[Aroy]

Originally Posted by F150

Hi All,

I am shifting to a new place and my split A/C units have to be moved.

Technician gave an estimate of 30 ft of copper piping and is quoting Rs 250 per ft. ...........

There are a lot of copper pipes available, most are of inferior quality imported from China. The best are from Malaysia (they have higher purity). Your best bet is to find out where Air Conditioning supplies are sold to the installers. There is always at least one market in most cities. Go and get Malaysian copper pipe roll. At all cost avoid cheaper Chinese imports as they are more brittle and of thinner walls.

For the specifications, go to Daikin site and brows the technical specs of the copper pipes.
https://www.daikinindia.com/products.../ftkf/3.6/ftkf

[F150]

@diyguy and @Aroy thanks for the advice. I tried calling several places today, couldn't find any reliable place. Irrespective of the brand, 1/2 inch pipe and 1/4 inch pipe would suffice ?

Folks in Pune - Could you guide which area in Pune might have AC copper pipe ?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by F150

@diyguy and @Aroy thanks for the advice. I tried calling several places today, couldn't find any reliable place. Irrespective of the brand, 1/2 inch pipe and 1/4 inch pipe would suffice ?

Folks in Pune - Could you guide which area in Pune might have AC copper pipe ?

The problem is with quality control of the pipes. Nominal 1/2 or 1/4 inch pipes can vary both in diameter and in wall thickness. Thinner pipes especially with inferior copper will develop leaks at the joints and in extreme cases burst due to high pressure in R410 systems. So my advise is to make an effort to find the location of shops selling components. I have no idea of Pune, but in Delhi there are a few dedicated areas where AC supplies (Pipes, relays, condensers, cleaners and compressors) are sold. Pune has to have one. If not then Mumbai is the best bet.

[F150]

Hi All,

Finally managed to find the copper pipe.

Next step is to procure 1.5 Ton split AC for the master bed room.
My friends and the A/C techincian are advising to go for non inverter model as the inverter models are probe to electronic problems.

Please advise.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by F150

Hi All,

Finally managed to find the copper pipe.

Next step is to procure 1.5 Ton split AC for the master bed room.
My friends and the A/C techincian are advising to go for non inverter model as the inverter models are probe to electronic problems.

Please advise.

Whether Inverter or Normal, most of the split units have a mother board, which is as prone to malfunction as that in an Inverter Unit.

If you want no electronic glitches, search for assemblers who assemble purely mechanical AC. The only down side is that these AC consume more power, though if serviced properly they will last a decade or two.

[diyguy]

My Samsung 2T ac is 13 years old and has suddenly started acting up. It is in my living room that we use rarely. It is coming on for a minute or two and then going blank. The compressor seems to come on and soon after the IDU switches off.

My regular mechanic came today and took the board for repair. He has taken 1800 Rs. Somehow I wasn't so sure he is telling me the truth. I also cannot understand a flat rate of 1800 without even knowing what has failed on the board. Do the symptoms sound like a board issue? My outdoor motor runs on ac and not dc so was contemplating to ask him to make it board less and run as a mechanical unit but then desisted.

[vDragon3]

Originally Posted by Aroy

You can get LG 5 star Inverter. The USP is
. No stabilizer required
. 15K Extended A₹MC for 4 years takes care of everything including electronics and gas. Apart from that you get two service free.

The AMC alone is worth the expense as practically no other manufacturer takes care of the electronics and gas.

Thanks. Your comments made me buy 1.5 ton 3 star dual inverter LG ac. The features were very good and as you said for domestic purpose LG is recommended across platforms. Do you think i should go for AMC and spend 15k? Dealer told me that gas filling won't happen often and per year 2 service is sufficient. I hope each general service will cost 750 inr.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by diyguy

My Samsung 2T ac is 13 years old and has suddenly started acting up. It is in my living room that we use rarely. It is coming on for a minute or two and then going blank. The compressor seems to come on and soon after the IDU switches off. My regular mechanic came today and took the board for repair. He has taken 1800 Rs.

In any electrical/electronics appliance, the most likely suspect to fail is a capacitor if it has a motor. The modern inverter machines use Brush less Direct Current motors where the likely suspect is the circuit board.

Your 13 year old AC obviously uses conventional AC motor where the chances of a failed capacitor are high. The mechanic apparently didn't want to take any chances and opted for the easy way out. Quote high and repair with high profit. In case if he can't diagnose the problem, his reply would be the board is no longer available as it is more than so many years old.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Prowler

In any electrical/electronics appliance, the most likely suspect to fail is a capacitor if it has a motor.

Yes I guess he is trying to make a quick buck. Unfortunately he has been my regular for more than 10 years now. I am disturbed by that fact more than anything else. He called me yesterday and gave me some gibberish that the board is misbehaving and the repair guy is unable to diagnose it. He said he will fix it today. Let me see, what he says the problem is.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by vDragon3

Thanks. Your comments made me buy 1.5 ton 3 star dual inverter LG ac. The features were very good and as you said for domestic purpose LG is recommended across platforms. Do you think i should go for AMC and spend 15k? Dealer told me that gas filling won't happen often and per year 2 service is sufficient. I hope each general service will cost 750 inr.

With any Inverter AC, in case of electronics problem you will end up spending more than the 4 year AMC amount. Add to that 2 services per year and repair/replacement of GAS, Coils etc, the AMC is worth it.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Quote high and repair with high profit. In case if he can't diagnose the problem, his reply would be the board is no longer available as it is more than so many years old.

as an update he brought the board back with an additional transformer attached externally to some points on the board. No explanation why and he says he doesn't know either. The electronics guy wouldn't tell him clearly it seems and only mentioned voltage issues. Total damage for me was 1800rs which he knew prior itself plus 450 service charge, rounded up to Rs. 2300. The ac works well now.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by diyguy

... with an additional transformer attached externally to some points on the board....

Is it only a transformer? And attached to some points (more than three?) on the board?
Anything on the board likely works on DC and not AC; unless there is also a rectification/filtration circuit attached to the transformer to render the AC to DC.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Is it only a transformer? And attached to some points (more than three?) on the board?

Yes it was connected on 4 points on the board. I will open up the IDU and get some pictures, he was in a hurry and didn't give me much time to look at it. There was already a small transformer coil on the board originally but none of that was disturbed. So this is a bit of a mystery at the moment.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by diyguy

as an update he brought the board back with an additional transformer attached externally to some points on the board. No explanation why and he says he doesn't know either. The electronics guy wouldn't tell him clearly it seems and only mentioned voltage issues.....The ac works well now.

Unless I see the transformer or trace the circuit, I can only make an educated guess. The circuit board which controls the AC, needs 12 V for its operation. It is usually derived from a capacitor/resister network rather than the conventional step-down transformer. Invariably the first thing to fail is the capacitor which renders the circuit inoperative. He could have used a step-down transformer to bypass the C/R network. This would work well in such a situation.
Only thing is such a transformer barely costs about Rs.150/
But the time and effort for an engineer who does the job on a component level will cost a lot more than the cost of the failed component.

Anyway check the full functioning of the AC thoroughly to see if anything is amiss. They would in all probability offer 6 months warranty for the job. The sooner you notice an issue - the better for you.

I would at the risk of repetition say this: Always connect your sensitive electronics through a Surge suppressor/MOV. 95 % of failure of electronics can be traced to a surge/transient in the supply line.

[clix22]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I would at the risk of repetition say this: Always connect your sensitive electronics through a Surge suppressor/MOV. 95 % of failure of electronics can be traced to a surge/transient in the supply line.

Any recommendations on brand / rating?