electriQ Easy-Fit 18000 BTU WiFi Smart Wall Mounted Split Air Conditioner with Heat Pump – 4m Pipe Kit Included for DIY Self-Install
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With the intense heat boiling us to a crisp these days, and the spirited conversation around the whole F-gas space and the ethics of charging the labour costs these guys do, I thought it would be useful to highlight a self-install option for split air-conditioners which do not require an F-gas certified technician for installation.
If youre fairly competent at DIY, you could try getting one of these units with R290/ propane refrigerant and installing it yourself. Theres a 5% discount code for registering your email which brings the price down to just over £800.
Magically, the UK powers that be have not yet banned these units in the UK
There are plenty of YT videos on installing these. I helped a friend install one a few years ago and it was more than manageable, took around 4h all in.
To the best of my knowledge, Buyitdirect/ Appliancesdirect are currently the only supplier of these R290/ propane units for self-install. They never stay in stock for long. They currently have only the highest capacity (18K BTU) in stock, which I have posted here. This unit is likely overkill for most rooms, keep an eye out for the 9000 BTU and 12,000 BTU units which keep going in and out of stock – at the same link. This particular unit has a 4m cable and pipe, extending this will likely require an F-gas engineer to come in and recharge the system so measure and plan twice before you buy Youd of course need a core drill bit as well and having gone through the experience, a good friend to help will certainly come in handy (Ive seen videos of people doing this on their own too – again plan well)
Do note that installing an airconditioning unit with a higher capacity than what you need is actually counterproductive – the compressor keeps switching off and on all the time (short-cycling), which may cause poor moisture control, uneven temperatures, higher energy bills, and even lead to premature system wear.
Appliancesdirect have a handy BTU-calculator on their website: appliancesdirect.co.uk/heltor
For people on here who have previously commented that R290/ propane is a fire hazard, yes it is, but modern day splits have minimised risks with a multi-layered safety approach including highly sensitive leak sensors triggering automatic shutdowns, a low charge of propane, sealed and ignition-proof components, and ensuring the propane is confined to the external unit.
Over 5 million R290 systems are estimated to be installed worldwide every year, and the EU are in fact moving away from F-gas systems completely and pivoting towards R290 with the following timeline:
Jan 1, 2029: Bans the use of F-gases in split air conditioning and heat pump systems up to 12kW.
Jan 1, 2035: Bans the use of almost all F-gases in new stationary split AC and heat pump systems completely.
Britain will likely follow.
Again, not promoting these systems in any way – just highlighting that if you do not have £2-3K to have an HFC split installed via an F-gas engineer (depending on region), theres still a self-install option if youre a competent and confident DIYer.
