back spacing for mini-split outdoor unit
I’m about to install my new concealed duct minisplit (Senville). The wall bracket they sold me does not provide the specified distance from the wall; manual says minimum 30cm/11.8″, whereas if I install it with the bracket as-is, it will be about 10″. This includes an extra 1.5″ I get from mounting the bracket to a ledger board, which in turn is on battens on the wall. By default, the space you’d get on a flat wall would be more like 8″. I called their tech support as was told to just ignore the spec in the manual, that it was more about having access for maintenance than airflow reasons. So I guess my question is, really? Should I just install it with 10″ spacing, or should I use some spacers and extra long bolts to get the unit the specified 11.8″ spacing?
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I don't think that the gap there matters that much. Pretty much all brackets I've used put the unit too close to the wall according to the manufacturer spec. Sometimes I've even moved them even closer to stay behind property lines.
The thing to watch for is clearance around the unit itself, you don't want it to recirculate air. Try to keep all four sides clear.
Thanks, that's good to know. So in the same vein, the indoor unit also has a spec of 11.8" from the rear. But it has the option of swapping a panel to change the air inlet from the rear to the bottom. I'm assuming if I do that, I can ignore that requirement as well? It doesn't look like that clearance is needed to get at the motor or blower blades either.
Sounds like a service clearance. The probability of needing to swap out blowers on these is pretty low. If you install a decent intake filter (which you always should), the insides should never need cleaning, so I wouldn't worry too much about access there.
I've mounted them with near zero clearance against the back.