Air Con Advice

[nong38]

I will be looking for an air con unit very soon for bedroom which about 15 sq m so lets say 20 to be on the safe side, any recommendations or advice? In the UK I used to deal with LG products and generally found them to be good value and were reliable, this was though in the tv/hifi world. At the time LG Chem had teamed up with Philips for R & D and were sharing technology and research and development costs, Sony were doing the same with Samsung. So any thoughts would be welcome and what to look for, I was given an LG brochure which is why I am asking about them, the headings are in English but the under words are all thai which does not help me much. I know Mitsubishi has a good reputation also but how do I cost one product against another what are the features and what do they do? Do I need them? I am thinking washing machine programs, usually have about 12 but only use 3!

[dmax]

the aircon in my house in isaan is 18000 btu and it cost me around 20,000 baht installation inc. my house by the way is 75 square metres ( not enough i know i need to get another one ) but it still cools the place down . so if you have only 15 sqm then 18000 btu should be very good. mitsibusi or LG

Edited March 22, 2011 by dmax

[transam]

Daikin are the best bar non. Quiet running and have been doing the cooling a looong time, thats all they do, make aircon stuff. The inverter models are more expensive but 30% cheaper to run. My bedroom is about 15 sq mtr and a 12000btu does the job.

[nong38]

Daikin are the best bar non. Quiet running and have been doing the cooling a looong time, thats all they do, make aircon stuff. The inverter models are more expensive but 30% cheaper to run. My bedroom is about 15 sq mtr and a 12000btu does the job.

Ok thanks for that. what is an "inverter"? Pay more but save in the long run?

[ballbreaker]

With traditional air con unit the compressor is turned either on or off which means it runs at full capacity when on. Inverter technology varies the speed of the compressor motor thus providing variable cooling capacity. To accomplish this they convert the AC voltage to DC and then modulate the DC with frequency that will then spin compressor motor at proper speed to provide desired cooling capacity. Remember once a room is cool it doesn't take full capacity of unit to keep it cool.

You can compare the process to the accelerator on your car, it gently increases or decreases power.

[yermanee]

With traditional air con unit the compressor is turned either on or off which means it runs at full capacity when on. Inverter technology varies the speed of the compressor motor thus providing variable cooling capacity. To accomplish this they convert the AC voltage to DC and then modulate the DC with frequency that will then spin compressor motor at proper speed to provide desired cooling capacity. Remember once a room is cool it doesn't take full capacity of unit to keep it cool.

You can compare the process to the accelerator on your car, it gently increases or decreases power.

Very good explanation !!

I have an inverter type LG and indeed much lower cost than my previous one.

I also insulated the ceiling by putting rockwool on top, makes it even more economical to run.

Yermanee

[transam]

Daikin are the best bar non. Quiet running and have been doing the cooling a looong time, thats all they do, make aircon stuff. The inverter models are more expensive but 30% cheaper to run. My bedroom is about 15 sq mtr and a 12000btu does the job.

Ok thanks for that. what is an "inverter"? Pay more but save in the long run?

Just a new internal design to save on electricity, and it does.

[nong38]

Thanks for that worth buying one with an inverter then. Interesting saying about insulating the ceiling, I have not yet found a loft entrance to any property in Thailand whats the secret?

[transam]

Thanks for that worth buying one with an inverter then. Interesting saying about insulating the ceiling, I have not yet found a loft entrance to any property in Thailand whats the secret?

Don't usually have a loft door as we are used too but they just cut a hole in the plaster board somewhere. BUT the plasterboard is a good insulator in itself.

[nong38]

I seem to being pointed towards a inverter unit and about 12000btu does it make any difference if I say it will likely be lightly used? I am thinking maybe a 2 hours a day/night.

[yermanee]

Thanks for that worth buying one with an inverter then. Interesting saying about insulating the ceiling, I have not yet found a loft entrance to any property in Thailand whats the secret?

No loft door in my ceiling. What the guys did for entrance, was removing some of the roof tiles to gain access, and put them back in place when the job was finished. Easy !!

