A/c And Cooling Fans

[girlx]

it's starting to get HOT again and i was wondering why thailand doesn't sell those window unit air conditioners that they have in the states? i could buy a decent one for $100. but here i have looked at a/c systems and they were like $500 and very elaborate, the ones that hang on the ceiling and have that fan contraption outside. are there any cheaper solutions? i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either, though i did see them in the philppines recently and might be able to get my friend to send me one. but do they work?

[greenmember]

Someone said that cooler fan with ice will damage your furniture as it releases moisture.

[girlx]

i have no important furniture

[lopburi3]

The primary function of air conditioning in a humid climate like Thailand is removal of water.

The one piece air conditioners used to be available, 20 years ago, for cheap hotel rooms and such but they are so loud, unreliable and rust out so quickly that nobody wants them in there home.

I suspect evaporation type units would work well in Arizona if you would like to consider that as an alternative location; and I am sure you can find those $100 units there without much trouble.

[girlx]

so are you saying those window units wouldn't work here because it is too humid?

[ovenman]

so are you saying those window units wouldn't work here because it is too humid?

Well... for one thing, the design of window A/C units that are sold in the US often wouldn't work here in Thailand because of the difference in window design. Windows in the US usually open/close in an up/down manner. Windows in Thailand generally open by swinging in/out.

[cmsally]

I don't think they sell those window unit A/C's anymore.

I haven't seen them anywhere.

I think your choice is fans, air cooling fans (where you shovel the ice in) or the A/C's

I have one of those ice shovellers - it won't cool the room down but is quite OK if you sit in front of it.

Nothing like A/C though.

Personally I don't like A/C that much and only really use it in BKK.

But I do need it when I work and its hot.

If that is the case, section off a small area for work (or sleep) and get small A/C unit .

[HDRIDER]

HI

I had one of these cooling fans you put ice in, dont buy them, dont work very well, ice/water gone in no time, have seen them many places here in Phuket

[mrt273nva]

it's starting to get HOT again and i was wondering why thailand doesn't sell those window unit air conditioners that they have in the states? i could buy a decent one for $100. but here i have looked at a/c systems and they were like $500 and very elaborate, the ones that hang on the ceiling and have that fan contraption outside. are there any cheaper solutions? i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either, though i did see them in the philppines recently and might be able to get my friend to send me one. but do they work?

i have an evaporative cooler that you can buy off of me. i'm starting to sell up and will need to get rid of most of my stuff pretty soon. you can have it for 1,500 baht. it is one of those that you can put ice and water in. it is really only effective if you are sitting in front of it though. PM me if you want it. I'm in Ban Tai.

[naka]

RAC's (room air conditioners) of the window mounting type have pretty much left the market

nowadays as they are less efficient and much noiser than the split type.

Search around and you can probably still find them though ... But not for $100

Condensation type coolers do not work in humid countries ... i.e. Thailand.

Naka.

[pampal]

How big is the space you are trying to cool?

[Naam]

so are you saying those window units wouldn't work here because it is too humid?

Well... for one thing, the design of window A/C units that are sold in the US often wouldn't work here in Thailand because of the difference in window design. Windows in the US usually open/close in an up/down manner. Windows in Thailand generally open by swinging in/out.

only morons mount a "window unit" in a window. those with some basic technical knowledge mount them in a wall (much higher up) that's why "window units" are called "wall mounted units" in other countries

by the way, i have seen last year these kind of units for sale in "Kanyong" (Pattaya). price 6,000 Baht for a low capacity 5,000 btu unit.

[pampal]

only morons mount a "window unit" in a window. those with some basic technical knowledge mount them in a wall (much higher up) that's why "window units" are called "wall mounted units" in other countries

Naam,

I have various window/wall units installed in my house and office. I have both 18000 and 24000 btu units from various manufacturers. Some are mounted in windows but the large majority are mounted in the walls.

If you have a strong steel window frame, it's indeed possible to window mount them, although it will involve welding. It's a better bet to mount them in the walls, but sometimes the wall thickness adversely affects the ac unit. If the wall is too thick (50-75cms brick or cement), the ac unit will have a shorter lifespan. In that case I would window mount the unit.

