[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by khoj

Components for an air conditioner are not exactly proprietary. There are plenty of alternatives available and then every city has dealers who buy scrapped machines and their yards are a treasure trove of parts of all sorts including complete units.

What I fear is that some might be more proprietary than others! But the longer these units are around, and the more not-fixed-by-dealer problems people have with them, the more of them are going to end up in those AC scrap yards. Yes, there lies hope!

[sgiitk]

Thad, we did a mix-n-match some eight years ago. We bought a 2TR Videocon split. After three years we had a failure (sensor we hear). The dealer and Vadeocon tried but could no do a lasting fix. One senior mechanic told me that this early Videocon has this problem and is not curable. So finally after another year, I got the indoor unit replaced by a Voltas unit, which ran for another five years with no failures. Finally we decided to replace the 'system' with a Daikin R410a inverter unit. The old system used a R22 reciprocating compressor. So the impact on the power consumption was huge.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Certainly we would have cut down our very-high electricity bills by buying the inverter machine of my dreams --- but at nearly four times the capital cost!

We're happy for now.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Certainly we would have cut down our very-high electricity bills by buying the inverter machine of my dreams --- but at nearly four times the capital cost!

We had the AC running for over a decade, so a replacement was on the cards. Being in my bedroom I just did not want a failure, esp in the summer. Then naturally Daikin, R410a and Inverter came into the picture.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

... Being in my bedroom I just did not want a failure, esp in the summer. Then naturally Daikin, R410a and Inverter came into the picture.

And has this had no failures so far? How many years have you had it?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

... Being in my bedroom I just did not want a failure, esp in the summer. Then naturally Daikin, R410a and Inverter came into the picture.

Ha Ha (the laugh is on me) wish I had made the same decision instead of going for Sharp.

But at least our Sharp AC cools, despite other problems.

[skdking]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Thad, we did a mix-n-match some eight years ago. We bought a 2TR Videocon split. After three years we had a failure (sensor we hear). The dealer and Vadeocon tried but could no do a lasting fix. One senior mechanic told me that this early Videocon has this problem and is not curable. So finally after another year, I got the indoor unit replaced by a Voltas unit, which ran for another five years with no failures. Finally we decided to replace the 'system' with a Daikin R410a inverter unit. The old system used a R22 reciprocating compressor. So the impact on the power consumption was huge.

Dear Prof,

Soliciting your suggestions in buying 2 ton split A/Cs for my office cum workshop, costing around 40000/- each.

Any feedback on the brand, model no. etc will be most welcome. Price is not elastic beyond 41000.00.

Thanks in advance,

Sanjeev

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by skdking

Soliciting your suggestions in buying 2 ton split A/Cs for my office cum workshop, costing around 40000/- each.

Any feedback on the brand, model no. etc will be most welcome. Price is not elastic beyond 41000.00.

At this price band you are into a wall. Neither R32 or R410a are likely to be in the window. The the better brands - Daikin, Mitsubishi, General are also higher. Panasonic are somewhat cheaper and almost in the same bracket.

You may not be able to get an Inverter unit from any of them. So whatever you buy make sure both the condenser and evaporator are Cu and not Al. Beyond this cannot comment.

[revvhed]

Looks like i'm in the same situation Thad was in.

I have an LG 1.5 ton split in the bedroom which is now about 7 years old. It stopped cooling a fortnight ago and i called my AC chaps to have a look at it. They checked the machine and gave me the following diagnosis.

Condenser leaking - needs replacement.
Capacitor blown - needs replacement
Service valves leaking - need replacement.
Base tray, motor stand and outer body rusted - needs replacement.

Total estimate approx 21000.

They're advising me to buy a new outdoor unit instead of spending on repairing this one.
Now, LG doesn't supply separate outdoor units so i'll have to buy a local brand called Cruise (which from what i've heard isn't great).
Do you guys know if any other manufactures sell outdoor units separately which would be compatible with my LG indoor unit?

Guys please advise your inputs. What should i do ?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by revvhed

Guys please advise your inputs. What should i do ?

As per my situation: mix and match! And ask your engineer to look for a good used outdoor unit.

