[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by ZMG

The AC technician from Urban company said that the coil is leaking.

How did the engineer arrive at this diagnosis? Did they apply dye to the cooling coils to identify the leak? If its the outdoor unit coil, that is relatively easy to replace. Coil replacement for the indoor unit is a bit tricky.

The reason I ask about the coil leak is, it could very well be the joints at the outdoor or indoor end thats actually leaking and not the coil itself. This is easily sorted with a new brazing of the copper pipe or replacing the entire length with a new pipe.

An alternate approach is to replace the indoor unit alone (If its the cooling coil leaking on the indoor unit) for a brand new one. You get a lot of Chinese manufactured units. Scout around for these. They will work for atleast 3 years.

If repair is turning out to be too complicated and cumbersome, dump the non working units for whatever you can get.

No specific recommendations for a brand new (or brand of AC) AC. Its hard to say what lasts these days. All the brands you listed are good. Sticking to one brand means you can do a little bargaining with the dealer and cut a sweeter deal. The cost between Inverter and non-inverter units has narrowed to the point where it makes little sense to buy a non-inverter unit. Personally; I'd buy only Inverter. Not only is it lower for power consumption, room temperature is more stable.

[ZMG]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

How did the engineer arrive at this diagnosis? Did they apply dye to the cooling coils to identify the leak? If its the outdoor unit coil, that is relatively easy to replace. Coil replacement for the indoor unit is a bit tricky.

The reason I ask about the coil leak is, it could very well be the joints at the outdoor or indoor end thats actually leaking and not the coil itself. This is easily sorted with a new brazing of the copper pipe or replacing the entire length with a new pipe.

He used Shampoo water and I could see the leak is in the outdoor unit. He did not use any shampoo on the indoor unit - but he looked for it by keeping his hand over various spots on the indoor unit.
I am worried that replacing the coil is not going to last for very long - and I will have to spend more time and money on this again.
Do you think replacing the coil on the outdoor unit is an effective solution for a few years (2 - 3 years) ?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by ZMG

Hi BHPians,

Slightly long post ahead.

I have 4 Whirlpool ACs in my house which were installed in 2016.
2 of them have stopped working.

The AC technician from Urban company said that the coil is leaking.
The solution is to pay close to 6.5K and get a copper coil (currently it is aluminum) and gas recharge.
Do you think it makes sense to do that ? Can there be other problems occurring? Or will this work for the next 2 - 3 years - I use my AC from March to August every year.
The technician suggested to buy a new AC altogether.

................
.

2016 is nearly 7 years old. Not worth repairs, especially aluminum coil ones, as in due course some thing else will fail.

You will be better off buying a new Inverter 5 star AC. They come with 5 year warranty for MB. If you take 5 years extended warranty then you are set for a worry free 5 years of ownership.

I have just bought my 5th LG Inverter AC (Hot and Cold). All the 4 older ones have 5 years extended warranty - it is all inclusive : parts, labour, gas including coils. Plus 2 services free every year, all for around 10K, worth it.

Most manufacturers have a tie up with credit cards and offer various schemes. Currently in Delhi LG has one with ICICI cards and are offering 4.5K cashback on 5 star AC's.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by ZMG

Do you think replacing the coil on the outdoor unit is an effective solution for a few years (2 - 3 years) ?

I'd definitely give it a go. It is Rs 6,000 versus 50,000! If the coil is brand spanking new, I don't see why it can't last another 7 years or longer. Its the coil for the indoor unit that I cautioned on which can be complex to replace. In this case, its the outdoor unit. A good brazing, vacuum is key so if the engineer is skilled enough to do the job, I don't see why it should not last.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I'd definitely give it a go. It is Rs 6,000 versus 50,000! If the coil is brand spanking new, I don't see why it can't last another 7 years or longer. Its the coil for the indoor unit that I cautioned on which can be complex to replace. In this case, its the outdoor unit. A good brazing, vacuum is key so if the engineer is skilled enough to do the job, I don't see why it should not last.

If the ODU has an aluminum coil, then normal brazing will not do, as aluminum requires special material and technique. Anyway aluminum coils (except in some industrial applications) are on their way out, as they are prone to damage as well as leaks compared to copper.

So I would always suggest getting rid of AC with aluminum coils. Rest is your take.

[ZMG]

Originally Posted by Aroy

If the ODU has an aluminum coil, then normal brazing will not do, as aluminum requires special material and technique. Anyway aluminum coils (except in some industrial applications) are on their way out, as they are prone to damage as well as leaks compared to copper.

So I would always suggest getting rid of AC with aluminum coils. Rest is your take.

The technician suggested that they will remove the old Aluminum coil and put it in a new copper coil..

I am wondering if I should try this.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by ZMG

....
Do you think replacing the coil on the outdoor unit is an effective solution for a few years (2 - 3 years) ?

I had the aluminium outdoor unit coil (condenser coil) replaced on my 6 years old LG 1 ton split with a copper coil 4 years ago. It cost me Rs.5500/- and the unit has been working fine since then.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by ZMG

The technician suggested that they will remove the old Aluminum coil and put it in a new copper coil..

