[undead]

Originally Posted by graaja

Hi Friends,

I am planning to buy an AC. The room size is 16x16 feet and the room is situated on the first floor directly below the terrace. My usage would be mostly limited to 3 months in summer - about 3 to 4 hours in the afternoon and 8 hours in the night.

I visited the local home appliances dealer here and he said I would require a 2 ton AC for this room size. He also mentioned that LG has a model called "Invertor V" (variable tonnage). In this model a 1.5 ton AC would be enough. I need advice from experts on the following questions.

1. What tonnage should I go for a 256 sq. ft. room?
2. What are the advantages of choosing an inverter AC over conventional one? How much electricity savings would an inverter AC provide?
3. Which company should I choose? The dealer here is trying to push LG. Is LG any good? How good is their service?
4. What are the alternatives? There is Panasonic Econavi which they say has some intelligent algorithm for cooling. How good is Panasonic and how is the service?

Thank you in advance for the guidance.

I had LG in my 16×16 and it lasted for 3 yrs only . The plastic are very low quality. If you dont maintain it properly with regular maintenance, the indoor unit gets damaged soon.
Here what it happened. Usually I clean the dust filter of the unit once a month . But I forgot for 3 months and what happened was that the plastic inside holding the motor got melted due to excessive running of the motor as the unit was struggling to keep up. Then water started flowing from the front.
Then I exchanged for Voltas and for 7 yrs working fine till today with maintenance of once in 6 months
Buy a good quality product. A little additional 5000 , product life will come for few more years. .
Note :- I dont know about the LG quality now. Back then it was poor . Not sure whether they have improved now.

Regarding the inverter ac, it is much useful when you are running a lot. If you are using the a/c only during night (ie) while sleeping, normal unit is enough. Go for inverter a/c if you plan to use it for throughout the day.
It like diesel vs petrol car.

[Traveller Nayak]

Originally Posted by graaja

Hi Friends,

I am planning to buy an AC. The room size is 16x16 feet and the room is situated on the first floor directly below the terrace. My usage would be mostly limited to 3 months in summer - about 3 to 4 hours in the afternoon and 8 hours in the night.

Originally Posted by undead

I had LG in my 16×16 and it lasted for 3 yrs only . The plastic are very low quality. If you dont maintain it properly with regular maintenance, the indoor unit gets damaged soon.

Buy a good quality product. A little additional 5000 , product life will come for few more years.

I bought a LG and a Hitachi, within a gap on 1 month, about 12 years ago. I haven't had any issues with both. But somehow I felt the room which had Hitachi felt better. Since then I have stuck to Hitachi. As on date 3 Hitachi and 1 LG (the old one installed in a backup corner). The LG still runs and cools. I have known people who have Voltas and are happy too.

Re; efficiency, I am not an expert but AC (irrespective of the type) will consume electricity. I doubt if an 'inverter' will be able to significantly cut down the bill. But do look for the Star rating on the machine. If manufacturers are saying that inverter will consume less electricity then I suspect there will be a decent price difference between an inverter and non inverter model.

As undead says: buy a Good product.

Will be good in long run.

Happy shopping!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by undead

I had LG in my 16×16 and it lasted for 3 yrs only . The plastic are very low quality. If you dont maintain it properly with regular maintenance, the indoor unit gets damaged soon.
...

Buy a good quality product. A little additional 5000 , product life will come for few more years. .

...
Regarding the inverter ac, it is much useful when you are running a lot. If you are using the a/c only during night (ie) while sleeping, normal unit is enough. Go for inverter a/c if you plan to use it for throughout the day.
It like diesel vs petrol car.

Thank you very much for the reply. Actually, the home appliances dealer was trying hard to sell LG.

I am also checking out Daikin now. The Daikin guy is suggesting 2T AC for the room and does not recommend 1.5T. For a 2T inverter model in Daikin, the cost is working out about 10K more than LG 1.5T, but I am fine with that if the quality is good.

Also, I have not checked out the 5 star rated AC yet. My usage would be about 3 hours in the afternoon and 8 hours in the night. If this usage does not justify an inverter AC then I will also explore 5 star rated ones.

Originally Posted by Traveller Nayak

...

As undead says: buy a Good product.

Will be good in long run.

Happy shopping!

Thanks Nayak. I will definitely opt for a quality product even if the cost goes up by 5 to 10k.

I have another question. In terms of quality, which are the good brands that I should consider? I am looking at both reliability of operation and in case there is any problem, quick service support.

[Traveller Nayak]

Originally Posted by graaja

I am also checking out Daikin now. The Daikin guy is suggesting 2T AC for the room and does not recommend 1.5T. For a 2T inverter model in Daikin, the cost is working out about 10K more than LG 1.5T, but I am fine with that if the quality is good.

Originally Posted by graaja

In terms of quality, which are the good brands that I should consider? I am looking at both reliability of operation and in case there is any problem, quick service support.

