Ducted Aircon and Zoning System Installation Question

Summoner on 25/06/2024 - 13:08
Last edited 25/06/2024 - 14:09

Hi all,

Old 14kw ducted aircon that came with my home died on me recently, and I'm getting quotes to replace it with a ducted system. Since it's my first time purchasing a ducted system, I'd love to hear from anyone who's had a ducted system installed lately. At this stage, i have few quotes and am wating few more to come before making the decision.

I have been gathering info online and alot of people recommends Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. So i am getting quotes for thos. What are your choices?

Few of the quotes that came through are sitting around $17k. Is this the normal going price for Ducted System? (2 story, 4 bed home with myair5 zoning system) If anyone had ducted replaced recently in a similar sized house, how much did you pay?

And my last question is that this MyAir5 Zoning system seems nice, has anyone installed those? Are there any pros and cons that you can think of after having them installed? and Do they last long? or Would i be expecting them to be repaired every 5~6 years?

Any tips or things to consider would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if you had your system in Brisbane recently, i would be appreciated if you could recemmend your installer as well. Thanks.

Poll Options

  • 12
    Daikin
  • 6
    Mitsubishi Electric
  • 5
    Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
  • 9
    Other (Please leave comment)
Home & Garden Air Conditioner

Comments

  • lgacb08 on 25/06/2024 - 13:42

    How did the old ducted one perform? You have double story so depending on airflow and insulation the experience might not be the same. I had ME 12kw ducted for single storey recently around 10k using their own zoning system and overall experience is good, except for energy consumption. Remember ducted has the inherent issues of one single intake so regardless of zoning it will eventually heat or cool most of the house. The customary zoning system such as myair can improve that a little bit but overkill for what extra they cost. Being double storey the problem will be exacerbated so you need to make sure your installer is capable and not stuffing it up.

    • Summoner on 25/06/2024 - 13:47

      Our old system performed really well until it died. I had few quotes for the repair but repair cost were too high to have it repaired.
      Our current system has only two zones for each floor. I had been pretty happy with how it was.
      But when i stared getting quotes for the replacement system, most installers are quoting with those smart zoning system, so it got me qurious. It seems great on the fine print, but was not so sure if its as good as its adversing it to be…
      I was expecting it to be less than 15k, but the quotes seems to be higher than expected. Are you in Brisbane by any chance? If so, who was your installer?

      • lgacb08 on 25/06/2024 - 14:08

        If you want to keep cost down, just get whoever having built in zone control, Mitsubishi electric or Actron does as I know. Many installers use add on my air or airtouch and that adds 1-2k extra. I'm based in the Hunter so can't help but when I was chasing quote most were around 10-12k mark. Being in Brisbane you'll most likely need it for cooling so where the unit get temperature reading is important.

        • Summoner on 25/06/2024 - 14:22

          I am leaning towards getting built in zone control at the moment. With our old system, there are one sensors on each floor. Never really had any issue, except the guilt of having the entire home cooled down during the night.
          No issue during the day as our solar covers most of them.

    • Grunntt on 26/06/2024 - 11:08

      Remember ducted has the inherent issues of one single intake so regardless of zoning it will eventually heat or cool most of the house

      Not all systems have that limitation - pretty sure my inlaw's Actron Air setup has more than one return vent in their stupidly large house.

  • wiipantz on 25/06/2024 - 13:58
    +1

    Splits in each room functions much better because they are intependant, you can run them at different modes and temps - if one breaks down then only that room is without AC far cheaper to install and run. The one disadvantage of splits in each room is the asthetics, you can get a floor mounted split also. Each to thier own, meh.

    • Summoner on 25/06/2024 - 14:07

      I would have definitely considered spilit system if our home did not have ducted system. But since we have ducted installed, i would prefer to stick with it.

      • netjock on 25/06/2024 - 15:15
        +1

        Or a good time to get rid of it?

