# Forum Home Renovation Heating & Cooling  Those Mistral air conditioners

## Arron

I've recently had a couple of PM queries about Mistral air conditioners - due to an old post I put on this forum a year or so back. I thought I would reply to everyone together. 
Firstly - are they good heaters/coolers
yes - they heat and cool a small room well - if properly installed. Their performance seems to be consistent with their horsepower rating. 
Secondly - are they well made and reliable
answer - they dont compare with a big name brand, but good value at $299. Mine have been running for a couple of years with no problems and if they clap out after a few more then I wont be too worried. You get what you pay for. Their main problem is probably more that they are old technology and power hungry. In our case we dont use them much, so I'm not too concerned about the power usage. I'd probably limit their usage to rooms that dont get used much - like a study, not somewhere where they are going to be used every day. 
Secondly - are they quiet.
Yes, they are not bad, but not as quiet as a big name brand. 
Thirdly - should you install it yourself.
Definitely. It is not difficult and everything needed comes in the boxes. They are pregassed. I'd go as far as to say definitely do not buy these things and get them professionally installed - you'll pay $400+ to get them installed and they just dont justify that. If paying someone else to install, you should buy a better quality unit as that will justify the installation expense. Also, bear in mind that the 5 year warrantee is (arguably) conditional on a professional installation - although we bought ours from KMart and I cant really imagine them arguing if I took them back. 
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is that after you install them you MUST get them tested by a qualified air conditioning person. I got someone to look over my installation, test pressure and regas for $60 per machine (we have two). He also manually inspected the piping and tightened a few things up. I think I paid that amount because he was working next door and didnt have any travel time. I think the chances of you installing your own machine and getting the pressure right at the end of it are fairly slight - so even if you think you have done a good job, I would still get it tested. Bleeding out the air is not too difficult - the main problem seems to be getting all the pipework leak free. You might be best to install, wait several months and then get it tested, that way any leaks will be apparent. The fellow who checked ours said that Mistral often does not put enough gas in to start with.  
Finally, bear in mind that having a leaking air conditioner, or an inefficient one that requires too much power, has an environmental impact.  
If you want to contact the guy who tested/regassed ours then PM me as I dont like posting other people's names and numbers on the web. 
Arron

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## jimmyjimmy2

I had a problem to loose the pipe nuts on indoor unit. They are extremely tight. Do you have advice? 
Many thanks
Jim

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## Tas_Dean

> I had a problem to loose the pipe nuts on indoor unit. They are extremely tight. Do you have advice? 
> Many thanks
> Jim

  They are tight as the indoor unit is nitrogen charged in the factory. Well it is in quality brands, not sure about the cheapies. 
You need two open end spanners that fit properly. Set them on the nuts so they are about 15-30 degrees apart. Use one hand to squeeze the spanners together. Works every time.

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## Timmo

> They are tight as the indoor unit is nitrogen charged in the factory. Well it is in quality brands, not sure about the cheapies.

   By law they are charged with nitro.

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## Tas_Dean

> By law they are charged with nitro.

  If they cared about the law they wouldn't come with an installation manual telling you how to purge them! The law says that only a gauge hose can be purged.

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## Timmo

> If they cared about the law they wouldn't come with an installation manual telling you how to purge them! The law says that only a gauge hose can be purged.

  Purging is quite legal in most other countries, especially in asia where they are built and where the manual is printed. If you check the fine print you will see the bit where it says to check with the appropriate authority for local requirements. I know the cheapy Arlec ones do. All i really touch now is Daikin and Liebert gear but will be putting in a mistral for the old man in a few weeks. 
The charging of a system to be re-opened with nitro comes under the design and manufacturing requirements of being able to sell the units in Australia. 
Basically If they aren't up to Australian design standards then how can they sell them here?  
Don't get me started on instruction manuals though, how many people here have a Chinese translated manual that makes perfect sense? The manual does not have to be scrutinized to be accepted into the local market. 
Anyway there's nothing wrong with a properly installed mistral unit.

