[Mortis]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Condolences!

I would have been so happy if mine had lived that long. It was my favourite AC machine!
Looks like you had a better experience of four than I did of one

It may still live !! My guy has taken it to try and get it repaired from a new vendor of his so fingers crossed ! Truth behind told this AC has parts from a couple of the other ACs that failed so technically it "died" a few years ago


RE : Wet servicing. Ideally once per year before summer or twice with an additional cleaning post monsoons because it gets mouldy.

What I have noticed with my last two ACs is that rather than dust clogging up the evaporator coil fins, the dust seems to stick very strongly in larger qtys on the blower fan blades. This leads to lower airflow and cooling and more annoyingly it creates and uneven wind gusting and whooshing sound which keeps a light sleeper like me awake.
I now wash the blower fan myself when this happens a couple of times a year. I tape a long plastic sheet to the AC with the other end in a bucket and then use a garden pump pressure sprayer to wash the dust off the fan. Works like a charm. The evap coils have a "Frost Wash" option so them clogging is never an issue.

I avoid letting the service guys clean the fan with a brush because it results in breakage of the directional fins for sure. It's their favourite thing to do. I'm going to keep this up with my next AC as well because it's too late for the current ones lol.

Which AC brand has ALL spares available easily ? It seems that none of them have the plastic parts and swing motors, etc available except possibly Daikin ? The only option is to wait for a similar model to come in for scrap but that's too long if it's a newer model and your AC tech will not remember to get the part for sure.

[smrtdvl]

Bought 2 Panasonic AC's exactly 16 months ago. Had problems with both the ACS within 15 days from the date of installation. One was repaired and the other's indoor unit was replaced by Panasonic India. Thought Panasonic AC's will be good being Japanese but certainly proved me wrong. Seeing the failure rate within the warranty period I did not have an option but to opt for extended warranty for both the AC's.. Now one of the indoor unit is making noise while running and I have raised a complaint with Panasonic India before 3 days but not even a call till now. Since I have taken extended warranty I am not able to ask third party technician to look into the same. There is no response for my tweet as well.

Any suggestions on my next course of action?

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by ZMG

Hi
Any thoughts on how often should one get wet servicing (cleaning the IDU with the foam and water) done?
The urban clap guy said every 6 months (Ya right!!)
I had read somewhere that one should not get the wet servicing done too many times as it can mess the fins on both IDU & ODU.

Never, ever. You only increase the chances of failure of components by doing this. There is absolutely no need to open the ODU ever. Just get a simple spray bottle and spray the fins of the ODU once every month or two when in use. No need to fuss with the compressor or the fan. For the indoor unit, you can just vacuum the fins and use a wet cloth if needed. If it has become extremely dirty, you can purchase a bag from Amazon or place some towels on the floor and very carefully and gently spray the fins yourself, avoiding the electrical areas. You are likely to be far more careful than any service person and removing the unit only leads to rattling as it is hard to fit it perfectly each time. I have never had any AC serviced ever. In any case, most ACs conk out after a few years regardless of all the fuss people do over them.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

Never, ever. You only increase the chances of failure of components by doing this. There is absolutely no need to open the ODU ever. Just get a simple spray bottle and spray the fins of the ODU once every month or two when in use. No need to fuss with the compressor or the fan. For the indoor unit, you can just vacuum the fins and use a wet cloth if needed. If it has become extremely dirty, you can purchase a bag from Amazon or place some towels on the floor and very carefully and gently spray the fins yourself, avoiding the electrical areas. You are likely to be far more careful than any service person and removing the unit only leads to rattling as it is hard to fit it perfectly each time. I have never had any AC serviced ever. In any case, most ACs conk out after a few years regardless of all the fuss people do over them.

I beg to differ.

Your suggestion is fine for zero or very low dust areas. Unfortunately most of India, especially North is extremely dusty. The AC sucks dusts along with air and that dust deposits on the fins of both IDU and ODU. This is especially so with modern high efficiency AC's that have very close fin spacing to increase thermal efficiency.

In the older AC's (at least 25 years or older) the fin spacing was quite large, so the dust would pass through. I have been "wet servicing" AC's for over thirty years and the amount of dust/muck that comes out is to be seen to be believed.

In such dusty environment if you do not clean up the heat exchangers, then the air path gets choked, resulting in
. Low efficiency hence higher electricity bills
. Extra load on the fan, which does result in fan burnout (has happened in a few of my window AC's.
. Premature failure of compressor as extreme dirt will choke the air to the extent that ice forms in the IDU.

So in my opinion wash the AC with water at least after the first year. If there is no dirt/muck, then skip washing for the next few years, but if there is then it is better to wash the AC heat exchangers at least once after a year of use.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I beg to differ.

Your suggestion is fine for zero or very low dust areas. Unfortunately most of India, especially North is extremely dusty. The AC sucks dusts along with air and that dust deposits on the fins of both IDU and ODU. This is especially so with modern high efficiency AC's that have very close fin spacing to increase thermal efficiency.