Makes a world of difference because the loft is the hottest place in your house and even after when the sun goes down and the outside air cools down, your ceiling keeps on radiating heat for a long time.

But that's just my experience.

Yermanee

[nidge]

Thanks for that worth buying one with an inverter then. Interesting saying about insulating the ceiling, I have not yet found a loft entrance to any property in Thailand whats the secret?

The last 4 houses i have lived in have had loft entrances. Each one was in a bathroom and basically a square cut into the plasterboard and a cheap metal edge for the removed square to fit inside. Cheap and effective.

[astral]

Here is a calculator for the size of the AC unit

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/THDCalcRoomAC

Based on your 20m² the minimum size of 9000BTU will be fine.

I have Samsung units in my apartment and they are excellent.

However I don't think they are "inverter" technology.

Roof insulation is a good idea. One place I lived in had fibreglass matting

with a silver backing.

Be careful about fitting it as the ceilings are only quite light weight and

may not take the weight of a farang.

[nong38]

Here is a calculator for the size of the AC unit

http://www.homedepot...t/THDCalcRoomAC

Based on your 20m² the minimum size of 9000BTU will be fine.

I have Samsung units in my apartment and they are excellent.

However I don't think they are "inverter" technology.

Roof insulation is a good idea. One place I lived in had fibreglass matting

with a silver backing.

Be careful about fitting it as the ceilings are only quite light weight and

may not take the weight of a farang.

Thanks for the calculator and advice about the loft, pretty much what I thought esp as I am a dab foot and putting it through! Luckily managed to patch it up before the family returned!

[transam]

I seem to being pointed towards a inverter unit and about 12000btu does it make any difference if I say it will likely be lightly used? I am thinking maybe a 2 hours a day/night.

Within 5 mins it does the job in my bedroom. Most of the year we use it a couple of hours then let a ceiling fan take over.

[Donnyboy]

I work in the industry in NZ so this may or may not be relevant

I dont work on BTUs only kw required but remember to take in account the height of the room, sorry Im metric!!

the formula I use is width x length x height = room volume x 0.055 (55 watts per cubic meter)

so, based on 20sqm x of say 2.4 metre height = 48 x 0.055 = 2.64 kw cooling capacity required

hopefully the brochure has the units rated in kws

also, make sure your installers are proper installers not muppets, the best unit could still give <deleted> results if installed incorrectly

if youre really anal, you could look up COP and EER values for efficiency between brands, the higher the better

[pvcwindows]

Hi there, Daikin, most reliable aircon, inverter saves 30% due to RPM controlled compressor using only the power to keep the room at the set temperature, no more start up cycles...for more info contact www.arc-thailand.com.

[Naam]

Daikin are the best bar non. Quiet running and have been doing the cooling a looong time, thats all they do, make aircon stuff. The inverter models are more expensive but 30% cheaper to run. My bedroom is about 15 sq mtr and a 12000btu does the job.

Ok thanks for that. what is an "inverter"? Pay more but save in the long run?

Just a new internal design to save on electricity, and it does.

in some cases it does save, in others it does not :jap:

[Naam]

I work in the industry in NZ so this may or may not be relevant

I dont work on BTUs only kw required but remember to take in account the height of the room, sorry Im metric!!

the formula I use is width x length x height = room volume x 0.055 (55 watts per cubic meter)

so, based on 20sqm x of say 2.4 metre height = 48 x 0.055 = 2.64 kw cooling capacity required

hopefully the brochure has the units rated in kws

also, make sure your installers are proper installers not muppets, the best unit could still give <deleted> results if installed incorrectly

if youre really anal, you could look up COP and EER values for efficiency between brands, the higher the better

2.64 kw cooling capacity required / hopefully the brochure has the units rated in kws

2.64 kW/h = 9,000 btu/h = exactly what the OP needs to achieve steady active and latent cooling. this would also eliminate the need for an inverter model. to be on the safe side and meet any cooling demand during extreme hot days/nights he might consider a 12/13,000 btu/h unit. the price difference is negligible. 18,000 btu/h would be overkill and the on/off cycling would not provide latent cooling by dehumidifying the air.