Air Conditioners - Bought the Wrong Model

[Banana7]

One of my old Hitachi 18K BTU inverter air conditioners (about 9 years old) started blowing warm air. It was used everyday for a minimum of 12 hours. Did lots of research on the internet and it seems in the past, most people most success with Mitsubishi and Daikin. However these two manufacturers offer the lowest warranty in Thailand, 5 years on the compressor and 1 year on everything else. I did notice that Daikin offers 10 year warranties in India on their compressors. I wonder why they don't offer 10 year compressor warranties in Thailand?

 

I settled on a new LG SCQ18A.S11 18K BTU replacement for 35,000 baht with installation, removal of old unit, and 2000 salvage credit on the old unit.The list price was around 43K baht. It has the new dualcool compressor warrantied for 10 years which is supposed to cool quickly, 3 years warranty on everything else. It has lots of features like connecting to your phone, and a 3 star efficiency rating. All the features are at the LG website but there isn't a English language manual, only Thai language for this model.

 

I think I made a big mistake buying this LG. After running for 5 minutes, set at 16C, it was blowing 77F air, after 15 minutes 65F, after 30 minutes 55F. Very slow cooling in my opinion, yet one of the marketing points was that it has very fast initial cooling due to the new dualcool compressor. I decided to compare it to the old existing Hitachi (18K BTU) inverter that was still working, In 5 minutes the Hitachi was blowing 50F air, at 10 min. 44F air. This was a fair comparison since the room sizes are exactly the same and both indoor and outdoor starting temperatures were exactly the same. I also have a very old Mitsubishi 18K non-inverter which runs everyday for about 5 hours and it has the fastest initial cooling even faster than the Hitachi.

 

Does anyone know of a great fast cooling inverter air conditioner with a long warranty and good reputation? Maybe I should go back to non-inverters?

 

 

 

[proton]

That's put me off LG then, could they have made a mistake on the install, gas?

[Lacessit]

I have always found Mitsubishi to be very reliable. Non-inverter.

[NanLaew]

The LG inverter that was purchased and installed in one of the bedrooms while I was away is the one that has had most issues. A gecko fried a control board but when it comes to regular cleaning and maintenance, it is the one that 'stops cooling' first and I think it is a bit noisier than the others. Admittedly, it is on the 'hot' side of the house.

 

The 8-year-old non-inverter Hitachi was relocated to a third bedroom and seems to be still working well. However, the Midea inverter I installed in my shed and the one replacing the Hitachi in the master bedroom are easily the quietest and most efficient. These are all on the 'cool' side of the house and yard.

 

I plan on getting four more Midea inverters for the 4-bedroom annex this month. The condenser units will be mounted in the shade so I don't expect issues.

[Banana7]

21 minutes ago, proton said:

That's put me off LG then, could they have made a mistake on the install, gas?

I don't know if the installation is deficient. They are returning tomorrow to finish the install, basically to bolt the compressor to a steel tray. They didn't have sharp enough drill bit to drill into the steel tray. I did watch them intently during the 9 hour install.  They did braze the pipes, only used flare joints at the evaporator and at the compressor, insured the bends weren't flattening, insulated each pipe, pipes were encased in a plastic casing. They didn't flow nitrogen through lines during brazing, which is normal professional practice in USA, Canada.

 

On a new unit, the gas is compressed in the compressor unit. No gas is added unless it is large distance between the compressor and evaporator. Different units have different specs but generally I estimate distances greater than 10 meters may require more gas. For my install the pipes were 6.1 meters in length.

[ukrules]

The brand is not your problem here, they sell millions of units per year.

 

Either it's a dud or they broke it.

[scubascuba3]

I thought inverters were slow to get the temperature down, to save money. Just turn it on earlier than normal. My TCL is very good

[flyingtlger]

I've never trusted Korean brands. I purchased a Hyundai when i was young and couldn't afford a comparable sized Toyota.

Hyundai promoted a 10 year 100K warranty at the time.

I had problems for the get go. The cars are cheaply made. They only look good in the beginning.