If I was buying one for myself, I would have explored from Hitachi (no surprise there), LG, Voltas and Daikin. Voltas may not give you the looks but delivers on performance.

I have seen Daikin to be used in all good restaurants and plush offices. While that is not a validation that the product is good, but it is a pointer nevertheless.

In terms of service, with such competition in the market everyone is trying to put their best foot forward. From my own experience and from what I have heard from friends, the Korean and the Japanese are better in terms of proactiveness. If you take care - any of the respectable brands will serve you well. I have the LG with me for past 12 years. Timely service and cleaning of filters.

You should also consider the market penetration of the brand in your area as that will in all likelihood also become a factor in servicing / problem resolution. This is because if a brand has a good presence it will also be expected to have a good backend support mechanism in place.

[diyguy]

I have had all brands acs in the past 20-30 years. In the 80s we had a window fedders lloyd, then lg, carrier, og, samsung, hitachi. All these were window and 1.5T. None of them lasted long for me. Max was 4 years.
I then shifted to split and currently have a 2T Samsung (2007Jan), 1.5T Samsung 2 star (2013 Aug) and two Daikins 1.5T (2010). These are all running well. The key to longevity I realized is minimal handling by service guys. All of my window acs used to be carried by the service guys to the bathroom to wash. That killed all of them. The splits are now maintained by me, once in 6 months. I remove the indoor unit screws and clean thoroughly.
My father in law bought a lg window with me in 1999 and it is still cooling and works fine. Main reason is he doesn't get it serviced the way I used to. He cleans the filter once a month, that's it!!!
This is my experience, not sure about others..

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Traveller Nayak

If I was buying one for myself, I would have explored from Hitachi (no surprise there), LG, Voltas and Daikin. Voltas may not give you the looks but delivers on performance.

I have seen Daikin to be used in all good restaurants and plush offices. While that is not a validation that the product is good, but it is a pointer nevertheless.

...

Thanks for the feedback Nayak. I will check out the Hitachi models as well.

Originally Posted by diyguy

I then shifted to split and currently have a 2T Samsung (2007Jan), 1.5T Samsung 2 star (2013 Aug) and two Daikins 1.5T (2010). These are all running well. The key to longevity I realized is minimal handling by service guys. All of my window acs used to be carried by the service guys to the bathroom to wash. That killed all of them. The splits are now maintained by me, once in 6 months. I remove the indoor unit screws and clean thoroughly.
My father in law bought a lg window with me in 1999 and it is still cooling and works fine. Main reason is he doesn't get it serviced the way I used to. He cleans the filter once a month, that's it!!!
This is my experience, not sure about others..

Thanks diyguy. I will try to keep the AC maintained well. Also, as you have both 2T and 1.5T ACs, can you provide me with some insight on the sizing of the AC? What is the room size where you are using the 2T and what are the sizes of the rooms where you use 1.5T?

My room size is 16x16 feet and I am getting very contradictory opinions about the AC sizing. The guy at the dealers tells me that if I go with LG which is an "Inverter V" (variable tonnage) model, I can use 1.5T, whereas any other manufacturer, I will need 2T. I spoke to the Daikin dealer and he insists I have to go for a 2T for my room size if I need efficient cooling.

Thanks for any insights you could provide on this.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thanks diyguy. I will try to keep the AC maintained well. Also, as you have both 2T and 1.5T ACs, can you provide me with some insight on the sizing of the AC? What is the room size where you are using the 2T and what are the sizes of the rooms where you use 1.5T?



My room size is 16x16 feet and I am getting very contradictory opinions about the AC sizing. The guy at the dealers tells me that if I go with LG which is an "Inverter V" (variable tonnage) model, I can use 1.5T, whereas any other manufacturer, I will need 2T. I spoke to the Daikin dealer and he insists I have to go for a 2T for my room size if I need efficient cooling.



Thanks for any insights you could provide on this.

Well I bought my 2T Ac in my previous house. It was a L shaped hall and measured about 600 sq ft. There was a stair case leading to a mezzanine room as well which was extra. We used the Ac all summer for comfort and it was sufficient to be comfortable. I do not rely on the sales guys push but based on our experience, decide. For eg I maintain my bedroom Daikin 1.5 at 23degrees for a 140 sq ft and by morning it is really freezing. if you want to be comfortable I think a daikin 1.5t should suffice for you. If you want to freeze then a 2T would be required.
An important point to consider is if your house is wired to withstand the ampere needs of a 2T. In 2012 we shifted house and my 2T now had to cool only about 350sq ft living room. But the main board had only 40A phase change switches. So one summer night when 3 acs were chugging away one of the phase changers melted along with some wire fire within the DB. I changed to 63A and it works fine since. I have placed a smoke detector now inside the DB to catch such a mishap early now though.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by diyguy

If you want to be comfortable I think a daikin 1.5t should suffice for you. If you want to freeze then a 2T would be required.
An important point to consider is if your house is wired to withstand the ampere needs of a 2T. In 2012 we shifted house and my 2T now had to cool only about 350sq ft living room. But the main board had only 40A phase change switches. So one summer night when 3 acs were chugging away one of the phase changers melted along with some wire fire within the DB. I changed to 63A and it works fine since. I have placed a smoke detector now inside the DB to catch such a mishap early now though.

