[Nano45]

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

Hi All, I am in the market for a new AC and visited Reliance Digital last weekend. I went in looking for LG models, however, the sales guy was pushing for the Samsung WindFree™ Inverter Split 1.5T 5star model. This comes with Freeze wash + Wifi and was available at a final price of 45K after some card cashback. Looking for some feedback and recommendations. Thank you.

I'm also looking for an AC and went to all the electronic stores last week. From my understanding, All AC manufacturers are releasing 2025 models with a 5-year comprehensive warranty that are still not available in stores. So, I recommend waiting until the end of this month.
Between LG and samsung AC , LG is my choice for the positive feedback I've received over the past two years including this thread from Sept 2023. I agree 100% with Aroy on Wi-Fi in appliances.
Note :- Inquire specifically about the free services and the free gas charging periods. There are lot of *(T&C) around these two.

Originally Posted by Aroy

Most of the Inverter AC in the market have similar functions, it is just that each manufacturer gives them different names. In my experience it is more cost effective to go for a brand that has excellent after sales service, rather that an AC that is high end but lacks good service support.

Right now, I'm dealing with this dilemma. Interested in buying LG/Panasonic, but all AC's in my village are voltas except 5 and local technicians are also suggesting to go with Voltas for better service support. But most of the online reviews of Voltas are nothing short of horror. What is your suggestion for this situation?

[shri]

We have two panasonic and one LG ACs at home in coastal Mangalore.
LG has undergone multiple repairs in last 5 years whereas panasonics are running solid (touch wood).
Panasonic units also give immediate cooling with powered on, while the other takes a bit of time.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Nano45

Interested in buying LG/Panasonic, but all AC's in my village are voltas except 5 and local technicians are also suggesting to go with Voltas for better service support.

There is some validity to what they say. If the nearest service Technician for LG/Panasonic is about =>100km away, then you're a sitting duck if something were to go wrong cause that Technician isn't going to prioritize the visit compared to closer service requests.

Voltas is not a bad product. They work well. Can't comment on longevity, however if service is easier to avail, then I'd go with the brand. This is ever so crucial for remote areas.

Speaking from a different angle, an LG/Panasonic may be better built units. Less chance of things going wrong so the need to attend to them (Not service) may not be required at all for the first 5 years. You'll have to hire someone locally and pay them to do a general clean up service, or, you need to do this.

Before you put down your money, firm up the support levels with LG or Panasonic, whichever brand you buy.

[d.w.w.]

Originally Posted by Nano45

I All AC manufacturers are releasing 2025 models with a 5-year comprehensive warranty

You need to keep an eye on the warranty terms and conditions. Couple of years back I was looking for an inverter ac upgrade and visited few shops in Chennai. The salesmen were promoting a/c s with 5 year warranty. I was not so convinced so I went through the whole T&C of Voltas inverter a/c. The 5yr warranty will be honored only if you service the a/c through authorized Voltas service center twice a year. If you hire someone from outside or Urban company or the likes, your warranty is void.

[India2022]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Well this is what LG AMC Covers. Plus there are two services per year included.

Originally Posted by jomyboy

That is all fine, but they don't cover gas charging, unless gas leak due to compressor fault

Not sure of AC, but for refrigerator LG has multiple levels of extended warranty plans (they also call it AMC) and I opted for LG's 'Gold' ext warranty/AMC plan which covers refrigerator gas refill also. There was also a cheaper plan which did not include free gas refill. Better to clarify during purchase as gas leakage is the most common problem in split AC.

And yes for refrigerator I opted 1+4 yr ext warranty plan by LG. My earlier refrigerator was Samsung and it developed cracks inside the body of freezer in 2nd year, Samsung said nothing can be done being plastic part, fortunately I had ext warranty from Onsitego (prlurchased thru Vijay Sales), so they provided a pro-rated refrigerator cost refund after deducting a 2 yr usage depreciation. That was horrible experience from Samaung. I know somebody who is also struggling with issues in their Samsung refrigerator from 1st yr itself, Samsung quality is very poor now

[thanixravindran]

My Inverter Air Conditioner experience (no brand reco) -

In May 2018, I picked up 2 X 1.0 Ton Voltas 3 star Inverter AC in Chennai at 33K each. It carried 1 yr + 4 yes EW if you do 2 services each year which costed 1000 + tax. So effective price is 37K INR.

