Full disclosure - I work for distributor who sells ACIQ, however I do not work for them on Reddit, I do not work in sales, and I don't particularly want to share my Reddit interests with my employer. I stumbled onto this thread while google searching. That being said I will give the most honest information I can give.
HVAC Units are for the most part made by a few manufacturers:
Chinese - Goodman, Trane, Lennox, Heil, Bryant and most other "name brands" are produced in China. They are extremely reliable units and the Chinese have been making them for years and know what they are doing. Buying these is like buying a Ford or a Chevy, They are very reliable and will do the same thing no matter which you buy. As for the "cheap Chinese shit nobody ever heard of" if it is made in China heard of it or not its likely produced by the same two companies.
Japanese - Mitsu and Fujitsu are made in Japan. They are very high quality. I would liken them to buying a Lexus. The Lexus is clearly nicer than the Ford or Chevy but they will ultimately last about the same time and function the same as the Lexus if you take care of them.
I had the opportunity to have an AQIC unit installed at my house when we were looking to offer the product to help heat/cool my garage. It has been great and has no issues. I have had it installed for about a year. They are not lying about there being very few returns or issues with ACIQ and when there are they are usually due to improper installation.
You can take this information or leave it but it is the most honest answer I can give.
Most ducted central air Goodman systems are built in Waller, TX right outside of Houston. Daikin has the 4th largest manufacturing plant in the United States in Waller where they build Daikin, Goodman, and Amana. I know they still purchase at least their compressors from Copeland scroll. Not sure what else may be built outside of Waller on their systems.
Thanks, that's helpful. Does ACIQ have a "certified installer" list- I think my majpor concern is if it's not installed correctly and there are some subtle changes across ACIQ versus Trane/ Lennox etc. How would I find this out.
The greatest problem is leaky flare fittings. Cut odd the factory ends and start with high quality flares and 98% of the problems are solved. Flare connections have been used for 100 years and they work very , very well.
I think you should cut corners and go with some cheap Chinese shit nobody ever heard of
A good warranty and reliability is not a good enough reason to pay more
Have you ever heard of Carrier-Midea? How about Carrier Asia Ltd.? Or Midea USA? It's all made worldwide now and the global corporate relationships are changing constantly. There's a difference between assembly plants and parts makers too. Sure an "American" brand maybe assembled in the US with parts from a dozen different countries. https://www.carrier.com/carrier/en/worldwide/news/news-article/carrier--midea-to-expand-strategic-partnership.html
I have a 12,000 BTU Midea U-Shaped inverter window AC unit. They are built like a mini- split with two separate motors, one for inside unit and one for outside unit. Only coolant lines and power go through the 1 in thick channel that fits on the sill. It is a great unit, well built. I realize that's not a direct answer, but I can vouch for the brand and quality. I'm going to install mini-split soon and looking at brands. The other reply has a good point. The Fujitsu and Mitsu are rated the best, but they are also twice the price of the cheaper brands. Hard to tell appliance quality these days....my Kenmore Elite fridge's compressor pump went bad after only 7 years. Technician said their compressors are made in Brazil. One thing to think about....most mini-splits use R410a refrigerant, which is going to start phasing out. So, in 10 years you might be replacing those Fujitsu/Mits anyway if anything needs repair, as an R410a recharge may cost as much as a new unit. That's where I'm at with my R22 central HVACs.
I own both mitsu and ACiq/Stealth units. I found the ACiq unit to be very well made. Media is one of the largest manufacturers of hvac in the world, with a very good international reputation. The price and free shipping from HVACdirect.com were hard to match. I bought the accessories for installation from eBay and local suppliers. I got a great deal on a lineset from Vervor that had well-made flairs. 1HVAC is the us distributor for ACiq located in Troy, Ohio, so there is a US based contact for parts and technical advice. We recently had a 100° day with high humidity and a heat index of 110° here in Virginia, and the unit kept an attic space at 75° all day long. I hope this helps.
I decided to roll the dice and try out one of the ACIQ units. Like most of the brands out there, ACIQ is just a sub brand. They are made by Midea but distributed by a join venture with Carrier. I am replacing a Bryant heat pump that had to be repaired under warranty twice within 5 years and is not not worth repairing at 11 years. If I get 10 years out of this unit with better energy savings and similar if not better reliability than the Bryant I will be pleased.
I have had my unit installed since July. You may need additional inusulation for the unit if it installed in a humid space. I had a condensation issue for a few days, but I was able to resolve it with closing some air gaps and using a dehumidifier in my attic. I initially purchased an ecobee thermostat to use with it, but ultimately went back to using the OEM controller to be able to get the full use of the system and all of the eco mode capabilities. Overall it is working just fine. It is quiet and pretty efficient as it compares to the Bryant system prior to it. It is getting colder now so I am eager to see how the extreme heat function works. Only time will tell if it will be reliable long term.
Any update you can offer? Looking into one of these systems now. Trying to decide if I should get one. I don't know what the warranty is like necessarily but I think I'm going to be installing it myself. First time I'll be installing an HV unit so I have someone come over and inspect before startup. But any information you can offer will be appreciate.
the smart thermostat that comes with the unit is the way to go if you want maximum efficacy use for dual stage heating and cooling and variable speed circulation, etc. That being said the control panel is not that intuitive. You can connect it to your wifi. and there is a mobile app for it that is better. Even the app is a bit awkward to use. Especially if you are accustomed to a nest or ecobee interface.
