Costway - 12000 BTU Wifi Enabled Mini Split Air Conditioner & Heater with Heat Pump - Black + White

After several months of research between choosing the right mini split based on price and popularity, I decided to bite the bullet and go for this cheaper variant. I wanted to do the majority of the work myself and was very intimidated by the tools needed, however I'm very glad I did it and learned a lot in the process. 1. Lines are pre charged, BUT you need to vacuum the lines. I had a vacuum pump from elsewhere (model ‎VH322 - vivohome) and it came with the correct adapters and everything needed. I also watched a couple of youtube videos on how to vacuum the lines. This was one of the more stressful parts of the install (minus cutting a hole in the wall) but after watching the videos a few times, I went for it and was able to do it myself without any issues. 2. I was not comfortable with adding my own electrical box outside so I hired an electrician to do so. It took them less than 2 hours. Cost $400-500 3. MAKE SURE you match the wires to the correct place on the outdoor unit's terminal block. I made a mistake and tried to unscrew the one to swap the wires and the screw head stripped. The screws on the terminal are very, very, soft so be extra careful here. This cost me a whole day because I was trying everything i could to remove the screw with no luck. I ended up having to cut the wires and splice them together (will be soldering them as a permanent solution later) but for now it works just fine. Make sure to triple check the wires before screwing them in! This was easily the most frustrating part to be honest, and I thought the unit was faulty. IF you do have to cut the wires and splice, give yourself plenty of wire to do so, I ended up cutting the wire right at the screw when the wires MUST be connected via the terminal block to work. I tried splicing the same color wires without them being in the terminal and there was 0 power. I'm sure electricians are laughing but it was a very big mistake and I'm glad I could still have enough wire to make it work. Overall, I'm VERY impressed and glad I went the DIY route. I saved a lot, learned a ton, and built more confidence in doing more things around the house like this. You don't need to spend $2000 on a Mr Cool DIY kit. You will save a lot of money vacuuming the lines yourself and hiring an electrician if you don't feel comfortable running the electric to the unit outside. I keep the mini split at 72 degrees in the garage, so I can open the door to the garage from inside the house and it is the same exact temperature. I do not have insulation above the garage and it stays at temp with the fan speed on LOW. I checked the electric bill and I honestly could not tell the difference between the full month I used it and the previous month. The mini split stays running 24/7 (I've heard it's much more efficient that way and is better for it). If I had to guess, maybe it added $5-10 to my bill but was not noticeable to me. I have a two car garage and it has no problem cooling it down, maybe 450ish square feet? The electrician said a single zone normally uses less power than a microwave, and I now believe that. Don't feel intimidated by the vacuuming and install. Watch some videos, take a deep breath, and go for it.

Bought this bak in May of 2025 Installed the unit myself 6 months and its been great very quite it cools and heats very well the wifi works great no complaints about any thing its Installed in between the master bedroom and bath it has kept it at 64 degrees all summer size of both rooms is 500 sq ft and its not isolated from the rest of the house the bedroom door was left open this is my first mini split should have bought one sooner

Works great. Instructions are user friendly and comes in black perfect for converted garage in black. Very efficient at 22 SEER for the price.

Very cold and quiet love it. Pretty easy to install

Great little unit! Thought I was going to need a higher BTU range for my jr ADU but it does the job! Great in the summer and even better during the cold winters days. Having it connected to my phone is perfect because I work nights so when I get off of work I can set it to a certain temperature and have it be nice and cool when I get home to go to sleep.