[Vid6639]

I chose Voltas because the AC consultant my dad knows for his office recommended it for my house in Pune.

I bought 5 voltas split units in 2007. So far in Pune heat the AC's are working perfectly fine without any issues. Mind you this is a huge house and the 2X2T voltas splits in the hall have to cool 2 floors.

Voltas maybe be made in china and their exterior appearance may not be that great and sleek like the Koreans but they work.

Also voltas has the panache range of AC's which have a reciprocating compressor.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I guess your AC consultant is as outdated as Voltas lol . Voltas has long since started importing from China. We had installed as many as 38 splits in our office last year. Failure rates were as high as 30%. Most of the ACs had the made in china tag. Even the remotes are similar to Onida's. But I must admit I have also seen some bone chilling units from Voltas, but very few.

I took advice of an ac consultant who takes care of very large establishments, and he suggested voltas. He confirmed that these are made in china units, just like many other brands, but reliability is on par or better and offers the best after service. Another thing they are not generic shops making these, they are built to best standards available and i can vouch for it, since i have personally seen the unpacking & installation. The details to which they have gone is amazing also (simple things like providing the right routing clips for wires, additional taping which is provided apart from the normal thermocoal insulation for the cooling pipes, the powder coat quality of the clamps etc). All very visible and noticed by someone who has seen AC's evolve for the last 2 decades.

Main point was i can spend some premium and have a satisfaction of having Made in Japan also, but AC's will need attention, especially in our harsh summers after couple of years of usage and go with the best after sales service and the most reliable of the lot.

Last but not least, the installations which is the most critical factor, even simple things like the level of the inside unit, which can affect your peace of mind in the long run.

I went with vertis range and installed 3 units with 5 star rating and am quite happy with them. Our office has Voltas and Hitachi units and none of the Voltas range had issues apart from regular clean ups, Hitachi 2 units have failed one with blown power supply unit which almost created a fire alarm where as second one had a failed compressor.

So if you want to site examples, failures can happen in any brands, irrespective of made by xyz title. Yes look wise Voltas is way below in my standards.

[maven]

oh wish i had seen this thread earlier would have reduced my research. i bought a 1.5t godrej split (5 star rating). Seems to be pretty good in performance.
I was earlier thinking of Hitachi but thought it to be on the expensive side. Didnt want to spend too much since the installation was for the guest room which is used 2-3 times in a year.

For a while now i have been thinking of a tower ac (around 3T for 300 odd sq ft) for the living room but somehow it doesnt seem to be a popular concept. Why is that? I dont see many models - almost none in the showrooms. Have seen two on the net, a carrier and another of videocon.

Any comments on the Tower ac would be welcome.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by maven

Any comments on the Tower ac would be welcome.

Dis-proportionately expensive in our country!
You gain nothing in terms of comparative performance and you lose floor area!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by maven

... Didnt want to spend too much since the installation was for the guest room which is used 2-3 times in a year.

This may not be just Samsung, although that is the make we have, but, out of our three units, the one that gives the least (but not no) trouble is the one that is used the most.

It seems to be a good idea to make sure that all AC units get run regularly. Anyone confirm this?

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It seems to be a good idea to make sure that all AC units get run regularly. Anyone confirm this?

Thad, I'm not sure it has to do with regular running or the lack of it.
Our guest room Hitachi window unit has been performing flawlessly for over eight years. Used maybe twice a year for a week each time.
The other less used unit is an LG window unit which has also been working without any problems for five summers now.
The one which gave any trouble at all in five years is an LG 2 ton split which does near continuous duty in the living/dining room. This one burnt one mains wire connector in the terminal box on the outdoor unit. Bad installation by LG personnel during initial setup?

Good to remember that during winter in Delhi ALL the ACs remain off for nearly five months each year.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Also voltas has the panache range of AC's which have a reciprocating compressor.

vidyut, most, i think all ACs now have the reciprocating compressor. We have a 17 year old Sanyo at office (Chills beautifully) which has a reciprocating comp.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Another thing they are not generic shops making these, they are built to best standards available and i can vouch for it, since i have personally seen the unpacking & installation. The details to which they have gone is amazing also (simple things like providing the right routing clips for wires, additional taping which is provided apart from the normal thermocoal insulation for the cooling pipes, the powder coat quality of the clamps etc). All very visible and noticed by someone who has seen AC's evolve for the last 2 decades.

I am happy that some of you have had good experiences with Voltas, but I would not put my money into it, just my opinion. After all, I wouldn't want my friends to go to any trouble after trusting in a brand.

Jaggu, all of what you have said holds true for most of the ACs in the same price bracket. *** has been a real worry for voltas, at least here in madras. Like I said before, the failed units were repeatedly serviced till they got out of warranty.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It seems to be a good idea to make sure that all AC units get run regularly. Anyone confirm this?

ACs would perform better if run regularly. Running regularly means you are cleaning the vents, blower, filter etc and also the oil in the comp is fluid & circulating.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

vidyut, most, i think all ACs now have the reciprocating compressor. We have a 17 year old Sanyo at office (Chills beautifully) which has a reciprocating comp.

Actually not - the world has moved on to the rotary compressors (scroll and screw types). Most ACs in the market today are ones with rotary compressors. Reciprocating/Piston driven AC sales are negligible now a days - especially in the domestic segment.

The differences are explained here - Air Conditioner Compressor - Scroll, Screw and Piston, Guide4Home

[aadix]

anyone has any experience with panasonic ac's?

the outdoor unit for the panasonic ac's are soo huge! was shocked when i saw them!

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by kb100

Actually not - the world has moved on to the rotary compressors (scroll and screw types). Most ACs in the market today are ones with rotary compressors. Reciprocating/Piston driven AC sales are negligible now a days - especially in the domestic segment.

The differences are explained here - Air Conditioner Compressor - Scroll, Screw and Piston, Guide4Home

My bad. I meant rotary. We have a 17 year old sanyo rotary in the office. Thanks for the correction sujit.

[Jaggu]

Agreed it might be the standard for all AC's but i still go with Voltas with my experience and the VFM, only aesthetics are a concern for me.

Rotary compressors are the in thing, and they help reduce the sound and current consumption (so better * ratings).

Its is advisable to run the AC once a month for about 10-15 mts so that the compressor, gas and oil is given a circulation. The ducts and filters are best cleaned manually, recommended every 3 months or atleast before the summer when one really start using AC for longer periods. Also the cooling coils which sit outside which needs most attention thanks to environmental elements.

[shajufx]

I had bought Samsung AS10FCA for my bedroom (around 120 sq ft) few months back. Its a model with bio-sleep function, digital display remote, turbo mode etc. Although there were other brands with similar features, I opted for samsung for reliability reasons. I have had many samsung home appliances in the past, but never got any trouble with them. Most showrooms prefer to push other brands over samsung, may be others are offering them more margin. I am happy with the purchase and would recommend the bio-sleep models to everyone !

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by aadix

anyone has any experience with panasonic ac's?

Not Panasonic but I have a National window unit which has been giving yeoman service for 10 years.

[Jaggu]

shaju: bio sleep/sleep mode, digital display on remote and wall unit etc are all standard stuff these days. TV on remote would be kewl though

[maven]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Dis-proportionately expensive in our country!
You gain nothing in terms of comparative performance and you lose floor area!

i was thinking from the perspective of mobility and installation, if it would make sense to have a tower ac. hmmm, seems this option isnt the best around.

@Thad: the service et al would be done per schedule but i have now got the home theater installed in that room since using the room was causing least displacement. so usage would increase on weekends. but yes point taken no point of having a gadget but not using it much.