[huntrz]

Originally Posted by suren181

All this adds on to say that Onida's service does suck big time and please be wary of this point when you think of buying their product.

I shall however update you of any developments, as and when.

Too late Suren. I happened to buy one Onida 1.5T in 1st week of May, interestingly that was after my mom couldn't sleep for whole night on "April 30th"(her first experience of hyd summer). Yes the same day on which yours broke down.

[bblost]

So with electricity charges for May coming in.
How many of you had the "Oh. MY GOD" moment



I Did.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by bblost

So with electricity charges for May coming in.
How many of you had the "Oh. MY GOD" moment



I Did.

I've figured that for us guys in Delhi, it would be cheaper to shift to a summer capital in the Himalayas in a budget hotel rather than inhabiting our own homes during these summer months! That would actually be more economical!

[Guite]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Whats the energy rating for 1.5 T hitachi quadricool tm?

The only 1.5 ton 3 star Samsung that I could find is model number AW18WSB. So lets compare this with Hitachi Quadricool tm 1.5 ton RAV019E0D:

_____________Capacity _____ Power ____ EER ___ Airflow ____ Noise
Samsung __ 18255 btu/hr* __ 1890 w ___ 2.83 ___ 388 cfm^ __ 52 db
Hitachi ____ 19000 btu/hr ___ 1800 w ___ 3.11# __ 480 cfm ___ 43 db

From the table above you can see that for 90w less power consumption, Hitachi gives you more cooling power, faster cooling (cfm) and less noise. EER of 3.11 equals to BEE 5 star rating. And before you ask, I don't have price of the Hitachi.

Note: All conversions done as per Online Conversion - Power Conversion and Online Conversion - Flow Rate [volume].
* 5350 w x 3.41 = 18255 btu/hr; ^ 11 given in website is definitely not cfm, so assumed to be cmm, 11x35.31 = 388 cfm; # 10.6/3.41 = 3.11.

[Guite]

Another important thing I noted during my search for a room AC is the starting current. One salesman told me I might have to change the MCB in the electrical DB. It was only later when I saw the Mitsubishi AC spec sheet that I realised the full import of that statement.

Mitsubishi Mr Slim spec sheet shows running current of 5.5 amp and starting current of 25 amp for a 1 ton split unit! I knew starting current is high but 5 times running current is a revelation to me. I don't think Mitsubishi ACs draw higher starting current than any other brand; its just that other brands don't show this figure. On 220 volt supply this translates to 220 x 25 = 5500 watt = 5.5 kW power consumption at start up.

As the power input and running current goes up, so does starting current as shown below:
1 ton -> 25amp, 1.5 ton -> 44amp, 2 ton -> 75amp, 2.5 ton -> 95amp, 3 ton -> 90amp
Multiply each amp with 220 volt to get momentary power consumption at startup. Also ensure that your circuit MCB and electrical DB can take that load.

Of academical interest to me right now is how long does an electrical equipment like AC and fridge sustain the starting current? Any electrical/HVAC/mechanical engineer around here who have an answer to this?

[sharad_agl]

Originally Posted by Guite

Of academical interest to me right now is how long does an electrical equipment like AC and fridge sustain the starting current? Any electrical/HVAC/mechanical engineer around here who have an answer to this?

High surge starting current exists for less than 1 second. Typically of order of 250ms. The main issue is that wiring is generally not designed to take such high amps. and thus leads to overheating and voltage drops. As a thumb rule one can assume the starting current equal to 5-10 times of the running current.

Don't oversize the MCB to more than 2 times running current. Otherwise the sole purpose of having a MCB is defeated. MCB's can take transient surge currents w/o any problems. If still the MCB trips then increase the wire size first.

[anupmathur]

Guite, that peak current lasts for only a second or two, and starts falling.
Depending on the conditions, it could be up to a minute or more before the steady state current is reached.

The new range of ACs that have not quite made their debut here use inverter technology to control the motor speed and never actually cut-off. It is claimed these consume up to 50% less power for the same cooling job/application.
However, a word of caution here: This technology helps where an AC is actually able to cut-off and cut-in. For an (underpowered) AC that is continuously on there will be no saving in power.

[Guite]

Thanks sharad and anup for the explanations about duration of starting current.

But, anup, I am still confused about the inverter type, especially the last paragraph of your post. Maybe you can provide more elaborate explanation? Does it mean when the AC cut-off, motor speed will decrease but will not stop?

[coolboy007]

Guite,

Thanks a ton for that lengthy explanation. So Hitachi is the obvious choice if one considers electricity consumption.

[Vid6639]

I'm looking at AC's in my apartment. After going through this thread and various online reviews have come to the conclusion, the best AC's are Voltas and Hitachi. LG does not have good service and Samsung AC's are known to have problems after a few years.

