buying an air conditioner - advice please

[JesseFrank]

yes Daikin inverter is great!

I agree, the Daikin is a real saver. Try to get a workshop manual, then you can service the unit by yourself (except checking the pressure of the cooling gas, mostly R-134A). Regular cleaning, twice or three times a year, depending on the usage, is inevitable.

Aircons use R-22 or the newer models R-410A refrigerant. R-134 is for refrigerators

Edited February 9, 2014 by JesseFrank

[bankruatsteve]

Jeez - the OP said he has 9m2 (!) that he wants to cool. To me, that is the cheapest 7-9K BTU A/C that he can buy and there is no way an inverter unit would save on cost unless you're happy with 30yr ROI. Larger rooms can debate - but this is 9m2!!!

[fxe1200]

yes Daikin inverter is great!

I agree, the Daikin is a real saver. Try to get a workshop manual, then you can service the unit by yourself (except checking the pressure of the cooling gas, mostly R-134A). Regular cleaning, twice or three times a year, depending on the usage, is inevitable.

Aircons use R-22 or the newer models R-410A refrigerant. R-134 is for refrigerators

Thank you for the correction!

[JaiLai]

Getting a correctly sized unit will save more money than anything. An undersized inverter unit running constantly user as much power as an undersized non inverter unit.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

In a room of 60sqm what is the best option for a/c units? one a each end exactly opposite each other or offset? what size would be recommended for each unit? is there a table of some sort to refer to?

Thanks.

[bander]

Daikin is a good brand, very quiet but one of the most expensive.

I have Mitsubishi "Mr. Slim" 9000 BTU in a small 9 square meter bedroom, very quiet and low electric bill, never had problems in 8 years.

[Naam]

Whaever the Brand make sure the unit or BTU, is more than the room needs this will allow the unit not to work so hard less of a Bill.

there is no such thing like an aircon "working hard". in fact wear and tear is reduced when working continuously.

[Naam]

I changed units in November, and the new unit has used an average of 80% less power in the last three months. It should pay for itself by the time the rainy season gets here!

Nothing to do with the cool weather then.

[Naam]

I changed units in November, and the new unit has used an average of 80% less power in the last three months. It should pay for itself by the time the rainy season gets here!

and come rainy season 2015 you will get monthly a refund from the electricity company.

[Guitar God]

I would advise against getting a unit larger than what's needed for the size of the room. I bought too big of an air conditioner once and although it did a great job of cooling the place, it had to run for such a short time that it didn't reduce the humidity as much as a smaller unit would have.

[JustAnotherFarang]

HI

I have just bought this model for the bedroom which is 3.5 x 3.5 m2 in our new home that we are building. It was reduced from 32,000 bht to 19,300 bht

http://www.lazada.co.th/samsung-ar-13fvseduvn-148027.html

After reading the info on the forum regarding inverter air conditioning I am not sure if this is suitable for the bedroom and that maybe I should install it in the living room which is 5.60m by 6.40m and use the old air conditioner that we have in our bedroom now

Any advice appreciated

JAF

[shaurene]

Daikin the best you can get. We work out 1 kwt for each 6 sqr mt. Gasses, R22 is now banned in most western countries, R-134a is not just for refrigerators, all compressors are made for a particular gass. Most western countries use r-410 now.

If you have a room 60 Sqr/mt \divide by 6-7 and you would need around 30-35,000 Btu. Around 10kwt.

[khunPer]

I have Mitsubishi Coverter Aircons and I'm very happy with them. Especially any brand name converter model may be good – Daikin is a well known brand – can hardly notice Aircon usage on electric bill.

[ChiangraiTony]

I bought a Trane and have had trouble it from the start. Would never buy another one.

That's a surprise. I always believed they are one of the best, even with customer satisfaction.

[Satcommlee]

Only Inverter type aircons will really offer any cost savings.

I just bought some Samsung Smart Inverter aircons that have been on offer lately, have a look for them..

They have Smart Inverter and virus Doctor logo's.. I paid about 15K for a 9000BTU and 18K for I think a 11000BTU (including Installation) at the MALL in KORAT (POWERMALL), they were also on offer in Homepro.

because you "just bought" you have your judgment must be based on quite some experience?

an inverter aircon may or may not save on electricity. the often quoted savings of "up to 30%" can only be achieved under certain specific circumstances.

