[Geo_Ipe]

Temperature readings in Vellore are touching 42 degrees already, and summer is not expected to get over before September! That makes me a potential first time AC buyer. I've decided to go for a 1 ton window AC.
I've got nice quotes from LG and Blue Star so far. I'm more inclined towards LG as I expect their service to be better than Blue Star. I'm yet to get a quote for Voltas.

- Should I be considering any other particular brand?
- A little confused regarding the 2-3-4 star ratings. Each star carries a premium of ~2500 bucks. Is there any calculation I need to make, regarding when I can make up the extra bucks I shell out initially (similar to the petrol vs diesel calculations we do!)?

Help from experienced AC users will be appreciated. Thanks!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

...
Any idea what is going on with it? ....

Ha ha, it is a premium brand! Be prepared to shell out a significant sum of money that will definitely negate your so-called savings on the electricity bills!

[prabhuferrari]

How good are Onida AC's? 1 ton 3 star ACs are priced between 24K and 27K. Worth taking the plunge?

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

A little confused regarding the 2-3-4 star ratings. Each star carries a premium of ~2500 bucks. Is there any calculation I need to make, regarding when I can make up the extra bucks I shell out initially (similar to the petrol vs diesel calculations we do!)?

I have an LG 1.5 ton 4 star AC and a Sharp 1.1 ton Inverter AC. Inverter technology is great (Inverters don't usually have star ratings), my AC runs all day and I don't feel the pinch. Of course the initial cost is high with Inverter ACs, but for constant usage for 3 months in Bangalore I reckon it is worth it.

I prefer Japanese or American brands to Korean ones and I steer clear of Indian-branded Chinese products.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

Hi friends

I have two 1.5 ton Daikin heat/cool invertor acs. Both worked fine for 3 yrs.

Then last year in 2015 May I moved into a new place and had to refill the gas during the relocation installation.

The ac worked fine during summers and also during winters.

Today I cleaned the filters and started them up after about 4 months. However both of them are showing Green Led Flashing with louvers not opening and staying in same condition for more than 2 hrs.

Any idea what is going on with it? Is it gas leakage or low gas problem?

Regards,

Rana.

Check the manual for diagnostics of "Green Led Flashing".

Does the system automatically detect whether to run hot or cold? If not, then there must be some control to switch from Heating to Cooling. In all probability the AC's are in "Heating" mode, and they have to be set to cooling mode.

[Anupam]

Gents, have been reading the posts in the last few pages and thought of finally sharing some of my own experience

to set the context, with a mech eng background and a sound understanding of the mechanics I consider myself to have a good understanding all things engineered on earth

now this particular ac is a LG hot n cold 1.5 ton analog unit purchased way back in 2002, and has since gone through multiple city and house relocation (and has been subjected to good amount of physical stress)

for last 10 yrs now it has been in Pune and has not needed any additional care till date other than the regular cleaning by the LG service folks (till date it has not asked for any gas top up either)

2 years back, it seems one of the capacitors went kaput as diagnosed by the technician and was promptly changed and for a year it was all fine, last year again the capacitor gave up, on getting suspicious I asked the technician to check if changing it makes it work again, which it did, but he did not have a new capacitor so I asked him to come back with a new capacitor, which he never came back with and I never bothered to follow up

In between, I tried sourcing the capacitor myself but it seems this was a unique capacitor with 2 step functions and not available in open market

now with this new season, I booked a LG service appointment again, and was contacted by the technician the next day, I informed him the case history and told him to come with the specific capacitor

he came this morning with a fresh piece in original LG packing and opened in front of me

the capacitor was installed and the ac is working fine with no issues whatsoever

I have another Samsung unit, also working fine for over 10 years now

I have also seen a 40 year old imported Carrier unit working fine at a friends place

in my view, more than the ac it is the handling that matters, all ac are designed well by their respective company (except for lemons), it is the technicians who botch it up during either installation or maintenance

just like car, it is important to ensure during the buying process that the service network is well available for that brand and they are serious about the geography that we are in

on the regular maintenance part, I assume that all of us here are fairly technically literate and are capable of validating each and every step performed by the technician, if that's taken care of, then do not see a reason why things would go wrong (or very wrong)

[harry10]

What is the collective opinion about Carrier splits?
My father is getting a good deal from a friend so need to know ASAP if they are good enough.

[optimist]

Originally Posted by kavensri

You don't want to consider Mitsubishi? I am not asking this question because I have brought it, but the sales person with whom i was interacting had high praise for Mitsubishi compared to Daikin, hence asking.

Could you give a detailed report please with the model number , dealer and if you are comfortable the total installation price also ?

How would you rate it on noise, both the IDU and ODU?
Cooling speed with the TR and area?

Thanks

[kavensri]

Originally Posted by optimist

Could you give a detailed report please with the model number , dealer and if you are comfortable the total installation price also ?

