[Avinash_R]

Am in need of a 1.5 ton for my bedroom. I plan to use it only for 2hrs in the night till my bedroom reaches a comfortable temperature.

Shortlisted the Panasonic 1.5 ton 3star for 28k. However, when I glanced to an old ac unit that was lying at the bottom of the display, I saw General written on it. The shop can get me the 3 star unit of the same for 31k.

Is it a good deal? I cannot find service centres for General in Bangalore. I used the link :: Welcome to the OGENERAL AIR CONDITIONERS ::: but it does not give me any list. Should I go ahead with the panasonic, I am tilted towards the General because of what I have read on this thread but A.S.S or rather the lack of it is a worry.

Please advice.

[khoj]

General now has authorized service franchisees in all cities.

Talk to the Service Manager at the local company office in your city directly to find out more

ETA General Pvt. Ltd.
Globe House, Ground Floor,
Door No.105, Richmond Circle,
BANGALORE – 560 025
Tel: 080-40926531/38,
Fax: 080-40926528
kar@etageneral.com

:: Welcome to the OGENERAL AIR CONDITIONERS :::

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

I am tilted towards the General because of what I have read on this thread but A.S.S or rather the lack of it is a worry.

Please advice.

[AvinashV]

Originally Posted by bluevolt

I will not recommend LG and Samsung. I have Samsung split A/C and it has failed 2-3 times in past 4 years of service. My other 5 and 2 year old Voltas have no issues. Same is the case with LG (noisy and coil leaking in our office every season).

For this summer I got a 1.5 ton Panasonic cube split AC for 20K.

Bluevolt could you tell us about your experience with the cube. Plan to buy the 1.2 ton version for my 140sq. feet room. But a little confused as it is a totally new design & the lack of features like sleep mode & the fact that it only has a low or high setting.
Have you installed this in your house or office?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by khoj

:: Welcome to the OGENERAL AIR CONDITIONERS :::

Has General increased the scale of its operations here? Was all that ducted and large-scale commercial system stuff available from them before?

Do you know anything about this DC Inverter Multi system? Would it be economical for a private house? Would the single (-point-of-failure) external unit be a major worry?

Just general-interest questions, so no worries if no-one has the information to hand.

[khoj]

They did start with the regd. and corp. office plus set ups in the 4 metros of Bombay, Delhi and Hyderabad in their initial year of operations and since then have established direct presence in the next level cities too. Dealer network obviously has spread to almost all of the markets whee demand for premium products exists and /or is growing.

The ducted and large scale commercial systems are a conditioning companies bread and butter, consumer sales is the cream(malai in Hindi) or the cherry on top. It was therefore a no brainer for General also to kick start the operations with that market segment and in fact their manufacturing/assembly operations in Pondicherry cater primarily to that market.

Coming to DC inverter systems these are the same inverter air conditioners that are being referred to on the thread. In these machines the AC supply is converted to DC and then inverted back to AC but in a much more clean and regulated state compared to the incoming supply from the utility company. This paves the way for the name 'inverter'. The circuitry in these machines allow the compressor speed to be regulated. Hence the compressor can run at full speed from sart up to achieve the desired temperature and upon achieving the same it can run on a reduced speed to maintain the same. The speed is infinitely increased and decreased given the variance in the temperature compared to the set point. Owing to this the variance is never too large thereby leading to an increase in the comfort levels and since the numerous on off on cycles of the compressor are eliminated, the power consumption is alo reduced. The ON operation being the highest power guzzler in the running of any airconditioner. Moreover due to the DC supply being rectified the electrical wear and tear (apart from the reduced mechanical wear) on the components is reduced. On the flip side the components which run on DC need to be built to higher tolerance levels, hence one gets a better quality machine built to more stringent specifications.



As for suitability, wherever a machine runs for extended periods it is desirable to go for an inverter. Atleast I like to move with the trend as long as the trend is not bordering on 'gimmicks'. You can do a quick calculation considering maybe a 15~20% reduction in operating cost compared to a regular airconditioner.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Has General increased the scale of its operations here? Was all that ducted and large-scale commercial system stuff available from them before?