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## pcal

I also have two of these units. One 2.5 horse, the other 1 horse. I am a licensed electrical worker, and so did the electrical part of the install myself. All the "gas" part was done by a mate who is a salesman now, but had 20+ years experience as an aircon installer who knows what to do, but no longer has a current license. 
Both units failed (with different symptoms) with only a couple of hundred hours operation between them. Mistral won't even answer the phone to take an enquiry. It's an automated phone system and If you can't give them a current gas license number from the installer (it's a while back now - I think they even wanted it faxed through) then it's not their problem no matter what has happened. Their website doesn't even give an e-mail address to plead your case. No license number - they just don't care! 
I know it was installed right, and the problem was in manufacture. But the units are just hanging on the wall as a bad picture and reminder of my promise to never again even think about supporting anything with Mistral printed on it. I can't even pull them down without leaving holes in the wall! Argh... 
Pcal

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## kompsj

How to install split system air condition- My review is Mistral, Fujitsu, Fuji, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, are great if you ask me.  Sorry Kelvinator and westinghouse are crap cause they are not energy efficient and have some catching up to do and cost more money(so whats the point).  When opened I find there are about 5 main compressor manufacturers on the market. 
I'm quite happy for customers to hang them on the wall, make all the penetrations and to call me to come and commission them for a small fee. As long as they are secure and level, thats both indoor and outdoor unit. I live in Preston, Jim Komps 0417 209 552. That way you get support and warranty from the manufacturer. I perform this service in all areas as long as your prepared to pay for travel time. I am extremely reliable and professional. 
Note: I have had zero failures with all the units I have installed till date, and thats because I do the job properly in accordance to the refrigeration manual. Don't tale the caps off the copper. They are there for a reason. One of the biggest problems when doing installs is to keep the pipes SUPER clean *AND* to VACCUM the lines. This requires special machinery. That means *NO* contamination *whate-so-ever* like a surgeon. Manufacturers know this and thats why they insist on a licensed fridgy to perform the refrigeration side of the install at a minimum. Sorry folks, I'm a handy man and ENJOY doing stuff myself. BUT, Its to protect their brand and stop people saying "I bought a Mistral, installed it myself and now it does not work" attitude. They are just trying to protect their brand. I would have to say, I installed about 50 Mistral's last year with no problem what so ever. They are actually very quiet and very cold summer. I can get these units so cold that they just about blow snow. Get them to 1 degree celcius. 
POINT: Fridge technolgy is usually extremely reliable if done professionally. Tends to run forever if done *PROPERLY*, like my garage fridge. 35 years old, still going. Those beers are soooo cold :Wink: . :Biggrin:

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## q9707418

I purchased a Mistral 1.5 HP/3.2kW reverse cycle unit in January. It was installed by a licensed professional. The unit is crap. The reverse cycle does not work and is now 'spitting' drops of water out when i first turn it on, and every now and then while it is on. I am about to find out how good/bad their warranty is, but am not holding my breath. The person who installed the unit actually used to be the local mistral service agent. (He is a friend of mine and I have had him back to inspect the unit). They gave mistal the flick as they would not pay and would regularly send the wrong parts (and in general they were crap units and a crap company). They were owed thousands of dollars by mistral. I suggest that you do not support such a company by buying any of their products.

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## Uncle Bob

G'day guys, first time poster here.
Anyhow, Bunnings had/have some of these at pretty good prices. I was interested in a reverse cycle one (6.8Kw IIRC) and asked one of the Bunnings staff about them. He told me to stick clear of them as their service is terrible. The main thing that put me off was what he told me about them icing up at anything below 0 degrees (heating mode of course) so really they ain't much chop in Canberra then

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## memphis

> I purchased a Mistral 1.5 HP/3.2kW reverse cycle unit in January. It was installed by a licensed professional. The unit is crap. The reverse cycle does not work and is now 'spitting' drops of water out when i first turn it on, and every now and then while it is on. I am about to find out how good/bad their warranty is, but am not holding my breath. The person who installed the unit actually used to be the local mistral service agent. (He is a friend of mine and I have had him back to inspect the unit). They gave mistal the flick as they would not pay and would regularly send the wrong parts (and in general they were crap units and a crap company). They were owed thousands of dollars by mistral. I suggest that you do not support such a company by buying any of their products.

