phone call from the technician. It’s good to know that service is there if you need it. If you need help and have questions they are there to help.
âPricing:
My 30,000 unit came complete with all components needed to install and connect the air handler and the condenser. The price was very good considering I was getting quotes from professional HVAC installers ranging from $4000 for a 12,000 btu unit to $5600 for a 15,000 btu unit. While I understand the HVAC guys need to eat, and deserve to make a profit, when I researched the price of the units and the one day turnaround they were forecasting to install, I realized that their profit margin was excessive due to the amount of time involved. So for substantially less cost and a willingness to roll up ones sleeves, I got a bigger unit and saved thousands in the end.
âPacking:
This is a big unit. However, it arrived well packed and arrived undamaged.
âInstall /Operating Instructions:
On the whole pretty good although there are some missing items (see the BAD section). I read thoroughly the install instructions before I started. It has step by step instructions that are pretty comprehensive. I only needed to contact tech support once to have a question answered (more on that later)
âConstruction:
All main components seemed to be well made and are quite sturdy. The air handler door won’t stay open by itself when opened, so you need to prop it with a stick when working inside, but overall the quality seems to match the high end machines that cost hundreds more. That being said, I have only had this working for a few days, so time will tell if the unit holds up.
âCooling:
So far this one unit is cooling my entire downstairs about 1100 sq ft. With California experiencing some really toasty days, its a real blessing. How my electric bill will be affected is unknown at this time. Overall I’m very satisfied with the cooling effect provided with this system.
âQuiet:
For it’s size this unit runs quiet! Both the condenser outside and the air handler inside, it is very quiet and you don’t have to shout to carry on a normal conversation.
The BAD
âInstallation:
One of the biggest hurdles is bending the line set without kinking the lines. The 5/8″ line on my unit coming out of the back of the handler comes tucked into the back of the handler to facilitate packing. Concern about bending these two lines without kinking caused me all kinds of worry. There is no room to get a tube bender in there so I wasn’t quite sure how to turn and support the lines without damaging them. Unbeknownst to me…and what the installation instructions FAIL to mention, is the two lines come prepared to be bent! The small 1/4 line has a spring exterior at the top that allows you to bend it without kinking the line. The larger 5/8″ line comes corrugated in its upper part which allows you to easily bend the line to the proper configuration. The only way I knew this is when I separated the insulation covering both lines and discovered these features.
It would have been very helpful to have this info revealed in the instructions. Furthermore, having that 5/8 inch line corrugated it’s full length would make bending the line set to the exterior of the house even easier. So when you get your unit peel back the insulation to check for this feature before you start bending.
âAir Handler mounting:
Why Pioneer doesn’t provide a full size template to outline on your wall to facilitate installation of the air handler is beyond me. Having this would be a real time saver. All you have to work with is measurements in the install manual. While these give you a rough idea, it doesn’t give you a good relationship between the wall bracket, the air handler, the thru hole you need to drill and the wall you are hanging it on. What I did is to take the cardboard side of the box the air handler came in and cut it out. Draw out the dimensions of the air handler on it, and then tape the the bracket within these lines to get a proper orientation of the air handler and bracket in relationship to the wall space that I want to hang the unit in.
I got dimensions of where the bracket sits in relation to the air handler by mounting the bracket on the air handler; centering it, and then taking measurements. I then drilled out the 3″ hole in the cardboard after determining where my line set was coming out of the back of the air handler. I didn’t trust their measurements.
Armed with this full sized cardboard template with the bracket firmly taped to it and the hole in the cardboard cut out, I taped that to the wall, leveled it and punched holes through the template to mark my holes for attaching. Note: make sure you don’t line up a vertical stud with your three inch hole to the exterior…..that will be a bummer to cut through. Make sure you place that hole between the studs if your wall is common framing.
Again, a full size paper/cardboard template is a real aid in installation.
âWiring:
The instructions state that there is a wiring diagram in the back of the covering plate on the air handler. Mine was blank which necessitated a call to tech support for clarification. While the terminals are numbered, what goes where and to what is not explained. This should be included.
Also, the terminal box inside the air handler has poorly made contact points that are difficult to reach and work. Having fingers the size of a three year old would have helped, but more helpful would have been placing the contact points on the surface of the terminal block and allow the use of forked type connectors instead of blindly trying to feed thin wires up into the bottom of the terminal block in an area you couldn’t easily see. A small point….but it would make install easier.
âWiring 2:
My original wiring came with no connectors. For some reason my replacement set ( I had to reorder a longer line set as my original was too short to reach the condenser) came with forked connectors on all wires. Not sure why this was, but check with Parker Davis how yours is coming when you order. I guess this point is moot as the forked wire connectors won’t work on the Air Handler terminal box. At least not on my model.
âTools:
Most common household tools will do the job. However, if you have to flare the tubing to make your connections make sure you have a proper flaring tool. Apparently the 410 refrigerant line sets require a different size flare from the old R22 stuff. Not sure if this is just hype but I wanted to play it safe. So I went to a local HVAC store and purchased a quality flaring tool (Yellow Jacket Deluxe Flaring Tool) to make sure I got the right style flare. $132 bucks, but you can always resell it later on E-Bay if you don’t want to keep it.
âFlaring sealant:
The flaring sealant supplied in my kit was not enough. One tiny tiny tube that just didn’t do it. Should throw in more of this stuff or buy an extra tube when you order. Better yet, get them to throw in at least one more tube of the stuff.
âOptional Line set Cover:
I ordered this to cover the copper lines on the outside of the house. Save your money. This kit is of poor quality. It fits poorly and probably won’t hold up to the elements. Line set covers at HVAC stores make much better kits that will handle the rigors of outdoors. You spent a lot for this system, don’t scrimp on the cover.
âGuarantee:
My understanding is that according to the instructions, the warranty is only valid if installed by a legitimate licensed contractor. As I did this install myself I guess I’m on my own. However, if anything does go wrong (leaks) I figure I’m still ahead of the game when it comes to costs.
The UGLY
âThis install is not for the faint of heart. On a scale of Easy, Intermediate, Advanced, Uber Difficult, I label this install Advanced. However, if and when I do a second install I would label it intermediate. That being said, this is a fairly intensive install because of the weight of the unit, the bending of the line sets (so you don’t kink the lines…to me this was one of the hardest parts), the need to evacuate the line sets before releasing the refrigerant and the need for wiring the unit to your panel. These last two steps you may require an HVAC guy to come out and evacuate your lines and test for leaks and open your system….and an electrician to wire the system from your panelâif you don’t feel comfortable wiring it yourself. I had HVAC guys quote me $300-$400 for that service and electricians wanting the same for their service. Both steps are necessary to insure proper function and code safety so make sure you figure that in.
âOriginally I was going to mount the condenser on the wall to get it off the ground, but when I saw the size of the unit and hefted it’s weight , I immediately shelved that idea and went with a small concrete pad to mount the condenser. Your choice, but this size unit is big and I didn’t want to deal with a bracket hanging off a wall when confronted by the size. Your call.
Overall I’m satisfied with this unit and will report back in a few months to see if the unit is still functioning as intended. To those brave souls out there like me I say go for it. Take your time…get another friend who is good with their hands/tools and tackle it. You’ll be glad you did when the temperature soars!
p.s. Any input you can get on bending the tubing (special tools, techniques, etc would be helpful as that is one area you have to be very careful in.) Hope this helps some of you! Good luck!
p.p.s. Attaching photos of air handler corrugated tubing and finished install
