[NGM]

Need input for buying a split AC for my first floor room.It is approximately 140 sqft and we have a terrace and window on one side of room.
Based on input from previous posts i have shortlisted Sharp,Daikin or General.Have to purchase this week itself.

1.Should i go for 1.1 ton or 1.5 ton ? Since it is a rental property is it better to go for 1.5 considering future room size also?

2.Sharp 13PHT offered for 38K including installation+stabilizer.Same model 1.5 ton would be around 47K. Sales person was mentioning like earlier Sharp was imported and newer models are from India itself.So quality is getting compromised it seems(according to them).Also Sharp does not have copper condenser.

3. Daikin has very less dealers in Trivandrum. So kind of eliminated it.Any model worth considering in this price range?

4.Will it be better to go for General compared to Sharp?They have only 1 ton and not 1.1 like Sharp.For 1 ton i see a price increase of 5 to 6 K and for 1.5 ton the price difference is around 10k. Is it worth going for that premium considering quality/performance?

Help please.

[govigov]

Last weekend bought 2 sharp units. 13pht for 35.5k and 18pet for 44.5k. Including installation. No stabiliser. We already have an older 18pet in master bed, and was extremely satisfied with that. This was the basis for buying another two more units.

[hellmet]

Our Voltas AC has just stopped working completely. We thought it was the remote and changed batteries, but the AC won't start even if we manually press the "On/Off" button on the AC itself. This is the n-th time this AC has troubled us. Any ideas?

Never VOLTAS ever again!

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by hellmet

Our Voltas AC has just stopped working completely. We thought it was the remote and changed batteries, but the AC won't start even if we manually press the "On/Off" button on the AC itself. This is the n-th time this AC has troubled us. Any ideas?

Never VOLTAS ever again!

We have 2 Voltas 1.5T split ACs in our home. The first one konked off after about 27 months of purchase which is much more compared to actual usage during summers, roughly 8 months for 2 summers. Fault was diagnosed as cooling coil issue for which I lodged multiple complaints at different levels. Finally they did replace the indoor unit after taking price for cooling coil. Now our 2nd AC is also defunct. Problem started in about 1 and half years time when it stopped cooling. Fault was detected in the switch valve of hot/cold system. It was repaired and the AC functioned for about 4 months and again konked off. This time, I asked them to check the fault at home and it was found that the cooling coil of this also has gone for a toss. I'm attaching picture of the damage. Now after numerous complaints, they are trying to do something. I have told them to either replace this or be prepared for my next step because this damage is not caused by me and if they cannot make a reliable AC, they might as well shut shop. Voltas ACs are not a choice anymore in our household. We have another AC now which is a Panasonic Window AC. I also feel that Window ACs are better than split ACs.
We also share your enthusiasm for no more Voltas ACs.

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

We have 2 Voltas 1.5T split ACs in our home. The first one konked off after about 27 months of purchase which is much more compared to actual usage during summers, roughly 8 months for 2 summers. Fault was diagnosed as cooling coil issue for which I lodged multiple complaints at different levels. Finally they did replace the indoor unit after taking price for cooling coil. Now our 2nd AC is also defunct. Problem started in about 1 and half years time when it stopped cooling. Fault was detected in the switch valve of hot/cold system. It was repaired and the AC functioned for about 4 months and again konked off. This time, I asked them to check the fault at home and it was found that the cooling coil of this also has gone for a toss. I'm attaching picture of the damage. Now after numerous complaints, they are trying to do something. I have told them to either replace this or be prepared for my next step because this damage is not caused by me and if they cannot make a reliable AC, they might as well shut shop. Voltas ACs are not a choice anymore in our household. We have another AC now which is a Panasonic Window AC. I also feel that Window ACs are better than split ACs.
We also share your enthusiasm for no more Voltas ACs.

Attachment 1353932

Attachment 1353933

Attachment 1353934

Oh my God! That's horrible reliability! I thought it was just us.

In a literal "Laathon ke bhooth baaton se nahi maanthe" (Ghosts of kicks, don't listen to words), I hit the indoor AC unit with my fist a couple of times in frustration and heard a "beep". Then I pressed the "On|Off" button on the unit and voila! The AC starts running again!

It ran for 2 minutes and turned off with a beep. Another round of fist hits and it starts again - this time it's running for 15minutes now.

Well, goes to prove TATA makes crappy products throughout its product range.

[harry10]

I have to buy a 1.5t or a 2t split for the lobby.

My first choice is Ogeneral but they are atleast 12-13k expensive than Daikin so doesn't makes sense.

However, while checking out I came across IFB split acs. Their configuration looks good and right now they are with free installation and piping upto 3.5m.
Any reviews about them?

Between Daikin and IFB I need to finalize. So, kindly help me out.

