Aircon Advice

[dario77]

Looking to purchase a cheap aircon for a rental property .Does anyone know is Gree 9000 btu is any good or any other recommendations on what is a good purchase .Trying to keep the price around 10K .

[sfokevin]

If I were you I would go with a more popular name brand... 

My pick would be a Samsung Inverter 9,000btu... This is a couple thousand more in cost but the inverter technology will save you more in electric bills in a year than the additional cost... being a name brand it would be easy to have it moved or sold... Price shop at Big C, Tesco, Home Depot & Global House - Make a point to chat up the sales person and ask if there is promotion!...

 

 

Edited September 5, 2018 by sfokevin

[Amusements]

I have to agree with sfokevin on the inverter technology. It will save you a lot of money in the long run. I have an LG one, and my electric bills came down drastically compared to the old one I had. 

[eyecatcher]

I am going to tell you that every aicon unit sold in the big box stores is asking you to pay 35/40% more than the actual aircon spcialists.

 

I got the LG inverter 9k btu for 10500bt fitted, because I shopped around. The very same model at the cheapest place(online ) was 13k

 

The best one imo is mitsubishi inveter brand,, big box stores 17/18k, selling at 12k in the small independents.

 

Your choice of course, but I absolutely refuse to even look at samsungs, they are the cheapest of the cheap, and often the running costs will use up that initial saving.

 

I did the research and a day riding about comparing with give you a wealth of knowledge.

Dont ask the salesmen anything, tbey want that 30% commission i mentioned above and dont even know what size electric cable is needed for a 9k, 12k, 18k, 22k btu machine.

Happy to point you where to go after you research what you want.

[beau thai]

good aircon shop with good prices near plaza 89. same side a few hundred metres towards mahidol road. recommended to us by farang developer and we have had good experience there. we use york brand

[elektrified]

Don't buy from Lazada because you may be tempted by their prices. My wife purchased a Mitsubishi from a seller on Lazada and when it arrived the compressor was damaged (dropped - corner bent in), and there were no warranty papers, owner's manual, etc. After contacting Lazada she was told there was absolutely no warranty of any kind - on a brand new A/C! She had to threaten the seller by calling the police when he refused to refund her. Between the police and the help of Lazada, he finally agreed to refund her a week later. She had to haul the units over to a trucking company. Cost her 500 Baht in return shipping. Complete waste of time and energy.

[sfokevin]

I agree to buy locally so you can deal with a local person if you have a problem... I have bought a few units over the years from local big chain stores (HomePro & Globsl House) and the price listed always included install and no extra “commission”?...  The acception of extra charge for bracket to install on outside wall

[eyecatcher]

The usual outlets will have their already whopping marked up price and then say it includes fitting.

well yes it does, then come the limitations. The included price will allow only 3m of cable to a feed source, then the external compressor has to be sitting on the floor or a landing, you want wall hung then pay.

 

you don't have a clue who your installer will be, some fly by night can do guy or a subcontracted professional its a toss up.

 

thereafter you have a query, who to contact, I think we all accept the box stores are not interested (though Home Pro do care actually)

 

I would always say to someone, go to the professional independants for the best price, the best service, the best aftercare. This applies to anyone wanting aircons, water pumps, water tanks, power tools

[sfokevin]

dario77 welcome to a typical day on the CM Forum... 

[Dellboy218]

Just because an aircon is an inverter model it does not mean it saves money.  This is a fallacy.  I have a non inverter aircon and the manufacturers figures are identical to the inverter model.  Check makers plates first.

[eyecatcher]

With respect mr Dellboy you clearly have little concept of how inverters work, how they save energy, and thus how they save on running costs.

Your typical aircon is straight up to full power consumption, and will stay at that output for a long time, often not even switching off.

the inverter uses high initial energy for maybe 5 minutes max at which point it drops down the gears and idles with no noise, no switching on and off and regulates the air temp at a constant on very low power.

 

infact a 9k btu  inverter will use not much more electricity than a typical ceiling fan.

 

take time to read up on how the two work and differ and you will realise that comparing like for like wattages is not always the full story.