Do you know anything about this DC Inverter Multi system? Would it be economical for a private house? Would the single (-point-of-failure) external unit be a major worry?

Just general-interest questions, so no worries if no-one has the information to hand.

[harshunlimited]

Originally Posted by khoj

Sell off the old unit and buy the Daikin. The models you have mentioned are suitable for a 200+ sq ft room. Looking at the long hours inverter is not a bad idea in your case.

You can repair the coils but then it is easier said than done and usually such units become a test bed for the service provider's trainees. BTW "tailor made" in this industry = Jugaad, so stay away unless you really like the guys from Galaxy. Had the dealer said 9 days to import the unit for this specific model and then delivered a duly packed and sealed unit, then it would be a different story. You may want to talk to Simraj in case they have a direct replacement in hand Simraj - White Westinghouse authorised service centre Delhi, white westinghouse india dealer, dealer of white westinghouse in india, dealer of white westinghouse in delhi, White Westinghouse authorised service centre south Delhi, White Westinghouse r "Buyer Beware" is the mantra when dealing with any of these guys, you have been forewarned.

Thanks Khoj, I did contact Simraj also, same reply, "it will be 'jugaadofied' ". Will look to book Daikin in that case.

Just one more question: Which is the quietest 1.5T window?
I need it for my father's 30 year old Frigidaire (Can you believe it?). Can't replace it with Split. I am bending towards Hitachi RAT518ESD.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by AvinashV

Bluevolt could you tell us about your experience with the cube. Plan to buy the 1.2 ton version for my 140sq. feet room. But a little confused as it is a totally new design & the lack of features like sleep mode & the fact that it only has a low or high setting.
Have you installed this in your house or office?

Hi Avinash,

I am yet to install the unit at house but the same unit is installed at a relative's place. This series was launched last summer.

It looks good after installation as it is fresh design when compared to conventional indoor units.

So I recommend you the same.

http://www.panasonic.co.in/wps/porta...nditioner/cube

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks khoj, your insight and advice on this thread is invaluable, even to those of us who are not currently buying. Much appreciated.

I wonder how the price of the General multi-unit, for three or four rooms, would compare with three or four separate split units? Given the theory behind the inverter systems, it would make sense to have one compressor running, rather than starting and stopping different units?

[Sn1p3r]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Thanks khoj, your insight and advice on this thread is invaluable, even to those of us who are not currently buying. Much appreciated.

I wonder how the price of the General multi-unit, for three or four rooms, would compare with three or four separate split units? Given the theory behind the inverter systems, it would make sense to have one compressor running, rather than starting and stopping different units?

I am not sure of the recent advancement of technology but in 2002 I was sure told that separate installations work out to be cheaper by an architect. This was for our house which is a triplex.

Recently apartment buildings have come up with USP of reducing electrical bills over conventional cooling equipments to about 20-30% savings with VRFT solutions.
@khoj can you please throw some light on this as well. I thought Thad and this addition go along. Thanks!

[manim]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Do you know anything about this DC Inverter Multi system?

Here is the catalogue I got from the local dealer regarding OGeneral Inverters with R410A gas (NOT the multi-system but individual ones for private homes).

[one-77]

Guys, we are looking to install ACs in two of the first floor bedrooms at home. 1.5 tonne machines would suffice for both.

We've narrowed down on the following:
Panasonic Econ Pearl CS-YC12NKY-S, 3-star, Rs. 27,200
Hitachi Kaze RAU318KSD, 3-star, Rs. 28,600
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries <Don't know model number>, 4-star, Rs. 33,000+Rs. 2,000 for the installation kit.

I have the following queries:
1. Which would be the best buy of the three?
2. Have seen a lot of bad reviews about Hitachi's service on the net. Are they really that bad?
3. Is anything known about Mitsubishi's service network in India? Since it's an import, will spares and service be an issue if we were to buy a Mitsu and run into trouble some years down the line?
4. Does anyone have the link to Mitsubishi's product portfolio in India? Their website doesn't seem very helpful!

