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I just booked 2 Samsung Windfree 1.5T 5* ACs. These seem to be the hot favorites as they are out of stock and have to wait for 3 weeks to get delivery. I generally do not like the AC wind blowing on me directly and this seemed to be just the right one. Hopefully they are as good as they are advertised. I will post a review after my usage as we are going to experience one of the hottest summers here in Bangalore as per the reports. Fingers crossed.

Can you please share where you booked them and cost per unit?

I booked this at Reliance Digital and effective final price was 41.5K after some discounts and card cashback. I think the original price is 49K.

Welcome to the world of high efficiency AC's. The problem is simple. The fin spacing of all new AC's are extremely close, compared to those of 15+ years ago. Though that results in much higher efficiency, the down side is that dust (especially coupled with water vapour) collects and finally clogs the fins. The only recourse is to wash the fins regularly. I wash 3 to 4 times a year for the AC in my bedroom (it is hot and cold).

Unless you get an AC with wide fin spacings, the problem will remail. So live with it and clean the fins three times a year. Do not think that a costlier AC will solve your problem.

Remember that the wider the fin spacing, the more area is needed, that is the IDU will become wider and taller. That may be fine in an industrial environment, but not favoured (or available) for domestic users.

I like the sound of that! But my wife would hate it! She loves to be in a cold draught, and if the AC is not giving it, she would insist on the ceiling fan.

Mind you, most ACs have a mode that will aim the airstream upwards, or at least across the top of my head. I find that this actually cools the whole room.

Yes, I do this with the regular ACs wherein the vents are pointed upwards, however, this just seemed like a better alternate.

Am sure most are happy with inverter ACs. Am just frustrated. I like my stuff to work. I buy Japanese cars, you know...just so that it does what it is asked to do day in, day out. The incompetence of the service guys in giving me a proper diagnosis is what irks me most. Anyways user experiences like yours gives me the courage to give inverters another shot. A fixed speed AC is more reliable but nowhere as comfortable.

I have to agree. Inverters are getting better and more reliable generally.

I suspect that these 5 star ACs are more prone to clogging. And since we have gone solar there is no point in going for one.

But even after dismantling and cleaning, the unit which is rated for 938 watts is only working at ~600 watts. So I practically have a 0.6T AC.
Last year they had water washed it twice, and even then it was working at <750 watts.

Yes. I am giving high weightage to the dimensions of the AC if I will end up purchasing an AC.

UPDATE

I had raised another complaint with LG and they have agreed to dismantle the IDU, and take it to their shop to give it another wash using an even more powerful machine. All these installing and uninstalling is making me a bit uneasy. Already some of the fins have been bent.

They are not charging me anything so why not? Fingers crossed.

I think there is an issue with the compressor or its control circuit. It is not able work at its maximum capacity. You need to push for a compressor replacement, I think. Because, with the number of times you have washed the ODU and IDU, it should have removed enough dirt if that is causing the unit to not work. Time to look at the problem from a different angle.

Ask them to get a new PCB and swap it first. If it solves the problem, then good for you. Else, push for a compressor replacement.

Oh! Are the fins more closely spaced?

Interesting. An advantage of having solar. I don't, as yet (maybe one year soon) but have often thought how good it would be to make the sun pay it's way, at least for one AC during sunlight hours :)

Do you get non-inverter ACs from dealers in Kerala? I thought it was not available anymore. My experience with Panasonic 1T Inverter models have been really good (in Kerala). Especially for 1 west facing wall with exposed terrace (now it has a covering). Their ODUs with corrosion resistant paint(or metal whatever) too is holding upto to Kerala's weather and salinity prevalent in our coastal area.

Daikin's ODU is very susceptible to corrosion. Our 7 year old Daikin ODU has completely corroded and I am looking for options.

Yes, but its not as popular as inverter air-conditioners and most electrical appliance stores have no interest in selling fixed speed ACs and will try to convince you that they have are extinct. You will need to visit dedicated brand showrooms. Or you can try Tranzcend Air Systems, Ravipuram. They deal with high end products. The quotes I mentioned are from their Kottayam store.

Is it so necessary to get ACs serviced/cleaned by professionals every year?

Every year before starting using the ACs, I dust the filter and fins (interior & exterior units) and clean the exterior fans with blower. I see that filter and fins are dust free as much as possible by periodically cleaning the filters.
I keep an eye for reduced cooling / any smell from the AC, and get it checked if any.

Is this enough? or am I missing something?

PS.: I read somewhere that power washing the fins (as how an Urbancompany professional cleans) does more harm than good.

Just from maintenance point of view, most window ACs will last 3 years without servicing, after which the compressor starts tripping, split ACs can even take it till 4 years.

But that is the extreme limit for their tolerance.
Heat exchangers get filled with dust and heat dissipating capacity reduces, so compressors start consuming more power, hence higher bills and reduced life span of the AC.

On the inner side, cooling coil along with dust accumulates fungus which it throws right at you in the cool air, this can cause allergic cough and can even trigger asthma.

If you can live with higher power bills and asthma, then maybe don't get your units serviced this season :) .

What you say was true for AC's manufactured 10 to 15 years ago. Essentially older tech with low efficiency and wide fin spacing.

The wide spacing ensured that no dust accumulated and jammed the airflow, and what ever little did, could be blown away with a blower. Sadly in the pursuit of higher efficiency, the fin spacing has been reduced monotonically, primarily to incorporate more surface area for heat exchange within the same cross sectional area.

What closer spacing does is to accumulate dust which then turns to mud when there is moisture, and that mud constricts the airflow, resulting in
. Lower air flow
. Lower efficiency
. Higher electricity consumption due to constricted airflow

The accumulated "mud" requires water at pressure to remove, blowing air rarely works. So to answer you question, yes water jet cleaning is a necessary part of maintenance. The number of washing per year depends on
. Dust content of air. Mind you some will always seep through the filters.
. Hours of use per year

for example in our house in Delhi (very dusty environment)
. The master bedroom AC runs at least 16 hours a day, 9-10 months a year (both summers and winters)
. The other bedroom AC runs max 15 hours a day, for five to seven months
. Drawing room and other rooms the AC's run 3-4 hours during peak summer only (3 months or less)

Now
. Master bedroom AC chokes within three months of use, so it has to be washed at least 3 to 4 times a year, and the amount of dirt that comes out each time is to be seen to be believed.
. Other bedroom needs washing at least once a year, preferably twice. The amount of dirt each time is similar to master bedroom.
. The other AC's need washing only once in three years or so. Air blown is enough most of the time.

Now comes the question. How do I know that it is time to wash the AC. When the time comes then
. The blower output decreases. Where the airflow could be felt 3 meters away, now you cannot sense it even one meter away.
. The AC starts cooling less at a given setting. Say where as it would cool to 25 degrees in one or two hours and maintain the temperature at low fan speed, now the room temperature increases to 28 or 29 for the same setting. To bring the temperature down we now need to use the "turbo" mode (18 degrees highest fan speed).
. When the fins are fully clogged it is difficult to bring the temperature below 29 degrees at night.

Regarding power washing :

. I have been power washing AC's for over 15 years. Initially window AC's and now Split AC's. Properly done the fins are not affected (bent or broken). Just that the power should be low to medium (say a throw of 3 meters or so), and not high power as in auto service stations.

. Do not use any detergent or caustic soda; recommended by some mechanics; as these will corrode the fins in long term.