Thanks diyguy. As my room is on the first floor and open to the terrace, and I like it really cold, I think I will go with the 2T.

Regarding the wiring, you have a very valid point there. I have dedicated wires running for each individual AC with a 32A rated circuit breaker for each line. So, I think this should not be a problem with the 2T.

Thank you once again for all the advice and guidance.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by su_madness

Hi everyone, been a silent reader of team-bhp for over 5 years. Our 8 year old Electrolux 1.5 ton Window AC stopped working recently and we are planning to replace it. Options are Voltas 5* window (27k street price) and Samsung inverter (41k street price). Samsung is tempting with 10 year compressor and 3 year condenser warranties. One more thing, Hitachi has terrible service here, and we kind of trust LG here(Cuttack-Odisha) because of service. Daikin and General are popular too but they are too expensive. Was interested in Sharp but service center is in the neighboring city only, and we have had bad experiences with Panasonic (different product, long story). My question is between the 5* and inverter, EER being slightly higher in the inverter, what would be the payback time? Running hours would be around 10-14 hours a day for 8 months (it is very very hot here). Am a green-bee, so heart says inverter, but head is asking this question. Will R22 be banned after 2015?

Our Electrolux Window will be repaired by our jugaad guy, he is an excellent AC mechanic. The body has bent due to age or water that led to the fan breaking. We will be putting it up in a room where it will be rarely used.

@mods - kudos for maintaining such a amazing forum.

14 hours x 8 months = 14*8*30=3360 hours assuming that the compressor runs 50% of the time that is 1680 hours. Here is the saving in units
- Difference is 500W -> 840 units saved
- Difference is 400W -> 672 units saved
- Difference is 250W -> 420 units saved
multiply the units saved by the Electricity rates and you get the saving per year. Here in Delhi the rate is around Rs.6.5.

What matters is that the Electricity rates will keep rising every year, so you will save more each year. Another plus of Inverter is that they just slow the compressor down, so you always get cold air at the correct temperature unlike the normal AC where you get a blast of air at 12-15 degrees when the compressor is on and 25 when it is off (assuming you set it at around 25).

[ashish.uno]

I am putting up in Orissa right now and its quite hot here even at the best of times. Last year i opted for Daikin. I chose this brand after considering Panasonic & Hitachi. Although Daikin set me off a cool amount of cash. I am happy with what it has offered. The built quality is superb in and out. No cost cutting evident so far.
The other benefit is its reliability. I ran this AC for days non stop (5-7 days and more) and it worked flawlessly. The indoor unit is surprisingly quiet and even the external one is excellent as far as noise level is concerned.

One con needs to be taken into account. The operating temp of outside unit is lesser than other similar competing models. I guess somewhere near 45 degrees. Please take this into account before buying.
And i didn't opt for inverter model as it was quite expensive but i would recommend it for those who can afford. The initial capital invested is offset by the savings in electricity bill.
This year I'm on the lookout for a windows AC. So Daikin is out of the picture. Sasta and tikau should do this time

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by ashish.uno

....
This year I'm on the lookout for a windows AC. So Daikin is out of the picture. Sasta and tikau should do this time

Hmm, I'm not sure that Microsoft makes ACs (), but you could consider LG or Whirlpool. Both are cost effective. LG offers better after sales service.

[sgiitk]

I just saw advts from Daikin about R32 aircons. What is that? Is is a replacement for R410?

[saviouravenger]

I purchased an LG Inverter V 1.5 Ton Split in April 2013 & have to say that I am very satisfied with it. Used it for the most part of the last 11 months....winter included .
Although it's a very expensive purchase, the savings in power consumption as compared to my 4 year old Samsung 0.75 Ton Window A/c are so substantial that I would strongly recommend this to everybody.
The only let down with the LG is that the remote is not as good as the competition .

[graaja]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I just saw advts from Daikin about R32 aircons. What is that? Is is a replacement for R410?

They have an inverter AC series called R32 that uses R32 as refrigerant. The R410 series is also listed in their website. When I talked to the Daikin dealer here, he recommended the R32 series to me. There is also a R32 series for 1T and lesser capacities that use R22 refrigerant.

[milestogo]

R32 daikin are manufactured in rajasthan instead of being imported from thailand like the r410 series. I have heard that the fit and finish of the ones made in india are no comparison to the imported ones (which are better).