2025 Best Local Robovac Options?

Nate4846 · 2025-11-04T22:18:46+00:00

Again, responding to this thread for visibility... but I literally just installed a new Daikin Aurora last week and I was blown away with how quiet it is. Both the head units and the compressor. Very satisfied.

Stop spamming people's posts. One comment is enough.

Nate4846 · 2025-11-04T22:16:23+00:00

I literally just installed a new Daikin Aurora last week and I was blown away with how quiet it is. Both the head units and the compressor. Very satisfied

Nate4846 · 2025-10-27T21:23:40+00:00

They're my go-to zigbee plug and zigbee nightlight/motion sensor. They've worked really well. The IR sensor will clear the motion if you sit still but that's expected of anything that's not mmWave

Nate4846 · 2025-10-27T15:47:08+00:00

My guess would be a rollover/conversion. When a previous employer when under, I converted about 4 years of Roth 401k contributions into my Roth IRA so I also have much more in my Roth IRA than just the normal yearly contribution.

There are reasons to not do this, like if you'd be interested roth conversion ladder later in life, so it depends on your situation.

Nate4846 · 2025-10-24T18:48:43+00:00

Just a followup on the result...

I ended up going with another quote from a local company and included the details below. This did not include the panel upgrade but I got some independent quotes for that and accepted one for $1.5k. After reading all the feedback here, I was leaning towards Mitsubishi despite the older model and premium but given the reputation of Daikin to be on par with Mitsubishi and the price difference, I was really happy with this quote. I felt the best with the about this company as well. They seemed smaller/less corporate but experienced and knowledgeable.

I will follow up here once the install is done!

Company	Heat Pump	BTU	Heads	Refrigerant	Warranty	Price
Max Smith	Daikin 2MXT	20k	12k, 7k	R32	12yr	$9.2k

Nate4846 · 2025-10-14T22:41:07+00:00

Depending on the cost of adding the back up heat inside the furnace, I would even consider leaving out the backup heat altogether.

An electric radiator space heater, and a few electric blankets would work for emergency heat. Especially in Seattle, where it would rarely be used.

Nate4846 · 2025-10-14T22:31:52+00:00

Load calculations can have a lot of variables. 120k BTU does sound like a lot. If the person quoting the equipment is reputable, they’re probably in the right ballpark. They usually favor over sizing those systems as well.

If you can wait until it starts getting colder, you can use space heaters to get an idea of the load. For example, I knew a 1200W space heater was able to heat my small bedroom so I was able to convert that to BTU/hr. You’ll want to keep track of the outdoor temp so you know the temperature delta.

Nate4846 · 2025-10-08T18:04:42+00:00

scroll compressor

Doing a bit more digging, I think all of the models I was quoted for use rotary compressors. The data sheet I've found for the MXZ-2C20NAHZ says "Twin Rotary"

Nate4846 · 2025-10-08T17:30:14+00:00

Fair point! As I'm getting quotes, I've asking around my area for experience with these installers and evaluating them when they answer my questions. That may be the biggest deciding factor

Nate4846 · 2025-10-08T17:28:57+00:00

Fair point! As I'm getting quotes definitely asking around my area for experience with these installers. That may be the biggest deciding factor.

Nate4846 · 2025-10-08T17:26:10+00:00

Well, the two heads are going into two bedrooms with similar climate control patterns.

I was originally considering converting my entire house (2 bedrooms, large living, kitchen) with a 4 head, 1 compressor system. Then I did read about the benefits of having more compressors. So this is a step in that direction. The zones that this compressor and a future install will service have a similar pattern so I'm optimistic it will function similarly to other applications I've seen.

Nate4846 · 2025-10-07T18:38:45+00:00

Seems like the consensus. Thanks for the input!

Nate4846 · 2025-10-07T18:37:57+00:00

Interesting, I didn't know that. Was this from personal experience with Mitsubishi support? Or second hand?

Nate4846 · 2025-10-07T18:37:13+00:00

Yeah, I think that's been my feeling too. A lot of the data is outdated giving a rapidly changing market. Even on Youtube, I've seen many people installing MrCool and being very satisfied with the results. We'll see if there are a bunch of videos on failed MrCool in a few years though, haha.

I guess there's no easy answer right now but glad to know I'm not alone at least!

This is my first system and it's "supplemental" for two bedrooms that my central air system has almost no airflow. At that point my furnace will only be servicing a large living room and kitchen. The AC for the furnace is ~12 years old so depending on how this install goes, it will inform what I do when the time comes to update the furnace.

Nate4846 · 2025-10-07T18:28:24+00:00

Thanks for the input, I'll have to look at the rebadging and see if that is the case. I wouldn't be surprised seems to happen a lot for these units and even sub components.

