Can You Mix and Match Mini Splits?
Although mini splits are reliable equipment, the components don’t last forever. That’s especially true if you misuse them or if you fail to get the indoor air-handling unit and especially the outdoor compressor maintained at least annually.
Let’s say that one of the parts of your ductless mini split system failed, be it the compressor or the air-handling unit. You remember the manufacturer of your mini split parts, but when you go to look up the parts, you realize that the unit you originally bought has been discontinued.
Frustrated, you begin to search for another manufacturer of compressors or air-handling units, and you find one you really like. The prices are right, and the specs of the unit match your old one perfectly. This is the replacement you’ve been looking for.
Or so you think.
Mixing and matching mini splits is not recommended. While technically, it could work, more than likely, you’re going to have one or more of the following issues.
Lack of Efficiency
When you bought your ductless mini split system, one of the factors you homed in on was the seasonal energy efficiency ratio or SEER. Whether your ductless mini split system has a SEER rating of 18 or 21, that rating is assigned according to the sum of the mini split’s parts.
In other words, once you take away one component (or more) and you begin Frankensteining your mini split, you can’t guarantee the same SEER rating anymore. In most cases, your ductless mini split system is less energy efficient than it was when all the parts were from the same manufacturer.
Coolant Incompatibilities
All coolants are not the same. The main type of coolant that you’ll see in many units, ductless mini splits included, is R-410A. This coolant goes by such names as Suva 410A, Puron, Genetron R410A, Forane 410A, EcoFluor R410, and AZ-20.
The R-410A coolant includes pentafluoroethane and difluoromethane. It’s designed to replace R-22, another type of coolant that was used for a long time. R-22 is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon or HCFC, which has been proven to be dangerous for the environment.
That said, R-22 is not completely defunct. If some parts of your mixed and matched ductless mini split system use R-22 coolant and other parts R-410A coolant, the cross-contamination can make both products useless.
Harder Maintenance
Good luck trying to get a technician to maintain your ductless mini split system when it’s a mishmash of parts! The technician will only service the parts with their company’s name on it, which can require you to call technicians from multiple companies and spend more money.
Voided Warranty
You can also say goodbye to your ductless mini split system’s warranty. Replacing a part with another part that’s not to the manufacturer’s specifications will void your warranty. Now if anything goes wrong with your mini split (and the likelihood is higher with mixed and matched parts), you’d have to pay for it out of pocket.
Whether you need a brand new ductless mini split system or replacement parts, you can count on our team at PowerSave AC. Call us today!
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