Air Conditioners Which Brand Best?

[JonnieB]

I need to buy some air conditioning units for a house. I need some brand recommendations.

Forgetting all the brands/models with fancy bells and whistles (plasma filters, etc.) I only need basic units with standard filters. Is there any real functional and/or quality difference between brands? Are there any real differences between the major American, Korean and Japanese brands (durability, decibel levels)? Or are air con units basically commodity items that should be purchased on the basis of price/current specials?

I have been told that some brands are quieter than others (particularly Fujitsu and Toshiba units). Can any confirm this? This would be one factor that would influence my purchasing decision if it were true. People who's opinion I trust have also recommended Mitsubishi units as being very reliable and durable.

Right now, the American brand "York" is running some specials with B1000-2000 savings on comparable units from other brands? Anyone have experience with this brand?

Thanks in advance.

[raro]

When I bought a/cs for my old office the guy in the shop also tried to sell me the most expensive stuff and I told him that need just something that keeps the room cool...he smiled, pointed on some units in the back of the shop and said that they were made in Thailand, no brand and almost as good as the others. Power consumption was slightly higher and no remote control etc.

The units did a good job for two years with no maintenance except for yearly cleaning. Sold them off earlier this year and haven't heard back from the buyer...they still seem to work!

[meadish_sweetball]

I asked the same question a while back, and the consensus opinion from everyone was that Mitsubishi is generally a very safe and reliable buy.

I ended up buying two Mitsubishi Mr. Slim units, which have worked really well for one year now. They are super quiet and do everything an aircon unit should, but do not have any bells and whistles such as the ones you mention.

They were priced at 21,500 baht each back then, but since we bought lots of stuff from the same place at one time, including a midrange TV set and a coffee machine, we managed to get them down to 19,000 per unit. This included installation and the shop is in Chiang Mai.

[JonnieB]

To follow-up, I live in Pattaya and some shops here have "house brands" that are cheap but the remotes are extra and don't have the highest energy efficiency rating of "5" so they may cost a little more to run. One local shop/brand, Air King, has come good prices and claims to use Mitsubishi condensors (don't know who makes their in-room unit).

[suiging]

Daiken give a five year warrantee

[Goldenbead]

I have had a Mitsubishi unit for a couple of years and it has been very good. We had a Central unit put into our new bedroom late last year and it has broken down three times!! I would stay away from Central.

[Tywais]

I would stay away from LG. The owner of the house we rent thought he was doing a favor and replaced the antique AC units with LG (remote control version) and within a year they have both failed. One with a failed compressor and the technician replaced the compressor with a Mitsubishi one and on both the remote control stopped working.

Two technicians at the university I work at who handles the AC work also recommended Mitsubishi without hesitation.

Edited July 22, 2006 by tywais

[simcity]

Mitsubishi is a name use by many company who add only the compressor to a unit !

Department store have 'Mitsubishi heavy duty' who are not so good as the Mitsubishi electric company !

only shops 'Mitsubishi electric' sell you this products !

i will go for a Mitsubishi electric anytime ! I have the MR slim unit and my power bill drop of 1000 baht after the purchase! the price is more as other brand about 30000 baht

[whimsy]

Bought a 13000BTU Toshiba 'Daiseikai' unit 10 months ago. 23,000 Baht fitted, with one year free cleaning / servicing. So far very happy with it. Very quiet indoors and quiet compressor.

This model has an ionizer and plasma filter, I didn't see that as essential at the time, but don't regret it now as the air in the room does seem to stay 'sweeter' with the plasma/ionizer switched on. Would buy Toshiba again.

Also, some brands eg. Sharp and Mitsubishi Mr Slim now have 'inverter' models available for a little extra, they might be worth considering as they claim to save quite a bit of electricity.

Edited July 22, 2006 by whimsy

[tutsiwarrior]

a/c units are only as efficient as the effort made to keep the cooling surfaces clean. I have a Sanyo 2 ton unit and the control unit seems to have a mind of its own. I have recently installed roof space insulation and the cooling effect has increased significantly.