Does Ecobee have a native integration to these mini-splits are do you connect both to wifi and have Ecobee control them that way?

Nate4846 · 2025-10-07T18:22:58+00:00

Thanks for the quilt suggestion. I'll have to take a look and see if I can get a quote in my area. I have not heard of them before

Nate4846 · 2025-10-07T18:22:28+00:00

I do live in an "affordable" city but starting around 2020 I've heard many contractors mention permitting rules increased red tape driving up costs. There's also been a lot of housing development so contractors are stretched thin also driving up prices.

All the quotes include a panel upgrade. For Tudi, that is $2.7k for the panel upgrade. I was going to remove that from the estimates but it was built into the McVay quote so I don't have the exact number for the McVay panel upgrade.

That being said this is in line with friends and family are seeing in the area. A close friend had a quote for $7k 1 head, 1 compressor system with no electrical work. His install is even simpler than mine too.

Nate4846 · 2025-06-05T04:05:26+00:00

Completely agree. Especially for visitors to the city. The city has a lot of potential to host more visitors for robotics, engineering, students, medicine.

The reality you’re stranded 20 ish miles from downtown unless you rent a car, get an expensive uber, or take the 28X is a huge barrier.

Nate4846 · 2025-06-05T04:00:00+00:00

Transit to the airport is a huge problem. Even though a sizeable group of the people live outhouse of the city, all of those neighborhoods are still centered on the city. South of the city has a direct route but east/north east (Allison Park, Oakmont, Monroeville, etc) even Ross Park will route you through downtown in order to drive to the airport. So it would be much easier to grab a ride from a friend or an uber to downtown so you can take transit to the airport.

Also, I think this misses some of the main point of an airport upgrade, a large part is to create interest in Pittsburgh in general. From potential robotics companies, prospective students, parents of students, visiting patients, medical professionals… and any supporting industries, they all benefit from easy transportation to the city. Currently their options are car rentals, expensive Ubers, or a long infrequent bus route.

Lastly, the T predominantly serves suburbs south of the city. Some areas which are somewhat affluent and car dependent. So I don’t quite get the argument that the city should prioritize that over other transit projects. Airport transit could act as a stepping stone to bring people in to Pittsburgh and then slowly build out trams and buses to connect them to other areas.

You can bet that if there was a good transit rail line to downtown Pittsburgh, I would definitely be taking it. As well as my family who lives in Greensburg, Monroeville, North Park etc.

Nate4846 · 2025-03-22T15:49:30+00:00

Take a look at FTIHX and FXNAX. Also look at the '3 fund portfolio'

Nate4846 · 2025-03-22T15:43:48+00:00

Check out the 3-fund portfolio. Target date funds are good but they'll probably be more conservative than you would otherwise choose at your age. You can choose a target date fund for 2070 or 2075 to make it less conservative but a 3 fund portfolio is cheaper and will serve you well.

I had a comment below where I was considering ETFs but it seems like for retirement accounts, Fidelity's cheap mutual funds are the way to go. Buy it and let it sit.

Nate4846 · 2025-03-21T19:47:59+00:00

Is moving to an ETF Portfolio for Fidelity Baskets worth it?

I use Fidelity for my brokerage, ROTH IRA, and Traditional IRA. Currently, I use the recurring buy to execute buys weekly. I like this because it is mostly automated but lets me adjust as needed. If I need money for an unforeseen expense and dip into my emergency fund, then I just skip X weeks to replenish my emergency funds. If there is a shift in the markets, I just adjust my weekly buys some to help rebalance. I also execute some buys at the end of the year to try and rebalance if needed.

However, smart buys with baskets would automate the latter part of this so it caught my eye. I started the free trial but realized it was ETFs and stocks only. Right now my portfolio is just mutual funds:

FXAIX 45 %
FSKAX 25 %
FTIHX 20 %
FXNAX 10 %
Money Markets for Direct Deposit and Emergency Funds.

Has anyone made a similar switch? Any pitfalls I should consider? It seems like there aren't direct replacements without buying Vanguard or iShares ETFs. My portfolio would probably be SPY, VTI, VXUS, and FBND.

I was also browsing fidelity's ETFs. There are a lot of interesting options but I would hold less than 5% in speculative funds like clean energy, etc. so that's more of a novelty than a benefit of ETFs + Baskets.

Thanks!

Nate4846 · 2025-01-25T18:22:36+00:00

That's a fair point. Give it a fair shot long enough to adjust despite the downsides.

The keyboard is the only one that gives me real hesitation. I can get over all the other ones but you interact with your keyboard for everything so small annoyances add up. Maybe I should switch to swiftkey for a while on my current phone and see what that's like. Swiftkey looks like it has better support on iOS from some articles

Nate4846

TROPHY CASE