[redcruiser]

With mercury already touching 33 degrees in February itself i guess all bangaloreans will have to purchase an AC. Gone are those days where a mere fan was suffice for peaceful sleep.

Looking for suggestions on which Air Conditioner to buy.
I have the least knowledge on the service quality and durability of different brands. Can you guys pitch in with good suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

[akshay81]

Have been using Carrier at home and Daikin in office since ages and both of them perform extremely well. Daikin has an advantage of quieter operation.

Samsung and O General have some good reviews. I was advised by AC technician to not give too much weightage for star rating (3 to 5 stars won't make much difference if AC is used for few months only in a year). The cost of AC varies with the star rating.

[Mortis]

Guys I just thought I would update you on my two failed Sharp Inverter ACs. Both the cooling coils had failed and original Sharp replacements made of Al were coming to around 20k with gas.
I decided to try out a service cum sales guy a friend had recommended very highly and he replaced the Aluminium condenser with a Copper one. Total for each AC was Rs 9700 only for the condenser + gas + transport and fitting + complete cleaning of both the indoor and outdoor units. I was very happy with his work and service and so far the AC is working and cooling flawlessly since the past month or so.

[mxh]

Just got my O General Window AC repaired in January - The gas had leaked due to corrosion and the compressor was switching on and off. Total damages to fix the problems was Rs 3400!! We have multiple O general ACs and one by one all are facing gas leakage problems. I would not recommend O General to anyone. Unnecessarily expensive, noisy and problematic!

[sgiitk]

@Mortis; Replacing Aluminium with Copper is a wise step. Use of Al in condensers given our increasingly harsh and corrosive environment is a very bad step, only advantage is a slightly lower cost to the manufacturer. My son had a Samsung with Aluminum condensers in Manipal and lost a condenser almost every year due to corrosion (I think salt). So new condenser plus gas refill was a tidy sum.

[hrman]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@Mortis; Replacing Aluminium with Copper is a wise step. Use of Al in condensers given our increasingly harsh and corrosive environment is a very bad step, only advantage is a slightly lower cost to the manufacturer. My son had a Samsung with Copper condensers in Manipal and lost a condenser almost every year due to corrosion (I think salt). So new condenser plus gas refill was a tidy sum.

Sg sir, was the issue due to the copper condenser?

To all: I am also planning to buy 2 ACs of 1.5T and 1T. Have narrowed down to Carrier Superia- 1.5 T Inverter and Carrier Superia- 1T 5 star (non inverter). Both are 100% copper condenser.
Any general feedback on Carrier models? I guess the response on this forum is a bit mixed when it comes to Carrier. But somehow, I trust Japanese brands in ACs (General, Hitachi, Daikin, Carrier,Mitsubishi etc).

My own experience has been mixed. I have 2 whirlpools in our Mumbai home and 1LG, all 1.5T split. The WPs cooling seems to be low compared to the LG.
At BLR, I have Voltas Inverter 1.2T, which seems ok so far from my limited usage. Want to try Japanese for a change.

Also do newer Daikin split ACs come with the installation copper pipes or does it need to be purchased separately from the technician (Costing a bomb)

[Mortis]

sgiitk : Yes I think it was a good decision. The Sharp ACs otherwise worked very well except for the regular and expensive failures. Atleast with Cu I have peace of mind that a leak can be repaired on site and I would only have to spring for the gas recharge. Al might be cheaper for the companies but they still charge us a bomb for it, just shy of half the price of a new AC !
That said many people say that Copper is also nowadays losing its reliability because manufacturers are using a thinner gauge of pipe than they used to and the newer refrigerants work at a higher pressure. So thin walls + higher pressure means they arent as robust as the older copper units, but still atleast they can be repaired

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Mortis

.... The Sharp ACs otherwise worked very well except for the regular and expensive failures. ...

Ha ha, is this supposed to be a politically correct statement or a socially correct one?! I wish you could see the irony of your statement!
In my book, these are unmitigated failures!

At times, I do wonder whether it is the ACs that the failures or the people that decide on which one to buy!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

At times, I do wonder whether it is the ACs that the failures or the people that decide on which one to buy!

Those of us that bought Sharp AC are all too aware of our failure. Please don't rub it in!

[csr9]

Hi all

I have been looking for a 1.5 Ton 5 star split Ac. Seriously considering Mitsubishi MSGL18VF (Uses R32) MSGK18VA (Uses R410A). MSGL18VF has a guaranteed operating range of 21-52 degrees centigrade. Attaching the specs sheet as well. Kindly advise which one do I choose? Any suggestions regarding other brands are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

[sgiitk]

@csr9;I will not even look at a R22 unit. Normally a split unit may need a top up after about five years. Take it R22 ai'nt getting cheaper. Also R410 and R22 are not interchangeable.

[csr9]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@csr9;I will not even look at a R22 unit. Normally a split unit may need a top up after about five years. Take it R22 ai'nt getting cheaper. Also R410 and R22 are not interchangeable.

Sir,

Just a small correction, the unit uses R32.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Ha ha, is this supposed to be a politically correct statement or a socially correct one?! I wish you could see the irony of your statement!
In my book, these are unmitigated failures!

At times, I do wonder whether it is the ACs that the failures or the people that decide on which one to buy!

Hehe I do see the irony in my statement. What I actually meant was that when they are in proper working condition they work perfectly well. The cooling is good, power consumption is low and the build in plasmacluster air purifier works.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by csr9

Sir,

Just a small correction, the unit uses R32.

R32 is more or less R410a minus the anti-fire additives. I am not sure ahow many apart from Daikin have adopted it, and whether R410a can be used as a replacement. So cost may become an innsue inr efills.

Originally Posted by Mortis

Hehe I do see the irony in my statement. What I actually meant was that when they are in proper working condition they work perfectly well. The cooling is good, power consumption is low and the build in plasmacluster air purifier works.

One expects an AC to last about a decade, so one has to look at the life expectancy of the unit.

[Mortis]

I know, our old General window ACs and huge Amana split units (floor standing ones) lasted us for a lot longer than a decade. The LG, Samsung and Hitachi units that came after were not as robust although the Hitachis were a lot better than the other two