[praveen_v]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I will caution those who go for Inverter AC solely for their lower power consumption. One fault will wipe out all the savings you make in a five year horizon. That is besides their cost premium of 10K or more

Completely agree with this. I got first hand experience with my Panasonic inverter AC running very well for 5 years and suddenly the electronic board went kaput. Panasonic says the board is not readily available now and they need to order it and costs a whopping 20K plus other service charges .


I tried to get it done outside with third parties and 3 different service people tried and gave up. 3 different AC service people I spoke to all advised against going for a Inverter and strongly suggested only non Inverter models due to this electronic board problems. They were also saying that the inverter models keep changing in terms of design and 5 years down the line part availability is a big issue and expensive as well.

[5hadow]

I beg to differ on this.

I am easily saving at least 10K, in power bills, every summer on my Inverter AC. This means the cost of the AC is recovered in 4 years. Also, it maintains temperature better and its more environment friendly. What more can I want?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Another advantage of inverter machines is that they are a lot less demanding than the regular compressor-on power-demand spikes of non-inverter machines. This makes them much easier to run from a generator, or even, as per my one-day-make-the-sun-pay-for-itself dream, solar.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Aroy

One fault will wipe out all the savings you make in a five year horizon. That is besides their cost premium of 10K or more.

That is a rather lame excuse for not adopting something that is so far head in terms of efficiency.

I will admit that the old mechanical ones were a lot more reliable but the efficiency gains with new inverter units cannot be ignored. They are way cheaper, quieter to run and as said by another FM, maintains far more steady and controlled temperature.

Forget an inverter AC, if the circuit board pops on your non inverter AC, you are still staring at a rather large bill to replace that component. You are pretty much in the same boat.

Part failure is inevitable. It is like something failing on your car. That does not mean the car or technology is krapp, unless the very design is flawed. This is not the case with an Inverter aircon. The technology is proven and the whole world is using Inverter based air conditioning due their efficiency benefits.

If I were to buy an new aircon today, an Inverter is the only option I would look at.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by praveen_v

Completely agree with this. I got first hand experience with my Panasonic inverter AC running very well for 5 years and suddenly the electronic board went kaput. Panasonic says the board is not readily available now and they need to order it and costs a whopping 20K plus other service charges .


I tried to get it done outside with third parties and 3 different service people tried and gave up. 3 different AC service people I spoke to all advised against going for a Inverter and strongly suggested only non Inverter models due to this electronic board problems. They were also saying that the inverter models keep changing in terms of design and 5 years down the line part availability is a big issue and expensive as well.

Exactly same experience with me. See page 426 of this thread.
It seems the life of Panasonic Inverter AC is just about 5 years. I too am frustrated and was given a quote of 16,000 + service charges.
Would never ever invest in any Panasonic product ever.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Panasonic was recommended to me some years back by the guy who does all the technical stuff and maintenance at a music venue I regularly attend. Time has past, and looking around today, I see that they have only one Panasonic machine now. So perhaps the advice should be considered outdated at best.

Anyway, their purchase considerations may, as a trust, be capital-limited.

My mitsubishi decision was influenced by a desire to deal with a single local company who would take care of maintenance and service. Of their brands, we picked the one where corrosion resistance treatment was featured. I went in expecting to buy Daikin but came out with Mitsubishi.

(We have a second-hand Daikin which seems to have really great build quality, but today's machines seem flimsy by comparison)

[srishiva]

There is a 1 million dollar prize for finding a better way of cooling. Sponsored by India
The efficiency is 14% for cooling provided to electricity usage. Its surprising and is very less

https://edition.cnn.com/style/articl...dia/index.html

[carboy]

Originally Posted by srishiva

The efficiency is 14% for cooling provided to electricity usage. Its surprising and is very less

It's not particularly less - it's in the ballpark for most individual things. On road efficiency of the average petrol engine in your car is around 20%.

[rapid_fire]

I need some advice on 5-6 ton VRF system for an apartment. This apartment is not compatible with split ACs, so have to go with singe outdoor unit type AC. Which brand is better ? How much will be the approximate cost ?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by rapid_fire

I need some advice on 5-6 ton VRF system for an apartment. This apartment is not compatible with split ACs, so have to go with singe outdoor unit type AC. Which brand is better ? How much will be the approximate cost ?

VRF is just an exotic split AC, just that it has a single ODU and multiple IDU. The installation hassles are similar to split AC and the VRF systems cost at least twice that of comparable individual splits.

