cravy question related to HEATING and A/C.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

what i am debating is installing a heat pump mini split and would like to wire it in on an occupancey schedule timer.
something like an hour before the owner gets home or whatever because she works night shifts as well so i want it adjustable.
will a timer for an aquastat work?
dont want digital stuff just trying to stay simple but add some simple upgrades so she can adjust things to her schedule.
i know aqua stat timers are line voltage so thinking one of those managed to handle a water heater should be able to handle a small mini split.
i know i need to match one from the correct heater to match start up current draw from the heater verses current draw from start up of the heat pump inverter driven.
its going to be on a 20-amp breaker and most water heaters i do at 120 v is on a 30 amp.
would the 30 amp rated switch be a problem on a 20 amp breaker.
i know alot of variables and for me the outdoor heat pump powers the indoor unit so i would have to break power to the outdoor unit and get the timer to where i want it to be.
i can break power signal before it goes out to main unit with timer but not where i would like it for access.
want a manual timer and not bluetooth or anything like that.
the bus i am building is for my wife and she could handle the app stuff but i want it basic and stupid proof as much as possible because she has been to some places that didnt have a clue with a 2010 kia?
had to guide the mechanic over the phone for a hesitation in the engine.
asked some questions and he said we dont do that?
told her to finish her contract and bring it home.
ethanol fuel if you dont run it empty before fueling again retains moisture and my wife liked to fuel at 1/2 tank.
sorry for the long post

[Rucker]

Not sure if you can control the split system with a switch like you are thinking.

When I flip the breaker on my minisplit, it comes up 'idle'. I have to hit the power button to turn it on. Fortunately, it has a remote that is dirt simple to use.

[cadillackid]

every minisplit is different.. if I drop the power to my fujitsu unit, it recovers into last mode and temp and resumes.. my cheap chinese units do not.. they turn back on and go to "auto" and 70 unless they were previously off.. then they stay off..


many of the modern units seem to recover back to last operation.. I dont see any reason why it would hurt one to slam it down when the timer expires... most of these units do a complete reset on the EEV when they are powered on at the breaker to recalibrate...



the only time you might run into an issue is if oyu shut the thing off at its thermostat.. then next day you leave and expect it to come back on.. it likely wont because its last operation was "off"...



my Fujitsu units have an external contact closure operation terminal block.. you can set it up so that the unit will go into Stop mode when either the contact is open or closed.. designed for either central control or for fire alarm use where you want instant off.. in that case the breaker is never shut off to the unit.. and the thermostat still displays that its operable but there is a "stop" icon.. (I use the wired control for it since its mounted under my floor and ducted)...

[Ronnie]

Would it be possible to hard wire a real thermostat to a mini split and toss the remote? Then a programmable thermostat could be used that would allow the time to come on to be set

[Rucker]

I don't want to say no.

If it were mine I'd have a kludge solution and two years from now I'd either forget how it's set up, the unit breaks and the replacement doesn't work the same way, or I can't troubleshoot because I've diddled with the controls.

What I've learned-maybe the biggest lesson frankly-is that the more standard the device/component/system is, the less difficult it is to own and maintain it, or ultimately swap it out if I can't fix it.

This forum is littered with cool ideas that probably don't quite work in practice-I know, because I've proposed some of them.

Not trying to discourage, just offering some real-world advice you are free to accept or ignore. Maybe a remote is not that bad a solution after all?

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Rucker

I don't want to say no.

If it were mine I'd have a kludge solution and two years from now I'd either forget how it's set up, the unit breaks and the replacement doesn't work the same way, or I can't troubleshoot because I've diddled with the controls.

What I've learned-maybe the biggest lesson frankly-is that the more standard the device/component/system is, the less difficult it is to own and maintain it, or ultimately swap it out if I can't fix it.

This forum is littered with cool ideas that probably don't quite work in practice-I know, because I've proposed some of them.

Not trying to discourage, just offering some real-world advice you are free to accept or ignore. Maybe a remote is not that bad a solution after all?

I wish the remote worked better. It can be so frustrating, waving the thing around trying to get something to happen, then trying to get what you want to happen. Mine is heating now and I do not touch it. This is in my shop, I just can not imagine using in my bus as fussy as it is. Maybe a higher end mini has a better remote?