Each AC had a duty cycle of 6 months each as we alternate between Summer and Winter bedrooms based on season. It runs daily in the night for 8 hours. So effective hours of operation is quite less and milder operating condition.

I once had an issue that ODU didn't started at all at the end of first year and it was repaired under warranty. Though they suspected a power surge during thunderstorm, it was repaired under warranty. But I always felt it was not calibrated properly leading to cold nights sometimes. But both of them are serviced regularly with Voltas.

I run my home with Solar inverter during day time. Along with it, the power savings from inverter AC resulted in always less than 500 units consumption for 2 months in Chennai, thereby in the less slab. Never paid more than 1200/1800 for 2 months power bill.

In the sixth year (2024), the same one failed to start and called a local AC mechanic. He traced it to ODU temp sensor and costed 1800 INR (1400 part + 400 Labor) for the fix.

It was working well till November when suddenly it refused to start. This time both Voltas and Private mechanic traced it as ODU board failure, most likely power surge. Voltas asked for 9000 INR to replace PCB, reprogramming and labour. Private mechanic asked for 6000 INR after multiple round of negotiations to repair. No warranty on repaired board in both options.

I was hesitant but went with repair option. It is running well now but I am looking to replace it while it is working. Other 1.0 Ton works flawlessly till now without any repairs.

I enquired the prices of replacement/repair of other AC and all of them are around 8K to 9K. It is the equivalent of Display in mobile phones/TV. If you are going for inverter AC, please take note of this cost after 5 years of EW period. And prevention is better, please install MOV as well Stabilizer if you suspect power quality is not clean in your area.

Meanwhile, in 2019, I got 2 X 1.5T 3 star inverter AC from Voltas for day/work time usage in 2 halls in Summer time at 37K each. They work like a charm with hardly any maintenance and cools rapidly.

In comparison, we had 1 X 1.0 T Samsung and 1 X 1.5 T Fixed speed AC since 2006. Regularly serviced and no parts were replaced till the end. They are made to last. But they drank electricity like anything. Finally replaced them in working condition last year with LG Inverter AC. Keeping fingers crossed on the reliability of LG.

So being part of HVAC industry in the past, Inverter ACs have come a long way in reliability but still sensitive to Power quality. They provide good savings depending on your power rates but expensive beyond EW repair. Old fixed speed ACs are rugged, built to last but running cost is higher. Calculate your Total Cost of Ownership and choose that provides best value to you

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Old fixed speed ACs are rugged, built to last but running cost is higher.

It is not just higher. It is significantly higher over a period of time.

Also, you said that the failure of the PCB is "most likely" due to power surge. If that is the case, you should have lost almost all the appliances that were left running in your household when this surge happened. Why didn't they all fail! We can't just assume a power surge causes the issue. Modern electronics can withstand some amount of surge. One must diagnose the root cause. Not just assume it was a power surge. Typically, when we face a thunderstorm, we unplug appliances for safe measure.

Modern Inverter Air conditioners are far superior to any of the old fixed speed aircon. Not only do they take less power, they can maintain better temperature stability of the room. The inability to diagnose them is largely down to the lack of experience (...and interest) of the technician. It's easier to replace so they present the bill to you. We may not have the semi conductor prowess of China. We most certainly have the skill and knowledge to rectify these Inverter AC boards though. They are not overly complex to work on. It's down to finding a good electronics repair shop that can work at a component level and replace what's required. Not just throw the pcb board into the bin each time.

Inverter AC's have been sold in our market for >10 years now. Surely, we must have gained the skill to work on these.

[vaibhav_a_a]

Hello everyone,

We are in the market for 4 split ACs.

I have good experiences with Mitsubishi Electric but for 3 pieces of 1.5 Ton and 1 of 2 Ton it is working out a bit expensive. I'm looking at the two below -

Godrej - its quite reasonable for the above config and they are offering a 10 year warranty (5 Comprehensive).

