Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Gadgets, Computers & Software (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/)

-   -   The home / office air-conditioner thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/4389-home-office-air-conditioner-thread-421.html)

Replies are supposed to have a lot more than three letters, but... why?

And why why would it dissolve anything not normally soluble in water, eg car paint?

(Turned out to be easily over 3 letters anyway ;) )

:Shockked: days? I thought I misread it as months, but 2-3 days, isn't it too much, rather too short a duration.

Yes even I am curious as to what Mortis meant. We have kept buckets under the drain pipe and use it to water the plants in the balcony. Hope that is ok?

Hi Folks,

I'm planning to replace our 10 year old Samsung 2 star 1.5 ton split AC with a 5 star 1.5 ton Inverter AC.

Experts, please provide your suggestions.

Also, please provide feedback on Voltas ACs.

I like to clear some doubt regarding Mitsubishi Electric Operation lights -

Unit 1 behaviour is as follows - On IDU there're two lights, Once we turn on the ac from remote both lights on the Idu comes on immediately & compressor starts after 3 minutes but both lights comes on before compressor starts, suppose if we set temperature at 24 & after a while set temperature has been achieved then one lights on the idu turns off, so we get to know that set temperate has been reached, if we increase the temperate then below light turns on instantly, this unit is attached with stabiliser.

Unit 2 behaviour is as follows - On IDU there're two lights , once we turn on the ac from remote only one lights turns on, second light turns on only after 3 minutes when compressor turns on, this unit is installed without stabiliser.

Why second unit both lights won't turn on at same time as compared to first? on second unit second light turns on only when compressor starts why is not turning both lights at once.

Is there anything wrong with wiring/connections with any unit? or we didn't install stabiliser with the second unit hence its behaving like that?

Also how's Panasonic ac as compared to daikin, daikin has reduced the size idu which gives me some doubt, small sizes of idu unit nowadays is a cause of concern if cooling is our priority? small idu sizes have any effect on cooling capability of the unit due to small coil?

Any help would be appreciated!

My bedroom has sun on three sides - front, side and terrace and heats up tremendously in summer. So I aim for maximum efficiency. As per my calculations the 12'x16' room requires at least 2T cooling capacity, but I have 1.5T, so I have to compensate for that by maintaining peak efficiency in the AC. Dust in the Condenser contributes maximum in reducing thermal efficiency.

My LG ODU is situated in ideal position to suck in dust, so when ever there is a mild dust storm, the ODU fins collect it. Initially I used to clean once a week or two, but observed that the cooling would reduse rapidly with time, so I started to clean the ODU more frequently. Believe me, the water comes out quite dark and muddy after four days or so, (and the room temperature rises a couple of degrees at the same setting and outside temperature). Even my window AC (that I replaced) was facing the same direction and used to start reduse cooling just a week after servicing.

In contrast the Daikin and Hitachi ODU's are sited much better and even after three months are clogged much less.

As far as I know most of the lesser brand AC are OEM from China, which means the quality is highly variable.

The Daikin imported from Thailand were more robust compared to the present ones made in India. The feedback on quality of plastics and metal housing is not very encouraging.

I prefer LG over Daikin and Mitsubishi, because they have a service network that is way ahead of others, even though LG has lesser efficiency (for 1.5T LG consumes 0.5A peak more, hence less efficient). LG manufactures their "Dual Inverter " compressors and most electronics at their plant. I now have two LG Inverters - 1.5T and 2T. With their 5 years extended service plan, I have a worry free ownership, as the plan includes
. Two services every year
. All parts, barring a few plastics
. All labour including GAS

In short any problem with mechanical or electronics and they will repair-replace it in the 5 year period.

Any reduction on IDU size reduces the thermal efficiency, hence for a given height wider IDU will be more efficient. As most of the mainline IDU's have similar width ~ 900mm and similar height, it stands to reason that the smaller capacity AC have higher efficiency and larger capacity lower. You can peruse the Energy Efficiency rating of most brands and where ever the IDU are same width the efficiency falls with increase in tonnage.

