[pkulkarni.2106]

Guys, I need your help!

I'm thinking of fitting an AC in my bedroom (12x11 ft), which gets direct sunlight from full height window for most of the day.
I visited an LG showroom and as per the salesperson 1T would be more than enough.

We have shortlisted this one: https://www.lg.com/in/air-conditioners/lg-ms-q12swzd
But given that we've absolutely no expertise in this area, thought of asking the experts over here:

1. Does anyone have this particular model? How is the cooling efficiency?
2. This one has 5 year warranty on the PCB and 10 year warranty on the compressor. But in general, how does an LG AC fare in terms of reliability?
3. Apart from the PCB & the compressor issues, what a first time buyer should be aware of?
4. I'm mostly concerned about the long term reliability. If LG isn't the best in this regard, which brand I should look for?

Your help is appreciated.
Thanks!

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by pkulkarni.2106

Guys, I need your help!

I'm thinking of fitting an AC in my bedroom (12x11 ft), which gets direct sunlight from full height window for most of the day.
I visited an LG showroom and as per the salesperson 1T would be more than enough.

We have shortlisted this one: https://www.lg.com/in/air-conditioners/lg-ms-q12swzd
But given that we've absolutely no expertise in this area, thought of asking the experts over here:

1. Does anyone have this particular model? How is the cooling efficiency?
2. This one has 5 year warranty on the PCB and 10 year warranty on the compressor. But in general, how does an LG AC fare in terms of reliability?
3. Apart from the PCB & the compressor issues, what a first time buyer should be aware of?
4. I'm mostly concerned about the long term reliability. If LG isn't the best in this regard, which brand I should look for?

Your help is appreciated.
Thanks!

This is a 1T AC, which may be undersized if you are on top floor or in a corner room. I would suggest a 1.5T model, as that would give you a bit of head room during very hot summer.

In Delhi LG has excellent after sales service. I would suggest that you get a full 5 year extended warranty within 1 month of purchase. The extended warranty gives
1. Parts and labour for all components except a few plastic parts.
2. Gas and the heat exchange condensers.
3. 2 services every year.

When I bought my AC's they did not have warranty for the MB, so I had to pay 15K for the warranty. Now that they have a 5 year warranty on MB, the extended warranty is about 10K. I strongly recommend this if for nothing else but for 5 years of peace of mind.

https://www.lg.com/in/support/warranty
in this link go to annual maintenance contract, and then choose within 30 days of purchase.

Regarding reliability, it is mostly the electronics which gives may. Mechanical components (Compressor, fans, heat exchangers etc) generally last 15+ years. Most of the LG split AC's in my neighbourhood are nearing 20 years of service with no problem.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Mitsubishi... ... ... what we pay in AMC would, after the five-year warranty you can get on LG, buy a new machine anyway.

True at the time we purchased, but it looks like I'm out of date and Mitsubishi is catching up. I was almost a year out of date!

Originally Posted by Mitsubishi

20 May 2020
Mitsubishi Electric India is proud to announce that effective from 1st April 2020, all Inverter & Non-Inverter type of Room Air conditioners will come with 5 (1+4) years warranty on Controller / Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) for repair/replacement and compressor for 10 (1+9) years for any kind of manufacturing or operational defect.

Our new warranty scheme will comprise of the following features:

The 10 (1+9) years compressor warranty will apply on the entire range of Inverter and Non-Inverter type of Room Air-Conditioners (RAC only).
The 5 (1+4) years Controller / PCB warranty will apply on the entire range of Inverter and Non-Inverter type of Room Air-Conditioners (RAC only).
Special Charges including visit charges or labour charges for replacement of Controller / Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) after 1 year of warranty completion and gas charging charges for replacement of compressor during additional 9 years would be paid by the claimant.

Source. Please see the full text.

Check it out. I didn't read the whole page. Parts only, but still, that should ease the minds of inverter-ac buyers

[humyum]

Originally Posted by pkulkarni.2106

Guys, I need your help!

I'm thinking of fitting an AC in my bedroom (12x11 ft), which gets direct sunlight from full height window for most of the day.
I visited an LG showroom and as per the salesperson 1T would be more than enough.