How would you rate it on noise, both the IDU and ODU?
Cooling speed with the TR and area?

Thanks

Model# MS-GK13VA
Dealer: Wintair Refrigerations
Total price for 2 units: 82500
Split up (combined for 2 units):
AC Unit - 72000
Stabilizer - 2760
Copper wire - 1500 (we don't get copper wire free with Mitsubishi models)
Installation - 3600
Drain @58 - 348
3 core@65 - 195
Angles - 1500
Transport - 600

It has been more than 3 weeks since I installed them and I am quite hapy with it's performance.
Noise: I have tested the noise level (using an android app) of IDU between 25-35 db. I have not tested noise level of ODU though.
As this is my very first usage of AC, i am not in a position to compare its performance with any other brands/models.
My bedroom sizes are 11X11X9 and 11X13X9, if that matters.
Overall, i am happy with its çooling capacity.

[swiftdiesel]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Temperature readings in Vellore are touching 42 degrees already, and summer is not expected to get over before September! That makes me a potential first time AC buyer. I've decided to go for a 1 ton window AC.
I've got nice quotes from LG and Blue Star so far. I'm more inclined towards LG as I expect their service to be better than Blue Star. I'm yet to get a quote for Voltas.

- Should I be considering any other particular brand?
- A little confused regarding the 2-3-4 star ratings. Each star carries a premium of ~2500 bucks. Is there any calculation I need to make, regarding when I can make up the extra bucks I shell out initially (similar to the petrol vs diesel calculations we do!)?

Help from experienced AC users will be appreciated. Thanks!

I've used Samsung, General and Hitachi and have found Hitachi to be the best. Sold off Samsung and General due to constant problems. I have 2 Hitachi units in my house, 1 and 1.5 ton and both have done stellar service for the last 4 years. The remote comes with display light and so it's very convenient in the night to check the temperature. Overall, very pleased with the units and the service. Maintenance engineers are quick to attend to services and overall maintenance. In fact, I've abused them a lot with improper maintenance but they still go on without a glitch. A bit pricey compared to Samsung or LG but in the long run, it's worth it. This is in Chennai and I'm pretty confident Vellore shouldn't be different.

[mxh]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

I have an LG 1.5 ton 4 star AC and a Sharp 1.1 ton Inverter AC. Inverter technology is great (Inverters don't usually have star ratings), my AC runs all day and I don't feel the pinch. Of course the initial cost is high with Inverter ACs, but for constant usage for 3 months in Bangalore I reckon it is worth it.

I read somewhere that Inverter ACs do have star ratings, but they're not mandatory like for conventional ACs. For the same tonnage 3 star inverter ACs are roughly as efficient as 5 star regular ACs. But one can go for a slightly smaller size inverter AC compared to a regular AC since they are able to control the compressor in a better way than regular ACs.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by swiftdiesel

I've used Samsung, General and Hitachi and have found Hitachi to be the best. ... ... ...

Gosh, the range is rather bewildering! It is hard to see what one gets with one model and not with another.

They seem to lack what has become one of my favourite AC features, which is directing the cold airstream up and along the ceiling, so the room is cooled very gently. I hate being in a direct cold draught.

That is more important for bedroom than living room and, so long as we do not have ritual destruction session of our Sharp, the living room AC is next up for replacement.

I would have done that around now, if it had not been for flood and new car expense. Now hoping to get another year out of our noisy old Samsung, even if it costs us another gas fill.

Hadn't been thinking of Hitachi until I read recent posts. Now, the competition would be between Panasonic and Hitachi.

[Raj_RD]

It's really hot in Kolkata, woth temperatures as high as 40°c. I need a new 1 ton split ac for my bedroom. We already have a voltas and a panasonic ac in our house. While the voltas have been nigglefree since the past 8 years, the panadonic one (cube) is giving lots of trouble from the second year. Gas leaks, compressor problems etc and their service really sucks here!

Now I'm really confused between Daikin, Hitachi and Voltas. All of them cost more or less the same. Can anyone give any advice reagrding which brand to go with?

[sgiitk]

@mxh; I think Star ratings on inverters have just come in. There used to be none earlier. There is another issue, are they to be determined on the full 'overload' conditions, or rated conditions, or what?

[swiftdiesel]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Hadn't been thinking of Hitachi until I read recent posts. Now, the competition would be between Panasonic and Hitachi.

Pardon me for dropping another one in the mix - Daikin. Pretty pricey but their compressors are said to be robust and abuse friendly - this is the recommendation from a friend who air-conditions his huge office.

Hitachi, as already mentioned, is my personal favourite and I can attest to it's reliability.

Panasonic, being the Japanese brand it is, isn't even remotely Japanese in India, unfortunately. Yes, they aren't pricey like the other two and that's that, really. Their units are built by Onida in India, another flailing company that's got no reputation for quality. Enough said.

Hope you find yours!