Air condition advice

[Aforek]

Hello,

I have a room in my house ( high 2.35 m, 2.80 wide an 3.50 m length, with a window 1m x 1.20, sun is coming from this windows ( from the east ) and in the afternoon, it's very hot

 

I think to install air condition, for about 4 hours a day , everyday ( it's my computer place, only for this usage ) ; which device can you advise, which brand, shop to buy and is there something to consider ? and how many bahts a month ?

thanks

[ourdon]

Hi

First off, it's a small room (less than 110 sq ft).  I suggest you try some of the less expensive options before trying an A/C unit.

Try putting some thermal reflective film on the window.  It means that the window should be closed when the sun is on it for the film to be most effective.

Light colored reflective curtains behind this filmed window also would help.

Lastly, anything you can do to increase the airflow to the room from the cooler parts of the house should make a major difference.  Just make sure that you have provided an escape for the the hot room air.  Air flow and good circulation are often all you need.

 

Any or all of them should help

 

Regards

[Aforek]

2 hours ago, ourdon said:

Hi

First off, it's a small room (less than 110 sq ft).  I suggest you try some of the less expensive options before trying an A/C unit.

Try putting some thermal reflective film on the window.  It means that the window should be closed when the sun is on it for the film to be most effective.

Light colored reflective curtains behind this filmed window also would help.

Lastly, anything you can do to increase the airflow to the room from the cooler parts of the house should make a major difference.  Just make sure that you have provided an escape for the the hot room air.  Air flow and good circulation are often all you need.

 

Any or all of them should help

 

Regards

Yes it's a small room and I shall try your thermal reflective film, heat comes mostly from the window

for the rest, there is an airflow with two doors and light curtains ; pity to buy an A/C unit , even small ( never seen a small A/C, I must say )

 

[ourdon]

Let me know how it turns out.  I never asked but is the window single or double glazed?  Here we use triple glazed windows to get a thermal break if we can't get enough airflow in the affected area.

[jadee]

Film is great and does work but it isn't just the glass that radiates heat: the entire window frame and wall also radiate heat and film doesn't address this. In the afternoon, your wall is basically a giant storage heater.
The smallest split-type air conditioner units are 9,000BTU. Prices range considerably depending on brand and type. A cheap no-name Chinese brand from Makro could go as low as 9,000baht, a standard non-inverter unit from a reputable brand such as Trane, York, Samsung or LG could go for 14-16k+. Inverter models where the outdoor unit has a variable fan speed to maintain a more constant room temperature cost even more and may use less electricity, depending on usage. 
There is no 'best' retailer - just shop around and look for deals or clearance units if you want a bargain. Occasionally you'll see decent Samsung units for around 9-10k in supermarkets like Big C and Tesco or Makro. 
In terms of power usage, inverter units may use less than non-inverter units that turn off and on repeatedly as their maintain a more constant temperature. By installing a wall or ceiling fan, you can set the temperature to a higher setting (thus using less electricity) while still feeling cool. 

[Anthony5]

On 11/16/2016 at 2:19 PM, Aforek said:

Yes it's a small room and I shall try your thermal reflective film, heat comes mostly from the window

for the rest, there is an airflow with two doors and light curtains ; pity to buy an A/C unit , even small ( never seen a small A/C, I must say )

 

Heat will not come mostly from the window, since the biggest part of the day in Thailand the sun stays high, so the heat will come through your ceiling.

 

Insulate your ceiling with 6" fiber wool, and your room will be significantly cooler already.

 

Better 2 x 3" than 1 blanket of 6" also, as you can lay them crossways, and have an additional air barrier between the 2 blankets.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Anthony5

[Aforek]

On 16/11/2016 at 0:04 PM, ourdon said:

Hi

First off, it's a small room (less than 110 sq ft).  I suggest you try some of the less expensive options before trying an A/C unit.

Try putting some thermal reflective film on the window.  It means that the window should be closed when the sun is on it for the film to be most effective.