Yes plenty of experience how many houses do you own here??

[brianP]

Being the cool guy i am,i suggest the solar power units that use a solar panel to heat and compress the Freon, which bypasses the compressor. Silent and free during the hot day when needed most.

Used with an inverter, your ac unit will last for many years.

[Crossy]

HI

I have just bought this model for the bedroom which is 3.5 x 3.5 m2 in our new home that we are building. It was reduced from 32,000 bht to 19,300 bht

http://www.lazada.co.th/samsung-ar-13fvseduvn-148027.html

After reading the info on the forum regarding inverter air conditioning I am not sure if this is suitable for the bedroom and that maybe I should install it in the living room which is 5.60m by 6.40m and use the old air conditioner that we have in our bedroom now

Any advice appreciated

JAF

At 11,800 BTU that's well over size for a 12m² room, something nearer 7,500 would be more appropriate, but since it's an inverter unit you won't run into the usual issue of oversized units not drying sufficiently.

Your 36m² lounge would need around 21,000BTU, so I'd be putting the Samsung in the bedroom.

[Crossy]

Being the cool guy i am,i suggest the solar power units that use a solar panel to heat and compress the Freon, which bypasses the compressor. Silent and free during the hot day when needed most.

Used with an inverter, your ac unit will last for many years.

Do you actually have one of these Brian, I'm interested in the practicalities and real energy savings.

[little mary sunshine]

Try Google....Much more accurate than TV............

[Naam]

HI

I have just bought this model for the bedroom which is 3.5 x 3.5 m2 in our new home that we are building. It was reduced from 32,000 bht to 19,300 bht

http://www.lazada.co.th/samsung-ar-13fvseduvn-148027.html

After reading the info on the forum regarding inverter air conditioning I am not sure if this is suitable for the bedroom and that maybe I should install it in the living room which is 5.60m by 6.40m and use the old air conditioner that we have in our bedroom now

Any advice appreciated

JAF

in a nutshell... overdimensioned capacity for the size of the bedroom, too small for the living room.

but as it is an inverter unit no harm in installing the unit in the bedroom.

[Naam]

Being the cool guy i am,i suggest the solar power units that use a solar panel to heat and compress the Freon, which bypasses the compressor. Silent and free during the hot day when needed most.

Used with an inverter, your ac unit will last for many years.

Do you actually have one of these Brian, I'm interested in the practicalities and real energy savings.

i did some research on that.

result:

some energy savings = yes,

saving Baht = no because initial cost much too high.

[Naam]

Only Inverter type aircons will really offer any cost savings.

I just bought some Samsung Smart Inverter aircons that have been on offer lately, have a look for them..

They have Smart Inverter and virus Doctor logo's.. I paid about 15K for a 9000BTU and 18K for I think a 11000BTU (including Installation) at the MALL in KORAT (POWERMALL), they were also on offer in Homepro.

because you "just bought" you have your judgment must be based on quite some experience?

an inverter aircon may or may not save on electricity. the often quoted savings of "up to 30%" can only be achieved under certain specific circumstances.

Yes plenty of experience how many houses do you own here??

i own one twelfth of a dozen homes. but that home has 19 (nineteen) aircons installed. not to talk about the fact that my knowledge of thermal physics is infinitely higher than yours.

[Naam]

I would advise against getting a unit larger than what's needed for the size of the room. I bought too big of an air conditioner once and although it did a great job of cooling the place, it had to run for such a short time that it didn't reduce the humidity as much as a smaller unit would have.

you won't have that problem with an inverter unit.

[BB1955]

I bought a Mitsubishi Mr Slim inverter and could not be more pleased . My only complaint is the inside unit is a little louder than I would like .... The good thing is it also heats as well .....

[Crossy]

I would advise against getting a unit larger than what's needed for the size of the room. I bought too big of an air conditioner once and although it did a great job of cooling the place, it had to run for such a short time that it didn't reduce the humidity as much as a smaller unit would have.

you won't have that problem with an inverter unit.