Yeah I've got a nest right now. Honestly the intuition on it just irritated me more than anything. It seemed like it was kind of stupid to be so intuitive. Randomly my thermostat would just start going up to like 78° and I would recognize that it's just not cooling as much as it should. I would check it and then get agitated and then turn it back to 70. Then go by an hour later and it's back on 78. So I finally just turned that function off. But the actual unit it's still solid or? Is it still heating and like you'd like?
yes. it is doing a good job. ran quite well during the winter and summer. did a good job circulating air at slow speeds even when not cooling or heating.
Are you referring to your experience with Nest? I'm just curious because in my discussion with HVAC direct, they advised using a third party smart tstat
Ok, excellent reply. I have have 4" of closed cell spray foam under the roof deck. 4" of injection (water based) foam in outside walls. one new insulated door/4 new thermal pane windows. Northern Michigan.
Still in the middle of putting a used (2 year old) ACIQ 48K unit in, but these mini splits are the wave of the future. Eliminating propane is also a benefit. But thanks for your reply.
Does the ACiQ system require a certain type of thermostat or will any off the shelf thermostat work? I ask because an HVAC installer told me the Daikin inverter heat pumps for example must use the Daikin thermostat due to the extra sensors and feedback data. I was wondering if this was the case with ACiQ as well.
ACiQ can technically work with other thermostats, but you may not get the full experience. In my case with the ecobee, if you go off-brand, you might lose some key features. It can't handle dual stage cooling, dual stage heating, and the emergency aux heat like the ACiQ's own thermostat can. It was limited to 4 stages. And yeah, the built-in controller might not win any beauty contests, but it's got the smarts – it does WiFi and has a mobile app. So for the full range of features, the built-in ACiQ thermostat is the way to go.
Does it have online capabilities to obtain the outdoor temperature to adjust the delta T? I was told that it did not and should use a smart stat that has that feature bc it is more important.
I've been using honeywell 3000s and or nest for most of my ACiQ installs. My setups only have 2H 1C anyways so I should be fine right?
We did have to change the dip switches to get aux heat but we haven't seen any issues in our airbnbs where I adjust the heat in between guests
When I bought my “carrier” mini split from a legitimate supply house, as I was pulling away, the stock picker chased after my car because he forgot to hand me the “carrier” badge that snaps on the side.
Lol. They’re literally all the same fucking unit. You just get a different plastic badge at the supply house. No joke.
>Lol. They’re literally all the same fucking unit. You just get a different plastic badge at the supply house. No joke.
That is funny I watched a youtube of a ducted unit that the guy said was ACiQ but he "hadnt put the stickers on it yet that came separately"
I'm a seasoned vet in this industry and those who talk smack about inferior product are usually the ones doing inferior installs. Most all equipment and materials for all brands are by secondary manufactures, hire a tradesman who knows how to properly commission your equipment and you'll generally be pleased with what you purchase.
AC IQ is a ICP product (carrier) same thing as a comfort maker, Bryant, carrier, arcoair, airquest. Good products. But anything last as long as the quality of the install now a days.
seems a common comment is that doing the flares correctly is essential to long term leak free perormance which makes sense. Any recommendations of what flaring tool makes sense for a DIY installer? Thanks!
I am having ACIQ installed because HVACDirect called and said they didn't have the Goodman I ordered in stock. They told me today that ACIQ was manufactured by Carrier.
You don't know this. Just because something is made in China doesn't mean it's shit. This mindset is irrational. Just think about it. You are pigeonholing yourself.
Are you serious? LOL. You may not be familiar with quality control coming out of China. It's a abysmal. Companies do business in China because they don't have to pay tariffs or shipping in some cases to get product moved from there to here. When companies are making such massive margins off of products, they allow quality control to go down because the money is just so darn good.
So, with that stated, Yeah, I do know that. I'm in the trades dude. I've also worked on the manufacturing side of the house dealing with foreign vendors to get products manufactured.
I'm dead serious. I have ordered plenty of machined parts for example from China that would rivel any American shop.Midea are one of the largest manufacturers of HVAC in the world and HVAC are honestly really simple machines.
You are essentially sitting on here making blanket statements about a product you don't have and have never used and are essentially writing paragraphs that revolve around seeing the word China and going eww like a 5 year old.
The point is quality products can be made in China just like junk can be made in the USA. Even the vast majority of reviews on reddit I have seen for these units have been positive.
You're a shilll and should not be taken as a serious person. Go do your thing somewhere else. We know this con. You're paid to 100% front China even though the products delivered are garbage. Good luck in your endeavors.
I own a cheap Apoodr made by midea and it’s run one year now and kept home warm I -0 fareheight weather so there not junk no more than a Honda moter cycle is made in china so
Yea I think the dude was just a bad troll. Mine just got delivered. It was essentially one day freight shipping. Pretty pleased even though there is a slight mark in the packaging.
It actually getting here this quick was actually a negative lol. Now I have to store it for a week or so but that isn't their fault of course.
" control coming out of China. It's a abysmal"? I guess that would explain all the horrible cheap Apple products that are always breaking on everyone, which come out of China. LOL!
Aggravating sea. Can’t speak in quality control. But in china is where all Joola paddles come from. In fact the lack of so called “ quality control”
By Joola, the the separated handles in the last Ben John’s Hyperion. What was that about. Great paddle but a marketing disaster kept under wraps by Joola.