Light colored reflective curtains behind this filmed window also would help.

Lastly, anything you can do to increase the airflow to the room from the cooler parts of the house should make a major difference.  Just make sure that you have provided an escape for the the hot room air.  Air flow and good circulation are often all you need.

 

Any or all of them should help

 

Regards

First, thanks for your different and useful suggestions

I have bought ( Home pro ) some reflective film ( 229 bahts 1mx 0.74 cm ) and I put on the window itself and one other one on the frame, which means there is a void between both ) and I must say it's very good, in the afternoon, the window is not fresh but very little warm; there is also a good air circulation with doors open, air coming from the other side of the house , and big fan, no need A/C, but, as said above, wall is still warm ( not hot ); I have seen there are reflective paint , for instance Beger Cool, in Thailand, you think it's good  ? thanks

[dddave]

On 11/17/2016 at 6:58 PM, jadee said:

There is no 'best' retailer - just shop around and look for deals or clearance units if you want a bargain. Occasionally you'll see decent Samsung units for around 9-10k in supermarkets like Big C and Tesco or Makro.

When I was shopping for a new AC unit two years ago, I was surprised to find that "Power Mall" in Siam Paragon and "Power Buy" at the Emporium (Both Bangkok) consistently had the lowest prices, especially when factoring in free installation.  Always a promotion of some kind going on.

The only difficulty there is that each major brand has it's own set of salespeople and many of them are poorly informed and only interested in trading you up. 

Big-C was really frustrating to shop...it seemed every model on display was discontinued and unavailable; even ones being currently advertised. 

[seajae]

10 hours ago, Aforek said:

First, thanks for your different and useful suggestions

I have bought ( Home pro ) some reflective film ( 229 bahts 1mx 0.74 cm ) and I put on the window itself and one other one on the frame, which means there is a void between both ) and I must say it's very good, in the afternoon, the window is not fresh but very little warm; there is also a good air circulation with doors open, air coming from the other side of the house , and big fan, no need A/C, but, as said above, wall is still warm ( not hot ); I have seen there are reflective paint , for instance Beger Cool, in Thailand, you think it's good  ? thanks

for paint to reflect the sun you need the lighter colours, white is best and it needs a shiny finish. Paint oxidizes quickly here due to the amount of sun and dust so you also need to wash it fairly often as well to maintain the reflection of the sun but the walls will still get warm, they are brick and cement render so they naturally absorb the heat and hold it,  to really stop it you need a double wall with a gap in the middle, here they are just very thin walls to save on costs so the heat will always be a problem unless you build yourself to overseas standards

[ourdon]

Hi again,

Glad to hear that the film is helpful.  As far as the reflective paint is concerned, I'm not familiar with what is available.  I have tried a white high gloss paint once for its' reflective qualities.  I can't say how effective it was as we did several different things at the same time.  We resolved the tenant issue, but how much each item contributed is difficult to assess.   I tend to agree with Seajaes response concerning paint and brick heat loading.

 

I'm  not that familiar with LOS building practises.  The Thai climate requires different building practices than I'm used to dealing with so I don't want to steer you wrong. I do know that a heated wall is a large heat sink unless you install a thermal break during construction.

 

Is this room on the ground floor or ......?  I ask because I can't help wonder if you could set up tarps or awnings or something aesthetically pleasing outside that would block the sun for a few hours.  Check the local open air bars (always a pleasant task) or stores to see if they have any interesting way of keeping the sun off their customers.  Adapt it to your needs.

 

[Aforek]

Hello, me again, I need your advice

walls are still very warm ( 2d floor ) and I decided to buy A/C . I have found a Daikin 8500 btu ( I try to calculate with a site on the Internet , and I found  I need 6500 btu ) to Lazada 16490 bahts with inverter  ; 8500 btu for a small room is correct ? it's my computer room and I intend to use it  3-4  hours , afternoon ( about 1pm to 5 pm )

how much for installation by a " chang " ( artisan ) ?

thanks

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2016 by Aforek