Daikin - I honestly don't know much about this brand but my wife's family has had good experience with it.

I'd like for the life of the product to be 10 years or so.

Any recommendations are gratefully received. Also any idea about service in Gurgaon (NCR) would be helpful - someone told us Mitsubishi is not that well served here.

thanks
Vaibhav

[IamNikhil]

Originally Posted by vaibhav_a_a

We are in the market for 4 split ACs.

I have good experiences with Mitsubishi Electric but for 3 pieces of 1.5 Ton and 1 of 2 Ton it is working out a bit expensive. -

Godrej - its quite reasonable for the above config and they are offering a 10 year warranty (5 Comprehensive).

I'd like for the life of the product to be 10 years or so.

I don't think you should gamble with a Godrej, since ACs are not their core competency, plus they have not been very active in this category either.

Would advise to stick with Panasonic or LG for peace-of-mind.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by Su-47

Am I pushing my luck too far and should I get this checked/serviced this year? I'm worried that the act of "checking" may disturb a perfectly working machine. If at all I should get this serviced, what do I ask them to check?

I have been quite a fan of - if it aint broke, dont fix it methodology. And its been working well for me for over 15 years with ACs. I just havent gone into the whole AC service zone, I clean the compressor with pressure washer, clean and wash the filters in the AC unit and I am done. Only after close to 12 years did I feel the cooling go low and got the gas recharged. All other ACs in either my house or parents house have never had the need to have any gas recharged etc etc. And my parents have been using the hot and cold ACs for almost a decade, using it in winters as well as summers.

Most of my friends who get the ACs serviced somehow need the gas checked and filled regularly else they dont cool as well.

Call it what you might, maybe I have been lucky all these years .

[Crow]

Originally Posted by vaibhav_a_a

Daikin - I honestly don't know much about this brand but my wife's family has had good experience with it.

I'd like for the life of the product to be 10 years or so.

I recently bought Mitsubishi ACs and the vendor said that it’s most likely to last long since the ACs are apparently manufactured in Thailand and imported here. He said if you can’t afford Mitsubishi, buy Daikin. Both are Japanese brands and Mitsubishi is the superior one in ACs.

I was seriously considering Daikin but then I just stretched my budget for Mitsubishi. In my gym the owner has installed three Daikin ACs and the cooling is very good. He said he’d have gone for Mitsubishi but it was too expensive.

Having said that, once in a while, all brands produce a lemon. So a lot depends on your luck too.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

It is not just higher. It is significantly higher over a period of time.

Also, you said that the failure of the PCB is "most likely" due to power surge. If that is the case, you should have lost almost all the appliances that were left running in your household when this surge happened. Why didn't they all fail! We can't just assume a power surge causes the issue. Modern electronics can withstand some amount of surge. One must diagnose the root cause. Not just assume it was a power surge. Typically, when we face a thunderstorm, we unplug appliances for safe.

My home wiring is such that all of the regular loads are routed through Mains + Solar inverter. So they don't see the raw power. The input protection circuit of inverter is quite robust. Only loads like ACs, WM, Motor pump are tied to direct power. The last 2 are more electro mechanical and can easily withstand surges. During both the failures, only this AC was left powered ON in Standby mode. I once toyed with the idea of full home industrial grade protection at mains input for any type of faults including neutral cuts and isolation but never implemented it due to cost and time. It is really sad that even this day, our stabilizer companies don't add few rupees of better immunity components in it.

I was an electronics engineer a decade ago and designed circuits and tested them for different immunity requirements - Power line lightning surge, IO/Comms Surge, Electronic Fast Transients, Radiated and Conducted immunity, etc. And the level of protection will be chosen by the category - No impact before, during and after the event, Temporary loss of function recoverable on own or recoverable by power reset, etc depending on applications. One needs to choose the right protection like crow bar fold back protection, Transient Voltage Suppression diodes, MOVs, blocking capacitors, filters, etc. based on cost and environment.