[sgiitk]

@harry10; Take a look at Sharp. They are in the same league as Daikin and General (and not OGeneral, O is the logo). Being relatively new to India Sharp are going cheaper.

I will discount IFB even if it is for free. Also, make sure it is R410a or R32, and not R22.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Another promising newcomer perhaps offering better value for money, but also high quality, is Panasonic.

I was at a consumer expo yesterday, and was really shocked by the price of "Oh!" General.

[tiger_stripes]

In my split A/c, the insulation material covering the copper pipes has broken and come loose at some places. Is there any option to do a patch up, and is it worth the trouble?

[n_ramesh99]

Originally Posted by n_ramesh99

Saga of my AC purchase (not complete yet)
--------------------------------------------------

I decided to install a split AC for my bedroom (14 x 12 x 12) in Bangalore and decided to go in for a 1.5 ton inverter AC. I owe a lot to this thread for this research. The favourites in this thread being Daikin and Sharp etc., I also decided to go with Sharp.

Why not Daikin? because Daikin uses R32 refrigerant which seems to be somewhat proprietary to them. They do have R410 in their high end ones, but they are expensive and I have no use for features such as heat pump etc. here in Bangalore.

Now getting Sharp AC is proving next to impossible.

Originally Posted by kvenkatt

For those looking for Sharp units in Bangalore, after a bit of follow-up got introduced to a Marketing Guy 9886 00641. Nice chap. you can refer my name

-Karthic

I would like to post an update:

Thanks to the discussion in this forum, I was convinced that it is okay to go with Daikin even though R32 is the refrigerant. However there were references in this forum itself about bad installations and service from Daikin. Due to these factors, I decided to give Daikin a miss.

Venkat, thanks for the telephone number. However, I decided to give Sharp also a miss. I wondered if a company cannot even manage to sell a product even when there is a customer interest, how they would manage the after sales service.

Finally, I went with Panasonic inverter AC, TS18RKY. Panasonic brand shop agreed to deliver it for Rs 53,500/- including V-Guard stabilizer and installation by Panasonic authorized people. Pai International would have come down a bit, but installation was by their own people. So I decided to go with Panasonic brand shop

Installation

Obviously in this era of outsourcing, the installation was done by some 3rd party. I have no prior knowledge of AC installation, however, I felt that it was not a very professional job. I feel that Panasonic should also take responsibility for this. I read the installation note after a few days of installation. It had mentioned so many components as 'installation parts you should purchase'. Please find a pictures of indoor and outdoor unit





You may wonder why I thought it was not a professional installation. Please see a picture of how they left the hole through which the pipes were take out



A/C performance

It seems to cool well, though temperature is not so high at the moment in Bangalore.

Some how I was thinking Inverter A/Cs never shuts off completely, but would reduce power. It does seems to reduce power, but stops operation frequently, but starts again after some time. Hope this is normal behavior.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I think it is worth the trouble. Isn't the insulation there to prevent cooling enery being thrown away on the outside air?

I do it when I notice and am not feeling lazy. There is usually some material left over from installs.

Do not make the mistake I see installation engineers making: binding the foam material tightly with something like parcel tape. In foam insulation, it is the air bubbles that doing the actual insulation, so don't compress them!

[Sebring]

Doesn't the stabilizer take away the looks of the sleek air conditioning blower? and yes, it's a terrible installation, with big holes and all. Pana should take responsibility. Also, they say its better if the outside unit is under a shade, like under a ledge, wonder how much is true.

Originally Posted by n_ramesh99

I would like to post an update

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's "customary" to put the stabiliser near the AC. I agree that it often does not look so good. Our AC stabilisers are in a group near to the distribution box, and not in the rooms at all. This is something that needs planning pre-installation, and possibly arranging with your own electrician.

Sharp are, as part of their sales blurb, offering a guaranteed After-sales response. I don't know if it is a black mark that nobody has been to give "free service" for our machine. We, also, keep forgetting to call them.

Please keep us informed about Panasonic. Have just spent another 5k on our main hall AC (and will spend a few hundred more to fox inside-unit motor noise) but am expecting to replace it next year. Will be watching all comments and experience on General, Daikin, Sharp, Panasonic with interest for the whole of that time

[harry10]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@harry10; Take a look at Sharp. They are in the same league as Daikin and General (and not OGeneral, O is the logo). Being relatively new to India Sharp are going cheaper.

I will discount IFB even if it is for free. Also, make sure it is R410a or R32, and not R22.

Thanks for the info sir.
Any particular model i should look for in sharp?

Also, the running of the AC will be max 3-4 hours daily so a normal Ac will suffice or should i go for the inverter one only?

[sgiitk]

Remember R32 is the active constituent of R410a which also has some fire retardant added. As far as cooling is concerned both are the same. One can argue that R32 is 'purer' in terms of refrigeration.