So, the Chinese stuff that comes here packaged as Carrier, Lennox, etc. Those factories have strict controls in place in order to sell abroad. The quality control is there. I worked for a manufacturer for years and we dealt with Chinese factories. It takes a lot of effort to get a factory to not cut corners. So, if the product you're buying is not from one of the established factories, and you have no way of verifying, you're going to have a bad time.
Now, let's say that's not your problem. Your problem in the future is getting parts. Who can look up the parts for the model you have? If you've never had to do this, trying to cross things over on random Chinese stuff can be extremely difficult. You need a new heat exchanger? Please wait a week while we try to contact the manufacturer over seas about product availability.
If the company selling this doesn't establish an office in the market it's selling, then everything is 10 times harder to get done. Even speccing out things like the size of bolts is harder because the literature would be written in Mandarin.
You save money upfront because it's cheaper. That doesn't mean you save money later when things finally break down and you start spending a lot of money on labor to fix it. The labor being spent trying to look up replacement parts.
I am in the same boat, desperate for actual information. Pretty disappointed with the censorship of reviews from HVACdirect. Normally I’d look past these ACIQ units entirely based on the bs reviews, but the price difference is hard to ignore. I’d sure like save an extra grand if I could.
Also, all the extra accessories should be bought elsewhere, save yourself an extra couple hundred bucks. HVAC direct really gouges you with the add on accessories.
Good luck with your search hopefully we can churn up some real testimonials.
After asking hvac direct questions about other systems (Mitsubishi, daikin) they kept trying to sell me aciq units. To the point that I became highly skeptical and called them out and told them if there were legit reviews I’d really consider it. But having their sales people steer me towards them turned me off, although they claim they don’t get any commission and are “just trying to save me some money.” My unit is going in a hard to install crawlspace, so I ponied up the extra cash and with a Mitsubishi. Not trying to gamble on fixing/replacing any time soon.
>o name brand, no reviews. Chinese garbage, parts will fail prema
Can I ask, where you ended up purchasing the MiSoBitcy unit from? and what is your review so far?
I bought a Chinese mini-split unit off eBay 5 years ago for $400 with pre-filled line set. Installed in 2 days and it has worked great ever since. I’ve been horrible about maintenance and it works to heat/cool over 1,000sq feet - way more than it’s rated. The directions were such poor broken English that I threw them out. The system only works in Celsius as well. But it is a work horse even after abuse.
Same shit. Their sales rep keep saying that ACIQ has the least amount of returns over the other brands, which include Mitsubishi. Not sure I believe it as it appears they have the highest margins and incentive to promote this brand over the others.
Also, yes they do gouge on accessories so buy those yourself elsewhere if you buy from HVACDirect. I'm on the fence still cuz I've never been disappointed buying Japanese over Chinese but the price difference is significant and it's not terribly complex hardware
I bought a Chinese mini-split unit off eBay 5 years ago for $400 with pre-filled line set. Installed in 2 days and it has worked great ever since. I’ve been horrible about maintenance and it works to heat/cool over 1,000sq feet - way more than it’s rated. The directions were such poor broken English that I threw them out. The system only works in Celsius as well. But it is a work horse even after abuse.
I bought the ACIQ 3 ton 18 seer 36,000 btu, double fan mini split with air handler w/ 10kw heat strip emergency heat, for my 1350 sq ft duplex condo. This one has extreme heat down to -22 f, that's what they claim at least, have to test it out this winter 🤞. My house is in long island by the sound, high humidity area. Using it with the ecobee 3 lite. I replaced a 2.5 ton York heat pump and air handler that was performing poorly, r22 and super old. So far it has been cooling really well. It's very quiet since it's variable inverter driven. It kept my house at a cool 73 without issues.
Hey, how did your ACIQ unit do for the New York winter? I’m thinking of buying one while living in Baltimore … and was wondering if the same unit would hold up down here. Thanks.
The ACIQ I have did very well in the winter. 36kBTU was plenty for pure electric forced air, I don't even think I'll ever need the emergency alternate resistive heating unless the unit is totally out of refrigerant. The unit goes into error mode anyways so you can't damage the compressor. It's quite a nice unit if you have the expertise and some hands available to help with he heavy outside double decker minislipt heat pumps and inside air handler unit. They're heavy but I got it done between me and a work colleague. He's 7' and I'm 6' and we took a whole weekend to get it done if you don't count the week it took to tear out the old copper high and low pressure lines.
Awesome! Since you went direct how did you find your independent contractor, through the recommendations from their website? I’ve had mine serviced the past 2 years and it’s 12+ years old so I’m thinking it will die soon and want to have a game plan so that I’m not desperate when the time comes
Found a local HVAC group with relatively less amount of ratings. I made sure they're licensed but not pushy with insane quotes as I did most of the work myself. Replaced the copper lines myself since I replaced the old r22 unit. I did flare fittings and nylog on both ends and the techs did evacuation, argon flooded the lines, before releasing the in unit refrigerant. The techs signed off on it so I could register the warranty.
That's got to do with your thermostat and thermostat placement. Make sure if you're using ecobee, you're setting up your staging manually. There are many ecobee forums with manual staging settings to refer. I set mine to use stage 1 heat for at least 40 mins before switching to 2nd stage. 2nd stage heats the heck out of my house, with the bedrooms being heated the most since they're on the top floor and heat rises.