Similarities
1. The IDU have to be installed on walls or ceiling.
2. The walls need holes for piping and water outlet.
3. Piping from IDU needs to be routed to ODU.

Differences
1. Only one ODU compared to multiple for splits.
2. Gas is more expensive.
3. Piping is much more expensive and longer runs are required.
4. Cost is 2 to 3 times.
5. Various types of IDU - wall mounted, ceiling mounted and floor standing.
6. Various capacities of IDU - from 0.5T to 4T.

If you are willing to spend so much, then the advantages are much longer life but more expensive AMC.

VRF systems are sold by the profession systems groups and not consumer systems divisions. The major players are
. Daikin
. LG
. Hitachi
. Mitsubishi

My advise is that you contact each of these and
1. Get an estimate of capacity required
2. Get a detailed room by room IDU list
3. Get a quote for
. Lead time for equipment. VRF systems generally have a lead time of 15 days to two months.
. Installation and testing time
. each IDU by capacity
. ODU
. Piping
. Control unit
. AMC for each year for the next 10 years.

You will get a fair idea of the costs involved.

Also get a written warrant/assurance for free gas and labour in case of leaks in the first two years.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by praveen_v

I got first hand experience with my Panasonic inverter AC running very well for 5 years and suddenly the electronic board went kaput. P

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

Exactly same experience with me. See page 426 of this thread.
It seems the life of Panasonic Inverter AC is just about 5 years. I

Oops. Wish I would have seen these inputs from experienced Panasonic customers before.

In April this year (Peak summers), I got meself a Panasonic 5* Rated R32 running inverter AC. The price seemed right at the point (~34k after discount) from an offline store, and it came with a warranty of 5 years. The installation was outsourced to local jugaadists, who did an average job at best and tried to con me out the copper pipes. Plus it was very expensive with thousands more than the standard installation.
The unit itself is running okay, have used it only once after the summer, and power consumption was within limits. The IDU is really wide at well over 3 and a half feet, not sure if being nice and compact is a virtue amongst ACs, this being my first one. ODU is nice and silent.

This is the model I have -> https://www.panasonic.com/in/consume...-tu18vkyf.html

[Gansan]

I am planning to replace my 1 ton Samsung window unit, and am looking at a couple of Hitachi units of the same capacity since Samsung window units are not available. How good are Hitachi ac units?

At the same Croma store they showed me a one ton inverter split ac unit of Tata Croma brand. It is available for the same price as a Hitachi window unit. The offer is attractive, Does anyone have any idea about this brand?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I am planning to replace my 1 ton Samsung window unit, and am looking at a couple of Hitachi units of the same capacity since Samsung window units are not available. How good are Hitachi ac units?

At the same Croma store they showed me a one ton inverter split ac unit of Tata Croma brand. It is available for the same price as a Hitachi window unit. The offer is attractive, Does anyone have any idea about this brand?

We had two Hitachi window AC, one was a 5* six years ago. The AC are excellent, but our 5* suffered fan problems. Unlike the regular AC this one had a DC fan which cost 6K+. We replaced it once and when it was on its way out replaced the window AC with LG dual inverter split. As long as they are taken care of properly, Hitachi AC are excellent, but their official service people are quite bad in Delhi and are responsible for breaking most of the plastic parts and ruining the fans while washing. On the whole I strongly recommend LG dual split as they have an all inclusive 5 years extended warranty, so you have a lot of peace of mind.

[avinash_m]

Requesting Gurus for some guidance here.

What size of copper pipes are used in the Mitsubishi Heavy industries non-inverter AC Model# SRK25CSS-S6/A (2.2T)!? Will it fit with the conventional copper pipes for say 1.5 ton ACs?
I was trying to look it up on Mitsubishi's website but dont see it; probably since it is an older model now.
If it wont fit then could you please suggest a brand/model (non-inverter and in 2T or more) which will in with these conventional pipes?! This is for a large hall in a flat where copper conduiting has already been done, with standardised locations given for both the IDU and ODU.

Thanks!

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I am planning to replace my 1 ton Samsung window unit, and am looking at a couple of Hitachi units of the same capacity since Samsung window units are not available.

I have bought the Whirlpool 3 star inverter split ac model "Magicool Pro". Initial impressions are good. I have been a long time user (> 20 years) of Whirlpool washing machine and refrigerator, so decided to try their Ac as well.