We have shortlisted this one: https://www.lg.com/in/air-conditioners/lg-ms-q12swzd
But given that we've absolutely no expertise in this area, thought of asking the experts over here:

1. Does anyone have this particular model? How is the cooling efficiency?
2. This one has 5 year warranty on the PCB and 10 year warranty on the compressor. But in general, how does an LG AC fare in terms of reliability?
3. Apart from the PCB & the compressor issues, what a first time buyer should be aware of?
4. I'm mostly concerned about the long term reliability. If LG isn't the best in this regard, which brand I should look for?

Your help is appreciated.
Thanks!

We have 2 LG AC's, both of them 1.5 ton 5 star inverter ones. First one we got 3 years back and one 1.5 months back. The 3 year old one is super reliable and super efficient too. Every month my father and me remove the filter from the indoor unit and clean it. For the outdoor unit I remove the outside grill and clean with the vacuum cleaner. It has been working well.

The new 1.5 unit we got is a little smaller ( Outdoor and indoor both) than the older one and is comparatively silent too.

Please go for it.

We have been using both the units since a month at night for almost 7-8 hours and the increase in bill adding the 2nd AC has been only 300 rupees in our bill.

[pkulkarni.2106]

Originally Posted by Aroy

This is a 1T AC, which may be undersized if you are on top floor or in a corner room. I would suggest a 1.5T model, as that would give you a bit of head room during very hot summer.

Mine is second floor of the 14 floors. So, it doesn't get that hot.
Plus, as per the salesperson this particular model runs as 1.1T for short burst - which may be sufficient to cool my room.

In Delhi LG has excellent after sales service. I would suggest that you get a full 5 year extended warranty within 1 month of purchase. The extended warranty gives
<SNIP>
https://www.lg.com/in/support/warranty
in this link go to annual maintenance contract, and then choose within 30 days of purchase.

Originally Posted by humyum

We have 2 LG AC's, both of them 1.5 ton 5 star inverter ones. First one we got 3 years back and one 1.5 months back. The 3 year old one is super reliable and super efficient too.

Reading feedback from both of you, I think I can take the plunge and go for LG

We have been using both the units since a month at night for almost 7-8 hours and the increase in bill adding the 2nd AC has been only 300 rupees in our bill.

Is this for real? I mean, I'll be very happy if the electricity bill doesn't rise exponentially

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

True at the time we purchased, but it looks like I'm out of date and Mitsubishi is catching up. I was almost a year out of date!


Check it out. I didn't read the whole page. Parts only, but still, that should ease the minds of inverter-ac buyers

It is a good start, but nor as good as other extended warranty. The deal actually does not cover the labour, gas and most of the parts. I have experienced such service and you get billed for a stream of visits till the problem is finally solved.

With the type of extended warranty by LG, you do not have to pay for any thing (except some small plastic parts), so the engineers do not try shortcuts while repairing, as any shortcoming will mean repeated visits at no cost to the customer.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Aroy

It is a good start, but nor as good as other extended warranty. The deal actually does not cover the labour, gas and most of the parts. I have experienced such service and you get billed for a stream of visits till the problem is finally solved.

Good points.

Not impossible that this could happen anyway, but I am personally less worried due to having an existing relationship with the dealer and a one-stop dealer/maintenance situation. An example of goodwill is that they did not charge us for a motherboard repair on our old Daikin, as they had repaired it a few months previously for another fault.

All this is having a good dealer. I accept that the LG warranty is dealer-independent. With the Mitsubishi we would still be paying an annual amount for service.

[AYP]

Hello everyone. We are looking to buy a new 1.5T split AC. Confused between Daikin and Hitachi. Multiple models of both the brands are available around the 35K mark. Which would be a better choice? Reliability is the most important factor followed by silent operation.

Any other alternates which maybe considered?

Also, is the inverter type AC worth it considering its higher retail price and higher AMC price?

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

A multi split will cost a little more than a single split but will save on some outdoor space. If you hand the business to one dealer, they could probably cut you a good deal for planning and installation. Its a year away so you have plenty of time.

Are the multi splits available these days? I am not able to find any online to compare.

I am also looking for 4 units for my house in Chennai. The VRF systems go to around 3.5 lacs+. The only reasonable option seems to be 4 individual split systems.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by m8002?

