Aircon struggling this hot weather.

[John Drake]

26 minutes ago, still kicking said:

I could laugh about you guys complaining about the heat, where I live, we had 10 days over 40 and to follow with another 14 days in the high 30ths. And I don't have an aircon at all.

Depends on the humidity. And don't underestimate night time temperature. It is important to be able and cool off at night. When you're in Bangkok and the low is 29 or 30 with 87 percent humidity, that doesn't allow recovery for the next day.

[John Drake]

13 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Fans don't work without electric either.

Exactly. Which is why acclimatization is so important. We're going to have days/hours without electricity. Just wait. It's been dry and hot. The first time there is rain, a lot of transformers will blow. And there you'll be for the next 4 to 6 hours, probably in the afternoon. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by John Drake

[Lucky Bones]

6 minutes ago, Pink Mist said:

Stay hydrated is the key. Now that the hot weather is here we carry our water packs with us when we go out.  They start out as frozen, but by the time we need water it is just cool water.....33c now feels like 44c....ugh.

 

Not sure how 33c can feel like 44c.

But if it fits the narrative.

Does minus 10c feel like minus 21c?

I really don't know.

But yes......it is hot.????????

[Crossy]

9 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Fans don't work without electric either.

 

This is the place for you

 

https://aseannow.com/forum/319-alternativerenewable-energy-forum/

 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, lhtp12 said:

1) All air cons in Th are undersized- Calculate BTU and double -

No they're not. Mine aren't for example.

 

1 hour ago, lhtp12 said:

2) Condensors are all to far away from evaporator - need to be wihtin 2 m

No they're not. None of mine are nearer than 4 m.

 

1 hour ago, lhtp12 said:

3) Most here have leaks - They just add gas and never fix the leak

No they don't. Many of them have blocked, dirty filters but none of mine do.

 

Don't give up your day job.

[giddyup]

22 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

This is the place for you

 

https://aseannow.com/forum/319-alternativerenewable-energy-forum/

 

Solar and wind have their downsides as well. There's a huge problem in finding ways to recycle wind turbines and solar panels. No such thing as a free lunch.

Edited April 12, 2023 by giddyup

[gearbox]

53 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Why? Who would want to suffer like that, if you have a choice? I am no martyr. I don't like pain and suffering. 

He is in Western Australia, the power bills would be way higher than Thailand.

[Crossy]

6 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Solar and wind have their downsides as well. There's a huge problem in fiding ways to recyclevwind turbines and solar panels. No such thing as a free lunch.

 

Turbine blades I agree, but things are improving.

 

Solar panels are mostly silicon and aluminium with (very small) traces of other stuff, recyclable or at least benign in building materials or (horror) landfill.

 

Even those "horrible" lithium batteries are >95% recyclable.

 

 

[lelapin]

2 hours ago, Denim said:

You're not the only one. Worst hot season I have ever experienced. Car air con barely coping when driving and worse if stationary.

 

Our home is built of Q Con blocks and there is 6 inches of insulation on top of the ceiling . Even so, the air con in the bedroom is struggling a bit in the daytime and is on about 16 hours a day. Only off when we go out or early morning. 

Temperature is 40 in the shade on the balcony. 32.5 in the living room ( no air con ) and I'm keeping the bedroom at 27.

 

Everywhere I go , all the Thais I deal with ask me. " how do you like the weather ? "  They are suffering just as much.

Not a soi dog to be seen....all in hiding.

 

I wish Prayuth would do a rain dance or something.

I was having trouble with car aircon. I then switched aircon setting from circulate around car to only feed front and it has greatly improved. Only works when you don't have any passengers sitting in the back seats of the car.

[NickyLouie]

2 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

1) All air cons in Th are undersized- Calculate BTU and double -

2) Condensors are all to far away from evaporator - need to be wihtin 2 m

3) Most here have leaks - They just add gas and never fix the leak

 

Solution - A new Daikan unit probably 18,000 BTU, professionally, installed and u are cool !

 

Daikin same same Gree from China, no ?

[connda]

Clean the air filter and have the A/C serviced

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

1) All air cons in Th are undersized- Calculate BTU and double -

Complete BS - the majority of standard ACs are oversized, the inverters are mostly more than is required.

 

2 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

2) Condensors are all to far away from evaporator - need to be wihtin 2 m

Again a statement that has no basis in fact (as well as bad spelling) correctly installed ACs can be installed several to many metres between the 2 units.