The wife has advised that the batteries in the control unit are as old as the a/c (3 years)...

I hate losin'...don't you?...

[LOS NICK]

To follow-up, I live in Pattaya and some shops here have "house brands" that are cheap but the remotes are extra and don't have the highest energy efficiency rating of "5" so they may cost a little more to run. One local shop/brand, Air King, has come good prices and claims to use Mitsubishi condensors (don't know who makes their in-room unit).

Air Kings in room unit sounds like a jet engine when on.very loud to say the least...my friend had one of their units installed....would not put that in my home...cheers

[Gary A]

I bought a Samsung because it was the most efficient unit they had. It is quiet and does a good job BUT the remote stinks.

[ovenman]

Two technicians at the university I work at who handles the AC work also recommended Mitsubishi without hesitation.

That confirms what technicians have told me as well.

[Jai Dee]

Mitsubishi is a name use by many company who add only the compressor to a unit !

Department store have 'Mitsubishi heavy duty' who are not so good as the Mitsubishi electric company !

only shops 'Mitsubishi electric' sell you this products !

i will go for a Mitsubishi electric anytime ! I have the MR slim unit and my power bill drop of 1000 baht after the purchase! the price is more as other brand about 30000 baht

I'd second that opinion.

Mitsubishi Electric are far more energy efficient, quieter, and ergonomically designed than Mitsubishi Heavy Industries products.

[udon]

I thought it was the other way around.... Hmm, glad I found your post above.

Any websites re info on the Mitsubishi Electric A/Cs in Thailand?

[think_too_mut]

Daikin or Mitsubishi.

2 Daikin aircons in Tokyo made half the bill of one in BKK (old, "Engineer") in February this year.

Heating in Tokyo, cooling in BKK.

I believe they are all catching up in efficiency but Japanese lead the way.

[LoveDaBlues]

In the states I owned and managed many rentals. I got to know some very good A/C techs and they told me 'Trane' units are by far the best but cost a good deal more.

There is the 'Trane' brand in Thailand but I don't know if the units are made/assembled at the same place as the ones you can buy in the states.

One A/C tech told me in 10 years he had never worked on a single Trane unit!

[lopburi3]

In the US almost all air conditioners, if not window models, are central air conditioner using ducts. Those used here in Thailand are almost all split systems with fan coil unit mounted on walls. Very different systems so not sure if the "you can't stop a Trane" radio slogan I recall from 50 years ago would be the good here.

Our service tech highly recommends Mitsubishi and we first changed a crap LG compressor (much less noise) and then the inside fan coil (band name is Fuji Aire but is same as Mitsubishi Slim).

[LoveDaBlues]

In the US almost all air conditioners, if not window models, are central air conditioner using ducts. Those used here in Thailand are almost all split systems with fan coil unit mounted on walls. Very different systems so not sure if the "you can't stop a Trane" radio slogan I recall from 50 years ago would be the good here.

Our service tech highly recommends Mitsubishi and we first changed a crap LG compressor (much less noise) and then the inside fan coil (band name is Fuji Aire but is same as Mitsubishi Slim).

Yes I remember those ads; on television too. "Nothing stops a trane".

http://www.tranethailand.com/

Looks like they make the traditional style units for use here in Thailand. Don't know if they are made to the same high standards though.

[The Skipper]

I remember a Trane commercial.

The guy was buying Trane Air Con instead of an engagement ring for his girlfriend.

Just to prove he was in this commitment for the long haul.

Very funny.

[Moonfruit]

In my opinion, those prices quoted above are outragous. Sure, there are those that will disagree, but if you need simple units for simple jobs, then lets go budget. Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, whatever. Most come from the same factories anyway. There are many units also 'thai branded' from those factories, offered with lower warranties (1 year instead of 5) at a fraction of the cost. Im running 6 of them in my home here, of them 24/7 for over two years with no problems. Just a filter clean every 6 months, and a gas check every 12.

