Team-BHP - The home / office air-conditioner thread

@Thad E Ginathom for Samurai & pjbiju

Yes it should be the starting capacitor, If it is only the compressor that does not come on. In case even the external fan motor does not turn then it will be the running capacitor or the unit outside is not getting any current at all.

@aloathsomebrute

Have you filtered any manufacturer/brand. What is the budget and your preference between split and window?

@ anku94

Power saving is the major advantage. The worth of the premium depends upon the size of the machine and its usage. The bigger the machine and more the usage faster is the ROI and resultant savings. Manufacturers claim savings up to 50%.
At this time the premium being asked in the local market is way too high, it will be at least an year or two before we see these prices fall to a realistic level.

Did you get any chikki?

Quote:

Originally Posted by khoj (Post 1813945)

@aloathsomebrute

Have you filtered any manufacturer/brand. What is the budget and your preference between split and window?

Open to any manufacturer/ brand - don't have any brands I hate/ love. I am willing to extend the budget if there's a tangible benefit in terms of low running cost (power consumption). Both ACs might run upto 8 years on weekdays and upto 12 hours on weekends, for whatever that's worth.

Would prefer window ACs cause of the ease of installation, but open to split as well if some models are good VFM.

Hello to all the good folk here at Team-BHP :)

I'm interested in purchasing an AC in Chennai at the moment. I need your help in deciding what kind of an AC to purchase. Here are some relevant details which might help you guys in pointing me in the right direction. Hope these help.

Budget - 20-25k Max. Won't be able to stretch it any more.

Room Specifications - 20 feet(L) by 15 feet(W) by 9 feet(H)(approximately)

Daily Usage - 5-6 hours weekdays, more on weekends.

Location of house - My House is on the top floor of the apartment, but there are other apartments surrounding it. As a result, it doesn't heat up too much during the morning till about 12. After that it gets a bit toasty. Still, it's a relatively cool house.

Type of AC I want to purchase - It may be a Window AC or a split AC. There is a provision to attach a window AC in one of the windows. I'm okay with any type, as long as the cooling is effective. I know there are not too many split AC's in my price range, but like I said. I'm okay with a Windows AC too.

Have I done some research on AC's available at the moment? - Yes. I have been to Shah's and Vivek's near to my place. I had heard that Voltas AC's are pretty decent so I was looking for them. I've been given a quote of 23k for a split AC from Voltas Vertis 1.5 Ton, with an EER of 2.68 and a star rating of 2. With my limited knowledge of AC's, I think it might not be very effective. However I might be wrong as well. Among windows AC's I was given a quote of 17.5k for a 1.5 Ton Voltas Vertis Plus with EER - 2.55 and star rating of 2. I am sorry I don't really know the model numbers. There were a few other models from LG and Samsung as well, but I haven't really looked at them for now.

So what do you people suggest? If all goes well, I might consider purchasing the AC by this weekend.

I would really appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction. Please let me know if you need any more details.

Thanks to all who took the time out to read this post of mine :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by aloathsomebrute (Post 1814216)

Per your usage pattern and the time frame involved you should stick to Ogeneral, Hitachi and other makes in the same league. I would recommend the Hitachi Quadracool TM window followed by OGeneral window, followed by any other Japanese major.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aloathsomebrute (Post 1814217)

Think you had mentioned it earlier on this thread!

Thanks a Ton Killjoy!

150 to 120 square feet in Delhi summers for 8 to 12 hours a day for 8 years = 1.5 Tons.
Strictly 100 sq feet =1.2 Ton. 80 sq feet or less 1 Ton these guidelines are for residential usage only.

Remember in our houses we have multiple sources of heats from our kitchens to appliances to leaking window and door frames etc etc. All of these load up the compressors and it is advisable to have some amount of reserve capacity to overcome those extra hot days.

As I type this I am reminded of Delhi's heat and would suggest you to go for a split rather than the window and again from any of the Japanese companies. Splits are definitely more efficient in cooling and in electric consumption too. If I were to rank them in terms of price it would be Panasonic(2 or 3 star rated), Hitachi (logicool series), Mitsubishi, Panasonic (5 star rated), Hitachi(Atom and the new follow me models), Sanyo, OGeneral, Toshiba, Daiken.

The Panasonic series with 2 /3 star ratings are as good at cooling as the 5 star rated series only thing is they consume more power. The best balance would be achieved with Hitachi Logicool series it is 5 star rated and has the same compressors as the Atom and the new series from Hitachi but without the premium for the branding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by khoj (Post 1815448)

The best balance would be achieved with Hitachi Logicool series it is 5 star rated and has the same compressors as the Atom and the new series from Hitachi but without the premium for the branding.

Having spent about 10 years in selling ACs of various brands, I would put my money in Hitachi's Logicool. IMO, It is the best no-frill AC that one can buy in India. As a company policy, it is not meant for the domestic customer, and only for corporate/institutional/commercial establishments. But I am sure you can contact the nearest dealer and he might be able to help.

PM me if anyone wants the co-ordinates of the local Hitachi sales person. I might be able to help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abes (Post 1813361)

One AC guy taught me a simple method of AC capacity sizing calculation.

Multiply the cu. feet with a factor of 10, this gives the BTU/hr cooling required for the room. To convert this BTU/hr to tons, divide this figure by 1200 (approximate to the nearest lower standard capacity of AC unit avialable).

But, this is just an approximate calculation for our understanding of the capacity requirements.

That is indeed a very good and easy formula, however either the factor to convert from feet cube to BTU/Hr should be 1.0 instead of 10 or the division to convert from BTU/hr to Ton should be by 12000 and not 1200 (do correct me if I am wrong)

The results are very close to those calculated professionally and can be used to make purchasing decisions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourav9385 (Post 1814517)

Hello to all the good folk here at Team-BHP :)

I'm interested in purchasing an AC in Chennai at the moment.
Budget - 20-25k Max. Won't be able to stretch it any more.

Room Specifications - 20 feet(L) by 15 feet(W) by 9 feet(H)(approximately)

Daily Usage - 5-6 hours weekdays, more on weekends.

Location of house - My House is on the top floor of the apartment, but there are other apartments surrounding it. As a result, it doesn't heat up too much during the morning till about 12. After that it gets a bit toasty. Still, it's a relatively cool house.

@sourav9385
Your specs point towards an air con in the 2 ton plus category. Apart from the large room you have a huge roof exposed to Sunlight. Use the formulae given in Abes post on the previous page and check it out.

Get in touch with kjmdas below to see how you can get a logicool two ton split machine as that will be the best techno commercial solution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjmads (Post 1815631)

Hi kjmdas,

I have a decade old Amtrex window unit. While most of the components are in good condition the 2 ton Tecumseh reciprocating compressor has leaked due to a hole in its side wall. I was wondering if I could retrofit a 1.5 ton compressor and use the other components as they are. The gas/liquid pipes and the capillary etc. would be reduced/retrofitted to match the new compressor's ports.

Do let me know if this would be technically feasible. If yes then please recommend a good compressor in terms of type reci/rotary and make. Thank You.