  The reason its spitting is the drain is blocked, or the inside unit is not level. does any water come out of the drain outside when its in cooling mode?

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## pom79

Mistral no longer advertise split systems on their website, just portables, evaps, fans and kettles etc.... All Bunnings stock must be 'old stock' and therefore no longer manufactured. 
I have a 3.5kw unit that has performed OK for 2 years now, we got it in Kmart in the 30% off sale for $399, or thereabouts and had it installed for a further couple of hundred bucks. Basically, it was the cheapest way of getting cooling without having to go to DEC. 
Would 'Conia' now be the new budget choice ?

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## Janny

We bought a Mistral split system last year and I find they are making a lot of noise we often have to turn the tv up to hear it. If I had know all of this before hand I never would have bought one

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## ReP0

> Would 'Conia' now be the new budget choice ?

  I believe so from all the hunting and talking I've done. They seem to have a reasonable level of recommendations for a budget unit. 
I'm thinking about buying an air-con but have a feeling it'll be in next summer rather than this summer. Just don't have the spare cash atm given I've decided to go for a name brand. I'd rather be able to get parts and service years down the track and more importantly I'd like to be energy efficient.

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## elkangorito

What's the old saying? 
"Pay peanuts...get monkeys".

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## patty

Absoluley spot on Elkangorito!

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## kompsj

Hey, I installed a mistral unit for a guy who wanted to run it 24 hours x 365 days to maintain the temperature in the room at a constant rate (20 oC). I go over once a year to service it and its been 3 years running now.  Thats over 26000 hours now.  I'll keep you posted if it fails.  This little sucker will not die! 
Hey, those Domain units from domain air are pretty good too.  Got a heap of those that I have installed.  I have also installed some for LAN rooms which run 365days x 24 hours.  None have failed yet.  Get service once a year cause they run non stop. 
You need a trust worthy installer (best to be recommended by someone with a good experience) who will do the right thing and really know what he/she is doing.   
The job can be split into two components. * Chemical and electrical.* If have been installing splits for years now and the most important part of the installation is to vacuum the lines and to introduce dry nitrogen if you still can't suck out all the moisture (its called triple evacuation).  I have used sub contractors and watch them.  None of them to date do the right thing.  Some don't even understand the technology.  They just slam them in. 
A Friend of mine does warranty work for Fujitsu, Kelvinator, Sharp, Daikin, and Panasonic. 
Here is my review with some ratings.  I will only rate the units if I have installed them for more the 5 years.  *Review on split system air condition* *Fujitsu* - *Cons.* moderate price.  Some models have constant electronic problems, power boards failure.  Expect from 4-8 weeks on turn around on parts when they fail. Good marketing group, they spend millions of dollars on telling people they are "Australia favourite air", Not nitrogen filled from factory any more. *Pros-* Look good, chicks like the way they look and are quiet.  Some model have great energy eficiency. Rating 8/10  *Kelvinator / Sharp -*  *Cons- * Power circuit is a nightmare to repair.  They have more wires and boards than an old black and white TV.  They will fail! Bad energy rating.  Need to catch up and do a model change/upgrade.Not nitrogen filled from factory any more. *Pros-* Made good fridges 30 years ago.  Not any more.   *Daikin -* Zero failure *Cons-* Expensive.Not nitrogen filled from factory any more. *Pros-* Extremely reliable, extremely low failure rate, quiet, efficient, easy to work on. Top corosion coated chassis, Rating 9.5/10 :2thumbsup:   *Panasonic* *Cons-* Moderate price, easy to work on. Not nitrogen filled from factory any more. *Pros-* look good, very efficient, quiet,  Rating 8/10  *Domain air-* Zero failure so far for me *Cons-* Can't think of any except writing on remote small. *Pros-* unbeatable price (half of Fujitsu/Panasonic), quiet, excellent pre/after sales service, will ship to onsite. Long 5 year warranty available.  *Lennox -* Zero failure rate- Have installed hundreds. *Cons-* Only available through specialized dealers as they are extremely protective of their brand.  Nitrogen filled. *Pros-* Excellent price, over 100 years in manufacturing refrigeration machinery, Very big in America, quiet, excellent energy rating (their energy rating on their non inverter is more efficient than most other manufacters inverters), Excellent super quiet and efficient pump, Top chassis, Excellent operating range without frosting (Use Toshiba pumps, best in the world), Solid parts supplier and excellent after sales service. Rating 10/10 :2thumbsup:   *Mitsubishi* *Cons-* Expensive, Not nitrogen filled from factory any more. *Pros-* Extremely reliable, quiet, efficient, easy to work on. Top corosion coated chassis, Rating 9.5/10 :2thumbsup:   *Toshiba * Invented the inverter 40 years ago.  Innovative company make the best of everything in the world. *Cons-* Very Expensive *Pros-* Extremely reliable, quiet, efficient, easy to work on. Top corosion coated chassis,  Best pumps in the world. Rating 10/10 but veeryyyy expensive (only for the rich). :2thumbsup:   *Mistral* *Pros -* Toooo Cheap.  Look awesome.  I have had no failures yet and when I install them I always ask the customer to call me first if there are any issues. Have installed hundreds of them. Nitrogen filled from factory to remove moisture. *Cons -* Had 1 arrive with no refrigeration gas.  Many people bag them cause they have had issue with them.  I'm note sure if this is due to installation.  Zero service if not installed by licensed refrigeration mechanic.  Would like to inspect a failed unit to see what fails on them.  Triple check electrical connections for tightness!  WILL leak if not flared properly with approved specialized tooling.  Punch type flares will not last very long.  (Not much tolerance in their flaring seats). 
Jim Komps
Split system installer
0417 209 552

