Air Conditioner Gas Refill Cost

[chickenslegs]

3 minutes ago, Naam said:

you come to my home and i show you little boxes mounted below my indoor units producing O3 (ozone) which prevents mold problems especially the dangerous mold build-up at the evaporators.

 

Hi Naam, Could you share a bit more information about those devices.

[Naam]

On 8/27/2017 at 11:14 AM, mogandave said:

Unit should not use refrigerant, if it needs to be re-charged, it is leaking.

all said, nothing to add!

[tutsiwarrior]

1 minute ago, Naam said:

that is correct. another expression for brazing is "hard soldering". but we are talking technicalities.

yeah...and fer a new installation they do the brazing on the spot, no need to remove to the shop fer this purpose...but I suppose for a repair they would havta grind down a new joint surface which might require special handling...

 

having said that 5 years ago for a new unit we had a brazed joint fail (outside between the evaporator and the condenser) and they managed to repair it 'in situ'...

 

later the harassed supervisor intimated that there would be a charge and I narrowed my eyes and thought: 'I know that TiT but everyone guarantees their work' and I left it to my wife to sort out...I believe that we  paid fer the new refrigerant only...

 

 

[Naam]

1 minute ago, chickenslegs said:

Hi Naam, Could you share a bit more information about those devices.

what is sold are dangerous toys in hands of people who are not familiar with the fact that 3-value oxygen is a poisonous killer gas. fortunately one can smell it. the units i installed are controlled remotely, have settings 1-10 and are rather easy to handle based on a simple calculation ozone production in mg/hour/m³. if you are really interested i will tell you more.

[chickenslegs]

Just now, Naam said:

what is sold are dangerous toys in hands of people who are not familiar with the fact that 3-value oxygen is a poisonous killer gas. fortunately one can smell it. the units i installed are controlled remotely, have settings 1-10 and are rather easy to handle based on a simple calculation ozone production in mg/hour/m³. if you are really interested i will tell you more.

I will do some research and may get back to you. Initial (Googling) research confirms your remarks about the dangers. Thanks.

[Naam]

On 8/27/2017 at 11:14 AM, mogandave said:

The only service should be cleaning the filter. The coils should not get dirty or moldy.

objection your honour! firstly the filters are not fine enough to catch all airborne pollution and secondly mold grows at the moist evaporator fins when the unit is not run continously 24/7. there's no way to prevent mold by filtering. remove or kill. 

[Naam]

7 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I will do some research and may get back to you. Initial (Googling) research confirms your remarks about the dangers. Thanks.

tell me your objectives and i will try to assist.

[chickenslegs]

Just now, Naam said:

tell me your objectives and i will try to assist.

We have a young child in the house (5yr old grand-daughter). She seems to be suffering a lot of nasal congestion and catarrh.  Air con filters are cleaned every 3 months or so and are black with sticky deposits. Ceiling fan blades get dirty very quickly.

 

I suspect that mold is the problem, but the house is well ventilated and there are no obvious signs of damp.

[Naam]

1 hour ago, chickenslegs said:

We have a young child in the house (5yr old grand-daughter). She seems to be suffering a lot of nasal congestion and catarrh.  Air con filters are cleaned every 3 months or so and are black with sticky deposits. Ceiling fan blades get dirty very quickly.

 

I suspect that mold is the problem, but the house is well ventilated and there are no obvious signs of damp.

a clear sign of mold. you have to clean and disinfect the filters as well as the units. the ventilation of the house is irrelevant and does not prevent mold to grow in your aircons. disinfecting is simple and cheap. done with a few squirts from a spray container filled with H²O² (Hydrogen Peroxide) available in bulk quantity from pool shops (25 liters 700-900 Baht).

[KittenKong]

I dont think that the black crud that develops in my air-con and also on ceiling fan blades and imperfections on the wall surfaces is mould, at least not entirely. I think it is mostly black particles from the air (diesel?). The fact that exactly same thing develops in my car air-con seems to confirm that as I only use the car a few hours a week. The same particles deposit themselves on my balcony floor also, and in the outdoor part of the air-con.

[Naam]

2 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

I dont think that the black crud that develops in my air-con and also on ceiling fan blades and imperfections on the wall surfaces is mould, at least not entirely. I think it is mostly black particles from the air (diesel?). The fact that exactly same thing develops in my car air-con seems to confirm that as I only use the car a few hours a week. The same particles deposit themselves on my balcony floor also, and in the outdoor part of the air-con.

never seen any black stuff in an outdoor unit but on the part where the insulated pipes enter the unit which gets cold inspite of the insulation, condense water forms et voilà... mold grows. 

