Even tho Eddie already has received his systems, I'll add some more info that'll be here for future searches.
A couple of months AFTER I installed our Sanyo, I read a review in Consumer Reports about mini-splits. They only mentioned three brands, and specifically how the Sanyo units were excellent in brown-outs. If you read that thread I linked to, I mention that I had some power problems... i.e., "not enough". The inverter I hooked it to was at its limits during those times the Sanyo was at it's max, and turning on a computer or my bathroom lights would cause a quick brown-out. Enough so that my satellite receiver and TV would wink-off and restart. The Sanyo would just wink-off then go to low speed and stay there. I'd have to switch off power before it would operate normally again.
(I've since installed a larger inverter for that circuit and now there are no more power problems)
The Sanyo "brains" are in the remote, not the unit. Because of that, power problems don't affect those sensitive circuit boards.
The Sanyo is an "inverter" model (confusing to some because it's being powered by an inverter also). That means it takes the AC voltage input and converts it to DC, so power problems have a "buffer", so to speak.
Then it uses an internal inverter to convert the DC to a varying AC, according to the load. When it first starts (whether cooling or heating) it runs the compressor VERY slow, building up to the desired output over at least 5 minutes. It's so slow and quiet that you have to hold your hand in the air stream to verify it's even running. The outside unit is the same... difficult to even know it's running at all without seeing the fan turn.
These features are a main reason the units are especially suited for us "off-grid" folks. "Soft-start" doesn't even do justice to how slow the load builds.
Also, they are designed to KEEP a room (or house) cool, not so much to cool down a warm home. We have the timer (in the remote control) start it cooling at 1PM and even on the 95+ days, it'll use only about 300 watts keeping the house 74F.
At FULL cool or heat it uses 1600 watts, but never stays at that high of consumption for long-- unless it's late afternoon and over 100F outside.
I did the entire install. It cost me $100 to get a vacuum pump, R410A fittings and gauge and oil from eBay. Some companies state you don't need to evacuate the system since the R410A comes precharged (and I have a friend that has three, none of which were evacuated at installation). Also, you can change a valve position, suck all the R410A back into the unit so the pipes or air handler can be removed.
Pretty incredible unit IMO, but then we were using swamp coolers, and (being off-grid) WEREN'T leaving them on unless we were home. 100 degrees outside? We'd get home and it'd be 100 inside too, if not more. Getting home to a cool house was worth the unit, new inverter, another bank of solar panels and the assorted wiring and controllers.
We feel like we joined the 21st century!!
Phil
