Air conditioner does not cool room enough

[garet]

I just rented a 41 sq metre condominium. It is dreadfully hot now and the air conditioners just don't seem to cool the room enough, particularly during the hot season. I can cool the room to 26 or 25 C which might be enough if I'm sitting and doing nothing, but sometimes after being outside and I'm hot and sticky, I want to blast it down or 22 or 23 for awhile, but it just doesn't get that cool.

The main room is 20 square meteres and the bedroom is only 16 square metres. Both rooms have a 12000 BTU Daikin air conditioners but the rooms still don't get cool enough. Based on everything I've read, 12,000 BTU should be enough for rooms of this size. One of the air conditioners is new, and one is 6 years old. Daikin is a good brand so I don't understand why I can't get the temp down to 22 or 23 sometimes.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what did you do about it?

[KhunBENQ]

When has the older aircon last been serviced?

Cleaned and refilled (coolant)?

Is your condo specially problematic?

What floor?

Which direction are your windows looking at?

Big windows directly exposed?

What kind of?

Do the aircons have something like a "turbo" function (full blown unregulated)?

Edited May 7, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[CharlieH]

MOVED to Housing

[ttthailand]

I had similar problems and after a good cleaning it worked great. Filters, coils etc must be cleaned for the air to flow and be cooled.

[eeeya]

+1

Had new air conditioners installed 6 months ago in two rooms. Both going great until 3 weeks we didnt use because we went away, Came back and one wasnt cooling nearly enough like the other..

All it took was a filter clean and its cold as ice again,

Interestingly it was the inside filter that was chock full of dirt after only 6 months.

[garet]

When has the older aircon last been serviced?

Cleaned and refilled (coolant)?

Is your condo specially problematic?

What floor?

Which direction are your windows looking at?

Big windows directly exposed?

What kind of?

Do the aircons have something like a "turbo" function (full blown unregulated)?

One of the air cons is brand new, and the other one was cleaned last month (according to the owner).

Room is on the 11th floor. Bedroom has big windows receiving direct sunlight, but the main room has no windows as it is behind the bedroom.

I don't understand, how can the cono be problematic since all owners purchase their own air con units?

The newer Daikin has a turbo function, but it just pushes out the air faster, but it's not cooler. Can't get the temp below 25 during the day.

Thanks...

Edited May 7, 2015 by garet

[NeverSure]

Do you have the units turned to cool and the thermostats set? Some units have a fan only setting. Since both units are acting up I'm just wondering if they are actually refrigerating. I got fooled by that in a hotel once because I didn't see a couple of markings on a different dial than I was focusing on.

Do you hear the compressors come on? They have a much heavier motor than the fans.

[hugocnx]

If outside temperature is 35 C or something and possibly your outside unit is even in the shade, it is a no go to demand 22-23 C cooling. Why would one anyways?

Most aircons can only cool down as much as 9 degrees down from the outside temperature.

If an aircon is working properly the air gets dried and you will already feel comfortable at temps 27-28 C.

If your inside unit starts building ice then you probably have a gas/pressure problem and the unit will not cool the room enough.

Go see the technician.

[Cypress Hill]

I had a similar situation a while back.

Landlord sent their regular guy who just cleaned filters and wiped off the outside of the unit.Problem persisted.

Nagged landlord into sending alternative guy who brought tank of coolant and what looked like an electric pump.

He was there for a couple of hours and serviced upstairs and downstairs units.

Now, a thermostat setting of less than 28c is just too cold

As a bonus, my electricity bill is 30% cheaper too

[Estrada]

The recommended temperature for offices and homes in Thailand is 25C. Personally I feel too cold below that temperature as I became acclimatised years ago. Running air-cons to drive the temperature to 22C will cost you a fortune. If I come in from outside and it is very hot, I take a cold shower.

[DGS1244]

12000 sounds a little on the small size for this size of room, particularly with the outside temperatures as they have been. 19,000 would be more reasonable also one fitted with an Inverter, these are more efficient, cool quicker and cheaper to run. The output from a unit is at a constant temperature and relies on room air circulation to give the overall coolness, very dependent upon the fan size.

[realenglish1]

You need to service the Air Conditioner Not an Expensive proposition .

From 800 to 1200 baht.

Try Service Genie The are very reasonable In Bangkok Find them on the web

I have used them for many repairs and maintenance Good company Stand behind their work

[asdecas]

There's no question that the correct BTU-sized A/C units for the square meterage should be able to handle your requirements. Others may sneer at you wanting 22-23 degrees at times but I for one can sympathise.

