[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by mvadg

This year, I've already started using my AC in Bangalore. After I posted my experience (from the previous years), I have been observing more carefully and I have to agree with everyone - using the fan tends to aggravate the effects of the already low humidity (very rare in Bengaluru). I also think dust from the AC filters is likely to be blown around by the fan.

Time to clean the indoor unit and see if I can replace the filters. I am also going to try programming my good old Sony remote to slow down the fan (Superfan with remote) after the initial few hours. One advantage of the fan, I noticed, is that it circulates the cold air better. So AC plus low speed fan may work well (again, this will depend on local conditions), a low speed draft does feel cooler.

AC with fan has always worked for me. Late during the night, it becomes uncomfortable to get hit by the cold air from AC whenever the compressor switches on. So, I move the AC blower flap to the highest location so that it is almost blowing air onto the opposite wall and switch on the Fan at 1/low speed. This low speed fan distributes the cool air evenly across the room and makes sleeping more comfortable

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

AC with fan has always worked for me. ... This low speed fan distributes the cool air evenly across the room and makes sleeping more comfortable

Yes. I use this for quick cooling of our bedroom.

Also, we sleep on the side of the room near the AC unit, so it is mostly blowing across us and cooling the opposite wall! This is fine for me (I don't like direct draught) but not for my wife. The fan over the bed simply directs that cool air down onto the bed.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Crow

I may be an outlier here but our AC chills the room even when we set the temperature at 27 in Mumbai. Maybe I just feel too cold because we’ve not been stepping out at all.

We got a Mitsubishi 5-star inverter AC after recommendations from this thread, and it’s working great. I’ve banned everyone from using the AC+fan combo. Only one of the two runs at any time and it’s been fine.

The reason is simple.

1. The cold air coming out will be between 12 and 15 degrees.
2. The thermostat sense the inlet air temperature and not room temperature.
3. The air from the AC travels around the room cooling it and then is sucked into the Ac unit.

When the AC is on you usually feel the direct blast of air that is definitely much cooler than the room temperature.

If the direct air is uncomfortable, direct it upwards (that is what we do), then you will get slightly warmer air as it travels up and then down.

[revintup]

So we find 28°C to be most comfortable after the initial 1 hour or so of turbo cooling. We used to have a 1.5T Voltas fixed speed AC in our bedroom which was terrific at cooling, but this was both its boon and bane. The initial 1 hour of heavy cooling was real nice but once you move the setting to 28°C, the thermostat would cut way too often and humidity would start to rise. In Kerala, humidity is more of a concern than ambient temperatures. So I would have to to set the temperature to 24°C which was too cold for us.

2 years back I replaced my AC with a 1T LG 5* inverter and the results have been excellent. Yes, I would have to cool the room 30mins prior to sleep, but then I can set the temperature to 28°C and humidity is well removed as well. And there is no intermittent cold burst, just one steady curve. Loving it.

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

I am absolutely amazed reading posts here where people set the temperature to 24, 26 and even 28C. I don't know what I am doing wrong but my A.C's are always set at 20C with the fan on one setting less than full. That's the way it stays the whole night! Timer!! What's that? This is in Bombay & Goa. It's exactly the same in my car as well. 20C is my comfort zone temperature.
I am really surprised that even guys living in Kerala and Chennai are setting their room A.C's at 26 - 28C.
Is the A.C being used as a dehumidifier? If so, why not just buy a de-humidifier which is much cheaper than any A.C.
I just don't see the point or am I missing something?

Regards,
SS

[aim120]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Guys,

I am absolutely amazed reading posts here where people set the temperature to 24, 26 and even 28C. I don't know what I am doing wrong but my A.C's are always set at 20C with the fan on one setting less than full. That's the way it stays the whole night! Timer!! What's that? This is in Bombay & Goa. It's exactly the same in my car as well. 20C is my comfort zone temperature.
I am really surprised that even guys living in Kerala and Chennai are setting their room A.C's at 26 - 28C.
Is the A.C being used as a dehumidifier? If so, why not just buy a de-humidifier which is much cheaper than any A.C.
I just don't see the point or am I missing something?

Regards,
SS

Well the comfort zone varies from person to person. But 24C to 28C is the norm, if you have a normal working Ac which cools as intended.
In my case I set 28C in the afternoon for the first 1hr or so when the normal room temperature would otherwise be 31C + without Ac. In the night as the outside temperature drops, I go down to 24C otherwise the compressor switches OFF or would be running at about 13% speed which is insufficient to remove humidity. 24C keeps the humidity levels below 50%.

Newer AC built this year will come with a 24C default setting.

If you have a old AC or a AC with faulty temperature sensor, you can set the temperature to 21C but whether it brings to room to the same temperature is a different matter.

