large T-shaped room: one or two AC units?

[gejohesch]

This must be a common question. I'm planning to install AC in my living room / kitchen which is 40 sq. metres in size in a T-shape. I think I could consider a 24,000 BTU unit but the question then is : where will I place it? Or should I rather think of 2 units, maybe like I show on the attached pic?

 

I already have a 18,000 unit in the bedroom. The two other smaller rooms a and b, I think, don't really need their own AC's. The "kitchen" is mainly used for washing dishes (manually) and storing food + utensils (like many, we mostly cook outside). The house is rather well shaded all around but obviously it can get very hot at times, being in Isan.

 

I'm sure there will be some good advice on that. Thanks very much in advance!

[KannikaP]

I would consider putting them at either end of the T, not next to the front door where it will possibly get bursts of hotter air.

[Kwasaki]

One above front door 18 BTU maybe big enough for that room area.

[gejohesch]

hmmmm.... these are rather contradictory pieces of advice!

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

I would not be considering wall mount evaporators. You should look at cassette aircon units for this, at least 24,000 BTU.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[bbko]

My home has the same type T-shaped living room/dining room/front door area and on hot days it really warms up in the late afternoons.  Just last month the wife and I were trying to decide if we need one big AC or two smaller ones.

We decided (but haven't done it yet) the best choice was two smaller units (or even just one) and install a room divider. She wants curtains or plastic slats and I like something akin to the attached photo, but instead of retracting to the center, the panels will retract to the sides and have  smaller panes of glass on the doors.   

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by bbko

[Surelynot]

One unit plus a pedestal fan....cheapest option.

[Yellowtail]

Another vote for a cassette unit. you could also program it to blow only in three directions...

 

[gejohesch]

Many thanks for all these replies above. I had never thought of a cassette unit. I can see the rationale, it also looks more elegant than a wall unit. But I would worry about the price. Also, maybe it's more difficult to install as we would have to open the ceiling, and I don't know about the weight etc.

 

I think eventually, we will fall back to a simple wall-mounted unit and indeed help the air flow around with fans (we already have 2 wall-mounted fans installed). We do not need a 100% perfect solution after all.

[Yellowtail]

4 hours ago, gejohesch said:

Many thanks for all these replies above. I had never thought of a cassette unit. I can see the rationale, it also looks more elegant than a wall unit. But I would worry about the price. Also, maybe it's more difficult to install as we would have to open the ceiling, and I don't know about the weight etc.

 

I think eventually, we will fall back to a simple wall-mounted unit and indeed help the air flow around with fans (we already have 2 wall-mounted fans installed). We do not need a 100% perfect solution after all.

 

Then were it me, I would put a single unit on the wall opposite the kitchen, and put a ceiling fan in the area between the bedroom and room b. 

 

You do not want the return-air coming from the kitchen as the grease (it doesn't take much) is hard on the filters. 

[gejohesch]

21 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Then were it me, I would put a single unit on the wall opposite the kitchen, and put a ceiling fan in the area between the bedroom and room b. 

 

You do not want the return-air coming from the kitchen as the grease (it doesn't take much) is hard on the filters. 

Excellent, thanks. I think indeed this is the best option. Placing the AC unit there, I can install the condenser unit in the garage which is just on that side, large and well shaded.

[bankruatsteve]

24 minutes ago, gejohesch said:

Then were it me, I would put a single unit on the wall opposite the kitchen, and put a ceiling fan in the area

That's what I would do. Ceiling fans in the bottom of the T and where the dining area. 18k BTU should be more than enough. 

[Yellowtail]

How cool do you like it? 

 

There is no second floor, correct?

 

What is the roof like?

[gejohesch]

6 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

How cool do you like it? 

 

There is no second floor, correct?

 

What is the roof like?

How cool : 25 or 26 Celsius OK

 

No second floor

 

In the process of changing the roof sheets, replacing with the type I've seen somewhere in this forum which have 5 cm (from memory) of insulation foam (BK Metal being one of the possible suppliers).

We have a ceiling underneath the roof, which I also consider padding with batts of insulation material (if that's not too heavy, the ceiling is probably not super strong).

 

With that, I think I should get a much better insulation of the house as a whole. Then, to make it really nice and livable, come the AC unit + fan combination.

 

The windows are maybe not perfectly airtight but there is a limit to how much I want to replace. Maybe at a later stage if it's still not cool enough?

[OneMoreFarang]

I suggest search on the internet about placing aircon units. I did that recently. As far as I remember two air-cons should never be on opposite sites of one room. I didn't look for T-shaped rooms but I am sure you will find professional advice about them.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I suggest search on the internet about placing aircon units. I did that recently. As far as I remember two air-cons should never be on opposite sites of one room. I didn't look for T-shaped rooms but I am sure you will find professional advice about them.

I think that would depend on the size and configuration of the room, yes?

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I think that would depend on the size and configuration of the room, yes?

I am sure there are many criteria.

My point was and is: There are some expert information out there on the internet. I am pretty sure they are more reliable than the opinion of most TV users - even if those users have good intentions.

Why not ask or look up what the experts recommend? 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure there are many criteria.

