Has the khlong ruined my air-con?

[Mr Derek]

I've been told by two different air-conditioning maintenance guys that living next to Khlong San Saep is likely to have caused damage to the outside compressor unit, which has been running noisily on startup. They couldn't be more specific though and couldn't diagnose the actual problem. Not sure whether they meant the cause was the noxious air from the water itself, or the fumes of the ferry boats going up and down.

 

I'm dubious. Could there be any truth in it or is it just some kind of local superstition?

[phetphet]

Can't see how. Air pollution, dust and dirt can clog the condensor fins, and humidity could increase rust on iron parts, but nothing that could affect the compressor.

[ChaiyaTH]

I think anything that comes in touch with the water in that khlong has to fear consequences hehe.

[Mr Derek]

I'm 14 floors up and thought I was safe.

Humidity might explain it I suppose, but I've never heard that living next to water can spoil an air-con.

 

Regarding the noise, I'm thinking the fan just needs some oil, but maintenance guys never want to remove the compressor cover.

[ChaiyaTH]

12 minutes ago, Mr Derek said:

I'm 14 floors up and thought I was safe.

Humidity might explain it I suppose, but I've never heard that living next to water can spoil an air-con.

 

Regarding the noise, I'm thinking the fan just needs some oil, but maintenance guys never want to remove the compressor cover.

Lol then it is absolute nonsense, your AC just broke down, that's all. Get different guys.

Edited September 14, 2021 by ChaiyaTH

[bankruatsteve]

Yah sounds very suspicious.  Thais don't like to admit they don't know something, but that is something else.

 

How old is your unit and what brand?

[Mr Derek]

2 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Lol then it is absolute nonsense, your AC just broke down, that's all. Get different guys.

In the past, the khlong was utterly foul and I can just about imagine that the (acidic?) fumes it gave off could be somehow corrosive to certain metals over the years. It hasn't smelled for years though and is now full of fish.

 

In any case, I suspect the idea is lodged firmly in air-con maintenance lore and they'll all think the same way.

I'll probably have to go through ten guys before I find one who just knows what the problem is and how to fix it.

[Mr Derek]

9 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

Yah sounds very suspicious.  Thais don't like to admit they don't know something, but that is something else.

 

How old is your unit and what brand?

Daikin, 7 years old. Booms like a plane taking off for the first five minutes, then quietens down. Another unit in the next room (same age) is silent.

[bankruatsteve]

4 minutes ago, Mr Derek said:

Daikin, 7 years old. Booms like a plane taking off for the first five minutes, then quietens down. Another unit in the next room (same age) is silent.

Suggest you call Daikin service center.  Any AC repair guy that doesn't remove the cover to check for issues doesn't sound reputable to me.

[Mr Derek]

Just to report back on this. I'm become convinced enough that the air quality by the khlong is bad enough, even at a height, to corrode metal in the long term. I've always wondered why drawer handles, USB plugs, metal flash drives etc have been getting so tarnished. I presume it's a combination of the micro particles of polluted water churned up by the boats in combination with the engine fumes. Now I'm wondering what subliminal damage that is doing to my health...

 

As to the air-con, I got the Daikin service chaps in and they said the compressor is shot. Why that wasn't obvious to two previous air-con dudes beggars belief because the noise is surely unmistakable. Anyway, a compressor costs about 10,000 baht to replace - an insane amount that is no doubt deliberately calculated to make us replace the whole unit. Which I did.

 

I followed recommendations on this site and got a Mitsubishi Mr Slim. However, I wish I had shopped around more carefully. The Mr Slim is not slim at all - even the smallest 9000 BTU is built like Sydney Greenstreet and it's made of cheap-looking, clackety plastic. Also, the vane, which I need pointing downwards to stop the thing blowing in my eyes at night, automatically tips back to horizontal after half an hour - apparently by design! Madness. This has caused my old eye allergy to flare up again. Thanks Mitsubishi! I'm going to have to buy some kind of baffle to cover the vent. Also, the beep is shrill every time I use the remote - really loud and ear-piercing - I'm going to have to dig around inside to kill the piezo.

Last time I buy this brand.

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

The first thing to go on the outdoor compressor is the start capacitor. Easy to swap out and test. 99% of the time this is the fix. There are almost no parts on the compressor to fail. The retards that came to look at it for you are, well, retards.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly