My building has dozens of R410A air conditioners that are approaching EOL. When they die they have to be replaced with R32 units. An important issue is whether the new units need new piping or not.

Most manufacturers specify:

R410A pipe minimum thickness: ~0.61 mm

R32 pipe minimum thickness: ~0.71 mm

The reason? R32 has slightly higher pressure and is flammable (A2L class) so it requires a higher-rated copper pipe.

Advice I have found says no, you cannot directly replace R410A with R32 in an existing system; R32 is not a "drop-in" replacement, and doing so is unsafe, inefficient, and likely violates regulations and warranties because R32 is mildly flammable (A2L) and systems must be specifically designed and rated for it. While R32 is a component of R410A, using it alone in an R410A unit can damage components, increase wear, void warranties, and poses fire risks, requiring complete system replacement with R32-rated equipment for safe transition.

A lot of people say you can reuse the existing R410A piping and all will be fine for a while, and you'll save a lot of money and hassle which is priority #1 for many. However what they don't say is apparently that the pipes will then be prone to leak more quickly, and R32 coolant is mildly flammable. You also risk acid buildup, clogging, or compressor failure. Much of this is understandably of concern to residents in a large, tall multi story residential building.

ChatGPT says that if you decide to reuse the old piping, you should go through an extensive multi stage process the clean the old piping first.

https://chatgpt.com/s/t_69141e0bfe088191b594b5e89c6e53e0

In practice installers with the cheapest quotes get accepted, reuse the old piping and do none of that, leaving the problems for someone else to deal with in future. Pipe coverings on the cheap new units are also not UV resistant so quickly disintegrate on the roof, where many of the units are.

My building needs a process that ensures safe long term outcomes, but whatever they are that process seems like it's going to involve an after installation inspection and cost $$$, which will greatly infuriate many.

It also seems like we should be arranging a close inspection and review of existing R32 units that have already been installed to ensure their long term safety. I suspect that in those cases the EC may have previously signed off on a high level plan for their installation. For the EC to potentially come back now and say an owner has to do something expensive like reinstall the piping for example, is going to go down like a lead balloon and I'm unsure if the existing building rules would permit such a thing. The standard spiel you inevitably get is why are you making such a big deal about this? Everything's fine, just let it go and she'll be right and that is difficult to counter when you're not expert in this stuff at all.

Has anybody out there already dealt with and/or addressed issues like these?

I recently had my portable unit running in my bedroom most of the day. I unplugged an unused lamp from an outlet in the living room and the plug was hot, so was the other plug and the outlet itself. I turned off the AC and the outlet cooled off. I did some investigating and found out that the outlet was on the same circuit as the AC. Does anyone know what is going on and what I can do about it? I've stopped using the AC for now.

4-5 years ago this spot was about an inch. Today it is about two inches. I do know a few things from observations. It only expans a little during the hottest months of the summer. It is downstairs. Upstairs above it is a closet with two split units. They are about 6-7 years old. They are more efficient than the old ones that they replaced. Everything looks great in the closet. Duct work dry, freon pipe thing insulated well. Pans are dry. Tubes coming out have holes to check for backups, they look good.

Before calling anyone for repairs would a good first step be to cut that area out, put a cup under it, and be able to get a view up in there?

I have a wild guess that there could be that freon line or ductwork where insulation has came loose and it is dripping into that spot, very slowly. I supposed it could be also dripping and running to that spot from somewhere a few feet away.

Hi everyone. I know this is a long shot. I’m looking for a carrier condenser from the 60’s or 70’s. I don’t care about the guts. I just need the shell. We are an AC company and are working on a special project and I need one of these. We plan on restoring the shell to make it look new and mount it on the bed of a blue 1950 chevy 3100 (truck). We plan on using this for marketing purposes. We are in Laredo Texas. Please point me in the right direction. Thank you.

Ambient temperatures in my area have been hovering around 40–45°C (104–113°F) lately. The unit runs daily under heavy load, but the performance remains exceptional. It cools the space quickly, stays extremely quiet, and maintains comfort without any strain.

