Warning buying a cheap mini split off Amazon

I purchased a cheap Rovsun 9k to cool my garage where my inverter is and after I installed it getting an E0 error which is a communication error between the IDU and ODU. After checking everything looks like something wrong with the electronics it the IDU side.

I have HVAC experience but didn't realize that one line in the Amazon description said it was required that I hire an HVAC installer to install it. I sent an email to them and of course their first question is did I hire a HVAC professional. No HVAC professional going to install the cheapest mini split off Amazon they will want to install the brand they want to use that cost's $2500 plus another $2500 to install it.

While I'm still within the 30 day return on Amazon I probably screwed myself with this purchase. I looked at 100 other mini splits selling most do state have to hire someone to install it not apparent usually one line somehwere. This is something to think about when you buy these your risking the warranty will be void unless you pay someone $1000's of dollars to install it kind of defeats the purpose of DIY. I know MRCool and EG4 are DIY with those quick connects but those have a history of leaking proper flaring works great I have all the tools. With those DIY sold systems you do get a warranty where in this case I'm doubtful I will get a warranty.

I'm looking at some used ones on FB marketplace might as well just buy something used I have R410 I can charge it.

I have found some other brands that state they are DIY such as Hessaire 12,000 BTU sold at Home Depot for $780 I can use my Home Depot card which gives me a 1 year return policy.

A neighbor got HVAC sticker shock last year when his furnace fan quit. He looked at that Hessaire unit and figured we could install a new one every year for quite awhile and still come out ahead. We installed it without incident (you do still need a vacuum pump to do it right). It heated their place all winter and is now cooling. I didn't expect much but the thing is super quiet and works great. Oh and the furnace which the guy "couldn't get parts for anymore" actually has one of the most common fan motors in the world. So we fixed that for $150 and now his old gas furnace is a backup.

I've been in the HVAC business for nearly 30 years. It pains me to see posts like this where people are taken advantage of. DIY HVAC is not hard but you do need the proper tools and good advice.

bolhuijo said:

A neighbor got HVAC sticker shock last year when his furnace fan quit. He looked at that Hessaire unit and figured we could install a new one every year for quite awhile and still come out ahead. We installed it without incident (you do still need a vacuum pump to do it right). It heated their place all winter and is now cooling. I didn't expect much but the thing is super quiet and works great. Oh and the furnace which the guy "couldn't get parts for anymore" actually has one of the most common fan motors in the world. So we fixed that for $150 and now his old gas furnace is a backup.

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That was my idea I knew what a HVAC installer would quote for a garage Mini-split I didn't think this one would fail right out of the box. I'm still waiting on emails from them, but I'm not expecting very good support. The short poorly written email support is from another country sent about 2AM. Amazon can be great source of products just have to be careful read the fine print. Lot of times I have found buying from a local big box store gives peace of mind that don't get from Amazon.

Partimewages said:

I've been in the HVAC business for nearly 30 years. It pains me to see posts like this where people are taken advantage of. DIY HVAC is not hard but you do need the proper tools and good advice.

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I have the proper tools this has nothing to do with the install which is the most common problem leaking flare joints I agree. If that were the case I wouldn't even posted I would just cut the flares off and re-flare them.

From my own internet research E0 likely is a corrupted EPROM on the IDU unit main board. The troubleshooting flowchart they sent me also states the EPROM.

Hopefully they can send you a replacement part.

I saw that video if you look up the Della on Amazon this is what it says.

• [SMART SENSOR & INSTALLATION] The unit will sense room temperature at the remote control, instead of at the indoor unit during cooling mode. It then adjusts airflow and temperature accordingly, resulting in the ultimate in personal comfort control and energy savings.Line-set vacuuming is required during installation. Any alteration of line-set length requires adjusting freon levels. This system mandates professional installation – it's not a DIY mini split AC.

This is how they get out of the warranty just be warned if it failed out of the box you can't return it.

Amazon will take care of it, I can pretty much guarantee that.

Quattrohead said:

Amazon will take care of it, I can pretty much guarantee that.

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I hope so

Don’t you identify as a professional?

As something I stumbled across putting in a mini-split is order matters on the communications connection. I have installed 4 of these but for some reason got the order wrong once and had a similar issue. Also, a bad crimp would do the same thing, check that there is no insulation on the spayed terminals and wire on both ends. Another thing to verify is continuity, check each of the three terminals, end to end.