        You can also get multi head splits. was working out the numbers. a 5kw split with 2 - 3 heads (say this set is for bedrooms) and then have another multi head split for lounge, kitchen and dining. Might work out a lot cheaper unless you want to just change the unit and not touch the duct work.

      • jv on 25/06/2024 - 16:12
        +3

        definitely considered spilit system

        Very messy.

  • ShortyX on 25/06/2024 - 14:07

    For our single storey last year (new build), we had a 12kW Panasonic installed with myAir system - 9 zones with temp sensors as well for $12k. Works well. Two zones are set up as constant zones (family & kitchen/dining) so they are on all the time to relieve the pressure.

    • Summoner on 25/06/2024 - 14:32

      How do you find myAir system? Would you recommend having those premium feature?

      • ShortyX on 25/06/2024 - 15:27
        +1

        We've never had ducted before but overall we are really happy with it. Few points:

        1. The tablet on the wall seems like a cheap Android tablet and the MyPlace app is a little laggy but does the job. The tablet also runs an app called 'Touch To Wake' in the background so tapping the screen allows it to wake up but sometimes it requires a decent touch or two to wake it up. I've edited the app setting to make it the most sensitive but it's still the same.
        2. There are 'Events' and 'Scenes' features on the app for additional configuration but we haven't had a need to use them.
        3. Having the MyPlace app on the phone (iPhones) is handy - and no lag at all. It's nice being able to turn on/off the air con (and zones) when away from home or when not near the tablet.
        4. We don't mess with the temp settings and just keep them all a constant temp. It's nice seeing what temp each room is from the tablet or the app.
        5. One of the zones needs to be set as 'MyZone'. From the manual… "The MyZone feature makes that particular zone the “information centre” for the air conditioning unit. That means the set-point for that zone becomes the set-point the air conditioning unit will work toward." It can be changed easily through the app by just tapping on the thermometer icon for that zone.
        6. I linked MyPlace to Google Home but I've only configured 'Turn on aircon' or 'Turn off aircon' commands. Not sure if it can turn individual zones on and off or other commands like increase/decrease temps for particular zones.

        Hope that helps - it's a really great system and easy to use for my wife and kids.

        • Summoner on 25/06/2024 - 16:00

          Thank you for the detailed review :D

  • slowcoach on 25/06/2024 - 14:08
    +1

    Make sure there's a thermometer in multiple zones. Ours only has 1 central one. Hardly use it so not worth worrying about for us.

    • boomramada on 25/06/2024 - 14:14
      +1

      THIS, at least gets an extra one to the main bedroom. Brands don't matter these days, just like fridges, they all last long.

  • altomic on 25/06/2024 - 17:47
    +1

    Ozbargain needs a dedicated ducted heating category.

  • singingwolf on 26/06/2024 - 08:08

    MHI is the better unit. I paid $10k for 20kw but ducting was already there. If in Sydney can give a contact

  • Breddo on 26/06/2024 - 08:37

    We never had ducted before moving into our current place about 5 years ago and it has an Actron system installed with 8 zones. When/if it dies I’ll probably go Actron again. Their after sales service support is great and parts for our system that is a 2009 model are still produced. The only thing I would change is to upgrade the r value of the ducts to make that aspect more efficient and add more temp sensors as we’ve now only got a single one in the main living area so some of the zone temps vary quite a bit

    • Summoner on 26/06/2024 - 09:47

      I will check them out. I heard they are an aussie brand, so i guess they would provide better support.

      • Grunntt on 26/06/2024 - 10:31

        I heard they are an aussie brand, so i guess they would provide better support

        Had an Actron system installed to replace our old ducted system in a 2 storey home in Sydney.
        Support has been very helpful (only minor issues with software, not the aircon unit itself).

        One thing I would do next time is definitely get one sensor per zone for more granular control (I've bought a couple more since the install and it makes a significant difference to temperature control).

        It has significantly reduced our power usage over the old one.

        One reason we went with the Actron system is that you don't need an always on common zone.

        But I must say that the single thing that I had problems with, and still dislike, is the app that is used. (the latest update seems to have fixed a few issues that we were having but it still seems a little basic).

    • Grunntt on 26/06/2024 - 10:37

      and add more temp sensors as we’ve now only got a single one in the main living area so some of the zone temps vary quite a bit

      I bought a couple of Actron sensors from these guys for quite a reasonable price (compared to what I had been quoted by our installers) - may be worth having a look to see if they have any for your model.

      AirCon Parts

  • loadofrubbish on 26/06/2024 - 09:34

    I have found zoning to be pointless. My kids close zones, then there are blowouts of ducts inside the roof. Now I have unplugged all the zones in the roof, so all the zones are always on. It is a weird feeling going from a cool room to a hot room. Go with Daikin; many installers know how to work on them and they are very reliable.

    • Summoner on 26/06/2024 - 09:41

      I was wondering what might happen if i keep some zones closed for the extended time. So there is that risk.
      Thank you for sharing your experience. :D

    • Grunntt on 26/06/2024 - 10:54

      Go with Daikin; many installers know how to work on them and they are very reliable.

      That used to be true but they are not known for their reliability as much nowadays.
      Many of the people that make that claim are basing it on systems they have had for some time - ie when it used to be a justified reputation.
      You can find many more fairly recent purchasers with issues than you used to see.
      I'm not saying they are a bad brand, just that their current reputation doesn't seem to be as good as it once was.

      By the way, if kids closing zones causes duct blow outs then that's a problem with the installation - it's not designed to do that.

  • Jon Voights Car on 26/06/2024 - 09:35
    +1

    Just had a 14kW Panasonic with myAir roughed in for our renovation. No existing AC so required all new ducting. I got about 8 quotes ranging across different sizes and brands but ended up going with the guy my builder recommended because they were quick and actually one of the cheaper quotes. They ranged from about $13.5k through to $18k. Most say around the $15k mark.

    I also looked up the ABN for each business who quoted me and there was almost a direct correlation between the number of years in business & the price (longer in business = higher price) go figure.

    Pretty much all the cheapest quotes were smaller operators with businesses started in the last 4 years. Not suggesting there’s anything wrong with them, but worth considering.

    Our system was about $14.5k fully installed for 5 zones, but it’s yet to be commissioned as we’re still finishing off the reno.

    Hope that helps somewhat.

    • Summoner on 26/06/2024 - 09:45

      Thank you for sharing your quotes. Great to have a reference when comparing the quotes im getting :D

  • ozbargainoid on 26/06/2024 - 10:08

    Had a ducted Daikin 11kw in low set 8 year old house.
    About a year ago a small lizard or gekko fried a circuit board which then fried another circuit board and probably the twin fan motors…quote about $3500 and six weeks for parts.(had 3 similar quotes)
    Turfed out the complete unit and replaced with Panasonic, and was back on line in under a week.
    My poor memory but I think the Pana was about $5000

    • lgacb08 on 26/06/2024 - 12:17

      Yeah, one thing everyone should know is Daikin don't coat their board with resin so insect frying the board is a known issue.

  • StingyBritches on 26/06/2024 - 15:20

    Our Actron ducted system (which I recommend!) also lacks resin-coated boards. Don’t ask how I found out… but, fortunately they covered it under warranty.

  • RichardF89 on 11/07/2024 - 18:07

    I just got some quotes today for 12w aircon including removing my evpa cooler. The price was form $10k to $12k

  • Summoner on 08/08/2024 - 11:57
    +1

    If anyone is wondering, i ended up going with 14kw Mitsubishi Electric with Myair5 zoning for around $15.5k. Quotes i received ranged from 15k to 20k.

    Happy with the new aircon so far :D

  • Grunntt on 09/08/2024 - 09:43

    If anyone is wondering, i ended up going with 14kw Mitsubishi Electric with Myair5 zoning for around $15.5k.

    Sounds like a reasonable deal.
    Thank you for the update - it's nice to see a thread with an outcome for future reference.

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