[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by mandyrana

I do not think so, there will be coil for heating. Better to get oil heater with more functionality

Not necessarily, now the trend is to reverse the cycle, since it i about 3x more efficient.

We had an Airtemp in the 1960's but that is an ancient story.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Not necessarily, now the trend is to reverse the cycle, since it i about 3x more efficient.
....

Which brands are using the reverse cycle technology here in India? And then the price aspect!
I find most of them have a heating coil sandwiched with the evaporator.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Which brands are using the reverse cycle technology here in India? And then the price aspect!
I find most of them have a heating coil sandwiched with the evaporator.

Daikin for one. General, Sharp may be another couple. I am talking of splits. Daikin had it over a decade ago. this is why the price difference is about 10k. If you want a heater based system you could buy one for about 2-3k a few years ago.

[su_madness]

Does any AC come with extended warranty/amc complete cover? LG has amc for every product apparently. My office a.c.'s condenser(aluminium) formed a leak just after a year. The service guy suggested to take an amc and wait a couple of months to get it replaced free. We did so. Right now, I need an inverter a.c. which gives such amc plans. It should have high eer, sharp has 4.4, daikin has 3.8, General has 3.51. Hitachi service is a concern. Am inclined towards Sharp because of its eer but very concerned about aluminium. What are my options?

[diyguy]

I just spent a week in Helsinki and prior to my travel I had a bad cold and cough for about 2-3 weeks. I would wake up coughing at nights. However in Helsinki in temperatures of -1, I was sleeping like a baby. I returned last night and my cough started immediately. We use the air con in chennai 365 days and usually 10-12 hrs a night. My BR Daikin air con was last serviced maybe 6 months ago and am waiting for my regular service guy to make time for me. I was wondering if this cough could be caused by the air con. My wife seems fine though she actually is slightly asthmatic, she does not seem to be affected. I do not have any known allergies.
Also when cleaning out the air con, does it make sense to use any anti bacterial liquids that could kill any bacteria in the vents/coil etc?
I used to do this service myself and I have once in a way used the green dettol diluted in water to attempt some purification...

[khoj]

The best way to do this is to allow the air con to run on 'fan only' mode for say 10-15 minutes at end of the usage period. This allows the air to circulate and in the absence of any condensation enables the coils and fins to go completely dry, thereby eliminating moisture from the system which in turn ensures that bacteria do not find an environment conducive for them to grow.

This holds good for both room and car air conditioners.

If the problem persists you could look at air cleaners/ionisers, these are becoming very popular in NCR.

Originally Posted by diyguy

Also when cleaning out the air con, does it make sense to use any anti bacterial liquids that could kill any bacteria in the vents/coil etc?

[drsingh]

Any views /experience with Sharp window AC units?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by drsingh

Any views /experience with Sharp window AC units?

I hear they are pretty good. Sharp is a brand for which I have the highest respect.

[Gansan]

My seven year old Samsung window unit (1 Ton) cools for a while after start up, but then gradually it tapers off. Actually there is hardly any air output when this happens. I wash the air filter mesh and clean the grill area behind it with a wet brush every month. There is no clogging.

A friend told me it could be due to ice build up. I opened and removed the sir filter during operation to check, and there seems to be a white coating inside sometimes. What can be done to fix this?

[ariesonu]

@Sgittk: We had finalised on Voltas but along came an advise that INVERTER based A/C's are better than 5 star rated ones. Please advise Pros & Cons.
We are looking at a HITACHI model.

Regards,
Sonu

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

@Sgiitk: We had finalised on Voltas but along came an advise that INVERTER based A/C's are better than 5 star rated ones. Please advise Pros & Cons.
We are looking at a HITACHI model.

Inverter any day, they are more efficient than 5*. If there is an inverter window unit please go for it. I have a Hitachi 5* windows unit and it is pretty good. It is a bit noisier than my 11-12 year old Videocons.

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Inverter any day, they are more efficient than 5*. If there is an inverter window unit please go for it. I have a Hitachi 5* windows unit and it is pretty good. It is a bit noisier than my 11-12 year old Videocons.

No Sir, not window but split.
At a retail outlet, the mentioned price was 52K but I negotaited the price to 45k for 1.5 tons (1.5TR HITACHI KAZE INVERTER - R410A - RAU018KVEA). Am yet to commit to my negotiations. :-)
I already have HITACHI window, its not noisy but the windows do shake when the compressor stops. It is that model with TWIN motors.

Regards
Sonu

[sgiitk]

@ariesonu; Hitachi ASS is known to be suspect. I will still look at Daikin, General, Sharp in the top bracket, followed by Panasonic and maybe Hitachi in Tier 2.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by drsingh

Any views /experience with Sharp window AC units?

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I hear they are pretty good. Sharp is a brand for which I have the highest respect.

I bought a Sharp 1.5-ton inverter AC about four months ago, to replace a 7-yr-old Samsung which our local guy said wasn't worth further repair.

I'm entirely satisfied with it. It is quiet and cools well. Being an inverter machine, it is dong something all the time, so the temperature does not have spikes and the humidity does not build up. Even with the temperature set to 26 or 27, which requires very little cooling at this time of year, the humidity remains under control. Of course, it is winter, and it is yet to cope with its first Chennai summer, but I am confident.

The outside unit is quiet too, because it is working a little all the time, rather than full-pelt or off. I was standing next to it yesterday and only realised it was on when I saw the fan turning!

I only have only one concern, which is how the external heat exchanger will stand up to our polluted atmosphere. Ask me in a year or three!

Assuming the general build quality also lasts the course, then this brand must be very good value for money when set against the higher-priced Daikin/General/etc.

We are just about to send out main-hall 2-ton Samsung out for repairs. This will be its final year. Will I buy Sharp? Given my above concerns, I will probably hedge my bets and go for a different brand, probably Daikin or General, but, all being well, I won't have to make that decision until this time next year.

Another brand that interests me is Panasonic.

Originally Posted by ariesonu

@Sgittk: We had finalised on Voltas but along came an advise that INVERTER based A/C's are better than 5 star rated ones. Please advise Pros & Cons.
We are looking at a HITACHI model.

Regards,
Sonu

Yes: go for an inverter AC. I am enormously impressed. It simply works better, maintaining an even temperature and humidity level. From now on, I will never buy a non-inverter AC again! Cost of running? Hard to say: our electricity bill was down on same period last year, but that is just one reading and so very inconclusive.

[sgiitk]

Thad; Also Sharp is R401a, another big plus.