[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Aroy

If 25A "C" is tripping, then the stabilizer is the culprit, unless the MCB is faulty.

Very likely. So far in my almost fifty years of experience I have met far fewer failures caused by voltage than stabilisers. I as a habit just do not use stabilisers. If stuck a chronic low voltage place I will prefer to put a manual step up, than risk an auto voltage corrector.

[Ithaca]

TL / DR: Some AC manufacturers will extend your warranty period beyond 5 years, a lesson I learned the costlier way.


I have a Hitachi 1.5 T window AC for my bedroom which was purchased in Feb 2012.
Model: HITA AC RAV 518 ERD

My original manufacturer warranty & extended warranty expired and I stupidly assumed that I would not be able to extend this warranty further so did not bother to call up the service center phone numbers.
Samsung TVs have 1+3 years extended warranty which is not extended beyond the 3 year and Sony has 1+2 years extended warranty so I assumed that my AC warranty would not be extended.

As luck would have it, in the month of September 2017 my AC stopped working and an error code E9 was displayed in the LCD display. Checking online it mentioned that this corresponds to a faulty motor.

Made an online complaint and within few hours I received a call from the technician regarding same. He visited and checked the unit and told me the motor is kaput.

An advance payment was made and during my interaction with him, he told me that I should have taken extended warranty and this would have been covered. I asked him to get all details when he visits with new motor.
My remote - Hitachi calls it handset - was also acting erratic so I asked for a new remote too.
Two days later he visited with new motor and replaced the motor.
I was charged Rs 12,000 for the motor, Rs 1,500 for new remote.

I extended my AC warranty by 3 years paying Rs 10,281 and this will include Comprehensive package

Comprehensive package includes - Fan motor, Louvre motors Compressor, Gas charging, Capacitors, relays, Thermostat switch, selector switch, Air Filter, Compressor.
Cooling coil is not included since it is already 5 years old.

The point of this post -
All members having AC that is out of manufacturer warranty and their own extended warranty would be prudent to kindly check with the manufacturer if their warranties can be further extended so they save on unwanted expenses that are usually covered in the warranty.

[Mortis]

That seems to be what they call a comprehensive maintenance contract and not extended warranty per se. It covers some basic parts (except for the expensive Motherboards, cooling and condensor coils) and you also get 3-4 services along with it per year. Its quite common

[Ithaca]

Originally Posted by Mortis

That seems to be what they call a comprehensive maintenance contract and not extended warranty per se.

Sir, you are correct, the warranty has not been extended. The AMC has been extended by a comprehensive maintenance contract.

I was unaware of being able to buy comprehensive maintenance contract after expiry of my extended warranty and now I am in the process of checking expiry dates of extended warranty of my other products and will request comprehensive maintenance contracts if provided.

Thank you for the clarification.

[sgiitk]

After dilly dallying I bit the bullet and bought a General 2 T, R410, Inverter Airconditioner. Total damages ₹70,500 incl installation. When we returned from Gurugram after two months sure enough our Daikin 2T Split had voided itself of all refrigerant. So as usual I went to Saraf Cooling the biggest dealer in Kanpur an asked him for a 2TR, R410, Inverter system and was advised unequivocally for General. Going by some web reports I was a bit reluctant but the gave in to his judgement. My relationship with Saraf dates back to 1999.

I asked Mr Avi Saraf to procure it and get it installed. He received it yesterday and arranged for installation also. He has also removed the Daikin and taken it for testing. They have taken both the Indoor outdoor unit. They may also collect the copper tubing if they are unable to find the leak.

With the General it is a totally fresh installation with no old hardware from the old unit.

Once debugged then I will get the Daikin into our living room.

[manim]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

bought a General 2 T, R410, Inverter Airconditioner...

Here is the label on the carton of the General 2T Inverter model I bought in 2014-April. Working perfectly till now.

In its third year (about seven months back) the cooling became poor.
After the IDU was dismantled and taken for a water-service at the dealer site, it is back to perfect.