 

They key point is if you can get an inverter model for the same price as the standard model, then its simply a no brainer. 

going to the big box stores you can't; going to the independents you can.

[Dellboy218]

10 hours ago, eyecatcher said:

With respect mr Dellboy you clearly have little concept of how inverters work, how they save energy, and thus how they save on running costs.

Your typical aircon is straight up to full power consumption, and will stay at that output for a long time, often not even switching off.

the inverter uses high initial energy for maybe 5 minutes max at which point it drops down the gears and idles with no noise, no switching on and off and regulates the air temp at a constant on very low power.

 

infact a 9k btu  inverter will use not much more electricity than a typical ceiling fan.

 

take time to read up on how the two work and differ and you will realise that comparing like for like wattages is not always the full story.

 

They key point is if you can get an inverter model for the same price as the standard model, then its simply a no brainer. 

going to the big box stores you can't; going to the independents you can.

It is you that has no concept. An inverter takes your AC converts it to DC and then converts it back to AC at a varying frequency.  The advantage of that is a soft start to the compressor,  its quieter.  I actually said that my aircon figures showed the inverter version was no more economical.  If you can get a 9000BTU aircon  running at the same energy as a ceiling fan then your ceiling fan needs replacing.  A 9000BTU  aircon will be running at near 800 to1000W with compressor running.  Where do your gears come from?  There aren't any.  An induction motor follows the speed of the supply frequency hence variable supply, variable speed.  You are right it may not start and stop but ramp up and down which means the compressor is still taking power Instead of switching off.  If any one is reading this, ignore what this guy writes and check the makers figures. Wattage are not the full story, thisis a measure of work done.  VA is a measure of power including losses.  Check those out from the makers as well.  According to this guy you can get an aircon running on 50W. Patent it!

[eyecatcher]

Of course no one needs to listen to anyone elses opinion, but when it comes to aircon technology the way forward for the last few years has been the inverter models.

Why are they the way forward, well because we live in a world of energy savings, green efficiency, lower running costs.

If the inverter models are no better than the standard models then a lot of companies sure wasted big money developing them.

I feel you have chosen the cheaper standard unit and regret it, and now trying to justify your choice.

 

Of course an aircon will cost more than a fan, but really not that much. I have one 9kbtu inverter aircon only at home which I have had for only 1 year after only having ceiling fans. My electric bills have increased from 400bt month to just under 600bt month, so for me that one aircon is costing 200bt a month extra......to me, that's just a small amount more.

Please don't hesitate to contact me and I can give you further advice on where to find the most efficient aircons, and indeed on any other construction topic.

[eyecatcher]

On ‎9‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 10:53 AM, beau thai said:

good aircon shop with good prices near plaza 89. same side a few hundred metres towards mahidol road. recommended to us by farang developer and we have had good experience there. we use york brand

Yes I called in there yesterday to check it out.  Right opposite the bakersmart (which I go for my pizza bases) Excellent source of aircons and they do carry the Gree brand, which I admit I havnt come across. before.

I didn't do a price comparison, but if the OP starts by going to the big box stores and noting their prices for the models they are interested in then you can go to his place for a direct comparison. I would certainly expect to see a 15/20pc saving here, even more if they are ordering direct from the factory with you paying a fair chunk upfront.

[Dellboy218]

3 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

Of course no one needs to listen to anyone elses opinion, but when it comes to aircon technology the way forward for the last few years has been the inverter models.

Why are they the way forward, well because we live in a world of energy savings, green efficiency, lower running costs.

If the inverter models are no better than the standard models then a lot of companies sure wasted big money developing them.

I feel you have chosen the cheaper standard unit and regret it, and now trying to justify your choice.

 

Of course an aircon will cost more than a fan, but really not that much. I have one 9kbtu inverter aircon only at home which I have had for only 1 year after only having ceiling fans. My electric bills have increased from 400bt month to just under 600bt month, so for me that one aircon is costing 200bt a month extra......to me, that's just a small amount more.

Please don't hesitate to contact me and I can give you further advice on where to find the most efficient aircons, and indeed on any other construction topic.