When I had a major engine problem I was told the warranty didn't cover it!

Total bait and switch.

You're better off paying more for a good, high quality Japanese product.

I have hardly had any problem with Japanese made products and if I did, the company would take care of the problem one way or another even if it wasn't under warranty.

BUYER BEWARE!!!

 

[Pumpuynarak]

My latest purchase has been a TCL inverter 24k BTU, i'm very pleased with it but i really don't like the remote. The cost was 21K fitted and the fitting company retained the old Mitsubishi unit as part of the deal. I had fitted a Mitsubishi 24K BTU about a year ago in another room cost 41K bht, the TCL cost was a no brainer. 

[scorecard]

28 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

My latest purchase has been a TCL inverter 24k BTU, i'm very pleased with it but i really don't like the remote. The cost was 21K fitted and the fitting company retained the old Mitsubishi unit as part of the deal. I had fitted a Mitsubishi 24K BTU about a year ago in another room cost 41K bht, the TCL cost was a no brainer. 

 

Why don't you like the remote? Please share?

 

Would a 'generic' remote (useable with multiple brands) be better?

[JBChiangRai]

I’ve installed somewhere approaching 200 AC units.  The last time I installed LG was 18 years ago in half a dozen condos in Pattaya.  They were varying sizes and all ok except the 24,000 BTU models which were noisy.

 

For the last 5 years I have installed nothing but TCL inverter units. We buy them on Lazada and pay 3,000 baht to have them fitted. Just under 15k for an 18,000 BTU unit fully installed.

 

IMHO they equal or exceed any other brand in quality (I have Daikin and Mitsubishi too).

 

They are cold instantly, but you have to remember with an inverter unit, if you are running the fan on slow speed, you will not get full Cooling, they do that to avoid freezing the inside evaporating unit. Set the fan at auto or slow it down after you’ve reached the temperature you want.

 

Frankly, I think you were ripped off with your LG unit.

[Pumpuynarak]

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Why don't you like the remote? Please share?

 

Would a 'generic' remote (useable with multiple brands) be better?

 

Its very difficult to understand and remember its complicated operation. I'm comparing it to other remotes i've used in the past which have been easy particularly Mitsubishi which is so simple.

Your 'generic' remote is deffo a good solution providing it would be able to tackle all the operations.

[Banana7]

On 3/15/2025 at 8:14 AM, JBChiangRai said:

I’ve installed somewhere approaching 200 AC units.  The last time I installed LG was 18 years ago in half a dozen condos in Pattaya.  They were varying sizes and all ok except the 24,000 BTU models which were noisy.

 

For the last 5 years I have installed nothing but TCL inverter units. We buy them on Lazada and pay 3,000 baht to have them fitted. Just under 15k for an 18,000 BTU unit fully installed.

 

IMHO they equal or exceed any other brand in quality (I have Daikin and Mitsubishi too).

 

They are cold instantly, but you have to remember with an inverter unit, if you are running the fan on slow speed, you will not get full Cooling, they do that to avoid freezing the inside evaporating unit. Set the fan at auto or slow it down after you’ve reached the temperature you want.

 

Frankly, I think you were ripped off with your LG unit.

I did look at TCL but the SEER rating was zero stars. The only reason I bought an inverter was to get more efficient cooling, or cooling that is less costly than a non-inverter.

 

 

[ravip]

Why not complain and claim a warranty?

[transam]

Get a gas pressure test, one of my LG's had a similar problem from new, the prob was not enough gas when installed......🤗

[GammaGlobulin]

On 3/14/2025 at 9:08 PM, Banana7 said:

One of my old Hitachi 18K BTU inverter air conditioners (about 9 years old) started blowing warm air. It was used everyday for a minimum of 12 hours. Did lots of research on the internet and it seems in the past, most people most success with Mitsubishi and Daikin. However these two manufacturers offer the lowest warranty in Thailand, 5 years on the compressor and 1 year on everything else. I did notice that Daikin offers 10 year warranties in India on their compressors. I wonder why they don't offer 10 year compressor warranties in Thailand?