I'm using National AC's currently purchased in 1994 and they are running fine. My new apartment does not provision for window AC so have to get split.

Now the room's in my house are not very big so I'm confused as to which one to get as all 4 seem adequate.

One room is 11'X17', second is 11'X14' and third is 11'X12'

I got the following shortlisted and the prices are MRP not market prices which will be lesser.

Hitachi RAU010HPD - 0.9T - Rs.25,990
Hitachi RAU014HPD - 1.2T - Rs. 31,750
Voltas-Vertis GOLD - 0.75T - Rs. 18,990
Voltas-Vertis GOLD - 1.0T - Rs. 25,990

Which one's are ideal for which rooms?

[Guite]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Which one's are ideal for which rooms?

vid6639, if you read my post at post number #486 and WanderNomad's post at #488, you will see that the room conditions are very important. So for someone to be able to post useful response, you will need to provide more information about the room conditions and usage.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Guite

vid6639, if you read my post at post number #486 and WanderNomad's post at #488, you will see that the room conditions are very important. So for someone to be able to post useful response, you will need to provide more information about the room conditions and usage.

It's in bangalore so temperatures are never too high. Moreover it's on the ground floor.

The larger room which is 11'X17' get's sunlight from the Balcony. It has one huge balcony door on one side and windows on other side.

The other 2 smaller rooms barely have light and only window on one side looking out to shade always from neighbouring building.

I'm thinking of Hitachi 0.9T or 1.2T for the bigger 11'X17' master bedroom and 0.75T Voltas Gold for the other 2 bedrooms.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by suren181

All this adds on to say that Onida's service does suck big time and please be wary of this point when you think of buying their product.

Onida, I feel is by far the best machine in that price bracket. But like suren has said, the service is pathetic. Here is my case. I bought the AC in 2003, had one problem in 2004, just outside the warranty period. Nothing serious, just a capacitor replacement. While the technician came for this, he gave a good offer on AMC which I took. 2 years AMC for 1,500. Seemed like a good deal. In 2005,even after 1 year, they had not come for a single PM. When I called and complained, they said they will come & carry out all the 4 services on one day (How stupid). I wanted them to take it as 2 years from then or refund the money. They would not have it. Like suren said it was imppossible to reach any of them. The numbers changed & my AC still keeps running without crying one bit. It is 4 years since the AC was serviced. I just keep cleaning the filters. That is the story of a great product without any support (More like FIAT).

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Sam... Samsung (the AC about which Sam sung!) work fantastically well for the first year, or even two.

You are right about Samsung though. My neighbour is having nightmares and hot sleepless nights after buying one.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Exactly.. That is why my A/C consultant doesn't recommend anything other than Voltas. Voltas keeps on going for ever, but most other ACs run out of steam after couple of years, after the warranty period to be exact. Meanwhile, I have many Voltas units which are running for over 3-5 years.

I guess your AC consultant is as outdated as Voltas lol . Voltas has long since started importing from China. We had installed as many as 38 splits in our office last year. Failure rates were as high as 30%. Most of the ACs had the made in china tag. Even the remotes are similar to Onida's. But I must admit I have also seen some bone chilling units from Voltas, but very few.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I guess your AC consultant is as outdated as Voltas lol .

That comment is uncalled for, I was quoting a professional whom I know for 5 years, who has installed thousands of A/Cs (splits,cassettes, central systems), he is not only a consultant for many major projects, but also a contractor that executes smaller projects and maintains them.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Voltas has long since started importing from China.

So does everybody, you didn't know this before? Almost every AC, UPS and Battery now comes from China. All of the Voltas splits I bought 5 years back are running 24x7 and without any hitch. We always get directly from factory.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

We had installed as many as 38 splits in our office last year. Failure rates were as high as 30%.

The reflects on your contractor, take it up with him.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Samurai

That comment is uncalled for, I was quoting a professional whom I know for 5 years, who has installed thousands of A/Cs (splits,cassettes, central systems), he is not only a consultant for many major projects, but also a contractor that executes smaller projects and maintains them.

Sorry, I did not mean to offend your consultant. But my point was voltas is no longer the India Ka AC that they proclaim. I know Intel & many other electronics giants have production units in China. But to buy a generic unit from China & label it as Voltas is something that cannot be accepted coming from a company like TATA. I can understand other companies with less or no clue about refrigeration doing that, but not TATA, they have been in the refrigeration business for a long time.

All our ACs were billed from their factory. we have had as many as 14 ACs malfunctioning. Out of which 6 have been rectified, the other 8 have been recharged/repaired/serviced in the whole of the warranty period and now almost proven that they are defective, but the warranty is out.