In the older AC's (at least 25 years or older) the fin spacing was quite large, so the dust would pass through. I have been "wet servicing" AC's for over thirty years and the amount of dust/muck that comes out is to be seen to be believed.

In such dusty environment if you do not clean up the heat exchangers, then the air path gets choked, resulting in
. Low efficiency hence higher electricity bills
. Extra load on the fan, which does result in fan burnout (has happened in a few of my window AC's.
. Premature failure of compressor as extreme dirt will choke the air to the extent that ice forms in the IDU.

So in my opinion wash the AC with water at least after the first year. If there is no dirt/muck, then skip washing for the next few years, but if there is then it is better to wash the AC heat exchangers at least once after a year of use.

It seems like you didn't fully understand what I had stated. I recommended washing the ODU heat exchanger fins with a spray bottle every few months. That takes care of the dust that settles in them. I am in Delhi and am using the latest 5 star LG inverters and have never had them cleaned by a technician. There is absolutely no need to open the ODU unit or to pressure wash it. It only leads to problems like water getting into components, gas leakage and other issues. For IDU, you would see that I recommended using a vacuum and a wet cloth or the same gentle spray bottle if they are extremely dirty.

This is sort of like washing the underside of your car. You could do it very thoroughly every week and be satisfied seeing the dirt being removed or you could leave it alone apart from a gentle spray when washing the vehicle. ODUs are meant to work outside and don't need to be pristine and squeaky clean. General removal of dust via a gentle brush or water spray is enough.

[gadadhar]

Purchased Llyod 2 Ton AC for the Livingroom from Amazon 2 weeks back. Decision to purchase online and the brand was driven by avilability in 2 to 3 days than other factors. Delivery happened in 2 days, but there was no updated on the installation for next 10 days. Disappointed with the after sales support, placed request for return and it was done promptly in 2 days again.

Now that it is raining and hoping the peak summer days are over, I feel it was not a bad decision. And got call from Llyod installation 2 days after returning the product.

[Jaguar]

How messy is the wet core cutting job? After drilling through a bit, the installer said core cutting is required. He says it is a 15 min job and they would cover the floor with plastic sheets and the paint wont be damaged.

I am not lucky as gadadhar since he opened up the box already and I won't be able to return the AC.

[ruskinash]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

How messy is the wet core cutting job?

Like he said, it's a clean job. They'll cover the area where the water runs off with a plastic sheet attached by tape, which won't dirty the wall. Just make sure that the tape is neatly stuck so that there are no gaps for the water to pass through.

[Aroy]

Why wet core cutting? Is it trough concrete column? If so be careful as that may reduce the column strength. For all my split AC's I did dry core cutting. It was dusty.

[DIY410]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Why wet core cutting? Is it trough concrete column? If so be careful as that may reduce the column strength. For all my split AC's I did dry core cutting. It was dusty.

Dry cutting is the lazy version that causes lots of pollution. If dry cutting has to be done they need to use a dust extractor. Dry cutting, sanding, drilling without a dust extraction is illegal in most parts of the developed world.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Why wet core cutting? Is it trough concrete column? If so be careful as that may reduce the column strength. For all my split AC's I did dry core cutting. It was dusty.

I feel it is just more of a practice than need and there is no load bearing structure in the intend location. And now seeing the difference, I'd rather deal with some water than dust.

[xenon0025]

@Moderators: I am new to the forum so please move this Thread to appropriate section in case I am posting it at the wrong place.

I am writing this thread to share my experience of buying an AC and subsequent aftersales issues that I faced with Reliance Digital.

With the temperatures soaring across the country by end of March this year, we decided it is time to buy an AC. I have been a customer of reliance group in general for over a decade now for majority of my shopping needs be it Reliance fresh, Trends, Reliance Footwear, Reliance Smartpoint, JioMart, Reliance Digital etc. So naturally I visited the Reliance Digital store at Phoenix Market city, Pune. We finalized a Panasonic 1.5T 5 star non wifi model by making the payment on 2nd April 2024. I was told the AC will be delivered to home within 2 days and installation will be done 2 days after delivery. During the booking we were informed that there is a separate standard installation charge of Rs. 14xx that needs to paid at the store itself and if we need a stand for ODU, it also needs to be paid during booking itself. Any extra material used during installation will need to be directly paid to the installation guy. Now the wait started for delivery and installation.