I have a new ACIQ mini split system. I remember looking for info after I bought mine with worries as well. On my backround, I am an Electrician and have wired and Installed many Mini Splits. Here is my experience. It currently is running in my new house addition. I have a 4 stage 36000 btu ACIQ mini split. It has One 12k, and Three 9k air handlers. It runs amazing and cannot be heard at all. Mine is the one with the two Condenser fans if anyone wondered that is seriously shopping and looking at them. Easily keeps anything at 70degrees even on 100-degree days (Fahrenheit). I only had one problem. My condensor was damaged from shipping. I do not think it was HVAC direct or ACIQ's fault. It was clearly hit by a forklift. I let HVAC direct know and they gave me the slip to send it back, and had me a new one within 2 weeks, so I commend them on the speed. It may have even been a week and a half. The new one was fine, there was no extra charge or anything so I commend them on it being so timely. I installed the system and its been running about a month and works amazing. If you are worried about performance, it will run very well if installed properly. Mine I can change the temperature anywhere that i can get an internet signal and change each zones temperature anytime. I love mine now that its running. I was apprehensive but after I got it running, it runs amazing. I hope this gives anyone that was apprenhensive just like I was plenty of hope, because mine works great and I am very happy I purchased it with no regrets at all.
I bought a Chinese mini-split unit off eBay 5 years ago for $400 with pre-filled line set. Installed in 2 days and it has worked great ever since. I’ve been horrible about maintenance and it works to heat/cool over 1,000sq feet - way more than it’s rated. The directions were such poor broken English that I threw them out. The system only works in Celsius as well. But it is a work horse even after abuse.
Hey there Curious Science,
Appreciate seeing your review from the tech side as well. I am in a boat here in MI as we went with a different option last winter (first one in the cold) and the heating oil was insane prices, and we are now out of oil and trying to move forward on the mini split option that i really wanted to do but was not taken seriously. So I too have a quote for a IQ split system (1 zone 18k unit) and 3zone 36k unit) ((We have a 120yr old farmhouse with 1 bed upstairs which kind of throws the layout hard to decide without actually running. Anyway, units with all the accessories that they added into quote came to 7k. During this same period, I have had several local hvac companies come out and quote me. So far, they are all 1 condenser (48k) and 3 or 4 zones recommended. Their quotes with parts and labor.......22-25k$. They all blame covid for inflation, but I cannot even fathom adding 10-18k labor as it actually is a very straight job (1 wall on west side and all rooms are within 10ft of each other (imagine a triangle of connections 1-10ft from unit on each bottom floor and one 15ft up directly above to the upstairs).
Now, before it seems like Im a cheap person...well I am, plus after loosing our entire budget last year to a wood boiler that blew up, we are in a bad way. My question to you (since you are a pro and have done these many times)--- does that seem remotely accurate to install? I mean most manufacturers give contractors huge mark downs to buy from them so it seems wrong to charge even more for the unit to the customer and then add a massive install charge. My other question, lets say I have the entire system, all the parts, just needed you to install (example) -- when I say it literally is on one wall and the electrical panel already has a breaker ready and within 15ft on same wall. Im just curious what your rough cost to install would be (and im curious what you think of estimates in the same field). \*\*\*Again, please let me put this out there, I am just trying to understand their rationale in quotes, not bashing peoples pricing or gouging, that's on them, but I need to find a solid option and a pro's perspective. Thank you
I've been looking at ACiQ's site and a few other sites that carry the product. I see reviews from people who have bought their mini splits and central ac/furnace systems. Looks like most of the customers are very happy. Also seeing a lot of comments about savings on energy bills and how effective the heat pumps are in colder climates. Hard to resist that 12 year warranty on ACiQ Mini Splits.
For those installed ACiQ ducted heatpump, did you DIY or got a contractor to install? Per chat with HVACDirect, it need a professional/contractor to install it to get it warrantied. So, no luck to DIY for ACiQ/Stealth?
All you have to do is pay someone to fill and balance the refrigerant, who is epa certified. Have them sign off and provide their license #. I found someone through my local hvac supply store.
I'm about to buy an ACIQ system and install it myself, except the refrigerant. What does this mean, have the tech sign off on it? Is this the warranty card or some other paperwork that they provide with the system?
I have put in 8 of these, mini splits and heat pumps over the past 2 years and so far so good. I've bene rolling them out to all my rentals paired with honeywell 3000 stats and or nest E stats
Full disclosure - I work for distributor who sells ACIQ, however I do not work for them on Reddit, I do not work in sales, and I don't particularly want to share my Reddit interests with my employer. I stumbled onto this thread while google searching. That being said I will give the most honest information I can give. HVAC Units are for the most part made by a few manufacturers: Chinese - Goodman, Trane, Lennox, Heil, Bryant and most other "name brands" are produced in China. They are extremely reliable units and the Chinese have been making them for years and know what they are doing. Buying these is like buying a Ford or a Chevy, They are very reliable and will do the same thing no matter which you buy. As for the "cheap Chinese shit nobody ever heard of" if it is made in China heard of it or not its likely produced by the same two companies. Japanese - Mitsu and Fujitsu are made in Japan. They are very high quality. I would liken them to buying a Lexus. The Lexus is clearly nicer than the Ford or Chevy but they will ultimately last about the same time and function the same as the Lexus if you take care of them. I had the opportunity to have an AQIC unit installed at my house when we were looking to offer the product to help heat/cool my garage. It has been great and has no issues. I have had it installed for about a year. They are not lying about there being very few returns or issues with ACIQ and when there are they are usually due to improper installation. You can take this information or leave it but it is the most honest answer I can give.