It's probably best to go about this systematically: if as you say the units are the correct rating for the room sizes, the next thing is to check that all filters are clean and the freon coolant topped up. In a polluted city like Bangkok units should be serviced every few months but rarely are.

If, once you have ascertained that all is functioning properly, as far as you can tell yourself, the units are still not doing the job, then it's time to call in the A/C engineer, because your list of what could be wrong requires someone with experience - thermostats, leakages, faulty switches - it's a long list.

[Jeffrey346]

You should have no problem cooling the rooms to 23/24. I would have the coolant checked. It could be too high or low which effects the cooling ability. Make sure they check it when the units are running. Good luck..

[fabphil]

Thai euipment maintenance......none

[ChiangmaiRob]

I just had my two condo AC's serviced for the first time in 5 years. Pulled apart, fully cleaned, drain pipes flushed and gas checked and topped up, now I've had to turn the thermostat up by 5 degrees or I'd be living in a fridge on the old settings.

BTW, it only cost me 700 baht per unit.

Edited May 7, 2015 by ChiangmaiRob

[ToddinChonburi]

Yes if you face the sun you will have a hard time cooling . I had an 18,000 btu mitsibishi heavey duty in a room I rented that faced the west in the afternoon sun and that baby turned the room into a freezer.

If you can close off the hot room until the evening that could help. It is about 400 baht to have someone come and power wash the compressor.

[bankruatsteve]

Can you measure the output air temp of the inside unit? And then compare that to what it should be for your unit.

[GOLDBUGGY]

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When has the older aircon last been serviced?

Cleaned and refilled (coolant)?

Is your condo specially problematic?

What floor?

Which direction are your windows looking at?

Big windows directly exposed?

What kind of?

Do the aircons have something like a "turbo" function (full blown unregulated)?

One of the air cons is brand new, and the other one was cleaned last month (according to the owner).

Room is on the 11th floor. Bedroom has big windows receiving direct sunlight, but the main room has no windows as it is behind the bedroom.

I don't understand, how can the cono be problematic since all owners purchase their own air con units?

The newer Daikin has a turbo function, but it just pushes out the air faster, but it's not cooler. Can't get the temp below 25 during the day.

Thanks...

I don't know if the 11th floor is the top floor but if it is you are also faced with the hot metal roof which heats your place up like crazy. As does the Over-sized Refrigerator, if you have one, and Electric Stove.

Take the cover plates off the air-con and if it is clogged with Lint then your Landlord lied to you, which is common practice. Just vacuum them off and try again.

I have rented many Condo's over the years, and I have yet to find a Owner or Landlord, who would do any Service Checks on an air-con unit unless the unit stopped working. Inform the Landlord that your air-con is not blowing cold air. Both can lie in this game. Tell him/her you need it serviced. Then when they come to clean the inside and outside, have them recharge your units. Watch them and check the pressure as once they said they were charging, but their bottle was empty and no pressure was developed.

Perhaps while they are their have your Wife/GF tell them it does not put out enough and try to get them to install a larger fan for your Condenser (Outside Unit). This helps a little as it does take away more heat from the A.C. but only if your system is fully charged.

Be warned that I had a similar problem on the top floor and although all the things I told you I did, which helped a lot, my A.C. Ran constantly on full blow. As a result my power bill was +5,000 Baht a month. So be warned!

[ExPratt]

A lot of air cons labour in this weather a fan as well might give you the couple of degrees you are looking for if you put it under the aircon

[ExPratt]

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If outside temperature is 35 C or something and possibly your outside unit is even in the shade, it is a no go to demand 22-23 C cooling. Why would one anyways?

Most aircons can only cool down as much as 9 degrees down from the outside temperature.

If an aircon is working properly the air gets dried and you will already feel comfortable at temps 27-28 C.

If your inside unit starts building ice then you probably have a gas/pressure problem and the unit will not cool the room enough.

Go see the technician.

Thats about what we have it on 27-28 ish , Before the real hot weather came used to put it on 22-23 , But when we had it cleaned out and serviced 22-23 was absolutely freezing , which impressed the missus she's "Now" at the best of times

[bobthomas]

You need to service the Air Conditioner Not an Expensive proposition .

From 800 to 1200 baht.

Try Service Genie The are very reasonable In Bangkok Find them on the web

I have used them for many repairs and maintenance Good company Stand behind their work

Must be inflation! 300-500 is the price for service- and that should include pressure washing the compressor and the turbine in the indoor part of the unit- as well as cleaning filters and topping up freon.

That said- you can get way more relief from the heat by setting the air con unit on 26 or 27 and using a fan to blow on you while you work at your desk or sleep.

b

[Rooo]

Deleted a troll post & reply.