As promised, the AC was delivered to home on 4th April by 4PM. I was told to login to the ResQ app to track my delivery and installation. The app promptly updated that the AC is delivered on 4th April 4pm and the service engineer will be assigned within 24hours. Next morning when I checked for the status on the app, it showed me the same status. I called up the customer care for ResQ app to get an update and they mentioned that please wait for the 24hours timeline as the engineer will be assigned by then. The 24hours timeline passed and still the app was showing the same message that Engineer will be assigned by 5th April, 4pm. In the evening I again called up the customer care number to get an update and they mentioned that they are taking my request on priority and engineer will be assigned soon. On next day, i.e. 6th April, I waited till noon but no update and the app was still showing the same message that the engineer will be assigned by 5th April, 4pm; the time which is already passed. So at noon, I again reached out to their customer care number to get an update. They mentioned that it can take up to 10days for the installation to be done. I lost it there and gave them an earful that what is the point of the product for which I paid on 2nd April and I am unable to utilize it and it is just lying in my home. If they cannot provide the service, take it back and provide me a refund. As a customer, we are stuck because they take the additional charges of standard installation and ODU stand during booking itself. So we cannot get it installed from somewhere else as well and they might not honor the warranty as well in case of an incident if installation is not done by them. Basically we are at their mercy after the payment. I started looking online and found the escalation matrix details for Reliance Digital. I shot an email immediately keeping both the Customer service head and CEO's email mentioned online by 6th April noon. By 6pm, I receive a call from CEO's office asking what is the issue I am facing and he takes their Pune office head on a conference call and asks her to make sure my issue is resolved on priority. As soon as the conference call is over, I get a call saying they are coming for installation of my AC.

Installation folks arrive by 7pm and the installation is complete in a couple of hours. The installation guy mentions the additional materials used for installation and asks for additional Rs. 900 to be paid. On asking for a bill, he mentioned that the office will send the bill within 24hours. He gives me a QR code to make a UPI payment. I make the payment of Rs. 900 through Amazon Pay UPI but the transaction gets stuck at processing and the amount gets deducted at my end but he does not receive it. I tell him that let us wait for a day and in case I receive a refund, I will make another payment to him. He mentions that he has to show the payment proof in office else it will be deducted from his salary. He gives me a different QR code this time and tells me that in case I do not receive a refund and the amount is credited to him, I can reach out to him and he will return the amount to me. With this I make another payment of Rs.900 to him through Google Pay and it goes through. When I go back to Amazon pay support, it says my transaction status will be updated by 9th April. On checking the Amazon Pay app on 9th April, it says the amount has been successfully transferred to the recipient. I send the installation guy the payment proof for both the transactions along with the transaction reference number and ask him to return the excess money as committed. He says he will check and do the needful. I follow up with him for a couple of days but he stops responding. I then reach out to the lady who was on the conference call earlier when I got the call from CEO's office. I forward her as well the payment proof for both the transactions along with the transaction reference numbers. I keep following up with her as well about the bill and the extra payment for a week every alternate day but then she also stops responding. Additionally, I check with my bank as well for the transactions and they mentioned both of them have been credited successfully to the recipient and the recipient can track it based on the reference number.

Out of choices, I again write an email to CEO's office mentioning the sequence of events and ask their help in retrieving the additional payment. I attached the relevant payment proofs and transaction reference numbers. I get a call from CEO's office next day and he recognizes me since he already had my number due to our previous conversation about delay in installation. I mention the entire sequence of events to him on the call as well and then he replies to my email that they will revert back to me in 48hours. 48hours passed and I did not get any update. So I replied back on their email for follow up and I again get a call in the evening stating he will look into it. That's the last I heard from them and then I also stopped following up due to hectic work and personal commitments. Moreover that was the highest level that I could reach out to raise my grievance. Sad part is that even for the basic thing of installation I had to reach out to CEO's office and then only things started moving. But related to the duplicate payment issue, even they have not responded.

I do understand that corporates tend to back their employees but when I have given them the payment proof along with the transaction reference numbers for both the upi payments; how long would it take to verify it at their end. I might be be overthinking here but can it be that the employee may be pulling a fast one on customers using the company name. After this saga, when I was browsing online, I saw that the same AC which I bought from Reliance Digital, is available at different places for at least Rs. 2000 less after all offers and also a commitment of installation within 48hours. But this is on me as I should have done my due diligence before buying the product.

Based on this episode, I will be taking all my business to somewhere else now. Another thing to worry for me now is they have sold me an additional 4 years of plan worth Rs. 71xx which includes 1 dry and 1 wet service including warranty and surge protection. Not sure if they will honor this as well in case of an incident.

I would also like to get insights from other members on what I could have done differently.

[BabaYaga1210]

Hi guys, just wanted to share my observations regarding the current star rating system. These tests are performed at 35C which doesn’t reflect the full picture. Most of India easily experiences temperatures greater than 40C. While these air conditioners are efficient at 35C, no one knows their efficiency at higher temperatures. In this regard I much prefer the testing parameters of the middle east where they test efficiency at 35C as well as 46C. I think such a test is relevant and more suited for Indian climate as well. Just my two cents. Cheers.

[inder]

Weird problem with my Daikin 1.5 Inverter AC. It does not cool in the afternoon but cools in the night. What could be the reason?

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by inder

Wierd problem with my Daikin 1.5 Inverter AC. It does not cool in the afternoon but cools in the night. What could be the reason.

Most likely low refrigerant.