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## nev25

> , I'm a handy man and ENJOY doing stuff myself.

  
Are you Licenced??  
You Didnt Mention LGs
I Wired one up last year and had to ring LG to get a procedure faxed to me to pull the unit apart.
IMO it was crap

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## chrisp

> *Mistral* *Pros -* Toooo Cheap.  Look awesome.  I have had no failures yet and when I install them I always ask the customer to call me first if there are any issues. Have installed hundreds of them. Nitrogen filled from factory to remove moisture. *Cons -* Had 1 arrive with no refrigeration gas.  Many people bag them cause they have had issue with them.  I'm note sure if this is due to installation.  Zero service if not installed by licensed refrigeration mechanic.  Would like to inspect a failed unit to see what fails on them.  Triple check electrical connections for tightness!  WILL leak if not flared properly with approved specialized tooling.  Punch type flares will not last very long.  (Not much tolerance in their flaring seats).

  Jim, 
Thank you for your very informative post.   
A question.  Are the Mistal units the one and the same units that Bunnings are selling? 
I recall (maybe incorrectly) in another thread someone posted that the Mistral units have been out of production for years and that the units being sold by Bunnings are very old stock. 
Do you know anything about the currency of the Mistral units? 
From your post, it sounds like these units could be very good value for money. 
Chris