Please shed some light!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

...
Do you know anything about this DC Inverter Multi system? Would it be economical for a private house? Would the single (-point-of-failure) ....

Thad, beware of multi-split systems! There is definitely, as you already suspect, going to be a failure at some point, almost certainly during a bad hot spell in summer. Would you want to move into a hotel for that duration?
Also, for some reason, multi split systems never did become cost competitive.

[sgiitk]

@manim; Looks good. Only no mention of R410 anywhere in the blurb

[manim]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@manim; Looks good. Only no mention of R410 anywhere in the blurb

But it is there in the pdf!
See top-middle, printed 'Refrigant R410A'.

I was quoted MRP rates for 1.5T and 2T as Rs.51,990 and Rs.59,990 respectively.
As per specs, the 2T model appears to be very powerful, going up to 2.2T capacity.

However the dealer had doubts about the availability of stocks.

I am presently waiting for Daikin Inverter stocks for the past three weeks!

[khoj]

The quietest window at this moment has to be the Hitachi Quadricool TM. Do note that TM has been emphasized upon as this model comes with two fan motors, one each for the inner and the outer fan. This feature which will cost you probably a 1~2K extra allows the front section to be sealed off thus eliminating the compressor noise from entering the room, thereby making the machine more silent that others.
Next in line would be a General machine with an original US made reciprocating compressor. This model is selectively available from the company and comes with a remote control. The dealer would have to order it as the running model comes with a rotary compressor.

Originally Posted by harshunlimited

Thanks Khoj, I did contact Simraj also, same reply, "it will be 'jugaadofied' ". Will look to book Daikin in that case.

Just one more question: Which is the quietest 1.5T window?
I need it for my father's 30 year old Frigidaire (Can you believe it?). Can't replace it with Split. I am bending towards Hitachi RAT518ESD.

Now now Thad, I believe it is time for me to borrow one of your patent smilies :blush:

I concur with anupmathur ji's observations. Such units in our climatic conditions require high capacity compressors and different types of compressor which then are not economically feasible for residential use. In colder climates like in the US these units find wide and easy acceptance as the total tonnage required for a medium size three to four bedroom independent unit would be 2 ~ 3 tons at the most. Comparatively a typical Indian house would require 15~20 tons.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Thanks khoj, your insight and advice on this thread is invaluable, even to those of us who are not currently buying. Much appreciated.

I wonder how the price of the General multi-unit, for three or four rooms, would compare with three or four separate split units? Given the theory behind the inverter systems, it would make sense to have one compressor running, rather than starting and stopping different units?

Panasonic would be the best bet out of the machines shortlisted.

Hitachi service is not bad but their current machines leave a lot to be desired.

Mitsubishi is a great machine but currently one should buy this only in a Metro.

Originally Posted by one-77

Guys, we are looking to install ACs in two of the first floor bedrooms at home. 1.5 tonne machines would suffice for both.

We've narrowed down on the following:
Panasonic Econ Pearl CS-YC12NKY-S, 3-star, Rs. 27,200
Hitachi Kaze RAU318KSD, 3-star, Rs. 28,600
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries <Don't know model number>, 4-star, Rs. 33,000+Rs. 2,000 for the installation kit.

I have the following queries:
1. Which would be the best buy of the three?
2. Have seen a lot of bad reviews about Hitachi's service on the net. Are they really that bad?
3. Is anything known about Mitsubishi's service network in India? Since it's an import, will spares and service be an issue if we were to buy a Mitsu and run into trouble some years down the line?
4. Does anyone have the link to Mitsubishi's product portfolio in India? Their website doesn't seem very helpful!

Please shed some light!

Sir, please see the first page of literature alongside the picture, top dead centre reads "Refrigerant R410A"

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@manim; Looks good. Only no mention of R410 anywhere in the blurb