 

I settled on a new LG SCQ18A.S11 18K BTU replacement for 35,000 baht with installation, removal of old unit, and 2000 salvage credit on the old unit.The list price was around 43K baht. It has the new dualcool compressor warrantied for 10 years which is supposed to cool quickly, 3 years warranty on everything else. It has lots of features like connecting to your phone, and a 3 star efficiency rating. All the features are at the LG website but there isn't a English language manual, only Thai language for this model.

 

I think I made a big mistake buying this LG. After running for 5 minutes, set at 16C, it was blowing 77F air, after 15 minutes 65F, after 30 minutes 55F. Very slow cooling in my opinion, yet one of the marketing points was that it has very fast initial cooling due to the new dualcool compressor. I decided to compare it to the old existing Hitachi (18K BTU) inverter that was still working, In 5 minutes the Hitachi was blowing 50F air, at 10 min. 44F air. This was a fair comparison since the room sizes are exactly the same and both indoor and outdoor starting temperatures were exactly the same. I also have a very old Mitsubishi 18K non-inverter which runs everyday for about 5 hours and it has the fastest initial cooling even faster than the Hitachi.

 

Does anyone know of a great fast cooling inverter air conditioner with a long warranty and good reputation? Maybe I should go back to non-inverters?

 

 

 

 

Yes.

The BEST ACs for consumer purposes are made by Panasonic, at least in the recent past.

 

My only concern would be after-sales service IF one is living in Thailand.

IF in Thailand, then good after-sales communications and service with the local distributor "could be" very problematic.

 

The compressors have a 10-year warranty, and are very quiet.

 

However, due to quality control issues mentioned in some trade news I have seen, it is possible to be provided with a substandard condenser fan.

If this happens, then it might be noisy, and in this case it might become difficult to communicate what is happening, and get the problem resolved.

 

If I were buying in Japan, then for sure, PANASONIC.

But, outside of Japan, then be careful, and this might also be true of other brands.

 

In conclusion, I really like Panasonic Japan, but worry about different levels of quality being supplied to other markets, as the brands compete in a much more price-competitive market.

 

I guess I will still buy Panasonic the next time, and I have 3 units operating now.

However, if I find a problem with a new machine, then I believe this might become a headache that will require many months to resolve.

 

Look first at the efficiency of any unit being considered, is key, since here in Thailand units run 24/7/365, or at least mine do.

 

Also, I really like HITACHI's commitment to service here in Thailand.

So, I really wish that Hitachi could be made responsible for handling any issues with Panasonic products.

I might have purchased Hitachi ACs, but chose Panasonic for better efficiency at the same or lower cost.

And, Hitachi service is something I really like.

They always care about the consumer customers.

 

 

[scubascuba3]

34 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

I did look at TCL but the SEER rating was zero stars. The only reason I bought an inverter was to get more efficient cooling, or cooling that is less costly than a non-inverter.

 

 

My TCL is very efficient, maybe that SEER rating was wrong, definitely more efficient than my Samsung non inverter unit and at the low price you save loads

[JBChiangRai]

I think SEER rating of 0 means they forgot to print it.

[Banana7]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Yes.

The BEST ACs for consumer purposes are made by Panasonic, at least in the recent past.

 

My only concern would be after-sales service IF one is living in Thailand.

IF in Thailand, then good after-sales communications and service with the local distributor "could be" very problematic.

 

The compressors have a 10-year warranty, and are very quiet.

 

However, due to quality control issues mentioned in some trade news I have seen, it is possible to be provided with a substandard condenser fan.

If this happens, then it might be noisy, and in this case it might become difficult to communicate what is happening, and get the problem resolved.

 

If I were buying in Japan, then for sure, PANASONIC.

But, outside of Japan, then be careful, and this might also be true of other brands.

 

In conclusion, I really like Panasonic Japan, but worry about different levels of quality being supplied to other markets, as the brands compete in a much more price-competitive market.