If you set the blower fan to full speed and set a temperature on a higher(warmer side) then it will not dehumidify the room. If one wants to lower the humidity, the fan blower needs to kept really low or the compressor should run at 50% speed or higher. Compressor speed only varies in the case of a inverter AC. Normal Ac will have a fixed speed compressor and a capillary tube. Modern top spec inverter AC will have a electronic expansion valve to precisely control the refrigerant.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Got a 1.5 ton LG dual inverter AC (MS-Q18ANZA) installed yesterday. This was bought from Croma. A few observations about the installation:

1. They did not bring any ladder and was expecting me to have something. They needed two ladders to lift up the outdoor unit. Luckily I had these at home. Not sure how they would have managed otherwise.

About the installation itself.

1. There was no vacuum pump used. They just released the nitrogen from the indoor unit and then connected it to the outdoor unit. Is that the standard way of fitting these? I remember probably reading on this forum that they should do some vacuuming.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

That is correct. They should have vacuumed the system. That said, I have never seen a AC technician do a thorough job for installing a split air conditioner. They are in a hurry to get it done and leave.
...

Originally Posted by poloman

I installed LG MS-Q18YNZA a month back. Had the exact same observations with the installation. I did not want them make a mess of my wall got a core drill done on the wall on my own. This will result in a perfect hole. The installation was outsourced to third party and the guys behaved the exact same way.

No vacuuming was done and they did not had any pump. I did not make it a big issue. Had this been a very critical step LG would have insisted on that anyway.
May be I am wrong.
...

An update on this.

It was mentioned in the installation leaflet that Croma provided me that I should arrange for the ladder(s) for the installation. So you have to arrange for the ladders. Luckily I had them with me.

I raised the issue about vacuuming with LG. It is described in the installation procedure. I will upload the detailed installation procedure as described by them later on here.

So LG asked the installation team to talk to me and I explained my concerns to them. The person from the installation company came again with a vacuum pump, gas, pressure gauge and thermometer. He vacuumed the system (pipes) for about 20 minutes. There was no vacuum pressure gauge. I did not insist on it but having a vacuum gauge would be better. Once the vacuuming was done, he reconnected the pipe and then refilled the gas and then measured the gas pressure. We then ran the system for about 20 min and then measured the gas pressure again. Once it had reached the required pressure the pressure gauge was disconnected. He then measured the grill temperature which was about 9 degree Celsius in the afternoon. And when I checked the grill temperature at night it was 7.2 or so. So everything seems to be good now. He did recommend me to go for 4 year additional AMC/warranty which was available for ~8k.

Later on I checked the grill temperature of my General window A/C (bought a few years back) and it was around 6.2 degree Celsius. I have not done a complete cleaning of this window AC after I had got it installed. But I have cleaned the filters and the fins around the cooling coil regularly.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Guys,

I am absolutely amazed reading posts here where people set the temperature to 24, 26 and even 28C. I don't know what I am doing wrong but my A.C's are always set at 20C with the fan on one setting less than full. That's the way it stays the whole night! Timer!! What's that? This is in Bombay & Goa. It's exactly the same in my car as well. 20C is my comfort zone temperature.
I am really surprised that even guys living in Kerala and Chennai are setting their room A.C's at 26 - 28C.
Is the A.C being used as a dehumidifier? If so, why not just buy a de-humidifier which is much cheaper than any A.C.
I just don't see the point or am I missing something?

Regards,
SS

When the ambient temperature is in the high thirties or forties, if you set the temperature at 20, your display will show 20 but your room will never reach 20, and the compressor will run the whole day without cutting off.

The norm is to set it 23-27 degrees to feel comfortable. Believe me, when the ambient temperature is 33 degrees, even 28 will feel comfortable.

There is no way to control the temperature of the chilled air coming out of the Ac. It will be a constant 18 c. What we are doing is setting the thermostat at a desired temperature, so the compressor cuts off when room air matches it. If we set it 12 degrees below ambient temperature, that is never going to be reached, however long the Ac runs.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Gansan

When the ambient temperature is in the high thirties or forties, if you set the temperature at 20, your display will show 20 but your room will never reach 20, and the compressor will run the whole day without cutting off.

The norm is to set it 23-27 degrees to feel comfortable. Believe me, when the ambient temperature is 33 degrees, even 28 will feel comfortable.

There is no way to control the temperature of the chilled air coming out of the Ac. It will be a constant 18 c. What we are doing is setting the thermostat at a desired temperature, so the compressor cuts off when room air matches it. If we set it 12 degrees below ambient temperature, that is never going to be reached, however long the Ac runs.

1. The room temperature depends on - room size, heat load and the AC capacity. If you want 15 degrees you can always get it with a larger capacity. I have been getting 18 degrees in 45+ Delhi summers from a 1.5T AC is a small (100 sft) room.