Now modern ACs have micro controllers having programs in it as well comms chips with IDU. This is the reason that you can't just swap out only an IDU or an ODU without reprogramming to match them. So when the ODU PCBA went bad, it is not necessary that few components like IGBTs for inverter circuit are burnt. They are quite robust. Byt MCU or Comms like RS485/232 chip would have latched into unknown state and doesn't activate output lines to send power for compressor. So unit starts up, waits for power to compressor, display error code and shuts down or hangs in last state.

I no longer work in electronics nor access to labs to play around the board to debug whether it is a soft failure or hard failure. I also couldn't go the repair shop to directly check with the technician on the extent of damage. I just visibly checked whether there is any blow out of components but it was not. This is the reason I want to sell it off as latent damage is very tough to trace and with another hit, it will make the unit inoperative.

[revintup]

In a dilemma.

170 sq ft bedroom, exposed to direct sunlight on roof and 2 walls. Preferred temperature setting is 28°C (I know!!!). Kerala does not see extreme high temperature in summers, usually maxes out at 40°C even during the worst of the summer days. But humidity is a real concern especially during the rainy season. I use the AC the whole night for almost 11 months of the year and clean the IDU filter every 2 months or so.

2012 : Voltas 1.5T non inverter AC. Cooled brilliantly during summers, but come the warm and humid monsoon season and it cannot remove the humidity without making the room uncomfortably cold for me. I realize that a 1.5T is oversized for me.

2019 : Bought a new LG 1T 5* inverter AC. Cools well, easily maintains my preferred setting of 28°C during summer months and works extremely well during the monsoon months as well.

2024 Feb : The LG AC is not cooling well. LG diagnostic app says the AC is only drawing in 300 watts of power even in the most powerful setting. I call the LG service team and they pressure wash the IDU and it cools better and works ok for a couple of months.

2024 May : Cooling is bad again. I call the LG service guys again, and this time they dismantle the IDU and give it a more thorough wash. Cooling is better but even then its only drawing in a max of 750 watts even at turbo mode.

The max rated power consumption is 938 watts

2025 Feb : The AC is only drawing in 250-350 watts. LG guys are called again, they dismantle the IDU and pressure wash both the IDU and ODU. They check gas levels and says its normal. But even after the wash, its only working at <600 watts. I report the issue again and they are clueless and insists there is nothing wrong with the sensors.

Thinking of moving this AC to a smaller cooler room on the ground floor. Wary of buying an inverter AC again. Power consumption is not really an issue as we have gone solar. The following are what am considering.

Non Inverter 1T units

1. Mitsubishi electric AGZ - 37k
2. General 1.1 T - 39k
3. Mitsubishi heavy - 47k
4. Bluestar - 32k

1.5T 3* Inverter Units

1. Mitsubishi Electric JX 53k
2. General 56k
3. Bluestar 35k

Yes, a 1.5T inverter is most apt for my usage. But once bitten twice shy. A non inverter will be more rugged and will outlast inverter ACs. It will need to be switched on for 30-60 mins prior to bedtime, and wont be as comfy during the monsoons either.

Did I mention? In a dilemma....

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by revintup

Yes, a 1.5T inverter is most apt for my usage. But once bitten twice shy. A non inverter will be more rugged and will outlast inverter ACs. It will need to be switched on for 30-60 mins prior to bedtime, and wont be as comfy during the monsoons either.

Did I mention? In a dilemma....

I am not sure about a single use case being enough to warrant a blanket statement against inverter ACs, that said I am not sure it can warrant one in favour of them either. But for what it is worth, I have been using a 1.5 ton Daikin 5 star inverter AC for 6 years with no issues. It is used for 11 months every year out of which for 6 months it is used even in the day time. I set it to max power/turbo mode at 23-26 degrees and it takes about 10-20 minutes to chill the room after which the blades direct air to the ceiling and the aircon goes whisper silent. Works like a charm every time and much better than the old non inverter 3 star 1.5T voltas I had before it.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by revintup

In a dilemma. ...

Early inverter ACs, sadly, earned the technology a bad name in this country. I suspect that, even in the past five years, things have moved on and reliability has greatly improved. My first inverter AC was a disaster, but subsequent ones have not given any trouble. Machines have become more reliable, and warranties have become more inclusive.

As you are using this machine nightly, eleven months a year, I think you should go with inverter technology. And maybe more than three stars.