Conversely narrowing down the IDU will impact energy efficiency.

Considering that the water formation is due to condensation, I thought that the collected water should be as good as distilled water or de-mineral water. I was thinking to use this collected water (of course in a clean bottle) for topping up the electrolytes of home inverter battery. Thankfully before doing so, I measured the TDS levels using a TDS tester meter, which showed levels around 72 ppm. Certainly this was not ideal for topping up. I think the water, though condensed, it still contains dirt, mould, bacteria etc coming from the fins of the evaporator of the IDU.

However, I still do not think that this water can damage car paint, floors, etc any more than regular water, if at all.


I got a 3-Star Hitachi split 1.5T inverter last month and am happy with the decision I made. Following impressions, though initial:

Pros:
1. Absolute chiller, very efficient cooling.
2. Inverter compressor- should help save electricity.
3. ODU/ compressor is very silent. It is mounted on the outside of my bedroom wall and I cannot make it it's running.
4. Good strong airflow from the IDU.
5. Best part- it maintains the set temperature throughout the night really well.

Cons:
1. No Self cleaning feature.
2. Plain jane looks. In fact, I prefer simple white models over colorful ones.
3. No temperature display on the IDU. Displays it in remote. I believe all Hitachi units are built like this only.
4. No fancy features; only basic ones that you actually use.

A mini review of this would be nice.

Capacity, portability, power consumption, maintenance, etc.
Can it be moved easily between 2 bedrooms?

Ok so because distilled water ideally has NOTHING dissolved in it, it more readily dissolves stuff as compared to tap water which will usually have some minerals.
Also distilled water should ideally have a neutral pH of 7 but because it's a better solvent, it easily dissolves a bit of CO2 from the air so it's usually acidic in nature which is why it can have more of an impact on car paint. Also it could be due to the salts it can dissolve on the way to the outlet where it falls on your car.
Keep in mind there is also the physical damage caused by dripping water falling in the same area which over time can break down rocks so 100-150 microns of car paint is nothing.
Hope this helps !!

It's fine to use for watering plants and cleaning

Dripping water wears away rock just as you could if you sat there with a very small hammer for a hundred years.

Thank you for your reply. I hope for more input by our scientists here. I don't think it is off-topic to go into this, as it could be a very practical consideration in placing an ODU.

By the way, I wouldn't want to park my car under any regular drip!

The motor was repaired by rewinding in 2015 at a cost of Rs 5500.00, and I am facing the same problem again now. After an hour or so the air output is very slight and when I open the grill, I see ice formation on the coils. I think it is not worth repairing again and I have to buy a new Ac. Suggestions are welcome. I would prefer a window unit, which will serve ten years before it starts complaining.

The water dripping from my window ac unit had corroded the rough cement floor underneath and made a small crater. Finally I got it filled with cement again and installed a piece of ceramic tile on top.

Thanks, I wonder why the concrete was eroded?
Is the IDU fan clean? As in, really clean? It doesn't seem to take much dust build-up to spoil its aerodynamics and considerably reduce the airflow. I find this can lead to icing.

But so can lots of other, more technical stuff... last time, with an old AC, our engineer had to replace some valve (I think it was) in the coolant circuit as it was blocked with garbage.

Hi, you can check out inverter window ACs from LG and Voltas. Voltas gives R410a, not sure about LG. Both have 5 star rated units. LG costs around 37k and Voltas is around 33k here in Odisha. The LG has a nice old school design. Voltas used to give 5 years full warranty (condenser, pcb included), may be the offer was valid till May 31. Inverter window ACs should be less noisy.

The water dripped from a height of nearly six feet on the floor, for about 12 years. It was just a rough cement floor, not concrete.

I have called the service technician. If he says the fan coil needs to be rewound again, out goes the ac.

ice formation indicates a gas leak. Am sure he will know but you can ask him to check for oil at the joints or anywhere else, which indicates the area of the leak.

Not corrosion, but 'erosion'. Over the years, dripping water has breached the top, that's all. This water is not acidic.