But I don't think in Thailand, they have very thick walls.

[pampal]

The primary function of air conditioning in a humid climate like Thailand is removal of water.

The one piece air conditioners used to be available, 20 years ago, for cheap hotel rooms and such but they are so loud, unreliable and rust out so quickly that nobody wants them in there home.

Lopburi3,

I have one Gibson wall ac that has been working for over 35 years. No problems to report.

It's 18000 btu and works great in 50+ Celsius

The average life of these ac's is around 15-20 years(General-Fuji-Mitsubishi with American compressors like Bristol or Tecumseh).

but  they sure are noisy, which is not always a bad thing, 

My ac drowns out all the

loud noises (traffic-car horns, dogs barking) eminating from outside, so it's a quality that I appreciate

but I don't know about the units they sell in Thailand, do they have T1-T2 or T3 compressors?

Edited March 2, 2008 by pampal

[pampal]

The problem I have with these units is the amount of electricity they consume, but where I am , that's pocket change,

in Thailand I would go with the split units

[Naam]

only morons mount a "window unit" in a window. those with some basic technical knowledge mount them in a wall (much higher up) that's why "window units" are called "wall mounted units" in other countries

Naam,

I have various window/wall units installed in my house and office. I have both 18000 and 24000 btu units from various manufacturers. Some are mounted in windows but the large majority are mounted in the walls.

If you have a strong steel window frame, it's indeed possible to window mount them, although it will involve welding. It's a better bet to mount them in the walls, but sometimes the wall thickness adversely affects the ac unit. If the wall is too thick (50-75cms brick or cement), the ac unit will have a shorter lifespan. In that case I would window mount the unit.

But I don't think in Thailand, they have very thick walls.

right you are. the problem with thick walls is that most "compact" units suck the air from both sides. if these air intakes are partly blocked due to thick walls the lifespan is definitely shorter and the efficiency suffers. Westinghouse used to produce models which sucked and blew out the air at the back end. these units could be mounted flush with the outside walls thus matching building codes in certain communities especially in Europe.

compact units are also less prone to refrigerant leakage, split units are. as far as reliability, efficiency, durability and easy service is concerned compact/wall/window units beat the sh*t out of split units. a cousin of mine owns a flower shop in southern Germany and installed in 1969 (!) a 12,000 btu unit which runs 9 months in a year 24/7. whenever i visit her my first question "is your a/c still going strong?"

[BigSnake]

it's starting to get HOT again and i was wondering why thailand doesn't sell those window unit air conditioners that they have in the states? i could buy a decent one for $100. but here i have looked at a/c systems and they were like $500 and very elaborate, the ones that hang on the ceiling and have that fan contraption outside. are there any cheaper solutions? i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either, though i did see them in the philppines recently and might be able to get my friend to send me one. but do they work?

Maybe $500 is a little expensive for some but trust me on this one when it get hot in Thailand you see it is well worthy of the expense. I for one say go for it.

[markwhite]

i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either

Carrefour and Robinson Ocean both do them down here, but we got a cheapy one for about 2,000 and it is only reasonable at putting out any sort of cool air. As someone else says: they won't cool a room, just blow out cool air for maybe a couple of hours until the ice is gone.

That said, it was this time last year when we got it and it was much hotter, so maybe it did make a slight difference in a 3x5 metre room.

[Naam]

i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either, though i did see them in the philppines recently and might be able to get my friend to send me one. but do they work?

no they don't. case closed!

[ovenman]

so are you saying those window units wouldn't work here because it is too humid?

Well... for one thing, the design of window A/C units that are sold in the US often wouldn't work here in Thailand because of the difference in window design. Windows in the US usually open/close in an up/down manner. Windows in Thailand generally open by swinging in/out.

only morons mount a "window unit" in a window. those with some basic technical knowledge mount them in a wall (much higher up) that's why "window units" are called "wall mounted units" in other countries

Apparently then, I know many morons. Most of the people I know who have window A/Cs use the machines only a couple months out of a year (i.e. the hot summer months). They place the A/C unit in a window when needed and remove it when not. Where my father lives for example, one might need an air conditioner for an aggregate two weeks max during the summer.