[KittenKong]

8 hours ago, Naam said:

never seen any black stuff in an outdoor unit but on the part where the insulated pipes enter the unit which gets cold inspite of the insulation, condense water forms et voilà... mold grows. 

 

The radiator fins on the outdoor part of my air-con are absolutely covered in black dust and when the fins are washed the water runs very black. These fins are not humid at all: in fact they are hot and dry. For this reason I doubt very much that this black residue is mould.

 

The residue on the air-con fins and rotary fan inside seems to be similar but there of course it is more humid, so it could well be a mixture of mould and the same airborne particles (the latter surely from diesel fumes). "Fresh sea air", my arse.

[transam]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

 

The radiator fins on the outdoor part of my air-con are absolutely covered in black dust and when the fins are washed the water runs very black. These fins are not humid at all: in fact they are hot and dry. For this reason I doubt very much that this black residue is mould.

 

The residue on the air-con fins and rotary fan inside seems to be similar but there of course it is more humid, so it could well be a mixture of mould and the same airborne particles (the latter surely from diesel fumes). "Fresh sea air", my arse.

The handset for my A/C has a "mold" button, never used it cos l don't know the procedure, guess l will try a google search.

Oh, the "mould" buildup in my unit is green, guy showed me the growth. 

[Naam]

3 hours ago, transam said:

The handset for my A/C has a "mold" button, never used it cos l don't know the procedure, guess l will try a google search.

Oh, the "mould" buildup in my unit is green, guy showed me the growth. 

the procedure is "compressor off, fan high speed" to dry the evaporator fins. this feature is integrated in U.S. central air systems. meaning the fan keeps running for another few minutes after the compressor has shut off. but there's also a setting that keeps the fan running continously.

[KittenKong]

3 hours ago, transam said:

The handset for my A/C has a "mold" button, never used it cos l don't know the procedure, guess l will try a google search.

Oh, the "mould" buildup in my unit is green, guy showed me the growth. 

 

I always understood that setting was for reducing/combatting mould growth in the room (ie on clothes in wardrobes) rather than in the air-con unit, and that it works by reducing humidity more than reducing temperature. I could be entirely wrong, of course. The unit I had before my current inverter model had such a setting, but I never used it. The new inverter doesnt have it at all.

 

I certainly dont have any green growth anywhere in or near my air-con, but the condensation drain pipe regularly clogs up with a sort of algae if it isnt flushed correctly when the unit is cleaned. I also squirt a weak vinegar solution into the indoor fins once a fortnight when I clean the filters, which keeps the algae at bay.

[hackjam]

After my A/C is running for a few hours, I hear these crackling sounds every 20 seconds or so, the crackling sound is for a split second and is very annoying, anyone any ideas?

[johng]

Likely to be the plastic cover making the noise..try slightly loosening the screws holding it together....you might get a rattling instead [emoji1]

[transam]

45 minutes ago, hackjam said:

After my A/C is running for a few hours, I hear these crackling sounds every 20 seconds or so, the crackling sound is for a split second and is very annoying, anyone any ideas?

It's a Mozzy rave.....

[mogandave]

After my A/C is running for a few hours, I hear these crackling sounds every 20 seconds or so, the crackling sound is for a split second and is very annoying, anyone any ideas?

When it starts crawling, open the grill, pull the filter and see if the coil is freezing over.

[mogandave]

 
I always understood that setting was for reducing/combatting mould growth in the room (ie on clothes in wardrobes) rather than in the air-con unit, and that it works by reducing humidity more than reducing temperature. I could be entirely wrong, of course. The unit I had before my current inverter model had such a setting, but I never used it. The new inverter doesnt have it at all.
 
I certainly dont have any green growth anywhere in or near my air-con, but the condensation drain pipe regularly clogs up with a sort of algae if it isnt flushed correctly when the unit is cleaned. I also squirt a weak vinegar solution into the indoor fins once a fortnight when I clean the filters, which keeps the algae at bay.

Running only the fan will increase the humidity in the room, and dry out the evaporator coil.

The water that collects in, and subsequently drains from the unit is the humidity coming out of the room.

If your drain is clogging regularly the drain-pipe it is poorly configured.

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

The water that collects in, and subsequently drains from the unit is the humidity coming out of the room.

 

I know.

 

 

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

If your drain is clogging regularly the drain-pipe it is poorly configured.

 

No, it isnt. It just needs flushing occasionally in order to remove the algae and anything else that might have decided to take up residence in it. This is always performed as part of the regular cleaning process by any air-con cleaner who knows his job and if this is done then it doesnt clog. To help it along I also give it a quick spray with my vinegar mixture, as algae does not like the acid pH value.