Its a proven fact that it takes more than 5 years to pay the monetary difference between the purchase price and the running cost of a '5' rated energy efficient unit. Of course, you are not being environmentally friendly though!

If you need to know about some good options, PM me.

Regards

[suiging]

In my opinion, those prices quoted above are outragous. Sure, there are those that will disagree, but if you need simple units for simple jobs, then lets go budget. Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, whatever. Most come from the same factories anyway. There are many units also 'thai branded' from those factories, offered with lower warranties (1 year instead of 5) at a fraction of the cost. Im running 6 of them in my home here, of them 24/7 for over two years with no problems. Just a filter clean every 6 months, and a gas check every 12.

Its a proven fact that it takes more than 5 years to pay the monetary difference between the purchase price and the running cost of a '5' rated energy efficient unit. Of course, you are not being environmentally friendly though!

If you need to know about some good options, PM me.

Regards

All above agreed. went with Mitsy ( see construction pics ) because they are reliable, cost efficent to a degree, but above all silent and i got a huge effin walk in fridge as a bung

[Khutan]

Interesting, a friend of mine is a A/C installer mechanic from Australia and he is coming here at my expense at the end of the year to install some units for me at Mrs Khutan's house.

Daikin, is a very good unit, however the switch and actuator for the variable compressor speed can cause Problems and is expensive to replace.

Mitsubishi Electric, very good units. Would Recommend.

Also what I am off to buy are two Carrier units. I am trying to cool about 100 square meters of floor space so I will need 2 large units. The only problem with the Carrier units is the compressor can be noisy (so put them a distance away) and also if the compressor is in the sun all day then they can like mose brands become inefficient. So some sort of a "House" for the units.

[astral]

It never fails to amaze me how many compressor units are installed

in direct sunlight.

Absolutely crazy.

[Phil Conners]

Stay well clear of the York inside unit, they are very noisy and the airflow regulating mechanics break all the time. I don't think York is US, looks like a Thai brand to me (cheap, poor quality).

I have good experience with Mitsubishi and Panasonic but for I think most good brand names are ok.

This is all for the inside unit. The compressor/outside unit doesn't matter so much.

[udon]

I wonder how many guys know whether they have 'refrigerant' or 'evaporative' air conditioners?

Apparently 'refrigerant' are more expensive and better for the Thai humidity.

I'm asking, as I am trying to learn a bit more.

[Naam]

"I wonder how many guys know whether they have 'refrigerant' or 'evaporative' air conditioners?"

make my day and tell me one more joke like this!

[udon]

Look it up, no joke.

[Naam]

Look it up, no joke.

a/c units generally work with refrigerant (a few exceptions like desert coolers prove the rule). the refrigerant is compressed and pumped by the compressor into the evaporator where the compressed refrigerant expands either thorugh a capillary tube or an expansion valve. during and after expansion the liquid compressed refrigerant changes it's state from liquid to gaseous and absorbs heat from the air blown thorugh the fins of the evaporator. this heat is transported to the condenser unit and 'disposed' to the outside ambience.

that's it, no rocket science required to understand the principle (i guess). i refrain from explaining the combination of refrigerant and water as medium to transport the heat as well as other varieties of airconditioning because that topic does not apply for private homes.

unfortunately i could not find a company to build my systems water cooled according to my specifications otherwise i would have saved 5-6.000 baht a month on electricity

[C5VETTE]

Think Saijo Denki is one of the best ones. Had a long talk with the AC technician when he installed my 6 units and he confirmed that Saijo Denki is one of the best and he usualy don't sell them, they were a special order from me.

Mitsubishi is not a good choice according to him because there is some items on them that can't be fixed by "normal" technicians but needs specialists.

This company is mostly selling Trane but said Saijo Denki i better.

I use Saijo Denki because I had 4 units in my first house that are working very well without any problems.

The new Saijo Denki APS units is very quiet which is a big plus.