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## kompsj

Yes I am fully licensed.  Been doing it for long enough to know now.  Don't mind any questions.  We are always learning.  *LG* :  Have not done enough to provide a proper evaluation on these.  Probably 5-10 tops.  They don't seem to be a good seller.  They sell well in the Western suburbs of Melbourne for some reason.  (Daikain sell well in the Southern and Eastern suburbs of Melbourne).  I remember doing an LG multi split system in an appartment (4 indoor units, 1 outdoor unit) about 2 years ago.  I needed the manual to add extra refrigerant due to the lengthy lines, cause the builder had lost it.  There service was good as I remember them emailing the whole technical manual.  Got it tuned very well as when I popped the gauges on it, the unit was operating awesome for about 40 meters of line.  Did a service 1 year later and the customer was very happy with its performance.  *Mistral.*
     Noticed there was 2 different types going around last summer.  They had the inverter and the non inverter.    I put one in my freinds dads house and it cops a workout in summer only as he only uses it for cooling(he is home all day-retired).  Been going well for about 3 years now.  Cost him $299 + installation at mates rates. 
     Not sure about the "rumour" mistral was running these out due to issues.  Most manufacturers are moving towards the new R410 refrigerant Gas and running out all their R22 refrigerant gas units.  I think they have till 2010 from memory.  The R22 gas will still be around for a while as a lot of government equipment and most buildings run on it.  Only problem with the new R410 gas is its extremely high pressure, nearly twice that of R22.  So the copper needs to be thicker, the nuts are bigger and the flares needs to be 150% for a perfect seal.  I'm guessing, Mistral will have the new R410 units for this summer.  Make no mistake, Mistral move a lot of units.  *Note:*  I would not recommend these for commercial use, say a caravan park or a hotel.  I had a customer who insisted to install them at a caravan park.  The thing still works but got abused.  The flip lid fell off, the air deflector flap got pulled off and one of the units got squashed up against the wall by a car.  But the thing still technically works, lol.  I would highly recommend the Lennox, Daikin or Mitsubishi for commercial use as you can get parts for them and they are designed for commercial use and a bit of abuse.

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## president_ltd

kompsj, 
warning: thread hijack! 
since you're in the HVAC trade, don't suppose you could help me out in sourcing the service manual for a Brivis central heater? (details in the thread http://www.renovateforum.com/showthread.php?t=73834). 
no responses as yet.  :Frown:

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## tricky4000

Hey President, I emailed Brivis about your query, and this is the message I got back from them.  Dan,  We don't supply instruction manuals for the heaters themselves, it's dependent on which wall control you have.  On our website if you click on Service Centre, then wall control instructions, all of the wall controls will be displayed. I assume you probably have an NC3 Networker - but you can scroll through all of the diagrams then double click on your wall control.  The instruction manual for your wall control will then be displayed, this can be printed off!!    Kind Regards,  Rachael Quinn  NCCC 2IC Service  Carrier Air Conditioning  61 Malcolm Rd  Braeside 3195  Phone:  (03) 92649435  Email: rachael.quinn@carrier.utc.com

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## president_ltd

> Hey President, I emailed Brivis about your query, and this is the message I got back from them.  Dan,  We don't supply instruction manuals for the heaters themselves, it's dependent on which wall control you have.  On our website if you click on Service Centre, then wall control instructions, all of the wall controls will be displayed. I assume you probably have an NC3 Networker - but you can scroll through all of the diagrams then double click on your wall control.  The instruction manual for your wall control will then be displayed, this can be printed off!!

  thanks Dan, but i'm not after the _instruction manual_, rather i'm after the _installers manual_ which presumably has the appropriate reocmmendations for the settings on the controller internal to the unit itself (where one can set fan/airflow speeds, temp, tell it you have zones etc.). 
i.e. what you yourself would normally use when setting up one, not something you'd leave with the punters so to speak.

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## chrisp

Mr President, 
If you are after the installer's manual, I don't think they are too hard to come by. 
When I was looking at buying a heating unit I rang Brivis to ask about clearances etc.  They sent me a set of booklets - owner's manual, installation manual and something else (warranty information?) for the older Buffalo units. 
In the end I purchased, the then just released, HE series heater.  It too had similar set of booklets.  I asked the installer if they please leave the installer's booklet behind when they finished and they did. 
I'd offer to send you a copy but I'm not too sure I know where it is now.  The heater was installed about 11.5 years ago.  Maybe you try ring Brivis and asking for the booklets that come with the heater?  They seemed happy enough to send out the booklets free of charge.

