[sgiitk]

I heard from @vigsom; that he had his perforated Samsung fixed by getting a Copper condenser. Are these available, or do they have to be custom fabricated.

[etrast75]

What will be the approx cost of installing cassette AC in bangalore? We have to install 7 2Tr cassettes and 3 splits in our office and we have been quoted 1.2L including copper pipes, duct foams, drain pipes, stands and stabilizers. Is that reasonable?

Any help will be greatly appreciated..

[BenjiRoss]

The Carrier AC 1.5 ton (Duraedge) we bought for a room in church didn't function after installation. It would turn on, blow cool air for 30-40 seconds and then stop. The Operation light would then blink. (See video). The condenser and outdoor unit seemed to be working.
After a few calls, finally it was diagnosed as a faulty sensor and a sensor-fan unit was changed. It seems to be working well now.
Very unnerving to get a product that doesn't work straight out of the box.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLNWREuZLYc

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I heard from @vigsom; that he had his perforated Samsung fixed by getting a Copper condenser. Are these available, or do they have to be custom fabricated.

I had the aluminium condenser coils of a Samsung split unit replaced with copper ones recently. Available ready made, no need to fabricate.

[sgiitk]

@Gansan; When my son needed it in Manipal about four years it was not available. In any case when they were moving to Gurugram they just left it in the flat.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Are these available, or do they have to be custom fabricated.

I had my unit's copper condenser custom built ; took 4 days.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Colloquially: Asymptote means ...

Colloquially? This is not a word that occurs in any conversation that I ever had!

But then, I am not a technical academic, and you are an IIT guy --- so I guess you have different conversations

Anyway, thanks for the word!

[dark.knight]

With pollution on the rise and the weather changing constantly, we started searching for an air-conditioner for the hall where ventilation was not optimum (lack of cross-ventilation). I always considered aircon a waste of money so I started looking at cheapest options (by MRP) ignoring the star-ratings or inverter models. People recommended Daikin & General but I simply felt at that time that they were overpriced for what they offer.

Also another factor was in my mind that mornings in Bangalore are usually quite cold, and given the below average ventilation in the hall, winters and mornings were usually quite cold.. not pleasant. Thus to make temperature pleasant all-year round I wanted a HVAC system, the only available option was with Panasonic and my initial favourite Samsung had to go. Factors such as Panasonic being Japanese and being a nearly 100 year old company were enough to convince me that it should be reliable. The pricing was the final factor that confirmed it - Panasonic 2 tonne unit HVAC for about 60k (with free stabilizer+installation). In comparison a Daikin was 72k+installation for a mere 1.5 tonne non-HVAC unit.

I'm posting this here because one factor that truly locked the brand for me was Thad's post about him having seen a Panasonic unit in a commercial-hall space and receiving feedback about it being truly rugged and trouble-free even with all the smoke and pollution. So far its been about 7 months for me and while the fan noise is a bit excessive in higher speeds which I dislike, its been good every other way. I usually keep it at 24-28 depending on the outside temperature and it neutralises the environment in 15 minutes time. The heating function works smoothly too. Is it as stylish to look at when compared to a Samsung triangular design? No way, but it is elegant, simplistic and does the job and for a first time air-conditioner buyer, label me impressed. I've seen Daikins and Generals at work.. they're nothing but overpriced products with the same operating quietness as the Panasonic.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by etrast75

What will be the approx cost of installing cassette AC in bangalore? We have to install 7 2Tr cassettes and 3 splits in our office and we have been quoted 1.2L including copper pipes, duct foams, drain pipes, stands and stabilizers. Is that reasonable?

Any help will be greatly appreciated..

That seems to be on the low side for 7 units. As far as I know the pricing is as follows
1. For the ODU - compressor unit is around 40-70K/Ton depending on the size
2. For cassettes - around 25K to 40K
3. Piping including installation - around 400/m

Another thing is how the cassettes will be configured.
. If you are connecting one cassettes per ODU then the cost will be less, but running costs much higher.
. If all cassettes are connected to a single VRF unit then the capital costs are more but the capacity required is less and the running costs are much lower.