To many this would be a more important factor than the reduced power consumption, decent de-humidification during the cooler season.

[bazmlb]

I bought a samsung 12,000 btu for 15,000 installed, it only uses around 800-1000 baht per month with 8-12 hour per day usage and cools a decent size bedroom ok, alot quieter than the LG units i have had before.

another comment without actual facts because "usage" , "cools" and "decent room size" are not facts but individual perceptions.

here's a backward calculation based on averaging 8-12 run hours/day and 800-1000 baht per month.

-900 Baht = 200kWh

-12k btu/h = 1.15kWh consumption (cooling cycle)

-200kWh = ~174 cooling cycle run hours = 5.8 cooling cycle run hours per day

summary:

"perceived usage of 10-12hrs" differs considerably from "5.8hrs actual usage".

note: the laws of physics cannot be bent!

The cycle time will change with heat load, a fact that seems to have been left out of your equation, AC units do not turn on and off at fixed intervals making your calculation somewhat misleading or am i wrong?

[spidermike007]

Buy only an inverter. The savings are well worth the extra money. And I recently bought a Samsung S Inverter. Very happy with it. Quiet, and efficient. But, I hear the Daikin units are very good. Mitsubishi is overrated, and overpriced in my opinion, unless it is Mitsubishi Heavy, which is made in Japan.

[EvilDrSomkid]

I wonder how much ceiling height affects BTU requirement.

We are building our house now and our bedroom is 4.5 x 4m with 3m+ ceiling height. It has a connecting small walk-in closet.

The HomePro guy recommended 20k BTU. We have 2 Samsung inverter ACs now which I really like for the low noise level.

No idea if they reduce power consumption so much.

Would like an inverter AC in the bedroom, but they said only LG makes a 20k BTU inverter AC. Cost 39000!

I'd rather stick with a Samsung non-inv 18.8K BTU for 27000.

Most of all, its got to be quiet and cool.

[zappalot]

If anyone is interested in some aspects regarding health:

In general people switch off an air-conditioner whenever they want. But in most cases they are still wet inside.

Now what happens in a humid and warm environment? Mold will develop. If you have a good nose you can smell the mold in the air flow of almost all air-conditioner units. Just hold your nose directly in the airflow.

People just cannot see it, so most of them don't care.

I do. I don't want to breath air Infested with mold.

So from the beginning I was looking for air-conditioner units providing a fan mode.

If you operate an air conditioner in the fan mode for at least 30 minutes before you switch it off the unit should be dry inside. A lot less or even no mold will develop.

The last four air-conditioner units we bought a manufactured by Samsung and they provide an Auto Clean Mode. After pressing the Auto Clean button first and then the Switch Off button the cooling function will switch off but the inside unit will operate for another 30 minutes, the inner parts of the unit will dry out.

I would not buy any brand not providing this useful functionality. I would not even mount it for free....

Edited February 10, 2014 by zappalot

[transam]

If anyone is interested in some aspects regarding health:

In general people switch off an air-conditioner whenever they want. But in most cases they are still wet inside.

Now what happens in a humid and warm environment? Mold will develop. If you have a good nose you can smell the mold in the air flow of almost all air-conditioner units. Just hold your nose directly in the airflow.

People just cannot see it, so most of them don't care.

I do. I don't want to breath air Infested with mold.

So from the beginning I was looking for air-conditioner units providing a fan mode.

If you operate an air conditioner in the fan mode for at least 30 minutes before you switch it off the unit should be dry inside. A lot less or even no mold will develop.

The last four air-conditioner units we bought a manufactured by Samsung and they provide an Auto Clean Mode. After pressing the auto clean button the cooling function will switch off but the inside unit will operate for another 30 minutes, the inner parts of the unit will dry out.

I would not buy any brand not providing this useful functionality. I would not even mount it for free....

Daikin has a mold mode.

[bazmlb]

I wonder how much ceiling height affects BTU requirement.

Pitched roof vs flat roof and insulation would have more effect on heat loading than a higher ceiling, the difference is so small they usually dont involve it in the calculation, a living room with a lot of windows and electronic devices would require more than a bedroom as well.

Here is a calculator for sizing