Actually, we had to replace both indoor and outdoor units, so we weren't actually mixing/matching --- it's just that, when our mechanic looked around at the best second-hand units available from his sources, it was a mix/match that he came up with.

Or just buy new. Consider your budget, and see if any good "exchange" discounts are available for your old machine. But if you are short of capital-spend cash, like me, and you trust your mechanic, do consider buying used.

[Rakkum13]

Hi all. Seeking views on ACs with heating option for Delhi's severe winters for parents. Needless to say, must function well in extreme Summers as well. Any inputs would be welcome, specially first hand ownership experience. Thanks.

[Prowler]

My Voltas Split ACs seem to have an identity crisis - they are part air conditioners and part water falls. They seem to leak plenty of water inside. Every time the service guy cleans the indoor unit, it stops the water falls for a few days and then it becomes a water fall.

It ruined my large size LED TV some years back. Other brand ACs don't seem to have this issue. But other than this issue, they work well. I am planning to dump one bedroom AC and get another brand. But they quote Rs.2000 - Rs.2500/- for a 1.5 Ton Ac that cost me close to 30k.

Anyone facing this cascade effect in their ACs and some solutions for it ?

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Every time the service guy cleans the indoor unit, it stops the water falls for a few days and then it becomes a water fall.

This happened to my Daikin because the outlet drip pipe was clogged and was improperly placed. The water runoff was not happening due to blockage of the pipe by insects and dirt entering it on the other end.
Moreover during installation my installer had not ensured the angle was downward. I fixed it by pushing a stick on the other end of the pipe from outside to unclog it. Then I also taped the junction with insulation tape to ensure no leakage and I attached weights to the outdoor pipe to ensure it remains in a downward direction. The hole in the wall also had a hump which was preventing water flow out smooth. I lifted the pipe over the hump and have not had leakage for past two years.
The area to investigate is the junction where the indoor unit connects to the outdoor unit through the hole in the wall.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by diyguy

This happened to my Daikin because the outlet drip pipe was clogged and was improperly placed. The water runoff was not happening due to blockage of the pipe by insects and dirt entering it on the other end.
Moreover during installation my installer had not ensured the angle was downward. I fixed it by pushing a stick on the other end of the pipe from outside to unclog it. Then I also taped the junction with insulation tape to ensure no leakage and I attached weights to the outdoor pipe to ensure it remains in a downward direction. The hole in the wall also had a hump which was preventing water flow out smooth. I lifted the pipe over the hump and have not had leakage for past two years.
The area to investigate is the junction where the indoor unit connects to the outdoor unit through the hole in the wall.

Same thing happened to my Hitachi. Got the service man to take the water outlet pipe out and found a lot of dirt/mud inside which had constricted the passage. Cleaned the whole pipe line and replaced the longer pipe running outside with a larger diameter pipe. No more problems for the last two years.

So if you face similar problems
. Check the pipe for blockage at the AC end.
. Check the pipe route for abrupt bends. Most installers will route he pipe "very neatly", but that leaves a lot of sharp bends. If possible replace sharp "elbows" with larger radii elbows.
. If possible replace the existing pipe with a larger diameter RIGID pipe. For our Daikin installer used a 25mm dia, thick walled UPVC pipe.
. Ideally the last few feet of the pipe should be vertical, and an insect mesh at the end will prevent insects climbing in and clogging the pipe.

Last but not the least clean the filters every week. That will prevent dirt penetrating the filter and clogging the water outlet.

[ddriver]

Hi Guys,

Yesterday late evening suddenly my Hitachi Kashikoi 5400i 2 tonnes split Ac stopped cooling and shows all lights blinking on the indoor unit. I switched off from remote and once through main switch but all in vein. I even checked the outdoor unit and was not running, which means compressor was not on.
Today I called the engineer and shockingly when he switched on the AC, it was working fine. He checked all the connections of indoor and outdoor where-ever possible but could not find the problem. I even showed him the video but could not make out the problem and now AC is working fine.
I just want to know, is their anyone who has faced the similar problem earlier or who knows the code of these indoor unit light blinking?
Attaching the link to the video I made.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4xx1vy