[wow64]

Just had 2 of mine serviced today.. Night and say difference.

Have to get mine done twice a year.

Sent from my c64

[RigPig]

Why is it that people ALWAYS think it is the gas? It is a sealed system, where did the gas go? Cars are a different story and have to be topped up regularly as they use rubber ¨O¨ rings for deals and they leak by nature. If your A/C needs gas it has a leak, if you don´t fix the leak you are wasting your time.

Of course when they installed it they vacuumed the system down, purged it with Nitrogen and checked it was holding before gassing it (as you should). More likely they just opened up the valves and used the pre-charge in the system while purging it. Never checked for leaks in the first place.....

Depending if the leak is on the high or low side a leak will burn out the compressor it is only how long it takes. Even if the compressor still works it probably wont be very efficient afterwards.

Assuming that they did cool the room(s) once get the outdoor units cleaned, this is where it gets rid of the heat, if the coils are dirty it will cause this. Quite often they are installed in some inaccessible place where it is too hard to get at them so they only service the indoor unit. If you live around a traffic area it may cause the coils to clog quicker.

A/Cś don´t make cold air, they remove the heat. If the compressors (and coil) are in the afternoon sun the coil will have trouble getting rid of the heat. They may have to be relocated, which will cost pipe and gas as well as labour. Good luck with that one....

Under the cover inside you will see a small (probably black) little tube, usually mounted on the fins under the filter. make sure this is clean and in the airflow (clean the filters). This is the probe for the thermostat, it wil not read correctly if it is not sensing the air flow.

If the unit isn´t sized correctly or just running all the time your power bill will double or more.

Personally if my bedroom isn´t like a freezer I hate it, probably just decadence but their you have it, to each his own......

Good luck, let us know if you nail it

[Fore Man]

We live in Mae Rim in a single family home we built; have had semiannual cleanings done for our 11 units. Three of those units are large hybrids with the distribution/blower units located in the overhead above the ceiling with ducting that pipes air into more than one room. The individual room units have all been flawless...the only issues experienced are the batteries leaking in the remotes (most of these room units are never used or sparingly used) and we've been in the home 10+ years. Two years ago, one of these 3 hybrids began acting up and stopped chilling the 2 rooms it services. Before going on the blink, those rooms were easily cooled to 21 degrees if needed. After repeated cleanings, refrigerant top-offs and other low-pressure/high-pressure system checks, the problem persisted. The culprit turned out to the lengthy (10-meter) connecting hose that runs from the compressor located outside in a shady space, up the exterior wall, over the ceiling and connecting to the distribution unit. They replaced that hose and the problem seemed to be corrected. The senior tech told us that it was possible that rats running in the overhead crawl space had chewed into the hose, damaging it and allowing the temperature in the line to rise. Everything else checked-out and thoroughly stymied the team. By the time the charge arrived at the distro unit, it was ineffective. Ergo, you might need to have that connecting line looked into as well.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Fore Man

[hugocnx]

Why is it that people ALWAYS think it is the gas? It is a sealed system, where did the gas go? Cars are a different story and have to be topped up regularly as they use rubber ¨O¨ rings for deals and they leak by nature. If your A/C needs gas it has a leak, if you don´t fix the leak you are wasting your time.

Old units can leak just a fraction of gas for whatever reason and you only notice this after a while. I had an old beer cooler that had this problem and I saw many units in hotels where the evaporator was covered with ice. In these cases the compressor never stops working, ecxept for clixon or other heat protector coming in. No cooling but high power consumption.

[laislica]

+1

Had new air conditioners installed 6 months ago in two rooms. Both going great until 3 weeks we didnt use because we went away, Came back and one wasnt cooling nearly enough like the other..

All it took was a filter clean and its cold as ice again,

Interestingly it was the inside filter that was chock full of dirt after only 6 months.

Yep, leave off the cleaning long enough and it will stop working altogether!

Don't forget that the outside unit needs cleaning too.

Find a local clean and fix aircon, it will not be expensive.

[catman20]

properly needs re gassing

[Naam]

You need to service the Air Conditioner Not an Expensive proposition .

From 800 to 1200 baht.

Try Service Genie The are very reasonable In Bangkok Find them on the web

I have used them for many repairs and maintenance Good company Stand behind their work

Must be inflation! 300-500 is the price for service- and that should include pressure washing the compressor and the turbine in the indoor part of the unit- as well as cleaning filters and topping up freon.

That said- you can get way more relief from the heat by setting the air con unit on 26 or 27 and using a fan to blow on you while you work at your desk or sleep.

b

cleaning the turbine in the indoor unit is most important!