 

I guess I will still buy Panasonic the next time, and I have 3 units operating now.

However, if I find a problem with a new machine, then I believe this might become a headache that will require many months to resolve.

 

Look first at the efficiency of any unit being considered, is key, since here in Thailand units run 24/7/365, or at least mine do.

 

Also, I really like HITACHI's commitment to service here in Thailand.

So, I really wish that Hitachi could be made responsible for handling any issues with Panasonic products.

I might have purchased Hitachi ACs, but chose Panasonic for better efficiency at the same or lower cost.

And, Hitachi service is something I really like.

They always care about the consumer customers.

 

 

I wanted buy Panasonic but they are difficult to source here in Pattaya. Homepro and powerbuy are selling them online only but the websites will not accept foreign credit cards and COD is not available. They do accept QR codes with Thai banks but I don't have online banking. Homepro stores no longer sell Panasonic air conditioners although some stores still have a marketing/advertising sign.

 

Multiple places say they do not sell them because if there is a problem with the unit, the parts may have to come from Japan and that usually takes 2 weeks. Panasonic doesn't have a factory in Thailand.

 

[Banana7]

Although the salesman told me both hot and cold coils are copper, this new LG does not have a copper compressor coil. Looks like I might need 2 new coils in shortly after the 3 year warranty runs out.

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Banana7 said:

I wanted buy Panasonic but they are difficult to source here in Pattaya. Homepro and powerbuy are selling them online only but the websites will not accept foreign credit cards and COD is not available. They do accept QR codes with Thai banks but I don't have online banking. Homepro stores no longer sell Panasonic air conditioners although some stores still have a marketing/advertising sign.

 

Multiple places say they do not sell them because if there is a problem with the unit, the parts may have to come from Japan and that usually takes 2 weeks. Panasonic doesn't have a factory in Thailand.

 

 

The Panasonic factory which supplies Panasonic ACs to the local market is in Malaysia.

And, as you say, and I might agree, Panasonic AC servicing might be problematic.

 

Also, recently, within the past year, or so, Panasonic seems to have begun manufacturing ACs for the Japanese market in JAPAN, and NOT in China.

Panasonic ran into parts problems when manufacturing in China, so I have read.

 

Panasonic in Taiwan and Japan supplies great ACs, however, from my experience.

 

HOMEPRO still sells Panasonic ACs...for example...

 

 

And, this is a deep discount, if you can buy it.

 

Compressor warranty:  TEN YEARS

 

 

[Banana7]

7 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

The Panasonic factory which supplies Panasonic ACs to the local market is in Malaysia.

And, as you say, and I might agree, Panasonic AC servicing might be problematic.

 

Also, recently, within the past year, or so, Panasonic seems to have begun manufacturing ACs for the Japanese market in JAPAN, and NOT in China.

Panasonic ran into parts problems when manufacturing in China, so I have read.

 

Panasonic in Taiwan and Japan supplies great ACs, however, from my experience.

 

HOMEPRO still sells Panasonic ACs...for example...

 

 

And, this is a deep discount, if you can buy it.

 

 

 

They only sell Panasonic online not in the stores. The online store will not accept foreigner credit cards, only Thai credit cards or QR codes to bank accounts are accepted. They rejected my valid WISE Visa card for payment. I inquired why and above is the reason. Also went to 2 stores in Pattaya, and both told me they are dumping Panasonic ACs.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

They only sell Panasonic online not in the stores. The online store will not accept foreigner credit cards, only Thai credit cards or QR codes to bank accounts are accepted. They rejected my valid WISE Visa card for payment. I inquired why and above is the reason. Also went to 2 stores in Pattaya, and both told me they are dumping Panasonic ACs.

 

 

I can guess why they might be dumping Panasonic machines here, locally, if they are.

I have mentioned the reasons in previous posts.

This is a shame, really.

But, with ACs and other consumer appliances...

SERVICE is the name of the game if you want to stay in the market.

 

Next time I go to HomePro, the one near here, I will ask the store for the story.

Quite interesting, in my view.