Sigarms
Super Member
I watched the video.
If you walk into a Harley store and ask what kind of bikes they have for sale, and you walk into a bicycle shop and ask them what kind of bikes you have for sale, are you going to get the same product? Best analogy I can put it is both a motorcycle and bicycle is known as a "bike", but the two are no where close to each other in that they both have two wheels.
What I don't like about the video is 4 things...
1 - You call a residential HVAC contractor and ask them for a VRF system, good chance they won't know what you're talking about. 25 years ago, residential mini splits where known as the "new fangled inverter compressor system". I honestly don't know of one "VRF" system that was installed by a residential contractor. Last job I did in VRF was about $157,000 in equipment alone.
2 - You CAN zone a two story house with one unitary split product ducted HVAC system. Do it all the time in NC, it's call zoning.
3 - For the equipment cost Mr. Risinger can put in his home on the Mitsubishi, I have little doubt he could do a geothermal system for his house with ductwork (which we had those kind of attics in sub 3,000 sq foot house in NC LOL).
4 - For the ducted unit in his attic, he could of went with a unitary split product inverter system with a higher efficency, but that would defeat the purpose of Mitsubishi creating the video.
Ductless / ducted mini split = inverter compressor with multiple indoor head selections, metering device generally at the outdoor unit, 208/230 single phase (can be used in commercial applciations as well, particularly for low ambient conditions)
VRF = inverter compressor, multiple indoor head selections, metering device generally at the indoor unit, 208/230 3 phase (although some single phase systems starting off at 3 ton but heat pump only where the system can only do heating or cooling, not both at the same time). For most in the HVAC industry, VRF is 3 phase equipment that is capable of heat recovery, which means multiple indoor units can heat and cool at the same time).
It appears Mr. Rissenger is using a city multi on one outdoor unit, which is VRF, but single phase. In 25 years, I've never sold a Mitsubishi S series for a residential application like Mr. Rissenger is using because you'll never get your ROI on that unit in a residential application (then again, if the unit is free, no complaints I'm sure).
Reality is with large organizations, it seems inherent that the engineering department always does a palm in the face when marketing puts out a video.
All that said, what I am excited about in the HVAC industry is when a manufacturer can produce a VRF system (metering device at the indoor unit) in a heat recovery system in a single phase unit (where multiple indoor units can heat and cool at the same time). To my knowledge, only one manufacturer has one out as I just described, and it's not Mitsubishi. But the reality is for the money, if it were my house or my parents house and I was going to spend that kind of money for efficency, it would be geothermal. 2nd best option would be inverter unitary split product (which actually why Mitsubsihi got into bed with Train and these kind of business relationships are happening HVAC industry wide).
Lucky to the video is from Texas. In my part of NC, in general, the heat load can easily exceed the cooling load, which increases the money on the equipment for heating by itself.