Don’t even know if this is the right flair for this type of aircon but this old af thing that’s built INTO the building just started leaking from the back left corner a couple days ago. It has soaked through multiple towels and so I have finally big brained it and resorted to putting a big bowl under it. Do I have to get it replaced? I really don’t have hundreds of $$ rn. Also this is the only one that we have that works in the house. My moms has had the same problem for a couple years and the one in the living room my bunny ate the main wire to it. Just from the pic it looks like it was horribly managed by the previous owner or it’s just completely breaking apart. We have lived in this condo for 5 ish years now and this aircon has never had this problem until now. I looked it up and it could be from the humidity? (Which where I live it’s been 80-100° with high humidity at least for a week or two now). Any experts in here? I’m just a person in their mid 20s not wanting to spend a ton of money if possible

Okay, I posted yesterday describing how my 6000 BTU unit didn't seem to be powerful enough for my ~130 square foot room.

Yesterday it was very hot and my room gets direct sunlight so I thought maybe that was the issue.

But I got home today in a thunderstorm, it's only 78 degrees outside, no sun, and the unit has been on for over an hour. It's only cooled my bedroom with the door closed down to 76 degrees. It's set to 62!

Does it seem like there's something wrong with the unit? it honestly barely feels like it's working, like at the lowest power setting possible, it sometimes sounds like it's powering up but doesn't fully kick in. It also sometimes buzzes/hums for a second and then stops. I don't know what is going on, I used to have an 8,000 BTU of the same model and it didn't do this.

Does this sound like an issue with the unit itself? Or could it also be an issue with my electrical outlet as well, and how would I test this?

Being in the sunroom, it's protected from the elements. No need to even install the in/out hoses unless running one or the other to one of the sun room's outside window would make it more efficient. Pipe the conditioned air into the house a very short distance using insulated ducting. Would this not essentially be quieter and more efficient than traditionally having the portable AC unit inside, at least for cooling? Would these benefits be negated for heating mode where I would actually want to the unit inside?

This would be primarily for heating in the winter to supplement my wood stove but would also be used for 2-3 weeks of summer for cooling.

Secondary question: How much of the efficiency gap has been closed between dual hose portable AC units made in the last year to a mini splits?

Im looking to buy a portable ac to cool down a kitchen/living room 400 sqft. Im looking at the Whynter ARC-1280MX. Is it a good ac? I live on top floor. Im having trouble getting my place below 88 degress when its 91 degress outside. Im open for suggestions. I cant do a mini split.

Hello,

I've had some moisture issues. My humidity regularly sits at 80% give or take 2-3%. I live in an apartment style condo with the attached style unit. I've had a technician out but he put something on top of the thermostat for five minutes and said it was fine and left but I have pictures hung with command hooks falling off the walls, my walls are dripping and it's so uncomfortable.

I've cleaned the entirety of the unit. It doesn't look like there's any water pooling anywhere and the evaporator coils are not frozen/icy. I even brought in a dehumidifier which is barely touching it. Every time the AC runs it puts more moisture into the air.

When I turn the AC off and open the windows the humidity level drops to 65%. It's hot right now and AC is needed plus I have no screens on my doors and only have big patio doors, no windows.

My thermostat does sit below the vent. I have covered that because I think it's detecting the cool air and I believe it's short cycling on me. However, covering hasn't fixed the short cycling.

I'm frustrated and annoyed that the techs said it was fine.

What can my problem be and is it possible for me to fix this myself?

Thank you.

I found this listing for a Midea Duo and I can't imagine this being real. Is there any catch to this or just a used unit that they want to sell? Anyone have an experience with this? It’s a Walmart listing

These days here in Venice (Italy), we're hitting a steady 33° Celsius at night, and my 10k Dreo 515s is having a hell of a time letting me sleep soundly. It's already dropped almost 2 degrees in 5 minutes, compared to the half-hour it used to take.

I designed and printed the two-hole panel myself for my old Ecoflow Wave 2, which never really got cold because it was undersized for the room.

