Earlier this summer, my girlfriend and I installed a Mr Cool Model DIY-12-HP-WMAH-115B, DIY-12-HP-C 12000 btu minisplit heat pump (heats/cools) in my 780 sf, well insulated off-grid cabin in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas.
lit was a fun project and although I have only used it in the heating mode, it has worked very well so far.
Since it has a variable speed compressor, the amperage draw has varied. So far, I’ve seen the amperage draw range from 3 to 11 amps on my Trace SW4024 inverter. This may also include, at times, other items on the system.
My solar array size is 3,725 watts and I have 18 Duracell 105 Ah AGM batteries for storage.
The battery bank is new and so far, all is well. I was a bit concerned about my system drawing too many amps and shutting down, but that has happened only once - today. Murphy’s Law!
In addition to the inverter and battery bank mentioned, I have a Trace T-220 transformer connected to the output of the inverter allowing me to run my well pump and GE GeoSpring 50 gallon water heater.
The job of installing the minisplit was fairly challenging, but certainly doable. The hardest part for me was adding the additional circuit and mounting the holding bracket for the unit.
I’ll try and send a photo of it in a moment. By the way, making the connections with the pre-charged coolant lines was easy.
The unit really seems to do a great job cooling my cabin. So far, I’ve mostly run it during the day and shut it off at night. The cabin stays comfortably cool. I’m glad that I did it. It is super quiet.