Solar Guppy said:

As something I stumbled across putting in a mini-split is order matters on the communications connection. I have installed 4 of these but for some reason got the order wrong once and had a similar issue. Also, a bad crimp would do the same thing, check that there is no insulation on the spayed terminals and wire on both ends. Another thing to verify is continuity, check each of the three terminals, end to end.

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The connections are good I verified with a multimeter in DC the voltage bounces around it's the same likely Digital signal on the yellow wire. The other two wires are just jumped from the 120V hot and neutral. I'm getting 120V on both sides. I took the top off the ODU and checked wires no issues there. I did find some extra plugs not plugged into anything on the IDU circuit board. I didn't want to pull the board until I hear back from their support.

Haven't received anymore emails from the seller, but I did contact Amazon. What I found out was because this was a 3rd party seller the warranty is up to them. Also found out that shipping to return it even if it was defective right out of the box is paid for by the customer. I would have to pay to have these shipped back at retail shipping prices likely about $75-150. Amazon did send the seller an email asking for them to respond if they don't respond in 2 business days they will take action. I could end up with just a partial refund and keep what I have like $280-300 I paid $468. There is a reason they sell these for the lowest price because as they burn one customer another is right behind them buying another one.

bolhuijo said:

Oh and the furnace which the guy "couldn't get parts for anymore" actually has one of the most common fan motors in the world. So we fixed that for $150 and now his old gas furnace is a backup.

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This tends to be the case with many manufacturers these days either the part is "discontinued" or exorbitantly expensive, from super cars charging 1000s or dollars for cheap ford parts to bespoke home appliances using cheap off the shelf parts from unrelated manufacturers. I used to service alot of kerosene stoves, (AGA fancy British brand) used to sell a ignition set for almost $200 dollars which turned out to be a $7 OEM land rover glow plug.

Now days if I buy anything I take full advantage of the short returns policy, as soon as I get something that would require servicing I carefully remove any warranty stickers with IPA and a home made nylon knife, check the majority of the internals then spend a few days testing how it works. Anything I don't like or has hard to find replacement parts gets sent back within the 14 day window.

k490 said:

That was my idea I knew what a HVAC installer would quote for a garage Mini-split I didn't think this one would fail right out of the box. I'm still waiting on emails from them, but I'm not expecting very good support. The short poorly written email support is from another country sent about 2AM. Amazon can be great source of products just have to be careful read the fine print. Lot of times I have found buying from a local big box store gives peace of mind that don't get from Amazon.

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I paid $600 to uninstall and reinstall in order to put on new siding for my EG4 12k. I initially installed it with my electricians help. Now it’s got an extension cord to my Bluetti AC300 to run at night.

Mkgough said:

I paid $600 to uninstall and reinstall in order to put on new siding for my EG4 12k. I initially installed it with my electricians help. Now it’s got an extension cord to my Bluetti AC300 to run at night.

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EG4 we get support right on the forum and it's US based worth paying little more. One reason I didn't buy 100% chinse supported inverter where your at the mercy of 2am emails few times a week. The fact that returning heavy items at todays shipping cost has to be factored into it. Retail shipping cost in the last 5 years has gone up drastically I once shipped 200HP outboard outdrive entire bottom part less engine to a guy that repaired it after I hit a log broke the gearbox in a makeshift box for $85 around 2009. Today that would cost me $300.

Also sounds like from other posters Pioneer is a decent one with US based support. Lessons learned is read the fine print about returns, warranty requirements, and decide what kind of support you can get. Even buying parts is not that easy unless you buy a well known mini-split like Mitsubishi, Dalkin, and Midea. Midea makes most of these if I do end up getting stuck with this ill pull the boards and look for part numbers I might be able to get them replaced. I might just sell it for $50 let someone else mess with it buy more reputable Mini-split. I was suppose to have it running this week so I could get my EG-4 6000 setup, and my battery box built. It's was 118F today been stuck in the house all day.

I noticed another problem with some of these from Amazon reviews the outdoor unit can overheat if it's used when it's too hot outside. I did see some have a max outdoor temp of 130s I suspect those installs are the problem they are mounting them too close to a wall condenser doesn't' get enough air.