An inverter will provide you with a soft start and a gradual increase and decrease in torque making  it smoother and quiter in operation.   This is achieved not by gears but by changing the frequency of the electrical supply. The compressor still needs the same energy to turn it. I know how inverters work, after spending 45 years working on alternators, motors, aircon, radar,  various nav systems on virtually every type of ship I can say quite categorically your ideas are ludicrous.  I am quite happy with my DOL type aircon, less electronics to go wrong.  I can assure you I will not be banging on your door for advice, Big bird and Kermit would be more useful. 

[Dellboy218]

Dario, to get back to your thread.   Some people say an inverter model saves money, I am, as you already know, of the opinion that it might or might not.   It depends on your aircon size, your room size, temperature and how you use it.  The problem with a motor that switches on and off is that the motor will take many times its running current to get it started.  The inverter will ramp it up slowly avoiding that problem.  Of course inverters are not 100% efficient so there are losses, and in my humble opinion more to go wrong.  If your compressor is running all the time there will be no saving as they are the same compressors running flat out.  If you have your aircon adjusted so it is constantly switching on/off then you will probably find a saving using an inverter model.    If you are going to mount your aircon on a wall on a steel frame then definitely go for an inverter model.  Those frames can transmit the sound of the compressors starting through the wall.  The reason why I bought the older non inverter model was because I have concrete plinths built into my wall and I cannot hear any sound from the compressor unit and I run it 'light' so there would be virtually no saving on electricity.

As for Gree, a quick Google returns:

Gree Electric Appliances Inc. of Zhuhai is a Chinese major appliance manufacturer headquartered in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It is the world's largest residential air-conditioner manufacturer.

So the questions would have to be, is it noisy, can you get spares for it easily and economically,  whats the energy consumption in comparison to your normal models and how much its going to save you on your buying costs.  If the latter is not a reasonable amount, then you may be better off going with Samsung, Mitsubishi, Daiken Saijo, Toshiba-Carrier and a host of other well known makes.  My neighbour has the Chinese Haier unit.  Apparently its a bit noisy but its been working for many years. 

[boonrawdcnx]

Just bought a new LG - have had them in all our houses over the years - never a problem - was looking at a 9000 BTU inverter unit for 12990 Baht next to it was special Deal 12000 BTU Dual inverter LG at Sahapanich for 14990 Baht (included a free fan).

Cools fantastic a bit different from the first inverter models that came out years ago - you can set the temperature you want or energy saver mode to 80, 60 or 40% - very happy with it and the cost of running it to keep a 20 m2 bedroom cool all night long as well as several hours during the day is approx. 1000 baht a month.

Oh yes - and it is super - quite too!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

[eyecatcher]

1 hour ago, boonrawdcnx said:

Just bought a new LG - have had them in all our houses over the years - never a problem - was looking at a 9000 BTU inverter unit for 12990 Baht next to it was special Deal 12000 BTU Dual inverter LG at Sahapanich for 14990 Baht (included a free fan).

Cools fantastic a bit different from the first inverter models that came out years ago - you can set the temperature you want or energy saver mode to 80, 60 or 40% - very happy with it and the cost of running it to keep a 20 m2 bedroom cool all night long as well as several hours during the day is approx. 1000 baht a month.

Oh yes - and it is super - quite too!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

It sounds like you have the same one as me (albeit I have the 9k btu) cost 10500 fitted.

As you say so quiet, infact you can easily forget its on.

I have mine set on an AI which i presume is its artificial intelligence mode.

Our compressor is literally 1m from the bed head behind a teak clad frame and the loudest noise it makes is the drip of water onto a leaf.

One thing that is annoying, my instruction manual is not in English, only Thai. LG website doesnt have one and of the 10you tube videos available none show the latest models and seem to produced by Indian personnel speaking faster than a tuk tuk.

I know where the on off button is though and thats fine.

 

It could be worse....the manual could be in Chinese.