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## Smurf

> *Review on split system air condition* *Fujitsu* - *Cons.* moderate price. Some models have constant electronic problems, power boards failure. Expect from 4-8 weeks on turn around on parts when they fail. Good marketing group, they spend millions of dollars on telling people they are "Australia favourite air", Not nitrogen filled from factory any more. *Pros-* Look good, chicks like the way they look and are quiet. Some model have great energy eficiency. Rating 8/10

  Those Fujitsu's sure do have problems with the electronics. ALL the ones at work have had the boards replaced, some more than once. And they're not all the same model. 
Another problem is their heating performance is woeful at zero or below compared to Panasonic etc which maintain far better output. I know plenty of people with them and all have the same problems. 
I know of one Panasonic unit that's been in constant use (off for maybe 2 hours per year while cleaning the filters) since 1997. It's under sized so compressor is running about 8.5 hours per day on average and has been known to do a 10 day non-stop run (ie compressor running 24 hours per day) during Winter (apart from defrosting). It's still going strong apart from one problem - the rubber mounts under the compressor have shrunk badly and I've had to install a patch up fix.   :Smilie:

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## emptybucketman

Hey Jim, 
Is it always necessary to dry nitrogen the lines of a split system? Moreover, if the lines are sealed correctly how does the moisture enter them ?

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## kompsj

It enters the indoor unit as soon as you pull of the termination plugs off to do the install.  Also when your connecting the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, your new copper, say 3metres to 10 meters will have air in there.  I have noticed in the last 2 years that the manufacturers are not filling the indoor coils with dry nitrogen anymore.  So I guess there is just air in there which naturally contains moisture. 
I'll try to explain at a high level without getting to technical, cause it will do your head in.  
When you watch the news it tells you the humidity.  Which is how much water is in the air.  Moisture is always in the air. In winter, air has 70% humidity, which mean 7/10 particles in the air is water.  Even in summer it says 40-50% humidity.  That means 4-5/10 particles of air is water vapour (in gas form).  This humidity is in the copper you are connecting and in the indoor coil.  When you connect the vacuum pump for comissioning air cons, you see the water vapour coming out like steam for a couple of minutes like a hot kettle.  *Example:* when you have your air con on in your house or car, you see water dripping out from the indoor coil.  This is the moisture in the air hitting the cold surface of the indoor coil and turns from water vapour(Gas state) to water (liquid state).  Water has 3 main states, gas, liquid and solid (ice).  
Sorrry, I hope it didn't get carried away.

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## chrisp

> Moisture is always in the air. In winter, air has 70% humidity, which mean 7/10 particles in the air is water.  Even in summer it says 40-50% humidity.  That means 4-5/10 particles of air is water vapour (in gas form).

  Jim, 
The definition of relative humidity is: The ratio of the amount of water in the air at a give temperature to the _maximum amount it could hold_ at that temperature; expressed as a percentage.To use your examples, the air isn't 70% water, rather, it is holding 70% of what it possibly could hold. 
Please don't let my pedantic comment put you off.  I, and I'm sure many others, appreciate your contributions to the forum on A/C matters. 
Chris

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## Gravy258

I've got a vacumn pump and gauges, how long should I vac it out for?

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## memphis

> Hey, I installed a mistral unit for a guy who wanted to run it 24 hours x 365 days to maintain the temperature in the room at a constant rate (20 oC). I go over once a year to service it and its been 3 years running now. Thats over 26000 hours now. I'll keep you posted if it fails. This little sucker will not die! 
> Hey, those Domain units from domain air are pretty good too. Got a heap of those that I have installed. I have also installed some for LAN rooms which run 365days x 24 hours. None have failed yet. Get service once a year cause they run non stop. 
> You need a trust worthy installer (best to be recommended by someone with a good experience) who will do the right thing and really know what he/she is doing.

  
Funny you mention this; I have 2x ultra-cheap chunlan split units chilling 2 seperate server rooms 24/7 for 3 yrs, neither have skipped a beat. Both where properly installed 
Its definatly to do with the installer. I think 90% of the issues with the cheaper units are DIY related.