2. Comfortable temperature is an individual thing. We prefer 25 degrees with fan or 20 without. Some of our European friends prefer 15 degrees, while some from South East Asia like 27.

3. That is true. Most AC's will have air at 6-10 degrees at the outlet. The quantity (air flow volume) will determine how much a room is cooled when the cold air mixes with hot air of the room. With time the room gets cooled, but how much depends on the heat load and the AC capacity.

Please note that with Inverter AC the compressor just throttles down, but never really stops, unless the room temperature goes much below the set level and even at its lowest (10% to 30% depending on make) it keeps cooling the room. In that case the compressor will switch off like any normal split AC.

[roamer012]

Originally Posted by Gansan

The norm is to set it 23-27 degrees to feel comfortable. Believe me, when the ambient temperature is 33 degrees, even 28 will feel comfortable.

Originally Posted by Aroy

2. Comfortable temperature is an individual thing. We prefer 25 degrees with fan or 20 without. Some of our European friends prefer 15 degrees, while some from South East Asia like 27.

OT: Found this in one of the hotel rooms i stayed in couple of years back.

[Gannu_1]

I’ve set my drawing room’s inverter at 27’C and the bedroom’s non-inverter unit at 26’C. Takes a little longer to cool the room (both the rooms are westward) but works extremely well. I rarely use the blanket if it gets very cold in the night but the room is usually pleasant.

My wife OTOH uses the AC at a bone chilling 22’C at her place in Gujarat! While she’s got used to it, I woke up to a blocked nose the next day. I’ve got to convince her somehow that this isn’t good in the long run - both for the wallet and our bodies.

[roamer012]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I’ve set my drawing room’s inverter at 27’C and the bedroom’s non-inverter unit at 26’C.

OT: Unless your drawing room has doors which are closed most of the times and vice versa for your bed room, it is recommended to install inverter AC where doors are closed and are not frequently opened.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Guys,

I am absolutely amazed reading posts here where people set the temperature to 24, 26 and even 28C. I don't know what I am doing wrong but my A.C's are always set at 20C with the fan on one setting less than full. That's the way it stays the whole night! Timer!! What's that? This is in Bombay & Goa. It's exactly the same in my car as well. 20C is my comfort zone temperature.
I am really surprised that even guys living in Kerala and Chennai are setting their room A.C's at 26 - 28C.
Is the A.C being used as a dehumidifier? If so, why not just buy a de-humidifier which is much cheaper than any A.C.
I just don't see the point or am I missing something?

Regards,
SS

In Delhi, I set my ACs at 30C and even that is too low. I wish there were a setting of 32 and I would use it. Why? The idea is to have a cooling effect relative to the temperature outside. When the temperature outside is 48C, a room at 30 feels super cool and comfortable. In off peak times and the monsoon season, I have to lower the ACs to 29 to 28 as the compressor doesn’t kick in otherwise. Those people who set it to 20 or even 25, I would like to ask them: in winter, when the temperature is 20, why do you claim it is cold and wear sweaters? If 20C in the winter is freezing for you then why do you want to make it that cold in the summer? In fact I am amazed that people wear sweaters in Bombay and even Goa when the temperature drops to around 23 which is just about cool. However the same people want to set their AC to 16!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by roamer012

OT: Found this in one of the hotel rooms i stayed in couple of years back.

Don't know where they get their idea of "human body tolerance!" 23C is quite a decent summer temperature in many parts of the world, and many people in colder climes would not heat their houses to anything like that during their winter. On the other hand, 39C is damned hot, to most people in most parts of the world, even those whose summer temperatures exceed 40C. It's damned hot to me, and I'm one of those odd people who claim to like the Chennai climate!

My personal opinion (in reality each is free to live their own way) is that cooling a bedroom to the point where a duvet becomes necessary is just a foolish waste of energy. So is ramming the temperature setting down to 16 just because a person feels really hot: I guess it has some psychological effect.

Depending on the machine, I do quick-cool a room by setting a lower temperature for a short time. For our bedroom AC, it means I can leave the fan on auto, but it will run faster. Practical observation says that, yes, it cools quicker. This is a case of getting used to the quirks of the machine, and there are probably lots across different models.

So there is no rule for an ac machine as if they were all the same. They, and the spaces the cool, are not.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Yes I bought the Bluestar portable AC. Cooling is just about adequate. Mine is two years old with no issues. Noise level is low, in fact lower than window AC. They have a demo center near Queens road (opposite Congress Office) so I tried it out before purchasing. Even the power bill is comparable to window AC

How is the portable AC unit doing ? Would be good to get your feedback based on your experience of 1-2 years.
Also, how does the venting work ? Have you made provision via one or more windows in the rooms where you use the unit ?