Turned out that there was a lot of dust deep inside. So in future I plan to do this service every two years.

After the room becomes comfortably cool, I switch to its quiet-mode, where it does its work stealthily!

[dre@ms]

Having a assembled old Window AC which has created some problems lately.

1. AC turns on i.e., fan runs but compressor doesnt. - Called a mechanic and he changed the capacitor
2. Compressor turns on, but within 10-15 seconds turns off. This repeats till the machine is turned on. - Mechanic changed the thermostat
3. Issue still remains and the mechanic doesnt answer my calls anymore.

What could be the issue for the frequent on/off of the compressor?

[sgiitk]

@dre@ms; I think you stand to save a lot of cash (power bills) if you go over to a modern box. Also, today seems that Window ACs are passe, no Inverter, no R410 (they are almost all on R22). So it may have to be a split unit. Just avoid units with Aluminum coils (esp condenser).

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Having a assembled old Window AC which has created some problems lately.

1. AC turns on i.e., fan runs but compressor doesnt. - Called a mechanic and he changed the capacitor
2. Compressor turns on, but within 10-15 seconds turns off. This repeats till the machine is turned on. - Mechanic changed the thermostat
3. Issue still remains and the mechanic doesnt answer my calls anymore.

What could be the issue for the frequent on/off of the compressor?

The overload relay inside the compressor is tripping. It can be either due to short in the compressor or that the relay has gone bad. Find a reliable shop that repair compressors. They may be able to diagnose and suggest whether repair is viable or not.

[dre@ms]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@dre@ms; I think you stand to save a lot of cash (power bills) if you go over to a modern box. Also, today seems that Window ACs are passe, no Inverter, no R410 (they are almost all on R22). So it may have to be a split unit. Just avoid units with Aluminum coils (esp condenser).

True, but we are in a makeshift house and using this Window AC temporarily and need it running for Chennai weather.
We own Hitachi (running in another bedroom), Samsung and BlueStar split ACs (packed and awaiting installation in the new house)

Originally Posted by Aroy

The overload relay inside the compressor is tripping. It can be either due to short in the compressor or that the relay has gone bad. Find a reliable shop that repair compressors. They may be able to diagnose and suggest whether repair is viable or not.

If the relay has gone bad, will the compressor still run? I found no issues with the cooling and all these issues cropped all of a sudden.

Note: The capacitor had a short and it was visibly seen at one of its connector point. May be this info can help in narrowing down the issue.

[dre@ms]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Note: The capacitor had a short and it was visibly seen at one of its connector point. May be this info can help in narrowing down the issue.

Update: Compressor has started to work as usual with no sign of tripping

[Ajay_the_Don]

I have a Panasonic 1.5 Ton, 3 star at home. After 6 years, the indoor copper coil had leakage and was changed few months back through Panasonic service. Now, the coil again has leaks and my local service guy is suggesting to change the indoor unit. Both the unit and gas refill comes to Rs.11,000. The ac has not been a great performer so, I am in a dilemma whether to invest more on it or get a new ac.

Suggestions?

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Ajay_the_Don

...

Suggestions?

Go for a new AC. There is no sense in throwing good money after bad!
I recommend LG.

[hrman]

I second Anup's view above. Some good offers on online sites. Its a good time to exchange and buy.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Ajay_the_Don

I have a Panasonic 1.5 Ton, 3 star at home. After 6 years, the indoor copper coil had leakage and was changed few months back through Panasonic service. Now, the coil again has leaks and my local service guy is suggesting to change the indoor unit. Both the unit and gas refill comes to Rs.11,000. The ac has not been a great performer so, I am in a dilemma whether to invest more on it or get a new ac.

Suggestions?

Once major components (compressor, coil, fan motor etc) start deteriorating, there is no sense in repairs as some other components will fail soon. The best bet is to dispose off the AC once it requires 5K+ repairs.