[mogandave]

 
No, it isnt. It just needs flushing occasionally in order to remove the algae and anything else that might have decided to take up residence in it. This is always performed as part of the regular cleaning process by any air-con cleaner who knows his job and if this is done then it doesnt clog. To help it along I also give it a quick spray with my vinegar mixture, as algae does not like the acid pH value.

Whatever

[4MyEgo]

On 28/08/2017 at 4:35 PM, mogandave said:

I do find it amusing that the same guys that have to have tradesmen out to their homes every few months to add refrigerant and have all the dirt and mold cleaned out of their coils are telling me I don't know what I'm talking about, while I just hose off the filter every month or two (about a 10-minute job) and have no trouble year after year.

Perhaps all the mold and leaks come from "welding" the copper tubing...



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I have to agree with you mogandave, of the 7 units we have, all I have been doing over the years is clean the filters at the end of each month, I say the end of each month so I don't forget.

 

Never had anyone come over to do anything on any unit and they all work fine, no mould as we open all the windows and doors through the house until the hot air starts to come in, then we close them a little faster than we opened them and switch on the bedroom units when we go to sleep, might put the living room one on at 12 midday if its really hot and leave it till about 6pm, that unit is big enough to cool the house, excluding bedrooms.

 

Only time had someone come over as I mentioned was when the original guy who installed them all wanted 1,500 baht to weld the leak, and I assuming he meant solder, however offered him 1,000 baht because I believe the problem stemmed from him relocating it from a room that we really didn't use, although we did test it did and it did work on the day of the relocation, top up and all, but I didn't need to use it for weeks later, only to find the air coming from the unit was hot, suffice to say as his work would only take him a couple of hours at best, plus the initial refill which was a waste of time, i.e. should have known if he relocated it and topped it up only weeks ago, then it would have a leak, so no need for a refill, and to try and stick it to me for 1,500 baht, he has lost my business, whereas an outsider came in and did it for 800 baht i.e. found the leak, although I knew where it was, and wanted to see what he would say, have to bait them, and he took it away and used a soldering iron on the leaking area, refilled it and was happy with the tip taking it to 1,000 baht, also knowing we will call him in the future for the other units.

 

Bite the hand that feeds you, go hungry, be smart keep the tap running slowly and you will never go thirsty, its called survival 555, suffice to say the other guy bite off more than he could chew, even drove past the day the other guy was here with his signage on his car and the Mrs has made sure the village knows what he tried to do, snakes can sometimes hide, but will get caught eventually if they stick their heads out too far.

[4MyEgo]

23 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

I always understood that setting was for reducing/combatting mould growth in the room (ie on clothes in wardrobes) rather than in the air-con unit, and that it works by reducing humidity more than reducing temperature. I could be entirely wrong, of course. The unit I had before my current inverter model had such a setting, but I never used it. The new inverter doesnt have it at all.

 

I certainly dont have any green growth anywhere in or near my air-con, but the condensation drain pipe regularly clogs up with a sort of algae if it isnt flushed correctly when the unit is cleaned. I also squirt a weak vinegar solution into the indoor fins once a fortnight when I clean the filters, which keeps the algae at bay.

Vinegar, hmm will have to have a look at that.

[transam]

9 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Vinegar, hmm will have to have a look at that.

NOT malt vinegar, post that to me...

[Dazinoz]

On 27/08/2017 at 10:43 PM, Hereinthailand said:

Soldered ??? lol yeah just solder the high pressure line on an ac unit and see how long it lasts. Again shows you know nothing about hvac units. But wait maybe thats why they make so much money here fixing leaks in ac units.

Well actually they are soldered. Silver soldered. This has a much higher strength than normal solder. What I used to use in Oz. Also if a line is soldered/welded/brazed it should be done with the line full of nitrogen. This stop oxide forming on the inside of the copper pipe and eventually finds its way to the compressor when run. 

[BEVUP]

No difference as to fitting copper pipe in a house - silver solder / Brazing rods or what ever else

& by the way those aircon men just spray your coils with water & never touch the blower & do a half arse job on the outside unit for 500bht

[Naam]

12 minutes ago, BEVUP said:

& by the way those aircon men just spray your coils with water & never touch the blower & do a half arse job on the outside unit for 500bht

who are "those aircon men" you are talking about? 

[BEVUP]

3 minutes ago, Naam said:

who are "those aircon men" you are talking about? 

The ones that did my first & last clean for them

[Dazinoz]

No difference as to fitting copper pipe in a house - silver solder / Brazing rods or what ever else

Are you saying no difference to soldering plumbing pipe and air conditioning pipe?