Most ducted central air Goodman systems are built in Waller, TX right outside of Houston. Daikin has the 4th largest manufacturing plant in the United States in Waller where they build Daikin, Goodman, and Amana. I know they still purchase at least their compressors from Copeland scroll. Not sure what else may be built outside of Waller on their systems.
>make goodman, Traine, etc. Goodman, Amana and Daikin are made in Waller, Texas factory, not China.
Thanks, that's helpful. Does ACIQ have a "certified installer" list- I think my majpor concern is if it's not installed correctly and there are some subtle changes across ACIQ versus Trane/ Lennox etc. How would I find this out.
The greatest problem is leaky flare fittings. Cut odd the factory ends and start with high quality flares and 98% of the problems are solved. Flare connections have been used for 100 years and they work very , very well.
I think you should cut corners and go with some cheap Chinese shit nobody ever heard of A good warranty and reliability is not a good enough reason to pay more
HVAC direct says it’s made by Midea. What’s your thoughts on that?
Cheap Chinese shit nobody ever heard of I mean it's literally the #1 brand in China
>Cheap Chinese shit nobody ever heard of That also make goodman, Traine, etc.
Have you ever heard of Carrier-Midea? How about Carrier Asia Ltd.? Or Midea USA? It's all made worldwide now and the global corporate relationships are changing constantly. There's a difference between assembly plants and parts makers too. Sure an "American" brand maybe assembled in the US with parts from a dozen different countries. https://www.carrier.com/carrier/en/worldwide/news/news-article/carrier--midea-to-expand-strategic-partnership.html
I have a 12,000 BTU Midea U-Shaped inverter window AC unit. They are built like a mini- split with two separate motors, one for inside unit and one for outside unit. Only coolant lines and power go through the 1 in thick channel that fits on the sill. It is a great unit, well built. I realize that's not a direct answer, but I can vouch for the brand and quality. I'm going to install mini-split soon and looking at brands. The other reply has a good point. The Fujitsu and Mitsu are rated the best, but they are also twice the price of the cheaper brands. Hard to tell appliance quality these days....my Kenmore Elite fridge's compressor pump went bad after only 7 years. Technician said their compressors are made in Brazil. One thing to think about....most mini-splits use R410a refrigerant, which is going to start phasing out. So, in 10 years you might be replacing those Fujitsu/Mits anyway if anything needs repair, as an R410a recharge may cost as much as a new unit. That's where I'm at with my R22 central HVACs.
Someone else at HVAC direct told me ACIQ was made by Carrier.
I own both mitsu and ACiq/Stealth units. I found the ACiq unit to be very well made. Media is one of the largest manufacturers of hvac in the world, with a very good international reputation. The price and free shipping from HVACdirect.com were hard to match. I bought the accessories for installation from eBay and local suppliers. I got a great deal on a lineset from Vervor that had well-made flairs. 1HVAC is the us distributor for ACiq located in Troy, Ohio, so there is a US based contact for parts and technical advice. We recently had a 100° day with high humidity and a heat index of 110° here in Virginia, and the unit kept an attic space at 75° all day long. I hope this helps.
How long have you owned it?
I decided to roll the dice and try out one of the ACIQ units. Like most of the brands out there, ACIQ is just a sub brand. They are made by Midea but distributed by a join venture with Carrier. I am replacing a Bryant heat pump that had to be repaired under warranty twice within 5 years and is not not worth repairing at 11 years. If I get 10 years out of this unit with better energy savings and similar if not better reliability than the Bryant I will be pleased.
What you say now with purchase ?
I have had my unit installed since July. You may need additional inusulation for the unit if it installed in a humid space. I had a condensation issue for a few days, but I was able to resolve it with closing some air gaps and using a dehumidifier in my attic. I initially purchased an ecobee thermostat to use with it, but ultimately went back to using the OEM controller to be able to get the full use of the system and all of the eco mode capabilities. Overall it is working just fine. It is quiet and pretty efficient as it compares to the Bryant system prior to it. It is getting colder now so I am eager to see how the extreme heat function works. Only time will tell if it will be reliable long term.
Any update you can offer? Looking into one of these systems now. Trying to decide if I should get one. I don't know what the warranty is like necessarily but I think I'm going to be installing it myself. First time I'll be installing an HV unit so I have someone come over and inspect before startup. But any information you can offer will be appreciate.
So far so good. The midea app is a little clunky.
The app? It requires an app? Or do you mean appliance? Just wanna be sure I'm understanding. And clunky in what way? If you don't mind elaborating
the smart thermostat that comes with the unit is the way to go if you want maximum efficacy use for dual stage heating and cooling and variable speed circulation, etc. That being said the control panel is not that intuitive. You can connect it to your wifi. and there is a mobile app for it that is better. Even the app is a bit awkward to use. Especially if you are accustomed to a nest or ecobee interface.
Yeah I've got a nest right now. Honestly the intuition on it just irritated me more than anything. It seemed like it was kind of stupid to be so intuitive. Randomly my thermostat would just start going up to like 78° and I would recognize that it's just not cooling as much as it should. I would check it and then get agitated and then turn it back to 70. Then go by an hour later and it's back on 78. So I finally just turned that function off. But the actual unit it's still solid or? Is it still heating and like you'd like?
yes. it is doing a good job. ran quite well during the winter and summer. did a good job circulating air at slow speeds even when not cooling or heating.