2 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

3) Most here have leaks - They just add gas and never fix the leak

Some may have leaks, the majority do not, some may just have gas added others get a leak fixed.

 

2 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

Solution - A new Daikan unit probably 18,000 BTU, professionally, installed and u are cool !

Daikin (correct spelling) are a good make. There is no information as to the size required.

 

Air conditioners are capable of reducing a given volume of air by a limited amount increasing the capacity (BTU) of the unit allows lower temperatures faster. If you want to reduce your room temperature to one that a polar bear would like you need a very large unit, almost certainly 3 phase and likely industrial grade. Of course this depends on the insulation and size of the cooled area.

[still kicking]

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I don't use A/c ,don't like them, been British was never brought up with them,

house or car, but I do own about 20 of them in rental premises ,and they

are a pain in the @rse , 

The house I live in has plenty trees , bushes , water features around it ,which

does keep it cooler, sleep at night with windows open and most of the time

only a single fan , during the day just potter about the house and garden

only wearing a sarong , 

 

One particular tenant is always complaining about A/C not working , when

I go around to check it , he has it set at 17 degrees , and the thing is frozen

up,  for me you can keep your A/c , I don't need it , been American its mandatory.

or in a Condo you would really need one.

 

regards Worgeorde

 

 

 

 

I live in a (what you call condo) unit I have the bottom unit of 4 which is pretty cool I don't even use a fan (which I have a few) my car has no aircon since it broke many years ago and not worth repairing since my car is 26 years old.

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

Fans don't work without electric either.

But 12V ones do if you have a suitable battery, we do, we have one.

[Pink Mist]

2 hours ago, Lucky Bones said:

Not sure how 33c can feel like 44c.

But if it fits the narrative.

Does minus 10c feel like minus 21c?

I really don't know.

But yes......it is hot.????????

It's called the heat index and with the humidity makes it feel much hotter.  My large central air handler for the main living room has been struggling to cool down the inside of the house since we returned home from Bangkok.  Just started to finally catch up.  The extra stress on the unit from the heat and humidity does seem to be creating minor issues. inside the house it is finally a cool 28.3......ugh

[billd766]

3 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

1) All air cons in Th are undersized- Calculate BTU and double -

2) Condensors are all to far away from evaporator - need to be wihtin 2 m

3) Most here have leaks - They just add gas and never fix the leak

 

Solution - A new Daikan unit probably 18,000 BTU, professionally, installed and u are cool !

1   Most air conditioners ARE correctly sized. It is peoples calculations that are usually wrong.

 

2   If the condensers are too from the evaporator that would be an installation problem and not an a/c problem.

 

3   I agree on the a/c leaks but that can be fixed when the owner has the unit cleaned, refilled and fixed.

 

4   What size room needs a Daikin 18,000 BTU?

[dingdongrb]

3 hours ago, Denim said:

I have put plastic whiteboards up behind the window plus curtain shut. I have even put some fake brick sheets up on one wall because they are foam backed and I thought might help the air conditioner a wee bit by keeping the cool air away from the wall.  Think the stuff is naff but this hot spell has a long way to go.

I do like the fake wall and any insulation should help some.

 

Are those hacky sacks (footbags) I see on the bookcase or juggling bags?

[Bday Prang]

                         An air con engineer ( who wasn't trying to sell me one) told me years ago that oversizing the required unit was a bit of a false economy.The reason being that dehumidifying the air in the room is just as important as dropping the temperature.

                         A much larger than required unit will switch off once the required temperature is achieved and as such does not get the chance to reduce the humidity as much as it should, the end result being that a lower temperature is required in order to feel  "comfortable"

                         This was a good few years ago before the "inverter" type units were available and I'm not sure if it applies with the newer inverter models , But when I emerge from the bedroom into the non airconditioned living room, it's the humidity that I notice before the heat, it feels like walking through soup 

 

[sometime]

Been here 15 years & never used the aircon, all windows open nice breeze,until the plastic burning

[Lucky Bones]

3 minutes ago, sometime said:

Been here 15 years & never used the aircon, all windows open nice breeze,until the plastic burning

Where is here?

Yes the smell of burning plastic is not pleasant.????????

