April Wilkerson goes into detail about her installation of a MrCool DIY ductless mini split in a small shed she can now use for guests.

Video Script

So, on my property I have this beautiful shed that really isn't being used for anything other than miscellaneous storage for odds and ends. It's such a shame because it looks more like a tiny house than a normal shed. With that I have decided guest quarters. So, when somebody is staying here, they will have their own accommodations and space. Of course, with it being Texas, AC is a must. So, that is my starting point. So, I will be installing a MrCool DIY mini split. Now, with the space being pretty small, it's only 168 square feet, I'm going with the only do-it-yourself mini split on the market currently. It's made by a brand called MRCOOL. Check out the MrCool DIY mini splits here. I started by clearing out a walking path and work area on the wall where I will be mounting the inside unit, which is called the air handler. Then I will take some measurements to make sure the unit would fit. I used a stud finder to locate and mark the studs inside this back wall then removed the bracket on the back side of the air handler and started pre-drilling for the holes to mount it. When placing this bracket, I lined up one column of holes to be in line with the stud. This leaves the other side shy of the next stud, however, so with one screw holding the bracket in place, and a level on top, I pre-drilled the hole locations for the second column of screws that wouldn't hit a stud. This way I can look at the single screw placed in the bracket and tap in some wall anchors. I made sure these were flush then remounted my bracket. Next, i started lining out where I needed to drill a hole on the wall for the plumbing that would connect the inside unit to the outside one. I found a circle that was 3.5 inches in diameter and traced around it. To cut this out I could have used a hole saw, but I didn't have a 3.5 inch bit. So, I went with a jigsaw instead. I used a drill bit to punch a hole bit enough for my blade to fit in, then neatly cut around my pencil mark. That takes care of my inside hole, no I've got to go outside and cut another one that's perfectly lined up with the inside. When you're punching the center hole of the inside circle, make sure your bit is long enough to go through the entire wall and also punch through the outside wall. This way you can go to the outside, trace another circle that is 3.5 inches in diameter, and then cut it out with a jigsaw. With the hole cut all the way through, I took the plastic sleeves that come with the unit and test fitted it. Now, they do come long so that they can fit through a variety of wall thicknesses, so I made a mark on mine where it needed to be cut down. Then I used a jigsaw to cut it to length. I placed this on the inside hole, the capped it off on the outside. Now i have a smooth passage for all of the plumbing of the unit to pass through the wall. The thing about mini splits is that they are easy to install, but it takes professional equipment to charge the refrigerant lines. The MRCOOL DIY mini split unit, though, comes with a pre-charged line set and this makes the unit DIY-able. It also means it comes with a stock-length of line set that can't be cut down. So, keep in mind when picking out your location, that you will need to coil up and stow away and excess line. Once I fed through the start of the line set, I paused and also fed in the drainage line. This will drain out any condensation and moisture that the unit creates. I pushed one end through the wall, then connected the other end to the back of the unit. Make sure to give it a few tugs to make sure that it isn't going anywhere. Having two sets of hands for mounting the air handler makes this go a lot easier. It is incredibly simple to get the MrCool DIY mini split air handler onto the mounting bracket. It has a lip that you can set it on and then just let it hang. Then push on it until it snaps into place. I moved the outdoor unit to the corner of my building so I would have unrestricted air flow. It also gave me a good spot to coil up my line set and stow it away. I finally connected the line set to the unit. That's it. Overall, it was a very easy install. If you're looking to install a mini split, you should definitely check out the MrCool DIY mini split.