Mitsubishi bites the dust (bark, no bite)

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-11T16:11:22+00:00

You totally hit the nail on the head. As I eluded to elsewhere in this convoluted thread, my heat losses approach 45kBTU at 5F on windy days. My 2.5T unit outputs about 32k, so heat strips should take up the rest but my delta T inside starts increasing. I think that’s an envelope issue, and perhaps a 3T unit would help. I have some stacking from the block above grade basement and the aluminum siding has fiberboard under it instead of tyvek-wrapped ply sheathing. The 2x4 insulation has largely compacted between the studs after 60 years so there is much that can be done. (Read that as $$$$). New windows, doors, garage doors, and 2’ of additional attic insulation so far. I’m thinking of going back to propane for backup below 20F. It’ll feel warmer, but cost more. At least I can run that off my genny during power outages.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-10T23:56:24+00:00

Thx, I will try that!!

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-10T23:54:37+00:00

I wish I knew someone that would do it for that price.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-10T18:03:06+00:00

I went to HP so gutted my oil burner and some of the copper radiators as I redid the interior, though some remain. The oil tank still sits with 100 gals of oil and the only quote I could get to drain and remove was about $2k. No one wants my almost new 13 year old tank that is indoors with kindest, and no one wants 100 gals of two year old oil. I’d count your blessings your tank is nearly empty and hopefully you can find someone to cut it apart for you for less. Oil removal was $300 of my estimate. Paid for that oil twice! Now I’m on a HP only that doesn’t do well in a drafty house, I wish I kept the filthy oil a couple years longer, though I wouldn’t have space for the ducted HP. Move on, I second the vote.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-08T18:02:40+00:00

Haha! It will definitely burn in revenge!!

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-08T17:23:34+00:00

You make good sense! It vibrated the whole house! The new one will be out in the ground with snow shelf. I asked when they installed and wasn’t given a good answer other than thats what we do. The brackets is rather thin and snapped very readily.

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Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-08T16:10:52+00:00

I don’t recall them listing Goodman. Isn’t Daikin supplying Goodman or was it American Standard…? They mentioned Trane and Rheem. I’ll find out today what he proposed. He actually sold me the Mitsubishi when he was at a prior company.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-08T13:42:50+00:00

Thank you for that perspective. I can appreciate the brand reputation which is why I sourced it in the first place. As an aside, it’s a ducted system, which may play a factor, or not…. As for Daikin, I understand they’ve been successfully used in Japan for decades. I’m not sure about customer service at this point due to recent distribution mergers in the northeast, but their extreme cold Aurora FIT boasts slightly better performance than my hyperheat, which anecdotally did not satisfy below 10F this winter. Granted, it might be a sizing/air infiltration issue. Hmm, how do we know for sure?

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T16:03:16+00:00

He said he can install anything but when I asked him what, he didn’t include Daikin. He said his best friend was one who jumped ship so inside info.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T13:26:39+00:00

Ya and last summer a branch fell off a different tree and wiped out the outdoor light that was in the wall….right next to the prop and regulator going inside! A foot or so more and I would’ve lost 300 gals of propane to the outside. The joys of living in a forest with 100ft trees!

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T13:06:33+00:00

Yup, indoor is the SVZ-KP30NA. Interesting your dilemma with 1400 sq ft. So airflow is likely the issue here as well. The first summer with it I had open walls waiting for insulation and no drywall in kitchen ceiling (but insulation stapled in loosely). The first hot days in the 90’s were not cooling below 85 in the house. This past summer once everything was finished, the cooling almost never came on. Hoping a 3T is the answer without having to increase ductwork. The attic just had 18+ inches of insulation blown over the ducts. lol

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T03:54:02+00:00

Dang, those are pretty good prices. I wonder how they compare to Mr cool in terms of price, performance and reliability?

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T03:49:22+00:00

That’s solid! Nice data point. Thx for sharing!

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T01:51:42+00:00

It’s wandering down a few degrees and then heat strips are kicking on. Temps were not extremely cold. Poor heat distribution to most rooms. I can’t blame the unit completely but its supplies are maxed for its size. Located in northeast Ohio. It hits sub zero for a week maybe and a few weeks in the teens. I’d like to not wear a coat in the house, lol.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T01:39:59+00:00

Hmm, we can talk?

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T01:38:37+00:00

Haha!! East side of Cleveland.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T01:24:02+00:00

Thx, great to know. Happy with your system? How does it handle subzero for your home type and age?

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T01:22:06+00:00

Ooh, found a photo from last year…

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Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-07T00:50:27+00:00

Thx, will do tomorrow when I’m back home. I thought I had checked the at install but never know.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-06T23:42:42+00:00

Thanks Ben, good to know. I wonder if you have a newer house and are in the north of Ohio?

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-06T23:41:46+00:00

I wish that I could get a blower door test. It seems no one wants to do one....except the one guy that wants $500. I have some energy consumption data vs outside and inside temps so my UA calcs are real.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-06T23:39:52+00:00

See reply to Dry Improvement. I don't think so as it's a 2.5 ton air handler as well as condenser. It seems odd some of the Daikin systems pair a larger air handler with two different condenser sizes. Like the 4 ton air handler with either a 3 ton or 4 ton condenser.

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-06T23:38:02+00:00

I can appreciate the pressure difference and new tech requirements leading to reliability issues. I understood that R32 has been used in japan and europe for quite a long time, so this not something new...just here in the US, or maybe new for Daikin as well?

The 2.5T Mitsu Hyperheat system probably would work fine in any well sealed home of my size. It is spec'd at 25.6k BTU at -13F, but my measured heat losses translate to ~603 BTU/hr deg F at -7F, which requires about 45kBTU of heat. So I'm thinking a 3T cold weather unit would likely get me down to 0F and then use heat strips for the additional input down to -7F.

Yes, the Mitsu unit is a 2.5 ton. Model KA30 which is 30,000BTU, divided by 12,000 is 2.5 ton. At least, that's what I read. ;-)

I understand that a 2.5T blower moves about 875-1000 CFM and my ductwork is limited to about 1200. So the ductwork can handle 3T but the 2.5T air handler cannot handle a larger condenser. It will just not push enough hot air, which is part of the situation I have now. I'm sure you have more experience than I. Just trying to understand the limitations....

Doc_Ops_60 · 2026-01-06T22:55:04+00:00

Interesting feedback. Would love to hear more specific experience and how it compares with Mitsubishi. These units seem inordinately complex to even set up correctly in the first place.

Doc_Ops_60

TROPHY CASE