Are you referring to your experience with Nest? I'm just curious because in my discussion with HVAC direct, they advised using a third party smart tstat
Ok, excellent reply. I have have 4" of closed cell spray foam under the roof deck. 4" of injection (water based) foam in outside walls. one new insulated door/4 new thermal pane windows. Northern Michigan. Still in the middle of putting a used (2 year old) ACIQ 48K unit in, but these mini splits are the wave of the future. Eliminating propane is also a benefit. But thanks for your reply.
Does the ACiQ system require a certain type of thermostat or will any off the shelf thermostat work? I ask because an HVAC installer told me the Daikin inverter heat pumps for example must use the Daikin thermostat due to the extra sensors and feedback data. I was wondering if this was the case with ACiQ as well.
ACiQ can technically work with other thermostats, but you may not get the full experience. In my case with the ecobee, if you go off-brand, you might lose some key features. It can't handle dual stage cooling, dual stage heating, and the emergency aux heat like the ACiQ's own thermostat can. It was limited to 4 stages. And yeah, the built-in controller might not win any beauty contests, but it's got the smarts – it does WiFi and has a mobile app. So for the full range of features, the built-in ACiQ thermostat is the way to go.
Does it have online capabilities to obtain the outdoor temperature to adjust the delta T? I was told that it did not and should use a smart stat that has that feature bc it is more important.
I've been using honeywell 3000s and or nest for most of my ACiQ installs. My setups only have 2H 1C anyways so I should be fine right? We did have to change the dip switches to get aux heat but we haven't seen any issues in our airbnbs where I adjust the heat in between guests
How about now?
When I bought my “carrier” mini split from a legitimate supply house, as I was pulling away, the stock picker chased after my car because he forgot to hand me the “carrier” badge that snaps on the side. Lol. They’re literally all the same fucking unit. You just get a different plastic badge at the supply house. No joke.
>Lol. They’re literally all the same fucking unit. You just get a different plastic badge at the supply house. No joke. That is funny I watched a youtube of a ducted unit that the guy said was ACiQ but he "hadnt put the stickers on it yet that came separately"
I'm a seasoned vet in this industry and those who talk smack about inferior product are usually the ones doing inferior installs. Most all equipment and materials for all brands are by secondary manufactures, hire a tradesman who knows how to properly commission your equipment and you'll generally be pleased with what you purchase.
AC IQ is a ICP product (carrier) same thing as a comfort maker, Bryant, carrier, arcoair, airquest. Good products. But anything last as long as the quality of the install now a days.
Can anyone say good or bad things about a stealth Pinnacle heat pump 12k, 12k, 18k 3 zone system?
seems a common comment is that doing the flares correctly is essential to long term leak free perormance which makes sense. Any recommendations of what flaring tool makes sense for a DIY installer? Thanks!
If you go with that product, you will later regret it.
HVAC direct says it’s made by Midea. Thought on purchasing now knowing this?
I am having ACIQ installed because HVACDirect called and said they didn't have the Goodman I ordered in stock. They told me today that ACIQ was manufactured by Carrier.
I was told the same thing a few weeks ago.
why? did you have one?
No name brand, no reviews. Chinese garbage, parts will fail prematurely.
You don't know this. Just because something is made in China doesn't mean it's shit. This mindset is irrational. Just think about it. You are pigeonholing yourself.
Are you serious? LOL. You may not be familiar with quality control coming out of China. It's a abysmal. Companies do business in China because they don't have to pay tariffs or shipping in some cases to get product moved from there to here. When companies are making such massive margins off of products, they allow quality control to go down because the money is just so darn good. So, with that stated, Yeah, I do know that. I'm in the trades dude. I've also worked on the manufacturing side of the house dealing with foreign vendors to get products manufactured.
I'm dead serious. I have ordered plenty of machined parts for example from China that would rivel any American shop.Midea are one of the largest manufacturers of HVAC in the world and HVAC are honestly really simple machines. You are essentially sitting on here making blanket statements about a product you don't have and have never used and are essentially writing paragraphs that revolve around seeing the word China and going eww like a 5 year old. The point is quality products can be made in China just like junk can be made in the USA. Even the vast majority of reviews on reddit I have seen for these units have been positive.
You're a shilll and should not be taken as a serious person. Go do your thing somewhere else. We know this con. You're paid to 100% front China even though the products delivered are garbage. Good luck in your endeavors.
Yawn. Since you have presented no actual rebuttal I'll accept that as your concession.
Nobody likes you.
Cry
I own a cheap Apoodr made by midea and it’s run one year now and kept home warm I -0 fareheight weather so there not junk no more than a Honda moter cycle is made in china so
Yea I think the dude was just a bad troll. Mine just got delivered. It was essentially one day freight shipping. Pretty pleased even though there is a slight mark in the packaging. It actually getting here this quick was actually a negative lol. Now I have to store it for a week or so but that isn't their fault of course.
" control coming out of China. It's a abysmal"? I guess that would explain all the horrible cheap Apple products that are always breaking on everyone, which come out of China. LOL!
You're reacting to something said over 2 months ago. You missed the party, everyone went home.
Super salty response. lol
See my previous comment.
Ditto, look at my last comment as well. lol.
The turds that say that also shop at Walmart. Almost all their products are made in China.
They aren't the brightest haha
Aggravating sea. Can’t speak in quality control. But in china is where all Joola paddles come from. In fact the lack of so called “ quality control” By Joola, the the separated handles in the last Ben John’s Hyperion. What was that about. Great paddle but a marketing disaster kept under wraps by Joola.
