No, not at all. I enjoyed it but my wife had a different expectation of completion date than I. My advice is to get the tools, don't shortcut, so that you have confidence at each step.
Stuff I had already specific to HVAC:
-R-410a manifold, gauges, and hoses.
Stuff I went out and bought:
-Nitrogen tank pressure regulator and hose for HVAC.
-Mandrel pipe bender
-Flaring tool
-Micron vacuum gauge
-A slightly better copper pipe cutter and deburring tool.
Stuff I rented/borrowed:
-Vacuum pump from Autozone. Free. It was plenty big enough for a minisplit.
-Full nitrogen cylinder rental from Airgas.
Things I'm glad I did:
-Used a wall mount instead of a pad for the compressor unit. Unit stays clean.
- Pressure testing with nitrogen. It's worth the money and effort to know up front it doesn't leak.
-Followed a more thorough procedure for vacuuming/drying which involves vacuuming down several times and flushing with nitrogen. I got a much better vacuum after subsequent flushes.
Thanks for the follow up! I understand completely. Somehow my wife stuck with me after more than a few significant home projects with misaligned expectations around completion. Re: wall mounting vs pad. Do you find noise transmission to be a nuisance?
I was on the lookout for it, as it was a concern of mine. I haven't noticed an issue. It's also mounted on an exterior wall of my garage. That wall lacks insulation but has drywall. It may be more of an issue if it shared a wall with a bedroom. The mount has rubber dampeners between the unit and the arms.
Stuff I had already specific to HVAC:
-R-410a manifold, gauges, and hoses.
Stuff I went out and bought:
-Nitrogen tank pressure regulator and hose for HVAC.
-Mandrel pipe bender
-Flaring tool
-Micron vacuum gauge
-A slightly better copper pipe cutter and deburring tool.
Stuff I rented/borrowed:
-Vacuum pump from Autozone. Free. It was plenty big enough for a minisplit.
-Full nitrogen cylinder rental from Airgas.
Things I'm glad I did:
-Used a wall mount instead of a pad for the compressor unit. Unit stays clean.
- Pressure testing with nitrogen. It's worth the money and effort to know up front it doesn't leak.
-Followed a more thorough procedure for vacuuming/drying which involves vacuuming down several times and flushing with nitrogen. I got a much better vacuum after subsequent flushes.