[HAKAPALITA]

With respect mr Dellboy you clearly have little concept of how inverters work, how they save energy, and thus how they save on running costs.
Your typical aircon is straight up to full power consumption, and will stay at that output for a long time, often not even switching off.
the inverter uses high initial energy for maybe 5 minutes max at which point it drops down the gears and idles with no noise, no switching on and off and regulates the air temp at a constant on very low power.
 
infact a 9k btu  inverter will use not much more electricity than a typical ceiling fan.
 
take time to read up on how the two work and differ and you will realise that comparing like for like wattages is not always the full story.
 
They key point is if you can get an inverter model for the same price as the standard model, then its simply a no brainer. 
going to the big box stores you can't; going to the independents you can.

Hes not miles off, the savings are hardly noticeable in reality , but your friend whoes just bought one saved a fortune in 2 months..[emoji86]


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[amexpat]

I have a Mitsubishi inverter and the savings is very noticeable, dramatic even.

 

But I appreciate the improved comfort level even more. 

[HAKAPALITA]

Must have had a very poor one to notice a big saving, comfort level is improved some how.Ive got 4 and cant say ive noticed big savings.Timers show a better save. Saijo Denki and LG. 

[boonrawdcnx]

I can tell you that the difference in running costs between a regular model and inverted models for us was huge savings.

Our old house had a master bedroom of 46 m2.
At first we had a regular model in the master bedroom 24.000 BTU and after we switched to an Inverter model also 24000 BTU - the electricity bill was almost 2000 baht less a month.
So the savings where huge and the new unit paid for itself within a year.


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[beau thai]

worth checking mr google to get the correct size of aircon for yourspace. they invariably try to sell you bigger which is actually less efficient. it cools too quickly so affects humidity and cuts in and out more often, which is not good for its longevity- thats with conventional. i dont know about inverters.

 

i bought, after checking, 9000 btu for 40sqm living room. its great in a room that gets quite hot from late afternoon sun.. but io was told i neede 14k btu. not so

[Dellboy218]

1 hour ago, boonrawdcnx said:

I can tell you that the difference in running costs between a regular model and inverted models for us was huge savings.

Our old house had a master bedroom of 46 m2.
At first we had a regular model in the master bedroom 24.000 BTU and after we switched to an Inverter model also 24000 BTU - the electricity bill was almost 2000 baht less a month.
So the savings where huge and the new unit paid for itself within a year.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Are you sure you need a 24000BTU aircon? I use the same size and my total bill is less than your saving. The attached file might be helpful.

AC_e_Worksheet1_04.pdf

[EricTh]

I bought my Panasonic Air-cond at Global House, their installation service was first class and prices are cheapest. Wait for their promotion period.

[boonrawdcnx]

Are you sure you need a 24000BTU aircon? I use the same size and my total bill is less than your saving. The attached file might be helpful.
AC_e_Worksheet1_04.pdf

When we moved into our first house years ago we thought we could save some money by buying just the correct BTU number - a Thai friend who runs an air conditioning shop told us later when in doubt it always pays off long-term who initially purchased a bigger unit even though it costs a few thousand but more.

And he was right.

We where not sure at first if we should go for the 18,000 or 24,000 BTU unit. The price difference was only 3000 Baht at the time.

The 46 m² bedroom was upstairs and it was heating up during the day considerably - when I started the air conditioner on “jet mode” it cooled down the room in no time and it was then set to energy control.

Never regretted to buying the bigger unit.

The electricity cost for the unit came to only 1000 baht a month - not bad for having a nice and cool bedroom all month long.

[Dellboy218]

Ah, you are quoting Sq meters, my apologies so that would be 110+ cu. Meters?  In which case you would need one that size if not more.

[moontang]

the refrigerators are mostly going inverter, too.  40% less energy, and food stays fresher. Look at SEER on the AC, too.  

[Dellboy218]

19 hours ago, moontang said:

the refrigerators are mostly going inverter, too.  40% less energy, and food stays fresher. Look at SEER on the AC, too.  

40% is actually conservative.  I have read 46% but it also says UP TO.   That saving is not guaranteed.  As with aircons it depends on how you use it and the conditions.  Only one way to economically use a fridge and that is full. 

[moontang]

much more consistent temps, and no bang at start-up...same with the A-C.