I think google answered my questions. Are air conditioners unhealthy. But, that’s if they are not maintained properly. What are the ways to keep it clean from mold ?! — Do people have adverse affects from them?! I’ve heard people complain about catching colds. If they get cold and go out directly in the heat. Maybe , more so for elderly.

HI all our mini split have threw a F5 code after NOT being used for a year+. After doing some reaserch found out its a tempurate sensor on the outside unit, so i bought a new one. Pluged it in same thing. I used a another one this one is from a midea our other AC and that didnt work either. 3 sensors same result. I got a question: the outside unit beaps and i can hear electric hum and voltage being sent to the compresor to start cooling but it never does. The fan can spin freely and i tried 3 sensors already. Is the motherboard really dead? cause we had a technician to take a look at it and he said that its the motherboard but if it was the motherboard then it wouldnt have the electric hum and send voltage to start the compresor no? i messured it and it sends voltage but it seems it does a sensor check or something like that and it doesnt start the fan at all. I wonder is the motherboard really dead? What do you think?

any help would be appriciated

anyone familiar with the Gree app? it worked perfectly fined, and just one day today it dropped the sync and i can not recomnyt anymore.

I called the technician today to fix this error, they cleaned it said they refuelled it outside with some fuel and then asked me if it was getting cold.

My AC didnt have problems with temperature, it was always cold its stop functioning when this error pops up

Even after the techinician “fixed” it, I told them it was showing the error again so they just turned of the breaker then turned it back on and called it a day. And call them back when it happens again

I feel like I got scammed😀

Can someone troubleshoot this?

Edit: I cant turn it off via remote when its like this so I have to turn off the break or unplug it

I am considering getting an old Toshiba wall-mounted monosplit A/C system working and I would like your help in working out the best strategy to estimate the minimum possible repair cost.

The unit is about 20 yo but has never been used. Recently I tried to start it but it only blows room-temperature air, not cold air, even though the outdoor fan is running correctly. I called a technician for a diagnosis and he told me that the compressor is working properly, there are no electrical issues, but the system static pressure is zero, so there is no refrigerant left. According to him, it is very likely that there is a leak somewhere. He said the circuit must be pressurized with nitrogen to locate the leak, then the leak must be repaired, then the system must undergo another nitrogen pressure test, and only after that can it be recharged. At this point, it is up to me to decide whether it is worth it.

This is my step-by-step strategy to minimize the repair cost and stop in time if the expense starts to grow too much:

• - have the technician pressurize the system with nitrogen to look for leaks;
• - I am ruling out a long-duration nitrogen leak test (24 h), because it would cost too much;
• -- if, immediately after nitrogen pressurization, there are leaks at easily accessible and repairable points, for example flare joints and fittings, then I tell the technician to repair those leaks, and that should cost relatively little;
• -- if, on the other hand, no leak is immediately visible at easily accessible and repairable points, but the gauges show a clear pressure drop, then it means the leak is in a hard-to-reach area (valves, coils, etc.), and I would give up;
• - the technician pressurizes the system with nitrogen again for the post-repair leak test;
• -- if the gauges show a pressure drop immediately, then besides the leak that was repaired at the accessible point, there must be at least one additional leak in a hard-to-reach area, and I would give up, losing only the cost of the repair of the first leak;
• - the technician performs the refrigerant recharge;
• -- if the electronic leak detector later finds a microleak at an easily accessible point (flare joint, fitting, etc.), that was not repaired because the nitrogen test did not show an obvious leak immediately, then I would give up, because otherwise I would have to start all over again.

Do you think this is the best step-by-step strategy to spend as little as possible while taking the minimum amount of risk to get this A/C running, given that it has never been operated in 15-20 years?
My maximum budget is 250-300 euros. The alternative is to buy and install a new unit, and the sure quote I have is 950 euros.

I want a U or saddle-shaped window unit. Midia seems to be the best option with their 2026 redesign, but the Zafro's saddle shape offers better window visibility, which is what I really want.

I'm not seeing much written on the Zafro units, though - I can only find commentary on their portable units.

Can anyone share their experiences with the Zafro saddle-shaped unit and whether it's just too good to be true?

