Thermostat for Mini-Split Heat Pumps?

[mountainsoft]

Does anyone have experience with thermostat's for a mini-split heat pump?

I recently installed a Mr Cool 24K mini-split, and while it heats and cools the house fine, the thermostat controls are horrible. It comes with a remote control, a wall mount "mini-stat", or an app you use on your phone. Visually I like the mini-stat best, but from what I can tell, none of them talk to each other as each one seems to do it's own thing, often conflicting with the other control.

Worse yet, it seems they all measure the current indoor temperature up at the indoor unit on the wall. Mine is mounted about 8 feet high in a vaulted ceiling area and can be 5-10 degrees warmer than the rest of the room. So trying to set a temperature on the thermostat is problematic. I've tried using their "calibrate" feature to adjust the set temperature, but I can't make sense of how it's suppose to work. No matter what I do I can't match the set temp with the actual temp in the room. Even if I manage to calibrate close to the right temp in heat mode, it's way off in cooling mode.

The basic remote control is supposed to have a "follow-me" function to measure the temp at the remote control location. I'm trying that now, but already see that IR signal is very poor from the remote and often fails to talk to the indoor unit unless I'm directly pointing it at the unit.

Has anyone used the Cielo Breez Plus or Flair Puck? I'm not interested in the phone app, remote access, or any of the scheduling stuff. I just want to set a temperature on the thermostat and have the room temperature match. Why is that so difficult?

 

[OldShooter]

... No matter what I do I can't match the set temp with the actual temp in the room. ...

Not sure why this is a problem. Figure out what setting makes you comfortable and don't change it. Numbers are irrelevant. "Actual temp in the room" will vary by several degrees depending where you measure it. Mini-split is probably giving you "actual temp in the room" at its air intake. As you have observed, heat rises, so "actual temp in the room" is hotter there than lower in the room.

Or make this a hobby: https://www.thermoworks.com/shop/commercial/Calibration-Tools/Reference-Thermometers

 

[Sunset]

Too bad the system does not have a way to install the thermostat a distance away from the unit in a wired fashion.

How about mounting the remote with a clear line of sight to the unit, that way it should be able to communicate. Thinking of it like a normal house thermostat , in 1 place, I know where to go to change the setting.

 

[mountainsoft]

Not sure why this is a problem. Figure out what setting makes you comfortable and don't change it. Numbers are irrelevant.

Wife Acceptance Factor. She already asked why the indoor unit said 70, while the thermostat said 72, and our old thermostat below it said 69. I have to agree, it's very confusing.

Also, it isn't consistent between heating and cooling. For instance, I figured out I could set the heat at 71 to get 70 degrees in the room (after calibration). However, if I switch from heat to cool, with no other changes (set temp still at 71), the temperature in the room drops below 66 degrees. Yeah, I could figure out what set temp to use for cooling but I shouldn't have to. It also means the "auto" mode is completely useless, I either bake or freeze.

 

[OldShooter]

... and the temp gradients will change with the seasons and with sunlight on the exterior walls.

Maybe a new wife would be cheaper than solving this problem.

 

[mountainsoft]

Too bad the system does not have a way to install the thermostat a distance away from the unit in a wired fashion.

How about mounting the remote with a clear line of sight to the unit, that way it should be able to communicate. Thinking of it like a normal house thermostat , in 1 place, I know where to go to change the setting.

The "mini-stat" controller has a decent IR signal and could mount to the wall. But to change anything other than the basic settings, you have to turn on Bluetooth to connect to the phone app. And the bluetooth shuts off after 15 minutes? Weird. Why not use bluetooth or WiFi (or a basic radio signal) to communicate between all devices, and avoid the IR issues.

The standard remote comes with a wall mount bracket, but it won't communicate with the indoor unit in that position (IR facing the ceiling). That kind of defeats the "follow me" feature that is suppose to update the indoor unit every three minutes.

Complicated seems to be the way of the world anymore. They're more worried about phone apps and advanced scheduling systems than having a simple accurate way to control the temperature in the room. Features are nice, but at least take care of the basic stuff first.

My air conditioner shouldn't need to connect to the internet. And I shouldn't need a cell phone to adjust the temperature in the room. Dumb.

Solutions looking for a problem...

 

[homestead]

Does anyone have experience with thermostat's for a mini-split heat pump?

I recently installed a Mr Cool 24K mini-split, and while it heats and cools the house fine, the thermostat controls are horrible. It comes with a remote control, a wall mount "mini-stat", or an app you use on your phone. Visually I like the mini-stat best, but from what I can tell, none of them talk to each other as each one seems to do it's own thing, often conflicting with the other control.

Worse yet, it seems they all measure the current indoor temperature up at the indoor unit on the wall. Mine is mounted about 8 feet high in a vaulted ceiling area and can be 5-10 degrees warmer than the rest of the room. So trying to set a temperature on the thermostat is problematic. I've tried using their "calibrate" feature to adjust the set temperature, but I can't make sense of how it's suppose to work. No matter what I do I can't match the set temp with the actual temp in the room. Even if I manage to calibrate close to the right temp in heat mode, it's way off in cooling mode.

The basic remote control is supposed to have a "follow-me" function to measure the temp at the remote control location. I'm trying that now, but already see that IR signal is very poor from the remote and often fails to talk to the indoor unit unless I'm directly pointing it at the unit.

Has anyone used the Cielo Breez Plus or Flair Puck? I'm not interested in the phone app, remote access, or any of the scheduling stuff. I just want to set a temperature on the thermostat and have the room temperature match. Why is that so difficult?

I mounted my remote on the opposite side of the room on the wall pointing at the mr cool unit and then use the follow me button. That works well for us.

 

[mountainsoft]

I mounted my remote on the opposite side of the room on the wall pointing at the mr cool unit and then use the follow me button. That works well for us.

I think I found a couple spots the remote would be able to communicate reliably. For now I just have the remote sitting on a counter in our kitchen to try it out.

So far it seems to be working well. I set the temp to 70, the indoor unit displays 70 also, and the display on the remote shows either 71 or 72. That's close enough, and I like that it shows the room temp instead of the set temp like the other devices do.

One small detail I noticed is switching from heat to cool turns off the follow me function. So I will need to turn it on again any time I switch modes. Might have to educate the wifey.

I'll try it out for a day or two before I make holes putting screws in the wall, but it will probably work OK.

I wish the included mini-stat worked like the remote, but even though found a "follow me" option in the menus, it doesn't seem to work. I'm guessing the same software is used for the mini-stat that they use in their additional cost "Mr Cool Mini Stat". Which appears to be identical to the Cielo Breez Plus. How's that for confusing.

 

[homestead]

Sometimes when using the phone app or web page to change the temp it knocks out the "follow me" function and I have to go back to the wall mounted remote to reset it.
I normally don't use the remote very often I use the phone app.

 

[Chuckanut]

Have you considered using a small tower fan to improve air circulation in the area served by the indoor unit? I found that works wonders evening out room temperatures.

My mini split cools an L shaped room. A tower fan running on low at the corner of the L keeps the temp very even. On a cold morning I set the temp to 76 and turn on the tower fan. Two hours later the room is about 70, I set the thermostat to 70 and leave the fan on. Done for the day.

 

[folivier]

I'm using Mysa thermostats for my baseboard heating in the cabin and see they have them for mini-splits.