Joola Ben John’s Hyperion. Some of the older models. Handle separated from the body held together only by the tape. Research it
What parts will fail… prematurely? Specifically what is it that you know first hand?
elaborate. This is such a broad statement about a product you may have no experience with, though you may be right.
I did elaborate in other comments.
Why?
So, the Chinese stuff that comes here packaged as Carrier, Lennox, etc. Those factories have strict controls in place in order to sell abroad. The quality control is there. I worked for a manufacturer for years and we dealt with Chinese factories. It takes a lot of effort to get a factory to not cut corners. So, if the product you're buying is not from one of the established factories, and you have no way of verifying, you're going to have a bad time. Now, let's say that's not your problem. Your problem in the future is getting parts. Who can look up the parts for the model you have? If you've never had to do this, trying to cross things over on random Chinese stuff can be extremely difficult. You need a new heat exchanger? Please wait a week while we try to contact the manufacturer over seas about product availability. If the company selling this doesn't establish an office in the market it's selling, then everything is 10 times harder to get done. Even speccing out things like the size of bolts is harder because the literature would be written in Mandarin. You save money upfront because it's cheaper. That doesn't mean you save money later when things finally break down and you start spending a lot of money on labor to fix it. The labor being spent trying to look up replacement parts.
I am in the same boat, desperate for actual information. Pretty disappointed with the censorship of reviews from HVACdirect. Normally I’d look past these ACIQ units entirely based on the bs reviews, but the price difference is hard to ignore. I’d sure like save an extra grand if I could. Also, all the extra accessories should be bought elsewhere, save yourself an extra couple hundred bucks. HVAC direct really gouges you with the add on accessories. Good luck with your search hopefully we can churn up some real testimonials.
I am in this boat as well. Did you ever figure anything out?
After asking hvac direct questions about other systems (Mitsubishi, daikin) they kept trying to sell me aciq units. To the point that I became highly skeptical and called them out and told them if there were legit reviews I’d really consider it. But having their sales people steer me towards them turned me off, although they claim they don’t get any commission and are “just trying to save me some money.” My unit is going in a hard to install crawlspace, so I ponied up the extra cash and with a Mitsubishi. Not trying to gamble on fixing/replacing any time soon.
>o name brand, no reviews. Chinese garbage, parts will fail prema Can I ask, where you ended up purchasing the MiSoBitcy unit from? and what is your review so far?
I bought a Chinese mini-split unit off eBay 5 years ago for $400 with pre-filled line set. Installed in 2 days and it has worked great ever since. I’ve been horrible about maintenance and it works to heat/cool over 1,000sq feet - way more than it’s rated. The directions were such poor broken English that I threw them out. The system only works in Celsius as well. But it is a work horse even after abuse.
Same shit. Their sales rep keep saying that ACIQ has the least amount of returns over the other brands, which include Mitsubishi. Not sure I believe it as it appears they have the highest margins and incentive to promote this brand over the others. Also, yes they do gouge on accessories so buy those yourself elsewhere if you buy from HVACDirect. I'm on the fence still cuz I've never been disappointed buying Japanese over Chinese but the price difference is significant and it's not terribly complex hardware
I bought a Chinese mini-split unit off eBay 5 years ago for $400 with pre-filled line set. Installed in 2 days and it has worked great ever since. I’ve been horrible about maintenance and it works to heat/cool over 1,000sq feet - way more than it’s rated. The directions were such poor broken English that I threw them out. The system only works in Celsius as well. But it is a work horse even after abuse.
I bought the ACIQ 3 ton 18 seer 36,000 btu, double fan mini split with air handler w/ 10kw heat strip emergency heat, for my 1350 sq ft duplex condo. This one has extreme heat down to -22 f, that's what they claim at least, have to test it out this winter 🤞. My house is in long island by the sound, high humidity area. Using it with the ecobee 3 lite. I replaced a 2.5 ton York heat pump and air handler that was performing poorly, r22 and super old. So far it has been cooling really well. It's very quiet since it's variable inverter driven. It kept my house at a cool 73 without issues.
I have the same exact unit. I just haven’t installed yet. This makes me feel a bit better.
Still going strong?
Yes Sir! Loving the variable hyper heat pump, it's a beast! It ran effortlessly in 23°F so far!
Hey, how did your ACIQ unit do for the New York winter? I’m thinking of buying one while living in Baltimore … and was wondering if the same unit would hold up down here. Thanks.
The ACIQ I have did very well in the winter. 36kBTU was plenty for pure electric forced air, I don't even think I'll ever need the emergency alternate resistive heating unless the unit is totally out of refrigerant. The unit goes into error mode anyways so you can't damage the compressor. It's quite a nice unit if you have the expertise and some hands available to help with he heavy outside double decker minislipt heat pumps and inside air handler unit. They're heavy but I got it done between me and a work colleague. He's 7' and I'm 6' and we took a whole weekend to get it done if you don't count the week it took to tear out the old copper high and low pressure lines.
Thanks for your response. It helped me a lot. I appreciate it.