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## kompsj

I have done hundeds of Chunlans.  Nightingdale electrics in Spencer st Melbourne is the importer and they sell directly to the public.  I should have mentioned these in my review.  I have been installing these for about 4-5 years.  Zero problems.  I think they drink a bit of electricity compared to the newer ones however at those crazy prices, you can't go wrong.  Great for investment properties as all the builders love them. :Biggrin:

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## Sam Pato

The aircon bloke I use has said that he's seen lots of problems with Mistral units and that once they're broken there is no warranty and no parts so you may get lucky and get a good one but it' s a bit of a gamble. 
So I had a bit of look round and found another couple of cheap ish makes available on line; 
Domain (via Ebay)
Aussie Air (via OO) 
Does anyone know anything about either of these? 
Are they likely to be any better than a Mistral. Do they have better warranty etc? 
The only other cheapish make is Kelvinator - but they don't appear to be recomended either. 
Any advice would be much appreciated 
Cheers 
Sam

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## mrhotrod

I AM TRYING TO LOCATE A MANUAL FOR A MISTRAL MSS 10 SPLIT SYTEM FOR A FRIEND OF MINE IN SYDNEY. IVE TRIED THE MISTRAL WEBSITE WITH NO LUCK. THE QUESTION I ALSO HAVE IS THIS UNIT REVERSE CYCLE AS HE IS TRYING TO WARM A GRANNY FLAT. I HAVE ALRAEDY TOLD HIM TO USE A ROOM HEATER FOR HEATING :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Smurf

> I AM TRYING TO LOCATE A MANUAL FOR A MISTRAL MSS 10 SPLIT SYTEM FOR A FRIEND OF MINE IN SYDNEY. IVE TRIED THE MISTRAL WEBSITE WITH NO LUCK. THE QUESTION I ALSO HAVE IS THIS UNIT REVERSE CYCLE AS HE IS TRYING TO WARM A GRANNY FLAT. I HAVE ALRAEDY TOLD HIM TO USE A ROOM HEATER FOR HEATING

  Can't help with the manual but it is MUCH more efficient to use the air-conditioner for heating than to use any other form of electric heating.  :Smilie:

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## Bloss

> Can't help with the manual but it is MUCH more efficient to use the air-conditioner for heating than to use any other form of electric heating.

  In Brisbane or Sydney yes - not so if the ambient temperature drops below 10 degrees and drop off sharply below 5 degrees. In cold climates such as in the ACT where we had -5 overnight and it was still 0 at 0800, 2 at 0900 and just 6 now they struggle. They generally work by using plain old electric resistance heating 'auxiliary' support - that increases the running costs significantly. The efficiency varies with brands too - the cheapies like Mistral are poor cold weather performers. But overall better than 'other electric heating' - but until we are sourcing electric power from renewable energy gas is a better option if available. Suitable clothes are a good choice too, as is selective room heating rather than house wide space heating. Insulation, heavy curtains, pelmets and other passive thermal improvements are cheaper than using electricity too - harder if a renter though (which is 30% of us - mostly the poorest!).

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## bpeasley

I have 2 Mistral Split Air Cons (MSS10). When I switch one on the LEDs on the wall unit just flash. I assume the unit is faulty and I've been told the PCB is shot. 4 questions - Are these boards repairable and if so, what is the most likely fault? Also, does anyone know if and where replacement boards may be sourced? Last question - could the fault be anyhing else? I've been told the outside unit is OK.

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## shednet

Had the same issue today. Found another mention of this elsewhere pointing to the Thermistor in the outdor unit.
according to the other source, thermistor is supposed to be about 4K7 homs, mine was 50 ohms. 
Disconnect power [mandatory]
Remove the cable cover on the RH side of the outdoor unit.
Disconnect the 2 Right hand terminals, marked R1 and R2.
Measure the resistance, should be around 4K7ohms, subject to ambeient temperature. If not
remove 6 screws from the front of the outdoor unit, 2 on the bottom and 2 on each side.
remove the front
Up in the top right hand corner, behind the top of the compressor should be a wire connecting to a tubular thermistor slid into a small copper tube attached to the condensor coil. 
If you have small hands you can get in there and remove it. It wires back to the R1 and R2 terminals.
As a work around, wire a 4K7hom resistor across R1 and R2 leaving the thermistor out. Mine is now cooling like this.
Reinstall the front and screws and the wiring cover BEFORE reconnecting power [important]
Try it. 
I dont have any details on the thermistor (PTC or NTC? who knows?), no markings on it and its approx 5mm in diameter and 25mm long copper cylindrical shaped.

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