[JensenZ]

4 hours ago, lhtp12 said:

1) All air cons in Th are undersized- Calculate BTU and double -

2) Condensors are all to far away from evaporator - need to be wihtin 2 m

3) Most here have leaks - They just add gas and never fix the leak

 

Solution - A new Daikan unit probably 18,000 BTU, professionally, installed and u are cool !

Stange comment. I have 15 BTU Daikan Inverter units in 2 rooms. They are exactly the correcit size units for the size of the rooms.

 

One is on the sunny side of the building (afternoon sun) and one in the shade all day. Both are working perfectly and keep my room temperature exactly where dialed. I find 26 - 27C is sweet spot for comfort at about 50% humidity. My wife runs it at 28C. The humidity is the key to comfort. If your unit doesn't drop the humidity, then it's not working properly and should be serviced or replaced.

 

 

[JensenZ]

9 minutes ago, sometime said:

Been here 15 years & never used the aircon, all windows open nice breeze,until the plastic burning

You must be living on a different planet. Here in Pattaya, the last several months the air quality has been very bad and outside air stinks.... and there hasn't been a lot of breeze on most days, and when there has been a wind, it's hot wind, over 30C. I keep the doors and windows shut in the day and open them only at night.

[GroveHillWanderer]

5 hours ago, Lucky Bones said:

Not sure how 33c can feel like 44c.

But if it fits the narrative.

Does minus 10c feel like minus 21c?

I really don't know.

But yes......it is hot.????????

It can because the human body perceives temperature differently according to the relative humidity.

 

The perceived temperature depends on a thermodynamic calculation called the Heat Index. The article in the link below explains it in more detail.

 

Heat Index Formula

 

As it states:

 

Quote

The heat index formula is based upon the temperature and relative humidity to indicate the air temperature perceived by the body. For instance, if the temperature is 32°C and 70% relative humidity, the heat index is 41°C.

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by GroveHillWanderer

[Denim]

11 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

I do like the fake wall and any insulation should help some.

 

Are those hacky sacks (footbags) I see on the bookcase or juggling bags?

Juggling balls. Old neglected hobby.

[sometimewoodworker]

12 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

                         An air con engineer ( who wasn't trying to sell me one) told me years ago that oversizing the required unit was a bit of a false economy.The reason being that dehumidifying the air in the room is just as important as dropping the temperature.

                         A much larger than required unit will switch off once the required temperature is achieved and as such does not get the chance to reduce the humidity as much as it should, the end result being that a lower temperature is required in order to feel  "comfortable"

                         

 

Excellently stated 

12 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

I'm not sure if it applies with the newer inverter models ,

Inverters can be moderately oversized with no, or minimal, reduction in de-humidification due to the point that they don’t stop cooling at a set point, they ramp down the intensity of cooling but are still dehumidifying. It is certainly possible that an over sized inverter will dehumidify at a slower rate than a correctly sized one, I haven’t seen data on the subject.

[dingdongrb]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

Juggling balls. Old neglected hobby.

Nice....  I learnt to juggle using rolled up socks. I juggled when I was younger at the laundromat to impress the young kids in front of their single mothers.

 

As far hacky sack, my good friend 'Rippin Rick' (RIP) was a world champion footbag contender.

[KhunLA]

Not struggling, but sure are sucking up the electric.   Handling the heat with no problem, and the 'manufacturer's rep, would say ours are 'undersized'.

 

Even gets damn chilly at times, so I guess we sized them about right.

 

Last month, we averaged 20+kWh a day.

This month, we're averaging 30+kWh a day.

Edited April 13, 2023 by KhunLA

[phetphet]

16 hours ago, still kicking said:

I could laugh about you guys complaining about the heat, where I live, we had 10 days over 40 and to follow with another 14 days in the high 30ths. And I don't have an aircon at all.

Saved on electricity, but how much was your beer bill. ????

[patman30]

Yes.
Aircons working obvertime at present
confirmed by energy use monitor chart
i have off grid solar
had computers and everything else shut down yesterday
but still woke up to alarm bells for low power
last night was like an oven outside even at night with a HOT breeze

[sandyf]

17 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

A lot of generalisations there. How did you calculate the 18,000 BTU size?

Probably from the Daikin calculator on the website.

They suggest 18K btu for 18 - 22 sq metres.

Just been looking, my 14 year old LG has seen better days, noisy and the louvres not working properly, still coping with the weather though.