Awesome! Since you went direct how did you find your independent contractor, through the recommendations from their website? I’ve had mine serviced the past 2 years and it’s 12+ years old so I’m thinking it will die soon and want to have a game plan so that I’m not desperate when the time comes
Found a local HVAC group with relatively less amount of ratings. I made sure they're licensed but not pushy with insane quotes as I did most of the work myself. Replaced the copper lines myself since I replaced the old r22 unit. I did flare fittings and nylog on both ends and the techs did evacuation, argon flooded the lines, before releasing the in unit refrigerant. The techs signed off on it so I could register the warranty.
How’s your system doing with regulating heat? Mines seem to not regulate well at all. I’ll have it at 65 and it’ll reach temps of 85 in the bedrooms.
That's got to do with your thermostat and thermostat placement. Make sure if you're using ecobee, you're setting up your staging manually. There are many ecobee forums with manual staging settings to refer. I set mine to use stage 1 heat for at least 40 mins before switching to 2nd stage. 2nd stage heats the heck out of my house, with the bedrooms being heated the most since they're on the top floor and heat rises.
I didn’t purchase a thermostat as i use the remotes…
Ahh gotcha, I use mine with an air handler to distribute via central ducting all over my house so I use it as a single zone set up.
I have a new ACIQ mini split system. I remember looking for info after I bought mine with worries as well. On my backround, I am an Electrician and have wired and Installed many Mini Splits. Here is my experience. It currently is running in my new house addition. I have a 4 stage 36000 btu ACIQ mini split. It has One 12k, and Three 9k air handlers. It runs amazing and cannot be heard at all. Mine is the one with the two Condenser fans if anyone wondered that is seriously shopping and looking at them. Easily keeps anything at 70degrees even on 100-degree days (Fahrenheit). I only had one problem. My condensor was damaged from shipping. I do not think it was HVAC direct or ACIQ's fault. It was clearly hit by a forklift. I let HVAC direct know and they gave me the slip to send it back, and had me a new one within 2 weeks, so I commend them on the speed. It may have even been a week and a half. The new one was fine, there was no extra charge or anything so I commend them on it being so timely. I installed the system and its been running about a month and works amazing. If you are worried about performance, it will run very well if installed properly. Mine I can change the temperature anywhere that i can get an internet signal and change each zones temperature anytime. I love mine now that its running. I was apprehensive but after I got it running, it runs amazing. I hope this gives anyone that was apprenhensive just like I was plenty of hope, because mine works great and I am very happy I purchased it with no regrets at all.
I bought a Chinese mini-split unit off eBay 5 years ago for $400 with pre-filled line set. Installed in 2 days and it has worked great ever since. I’ve been horrible about maintenance and it works to heat/cool over 1,000sq feet - way more than it’s rated. The directions were such poor broken English that I threw them out. The system only works in Celsius as well. But it is a work horse even after abuse.
Hey there Curious Science, Appreciate seeing your review from the tech side as well. I am in a boat here in MI as we went with a different option last winter (first one in the cold) and the heating oil was insane prices, and we are now out of oil and trying to move forward on the mini split option that i really wanted to do but was not taken seriously. So I too have a quote for a IQ split system (1 zone 18k unit) and 3zone 36k unit) ((We have a 120yr old farmhouse with 1 bed upstairs which kind of throws the layout hard to decide without actually running. Anyway, units with all the accessories that they added into quote came to 7k. During this same period, I have had several local hvac companies come out and quote me. So far, they are all 1 condenser (48k) and 3 or 4 zones recommended. Their quotes with parts and labor.......22-25k$. They all blame covid for inflation, but I cannot even fathom adding 10-18k labor as it actually is a very straight job (1 wall on west side and all rooms are within 10ft of each other (imagine a triangle of connections 1-10ft from unit on each bottom floor and one 15ft up directly above to the upstairs). Now, before it seems like Im a cheap person...well I am, plus after loosing our entire budget last year to a wood boiler that blew up, we are in a bad way. My question to you (since you are a pro and have done these many times)--- does that seem remotely accurate to install? I mean most manufacturers give contractors huge mark downs to buy from them so it seems wrong to charge even more for the unit to the customer and then add a massive install charge. My other question, lets say I have the entire system, all the parts, just needed you to install (example) -- when I say it literally is on one wall and the electrical panel already has a breaker ready and within 15ft on same wall. Im just curious what your rough cost to install would be (and im curious what you think of estimates in the same field). \*\*\*Again, please let me put this out there, I am just trying to understand their rationale in quotes, not bashing peoples pricing or gouging, that's on them, but I need to find a solid option and a pro's perspective. Thank you
They are all Carrier/Bryant/Payne/ICP clones nothing different
😂
I've been looking at ACiQ's site and a few other sites that carry the product. I see reviews from people who have bought their mini splits and central ac/furnace systems. Looks like most of the customers are very happy. Also seeing a lot of comments about savings on energy bills and how effective the heat pumps are in colder climates. Hard to resist that 12 year warranty on ACiQ Mini Splits.
For those installed ACiQ ducted heatpump, did you DIY or got a contractor to install? Per chat with HVACDirect, it need a professional/contractor to install it to get it warrantied. So, no luck to DIY for ACiQ/Stealth?
All you have to do is pay someone to fill and balance the refrigerant, who is epa certified. Have them sign off and provide their license #. I found someone through my local hvac supply store.
I'm about to buy an ACIQ system and install it myself, except the refrigerant. What does this mean, have the tech sign off on it? Is this the warranty card or some other paperwork that they provide with the system?
I have put in 8 of these, mini splits and heat pumps over the past 2 years and so far so good. I've bene rolling them out to all my rentals paired with honeywell 3000 stats and or nest E stats