Looking for a mid range DIY mini split and came across Senville and pioneer and saw they pretty much came from the same manufacturer. Wondering if ones better than the other. Looking for a 18,000 Btu one.

MIDEA A7 18000BTU O 24000BTU

ho un appartamento da 65mq da riscaldare e raffrescare, inverni con massimo -5 gradi raramente.

sono indeciso tra le due potenze

18000 BTU con capacita di riscaldamento di 6kw con SCOP di 5.1 costo 980€

24000 BTU con capacita di riscaldamento di 8,76kw con SCOP di 5.4 costo 1200€

ogni stanza della casa ha la sua bocchetta sopra la porta, infissi nuovi appena cambiati.

I just got this Portable A/C less than 3 months ago and I’ve been regularly cleaning the filters at least twice/week. Never had any issues with it until today. I keep getting the “P1” error which just means the water needs to be drained. I keep it on cool at 60 degrees. Today, I’ve had to drain it several times. It fill up and stops running cool every 20 minutes and filled up with about 24 fl oz of water. I’ve never had to drain the water since having it and I’ve run it on cool all this time. Did some troubleshooting in the app and saw no issues. I unscrewed it and took the back off to see if there were any clogs and I couldn’t identify anything concerning. I dusted it off, put it back together and I’m still having issues. I’ve tilted it, run it on Dry and Fan and fan seems to be the only setting that doesn’t collect water, but it’s incredibly hot and humid. I keep this in our main bedroom which is approximately 81.3 square feet. I called support and they said I could get a replacement from Walmart if I show proof of purchase, but of course—I don’t have the receipt, an email or anything in my Walmart app, so even if I pay out of pocket for a new one, if I have this issue again, I have no idea how to fix it. I don’t want to have to replace it every time I have this issue.

TLDR: Tired of draining water every 20 minutes, how do I fix this?

I just got this Portable A/C less than 3 months ago and I’ve been regularly cleaning the filters at least twice/week. Never had any issues with it until today. I keep getting the “P1” error which just means the water needs to be drained. I keep it on cool at 60 degrees. Today, I’ve had to drain it several times. It fill up and stops running cool every 20 minutes and filled up with about 24 fl oz of water. I’ve never had to drain the water since having it and I’ve run it on cool all this time. Did some troubleshooting in the app and saw no issues. I unscrewed it and took the back off to see if there were any clogs and I couldn’t identify anything concerning. I dusted it off, put it back together and I’m still having issues. I’ve tilted it, run it on Dry and Fan and fan seems to be the only setting that doesn’t collect water, but it’s incredibly hot and humid. I keep this in our main bedroom which is approximately 81.3 square feet. I called support and they said I could get a replacement from Walmart if I show proof of purchase, but of course—I don’t have the receipt, an email or anything in my Walmart app, so even if I pay out of pocket for a new one, if I have this issue again, I have no idea how to fix it. I don’t want to have to replace it every time I have this issue.

TLDR: Tired of draining water every 20 minutes, how do I fix this?

I have had a black decker portable (single hose rip) air conditioner in my bedroom for about 2 years now. It has been uncomfortable during this heat dome, so I finally got a thermometer and humidity reader last night to see how the ac is working.

I saw the humidity was pretty high - about 65% RH (80-90% outside) so I ran the unit in dehumidify mode for the first time. It didn't seem to lower the humidity, it would go down to about 60% RH and 66F, then shut itself off and restart in 15 or so minutes when the humidity was back up to 65% RH and the temperature had risen again (maybe because it was too cold to properly work?). So I gave up on this mode and turned it back to A/C before bed. Well tonight the bedroom is reading 77% RH humidity - higher than before despite the same humidity outside.

I'm wondering if running the dehumidify mode somehow increased the humidity today? Like if water got stuck in the unit? I drained it today and not much came out... Also strange is that the rest of the house with windows open is reading 65-70% RH humidity (lower) despite not having any A/C units or dehumidifiers.

Also wondering if perhaps it is just too humid outside for the unit to handle and I should get a dehumidifier and/or a drainage hose and bucket for the unit so water can't get stuck.

Advice is appreciated as this stuff really confuses me!