What determines Professional Installation? if they have not spelled out exactly what that means, I would simply tell them I am a licensed contractor and leave it at that. licensed in what is my business not theirs. as a self employed tax payer I can claim damn near any thing I want. and in the US the EPA cert can be gotten online, as such get an EPA cert before you buy something like this and then claim to be the installer who is selling this to XXX XXXX person, (friend, wife, child). get your money back and move on. the EPA cert does not certify ability, only the ability to legally handle refrigerants, but I gurantee you taht they have not thought that far out in advance.

bolhuijo said:

A neighbor got HVAC sticker shock last year when his furnace fan quit. He looked at that Hessaire unit and figured we could install a new one every year for quite awhile and still come out ahead. We installed it without incident (you do still need a vacuum pump to do it right). It heated their place all winter and is now cooling. I didn't expect much but the thing is super quiet and works great. Oh and the furnace which the guy "couldn't get parts for anymore" actually has one of the most common fan motors in the world. So we fixed that for $150 and now his old gas furnace is a backup.

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Super common. HVAC guys see an older system and see big $$$$ and don't want to even bother trying to repair.

My father-in-law's condenser fan bearings seized up and it quit, HVAC guys said too old, can't get parts, buy a new unit, blah blah. Yeah it is old but he really didn't want to put the money into a brand new everything (he might not even be there in another year or two). I yanked the motor, looked it up, yeah can't get that motor BUT it wasn't hard to cross reference another motor with similar specs. Replaced it, AC works great again.

Brother in law's AC condenser wouldn't start up, just buzzed. HVAC guys go "oh, I can't even get out there until 2 weeks from now, probably need a new unit, blah blah, will cost you $125 for me just to look at it" - hello, that is the most common symptom of a bad start cap. Popped the cover off, yeah, the cap looked like a balloon. Bought a new one from a local ACE hardware, popped it in, $35 later it works again. Like, seriously....

I hate contractors anymore. They just want the big money.

Daddy Tanuki said:

What determines Professional Installation? if they have not spelled out exactly what that means, I would simply tell them I am a licensed contractor and leave it at that. licensed in what is my business not theirs. as a self employed tax payer I can claim damn near any thing I want. and in the US the EPA cert can be gotten online, as such get an EPA cert before you buy something like this and then claim to be the installer who is selling this to XXX XXXX person, (friend, wife, child). get your money back and move on. the EPA cert does not certify ability, only the ability to legally handle refrigerants, but I gurantee you taht they have not thought that far out in advance.

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Your idea is not bad if you were dealing with a firm that had a real Warranty. Likely this one does not. They will find reasons to make it difficult to get a refund up to and including expensive to ship back costs. If the OP was so unwise to do that they still might not give a refund but stonewall the situation.

SparkyJJO said:

Super common. HVAC guys see an older system and see big $$$$ and don't want to even bother trying to repair.

My father-in-law's condenser fan bearings seized up and it quit, HVAC guys said too old, can't get parts, buy a new unit, blah blah. Yeah it is old but he really didn't want to put the money into a brand new everything (he might not even be there in another year or two). I yanked the motor, looked it up, yeah can't get that motor BUT it wasn't hard to cross reference another motor with similar specs. Replaced it, AC works great again.

Brother in law's AC condenser wouldn't start up, just buzzed. HVAC guys go "oh, I can't even get out there until 2 weeks from now, probably need a new unit, blah blah, will cost you $125 for me just to look at it" - hello, that is the most common symptom of a bad start cap. Popped the cover off, yeah, the cap looked like a balloon. Bought a new one from a local ACE hardware, popped it in, $35 later it works again. Like, seriously....

I hate contractors anymore. They just want the big money.

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its because most people these days are totally, totally lost around a set of tools... any tools. some of the simplest home repairs people look at it like its black magic of some sort.

Mattb4 said:

Your idea is not bad if you were dealing with a firm that had a real Warranty. Likely this one does not. They will find reasons to make it difficult to get a refund up to and including expensive to ship back costs. If the OP was so unwise to do that they still might not give a refund but stonewall the situation.

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the answer for that is pay with a credit card and get it clawed back.

Get what you pay for, buy once cry once. If your saving 1000s from DIY why not spend a little of that you've saved and buy the best you can.

Daddy Tanuki said:

the answer for that is pay with a credit card and get it clawed back.

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With this issue being a defective product at purchase it likely is the best remedy. Do have to jump through the hoops though of attempting resolution first.

ThaiTaffy said:

Get what you pay for, buy once cry once. If your saving 1000s from DIY why not spend a little of that you've saved and buy the best you can.

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The advice sounds good but in practice I have found that the price I pay for something may or may not translate into support for it. Buying the best you can often requires a great deal of research and reading of reviews (carefully). With new products it is a crap shoot.