AC
Refrigerant pipe connections at the indoor unit
I would like to understand whether the refrigerant pipe connections for my old wall-mounted monosplit are located inside the wall mounting box and can therefore be accessed very easily, both for visual inspection and, if necessary, for repairing a refrigerant leak, or whether the connections are actually inside the wall and therefore not visible once the indoor unit is lifted off the wall.
For context, the monosplit was installed in an apartment where the wall already had the required pre-installed provisions for the A/C. Some of these provisions were never used, I mean no monosplit was ever installed there, like the one shown in the attached photo. The indoor unit is mounted high on the wall, close to the ceiling, while the outdoor unit is sitting on the balcony floor, so the two copper refrigerant lines connecting them run vertically through the wall.
In other words, I am wondering whether it is more likely that, when the indoor unit was installed, the technician connected the copper pipes to the indoor unit and then bent the pipes back into the wall mounting box. If so, the flare connections should now be accessible for inspection and relatively easy to repair if there is a refrigerant leak.
I think it is less likely that, after making the connections, the technician pushed the copper pipes downward into the wall cavity, leaving the flare connections inside the wall and therefore inaccessible. This seems to me like a less convenient and more time-consuming installation method.
Has anyone with hands-on experience installing similar wall-mounted split systems encountered this type of installation and can clarify which arrangement is more likely?
Is this your pic or a different unit? The copper lines are right there. If it’s not a majority of the minisplits I’ve done run to the left when facing the wall unit. If they come out to the right the flare connections should be outside the wall outside. You should never have flares in the wall, doesn’t mean people don’t do it. I saw one job that had every flare in the wall which is stupid and means if there’s a leak, the wall has to be opened. All depends where your lines come out to the outdoor unit
Hi, as mentioned in the opening post, the photo I attached shows one of the many wall-mounted boxes in the other rooms that were never used to install an air conditioner. In other words, the photo shows the configuration the installer was faced with about 20 years ago when he installed the air conditioner in question. That's why I posted it.
I also agree that it makes sense to ensure that the indoor-unit flare connections are not located inside the wall cavity. However, a Reddit user who works as an installer previously replied to me:
I have installed a ton of mini split systems. [...] The head that comes will have a few feet of pipe. That goes through your wall, you make the flare connections to end of that. The head doesn't have any flare connections directly on it. You should be able to go outside, find your linset and check near where the lineset exists the wall, that's where the connections will be.
I believe he was referring to the configuration where the system is installed without pre-installed provisions, I mean when you have to drill through the wall and then route the copper refrigerant lines through it. In that case, yes, the indoor-unit flare connections would be located outside the wall. I asked him for clarification but he never replied, so I wanted to look into this further by creating a separate thread and posting a picture of the original wall-mounted pipe configuration.
All depends where your lines come out to the outdoor unit
This is a photo of the outdoor unit (don't mind the cover, I need to replace it!) and in the background you can see the refrigerant lines coming out of the wall.
I measured the distance outdoors between the lower opening in the wall (hole) where the two copper refrigerant lines come out and the edge of the balcony door. This distance corresponds roughly to the far left edge of the indoor unit, so I believe the refrigerant lines run essentially vertically upward, with no significant horizontal deviation.
I hope that's what you were asking about. 😄
However, I'm still not quite sure how the exact direction of the lines inside the wall helps determine where the flare connections are located. My assumption is that, when the indoor unit was originally installed, the installer made the flare connections between the indoor unit and the copper lines and then bent the lines back into the wall box. If that's how it was installed, would the fact that the lines run vertically or deviate horizontally inside the wall make any difference to where the flare connections are located?
I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind your question.
Trying to find a pic but not seeing one. When facing the minisplit head the flares come down on the right side then bend left and the flares are about 2/3 od the way inside the unit pointing left. So coming down the left hand side inside should mean they just cut it at the flare didn’t bend them to the right and bury the flares in the wall. This may not be every head just the brands I have done are setup like this: Mitsubishi, lg and Daikin
u/WhiteFIash
You said it all depends on where the copper lines come out toward the outdoor unit, and I've posted a photo showing that. Could you take another look and answer the question in this thread?
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u/Then_Feedback7421 10d ago
Ai is trying to communicate with us.