[lopburi3]

The primary function of air conditioning in a humid climate like Thailand is removal of water.

The one piece air conditioners used to be available, 20 years ago, for cheap hotel rooms and such but they are so loud, unreliable and rust out so quickly that nobody wants them in there home.

Lopburi3,

I have one Gibson wall ac that has been working for over 35 years. No problems to report.

It's 18000 btu and works great in 50+ Celsius

The average life of these ac's is around 15-20 years(General-Fuji-Mitsubishi with American compressors like Bristol or Tecumseh).

but  they sure are noisy, which is not always a bad thing, 

My ac drowns out all the

loud noises (traffic-car horns, dogs barking) eminating from outside, so it's a quality that I appreciate

but I don't know about the units they sell in Thailand, do they have T1-T2 or T3 compressors?

My comments were specific to Thailand (hot, wet, full time use). In other locations they are fine, if maintained. Here they had to operate full time in most cases and metal drip pans rusted out quickly, maintenance was most often not performed (too heavy for one person to remove/replace) and not locally made so parts were never available. I used such units for about 15 years and went through three units (rusted out). Split systems are not perfect but much more quiet (with closed windows don't have noise problem that have to cover) and don't have the problem of hot air being drawn in from outside or unit itself.

Believe the fact that virtually nobody makes or uses these units in Thailand anymore, although they cost much less than split systems, indicates others have also had problems.

[toptuan]

it's starting to get HOT again and i was wondering why thailand doesn't sell those window unit air conditioners that they have in the states? i could buy a decent one for $100. but here i have looked at a/c systems and they were like $500 and very elaborate, the ones that hang on the ceiling and have that fan contraption outside. are there any cheaper solutions? i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either, though i did see them in the philppines recently and might be able to get my friend to send me one. but do they work?

Maybe $500 is a little expensive for some but trust me on this one when it get hot in Thailand you see it is well worthy of the expense. I for one say go for it.

Amen to that! Running my 12,200 btu/hr A/C unit 15 hours a day costs me 20-25 baht/day. Worth every baht!

Keep in mind, too, that the unit price often includes installation (drilling mounting holes in the walls, drilling a hole to run a pipe to the outside unit, mounting the outside unit, etc.)

[naka]

i can't find those cooler fans that you put water (or ice) in either, though i did see them in the philppines recently and might be able to get my friend to send me one. but do they work?

no they don't. case closed!

They may sorta work in outback Oz where the humidity is 35% but in Thailand, NO.

Naka.

[Naam]

so are you saying those window units wouldn't work here because it is too humid?

Well... for one thing, the design of window A/C units that are sold in the US often wouldn't work here in Thailand because of the difference in window design. Windows in the US usually open/close in an up/down manner. Windows in Thailand generally open by swinging in/out.

only morons mount a "window unit" in a window. those with some basic technical knowledge mount them in a wall (much higher up) that's why "window units" are called "wall mounted units" in other countries

Apparently then, I know many morons. Most of the people I know who have window A/Cs use the machines only a couple months out of a year (i.e. the hot summer months). They place the A/C unit in a window when needed and remove it when not. Where my father lives for example, one might need an air conditioner for an aggregate two weeks max during the summer.

exceptions prove the rule

[Scott]

When I lived in Hong Kong--which is very hot and humid in the summer, we had the window (wall) mounted A/C. They were quite effective--they were only used in bedrooms and they were always mounted in the wall. Most places using them had a special hole for them, with a large lower 'lip' that the A/C unit could be supported on. They worked fine--never recall any problem with them.

[Polsevogn]

Go for a split unit.

Humanity has moved on from Wall mounted single unit type airconditioners.

Prices start at 15K baht, so affordable too. If you can spend a little more, NOBODY beats Mitsubishi airconditioners.

[girlx]

hmm i haven't seen any for 15000b! but then on koh phangan they have to import everything from the mainland so it's all more expensive.