Large single units are better as the are designed for continuous heavy duty in commercial environment. With proper care these units will last a few decades.

Your best bet is to contact any of the major manufacturer of VRF units and get a quote from them - Hitachi, Daikin, General, Trane, Mitsubishi all have VRF units listed under industrial/office category.

http://www.trane.com/commercial/nort...olume-vrf.html
http://www.hitachi-hli.com/product/S...e-VRF-Systems/
http://www.daikinindia.com/products-services/vrv
http://www.generalindia.com/vrf.html
http://www.mitsubishielectric.in/air...city-multi.php
http://www.mitsubishielectric.in/air...ioners/pac.php

[Thad E Ginathom]

That kind of reasoning totally failed for me with Sharp but I too still have Panasonic marked for my next buy. I'm sure it will be fine because I haven't bought one and cast my evil eye on the brand yet

With Sharp, it is not the machine that is bad, it is the collapse of the company and support. I hope Panasonic is better established/equipped/stocked.

Next buy, scheduled for this year, may be postponed quite a while now. Post flood, and with other commitments, I may ask our local engineer about getting him to supply an indoor unit for our hall AC

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

That kind of reasoning totally failed for me with Sharp but I too still have Panasonic marked for my next buy. I'm sure it will be fine because I haven't bought one and cast my evil eye on the brand yet
....

Hmm, the sun is setting on the land of the rising sun. You'd be better off with a Korean product like LG.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yes, LG seems to have leapt in popularity. Has it left Samsung way behind?

[sgiitk]

Thad, I think Panasonic are a safe bet in terms of quality and also ease of service and availability of spares. They are life the GM of electrical appliances, reliable but not cutting edge.

[etrast75]

Originally Posted by Aroy

That seems to be on the low side for 7 units. As far as I know the pricing is as follows
1. For the ODU - compressor unit is around 40-70K/Ton depending on the size
2. For cassettes - around 25K to 40K
3. Piping including installation - around 400/m

Thanks for the response. I am being quoted 1.2 L for installation of the 10 units alone. That is the cost I wanted to see if it is reasonable. I can see how my question could have confused you.. Apologies.. Installation includes stand for ODU, stabilizer, copper pipes, foam to cover the pipes etc..

We cannot do VRF due to lack of space so we are going with individual ODU for each cassette. For the units itself, I am being quoted around 70K for a 2 ton cassette (voltas).

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by etrast75

Thanks for the response. I am being quoted 1.2 L for installation of the 10 units alone. That is the cost I wanted to see if it is reasonable. I can see how my question could have confused you.. Apologies.. Installation includes stand for ODU, stabilizer, copper pipes, foam to cover the pipes etc..

We cannot do VRF due to lack of space so we are going with individual ODU for each cassette. For the units itself, I am being quoted around 70K for a 2 ton cassette (voltas).

If all 10 cassettes are at one location, then a 15T VRF ODU will occupy 1/5 the space of 10 2T ODU.

At around 12K the installation seems to be on the higher side. For 10 units the per unit costs should be
. 10m of copper tubing with insulation - 2.5K
. 10m of power cable - 0.5k
. Stand - 1K
. Stabilizer - 2.5K
. Labour - 1K
Total = 7.5K

If you study the specifications of VRF, then you will note that
. The total load of 10 2T units (20T) can be easily accommodated by 12 to 15T VRF unit
. There will be only 1 ODU instead of 10 - space saving
. The VRF are industrial specification, hence will last much longer
. VRF can be managed centrally and if you study the Fujitsu Literature, then each IDU can be programmed for a different temperature
. VRF units are installed by factory trained engineers so not only is installation smoother, but also more profesional compared to many in the market
. Last but not the least, a single VRF will be less expensive in both Capital cost and in running costs