My point was and is: There are some expert information out there on the internet. I am pretty sure they are more reliable than the opinion of most TV users - even if those users have good intentions.

Why not ask or look up what the experts recommend? 

I think seeking expert advice is a great idea.  

 

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

My point was and is: There are some expert information out there on the internet. I am pretty sure they are more reliable than the opinion of most TV users - even if those users have good intentions.

You overlook the point that while many TV users may seem to have more opinions than brain cells there are users with much more experience and expertise than you suggest. 

[OneMoreFarang]

4 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You overlook the point that while many TV users may seem to have more opinions than brain cells there are users with much more experience and expertise than you suggest. 

Maybe there are. And I know you posted lots of good advice.

 

But how does someone who knows very little know which advise is good and which advise is not so good? I see that often with computer advise when people who know just a little more than beginners pretend to be experts... I am sure you are aware of that problem.

So if I see i.e. a website which is dedicated to air-cons and they have a long article about placement of the units then the chance is high that that information is better than advice from many want to be experts.

[sometimewoodworker]

42 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe there are. And I know you posted lots of good advice

Thanks for the comment.

43 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

But how does someone who knows very little know which advise is good and which advise is not so good?

There you have the problems inherent in the internet.

45 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I see that often with computer advise when people who know just a little more than beginners pretend to be experts... I am sure you are aware of that problem.

Absolutely and the advice given with absolute confidence can be absolutely wrong, there may also be different ways than the only 1 proscribed 

 

48 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

So if I see i.e. a website which is dedicated to air-cons and they have a long article about placement of the units then the chance is high that that information is better than advice from many want to be experts.

There there is a problem, I have certainly seen websites that are as badly wrong as some of the advice given here. Just because someone has put a bit of money into making a pretty site together doesn’t mean they are correct..

 

So all in all you need to either know that the advisor is competent or get enough opinions so you can filter out the ones more likely to be correct. 

[gejohesch]

26 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Thanks for the comment.

There you have the problems inherent in the internet.

Absolutely and the advice given with absolute confidence can be absolutely wrong, there may also be different ways than the only 1 proscribed 

 

There there is a problem, I have certainly seen websites that are as badly wrong as some of the advice given here. Just because someone has put a bit of money into making a pretty site together doesn’t mean they are correct..

 

So all in all you need to either know that the advisor is competent or get enough opinions so you can filter out the ones more likely to be correct. 

Plus :

1 - I have searched on the net already 5I'm not that lazy after all!) and did not find anything in ways of such specific advise. It's otherwise a good idea to search the net, obviously....

2 - I could simply go to one of the suppliers around Khon Kaen and ask but I always take the advise of people who sell something with a pinch of salt.

3 - Therefore my question posted in this forum, because after all, even if people are not "100% certified experts", they mays still have relevant experience.

 

So far, the recommendation of a cassette unit in the middle of the T-shaped room is possibly the best advise, I think. I will have to see about the costs.

 

Otherwise, I will start with one wall-mounted AC unit only and see how that works. That's the other piece of advise received above : AC + fan (and indeed the room is already well ventilated with 2 wall-mounted fans).

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, gejohesch said:

So far, the recommendation of a cassette unit in the middle of the T-shaped room is possibly the best advise, I think. I will have to see about the costs.

I don't have a cassette unit but I heard from a friend who has one:

a) it's expensive

b) it's difficult to clean.

Maybe keep that in mind and/or maybe others have more information about this.

[gejohesch]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't have a cassette unit but I heard from a friend who has one:

a) it's expensive

b) it's difficult to clean.

Maybe keep that in mind and/or maybe others have more information about this.

Thanks

[Yellowtail]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't have a cassette unit but I heard from a friend who has one:

a) it's expensive

b) it's difficult to clean.

Maybe keep that in mind and/or maybe others have more information about this.

A: They are more expesive.

B: The filter is generally higher, this is the only reason it is more difficult to clean, BUT, the filter area is much larger so it requires cleaning less frequently. It has a propeller-fan rather than a wheel fan, and the fan never gets wet so it almost never needs cleaning.

 

A lot of other advantages as well. The ONLY down-side is the price.  

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't have a cassette unit but I heard from a friend who has one:

a) it's expensive

b) it's difficult to clean.

Maybe keep that in mind and/or maybe others have more information about this.

We have one. But we also have 3.7 meter ceilings.
It is no more difficult to clean than a wall unit, at that hight.

The intake filter is huge.

yes it’s expensive but you have the cool air in 4 directions not just 1

Edited July 20, 2021 by sometimewoodworker

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

We have one. But we also have 3.7 meter ceilings.
It is no more difficult to clean than a wall unit, at that hight.

The intake filter is huge.

yes it’s expensive but you have the cool air in 4 directions not just 1

Any you draw the return air from the center of the ceiling, so the air is constantly circulating out to all four walls and into the center.

 

When you clean your filter the fan clean and dry, yes? 

 

I brush them off once a year...

[sometimewoodworker]

13 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Any you draw the return air from the center of the ceiling, so the air is constantly circulating out to all four walls and into the center.

 

When you clean your filter the fan clean and dry, yes? 

 

I brush them off once a year...

Yes, yes and yes, I use an air gun