Are the multi splits available these days? I am not able to find any online to compare.

I am also looking for 4 units for my house in Chennai. The VRF systems go to around 3.5 lacs+. The only reasonable option seems to be 4 individual split systems.

There is a class of difference between normal inverter split AC and the VRF.
1. Normal AC are consumer grade and last a decade or so. With modern AC it is the electronics that gives way.
2. VRF are commercial grade, so they are built more robust and last a couple of decades at least.
3. VRF systems can be expanded by adding both IDU and ODU units at a later stage, so you start with say 4 IDU and 3T ODU and as your needs expand keep adding IDU for newer locations, and additional ODU when more cooling is needed. No need to scrap the old to put in new.
4. With VRF you can easily have heating as most models are heat pump type.

If you are looking for long term ownership and enhanced efficiency, do go for VRF system.

[samaspire]

I am planning to install Split ACs in 2 bedrooms that are separated by a 4 feet wide bathroom. The height of the bathroom is 7 feet so the roof is sunken by about 3 feet. I plan to place the outdoor units on top of this bathroom roof. This the sunken area is presently exposed to the weather, so I have decided to cover this up with walls and roof. Ventilation will be provided. What I need to know is that is it ok to place the outdoor units in that space.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by m8002?

Are the multi splits available these days?

I have not looked up all brands. Daikin has them. I am sure LG, Mitsubishi does too.

[pjbiju]

Got a 1.5 ton LG dual inverter AC (MS-Q18ANZA) installed yesterday. This was bought from Croma. A few observations about the installation:

1. The installation was outsourced to a company called Cool Care Services. I got this information from the bill for installation they provided me with.
2. They did not bring any ladder and was expecting me to have something. They needed two ladders to lift up the outdoor unit. Luckily I had these at home. Not sure how they would have managed otherwise.
3. They had no spirit level to make sure the indoor unit's bracket is fitted horizontally. Again I had it with me which they used. I guess they measure the distance from another reference point (e.g. the roof).

About the installation itself.

1. No additional copper tubing was needed. In fact they had to chop off roughly a meter from the standard 3 meter that had come with the unit.
2. They had no torque wrench for tightening the nuts at the ends of copper tubes while connecting the tube to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. They used a standard wrench to tighten them. Will not overtightening cause the copper tube flaring to break, leading to leaks? They had checked for leaks and did not find any.
3. There was no vacuum pump used. They just released the nitrogen from the indoor unit and then connected it to the outdoor unit. Is that the standard way of fitting these? I remember probably reading on this forum that they should do some vacuuming.

So far the AC seems to be working fine. But I was not sure if this was the proper way of installing the AC. Thought of asking you folks here before I reach out to LG.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

I remember probably reading on this forum that they should do some vacuuming.

That is correct. They should have vacuumed the system. That said, I have never seen a AC technician do a thorough job for installing a split air conditioner. They are in a hurry to get it done and leave.

I have installed my own split air conditioner a few times with the assistance of my uncle who knows about these things. We always vacuumed the lines. It was pretty much the last stage of installation and before topping up, releasing refrigerant into the system (Captured in the outdoor unit). Yes, a torque wrench is ideal but I must admit we did not use one either. A good flare of the copper pipes should provide a good seal but only time will tell if they did it right, as they cut the pipes. I have found that mistakes can happen with an incorrect flare leading to leaks which will be known over time, sometimes as early as a week. Anyway, hope it all works well for you.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by AYP

Hello everyone. We are looking to buy a new 1.5T split AC. Confused between Daikin and Hitachi. Multiple models of both the brands are available around the 35K mark. Which would be a better choice? Reliability is the most important factor followed by silent operation.

Any other alternates which maybe considered?

Also, is the inverter type AC worth it considering its higher retail price and higher AMC price?

Hitachi used to be great some years back but now its a Johnson Controls company and its not that sturdily built as it used to be. Have heard good things about Daikin.

Regarding inverter technology I would stay away from it as its PCB is prone to failures. Companies are coming up with 5 yr PCB warranty but what after that? Its one additional part that is prone to failure and I would avoid that specially if the non inverters ones are equally effective. I have not observed any difference in noise or cooling effectiveness to be honest. Using right thermostat temperature is more effective than this upgrade in technology.