I am wondering if I should try this.

This is a good solution. I had suffered with the Sharp Aluminium condensers failing repeatedly on multiple units. A replacement with a copper condensor allowed them to run perfectly.
Might as well do that and save the cost of a new AC.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Aroy

So I would always suggest getting rid of AC with aluminum coils.

Which is exactly what the engineer proposed as a solution for the outdoor unit. I'd give this a go versus throwing away the entire unit while it still has some life in it.

The cost to put in a new coil is only 10% to 12% the cost of a brand new aircon. Save some money while you can. Heck; even if the coil leaked again in a years time (or a new leak develops elsewhere), you anyway put in only a small amount of money to fix it the first time around.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Which is exactly what the engineer proposed as a solution for the outdoor unit. I'd give this a go versus throwing away the entire unit while it still has some life in it.

The cost to put in a new coil is only 10% to 12% the cost of a brand new aircon. Save some money while you can. Heck; even if the coil leaked again in a years time (or a new leak develops elsewhere), you anyway put in only a small amount of money to fix it the first time around.

Check if the IDU has copper or aluminum coil. If copper then it is fine to change the ODU coil. On the other hand if it is aluminum, then it may fail in future.

[revintup]

Originally Posted by ZMG

Do you think replacing the coil on the outdoor unit is an effective solution for a few years (2 - 3 years) ?

So I was in the exact same dilemma a couple of years back. Asked advice from an acquaintance who is in the field of AC sales and repair and he said to go ahead with the replacement.

Got a quote from Voltas ASS, came to around 8 or 9k. Called up a local guy who had previously done routine services and he quoted much less with a 6 month warranty.

Replaced the outdoor aluminium coil with a copper coil, filled gas, and the technician left the pressure gauge attached to the coil itself and came back 24 hours later to check for any drop in pressure. Once it was confirmed that no further leaks are present, he removed the guage, paid him Rs 5,500 total and its been working fine till now.

[HarshGtR]

Hi guys, I need some information regarding AC. I have two LG ACs which were dismantled one year ago and recently installed again by LG technician. After installation, the technician told me that he had "released the gas(refrigerant) during dismantling in to the environment". I was unaware of this. The reason he said he did this was that there was power cut at that time to start the compressor which I do not believe is true and after one year, I don't even remember if that was the case. Now for refilling I will have to pay over 9000 for two ACs if I do it from company or 5000 if done privately from that technician.

When I asked the technician why he did not tell me before releasing the refrigerant, he said that it would have anyway lost/leaked during this one year and so it does not matter. Coming to the main question- Is it possible that after dismantling, the refrigerant will be lost to environment in 15 days even if it was not released manually? How should I deal with this situation?

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by HarshGtR

...
.... Is it possible that after dismantling, the refrigerant will be lost to environment in 15 days even if it was not released manually? How should I deal with this situation?

You are being given a load of what we politely refer to as BS. How to deal with this situation is something that you will have to figure out for yourself, keeping in mind your ground realities.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by HarshGtR

Hi guys, I need some information regarding AC. I have two LG ACs which were dismantled one year ago and recently installed again by LG technician. After installation, the technician told me that he had "released the gas(refrigerant) during dismantling in to the environment". I was unaware of this. The reason he said he did this was that there was power cut at that time to start the compressor which I do not believe is true and after one year, I don't even remember if that was the case. Now for refilling I will have to pay over 9000 for two ACs if I do it from company or 5000 if done privately from that technician.

When I asked the technician why he did not tell me before releasing the refrigerant, he said that it would have anyway lost/leaked during this one year and so it does not matter. Coming to the main question- Is it possible that after dismantling, the refrigerant will be lost to environment in 15 days even if it was not released manually? How should I deal with this situation?

Almost all AC installers do this. They release the refrigerant to the environment so that they can charge the customers for fresh refill. It is easy money for them. Most customers do not know that.

Storing the refrigerant into the ODU before dismantling is very easy. There are a ton of YT videos which show how to do this.

Unfortunately, you have been conned and there is nothing much you can do other than going for the technician who can get the gas refill done at the cheapest price thereby reducing your outlay. I was also conned this way once when I was moving the ODU unit to a different nearby location.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by HarshGtR

Coming to the main question- Is it possible that after dismantling, the refrigerant will be lost to environment in 15 days even if it was not released manually? How should I deal with this situation?

As already mentioned, you've been ripped off. They should have evacuated the refrigerant or stored it on the ODU. Not let it out. Its illegal to do so in most countries.

I would not give that technician any more business. Arrange for a good private installer, even if its at the same cost as the LG Technician quoted. He needs to understand his mistake. Giving them Business again will only encourage them of this practice to other customers. The Technician needs to understand that there is a labor cost involved in re-installing the unit. They are making money here anyway. Why add refrigerant on top of this, when it was not required.

Escalate the matter with LG and let them know whats happening. This may not address your issue, however, will inform the company of what their Technicians are doing.