Jump to content

Hitachi Frost Wash air con, any reviews/personal experiences??


bamboozled

Recommended Posts

Hi folks. This is kind of a duplicate post I made in the Chiang Mai forum but got little feedback so thought I'd expand my search. I went to a large local electronics shop to buy a Daikin or Misubishi air con as I heard they were reliable brands (12,000 btu) and the salesman is trying to sell me on a Hitachi Frost Wash. I guess it's a new tech where every 200 hours the unit will cool down so low that ice forms on the whatevers and when it melts it washes away dust. Not sure it it's a gimmick or not but apart from that it has copper tubing in the radiator (instead of aluminum) which is also covered in some green anti-corrosion material, stainless steel dust mesh in the blower (instead of plastic), metal plate covering/protecting the inverter (instead of plastic), supposedly better build quality, etc... The guy did quite a job talking about it and the price is about the same as the Mitsubishi or Daikin, or actually, with some discounts 3000 baht cheaper as I guess they are really pushing these units. Oh, and it has a 10 year compressor warranty and 4 year blower warranty, much longer warranty than the other two. Anyone have any thing to say ye or ne about it? I did not find much info here on TV nor on the web in general. One considerate person said he was dissuaded from buying Hitachi by a repairman who said parts were slow to come by.

 

Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had a Hitachi inverter air-con for around 5-6 years, in more or less constant use. It works well and I have had nothing done to it apart from regular cleaning. I enquired about a new part at Numchai and was told that they are in stock in Bangkok and would take a couple of days to receive. The broken part was not causing a fault and so far I haven't bothered. I was somewhat annoyed that to replace a small plastic part I would have to buy a complete assembly for 2000B, including several other parts that were not broken. This may be common to other manufacturers though.

The features you describe all sound fairly pointless to me, except perhaps the stainless steel mesh which presumably will last longer than a plastic one. Not sure whether they actually wear out though: mine haven't.

About the only complaint I have with my Hitachi is that a lot of mould/dust accumulates on the rotary fan, to the point of stopping it blowing air properly. This happens within about 4 months of it being cleaned and it requires immediate cleaning or it simply stops doing its job. The internal radiator fins get a bit dirty but never clog up the way the fan does, and they could easily go for a year without cleaning. My previous air-con did not have this problem at all, so I dont know why exactly it happens with the Hitachi. Maybe because the Hitachi is much more efficient than the old air-con and it gets much cooler.

The Hitachi seems to save me around 50% or more on electricity costs compared to the old one, with my average bill dropping by about two thirds.

My previous air-con was probably well over 10 years old when I changed it, and it was a very cheap no-name brand with no warranty, but nothing on it ever actually broke as far as I know. It was simply old and worn-out. So I doubt that extended warranties on blowers and compressors are of great value.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A copper coil is much better and more costly that is an aluminum coil.

Are the fins also copper or just the tubing? If the fins are copper this is a big plus. I think all three use copper tubing. Copper-fin coils are generally not offered in consumer air conditioners.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the time you took to post your thoughts. I believe only the tubing is copper and not the fins but I'll have to check again. Everything was coated in this green anti-corrosion stuff so I might not have noticed. He did show me a mock up or photo of a competitors machine that was part copper but mostly aluminum, as in sort of false advertising sense. It might have been a Mitsu but I did not get to compare with my own eyes so who really knows? I will try to remedy that. I was impressed with the steel screen. I don't have a lot of experience with AC but in my old rental the screen was quite flimsy and the Mitsu screens I saw in the shop were also weak looking. True, it might not be much of an issue but you could really jab your finger at this one and you would break your finger before the screen. It's actually quite an impressive screen and speaks (hopefully) about the overall build quality. Also, lifting the flap on the blower it did not twist out of shape like it does even on the Mitsu. The funny thing is (stupid?) I went in there saying OVER MY DEAD BODY would I buy Hitachi. This is based on a faulty from the get go 4500 watt Hitachi water heater I bought that continues to piss me off. The salesman told me Hitachi doesn't actually make those but farm it out to someone else and just put their name on it....so obviously not their fault...right!

 

I wouldn't want dirt accumulating on my fan, either. I think I read that issue somewhere in my research as well though with what brand I can't recall. That seems a silly thing, like, why don't they just change the holes that are allowing the dirt to get in. Weird.

 

Have you heard of this Frost Wash system?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The frost wash thing seems to be designed to clean the radiator fins. Mine dont seem to need special cleaning so the feature seems pointless to me.
What mine needs doing far too often is cleaning mould off the rotary fan, and this has to be done long before the fins get dirty.
This is some sort of mould/dirt mixture that seems to be produced inside the air-con and does not just come in with the circulating air. At least I dont think it does. So I dont think that there would be any way of stopping it with filters on the air intake.
Spraying the fan with vinegar from below seems to keep it in check, but it still needs cleaning far too often.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The frost wash thing seems to be designed to clean the radiator fins. Mine dont seem to need special cleaning so the feature seems pointless to me.
What mine needs doing far too often is cleaning mould off the rotary fan, and this has to be done long before the fins get dirty.
This is some sort of mould/dirt mixture that seems to be produced inside the air-con and does not just come in with the circulating air. At least I dont think it does. So I dont think that there would be any way of stopping it with filters on the air intake.
Spraying the fan with vinegar from below seems to keep it in check, but it still needs cleaning far too often.


Try running it on “Fan” mode (high) for a couple hours once in a while to dry it out, this should keep the mold down.

Is it draining good?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not quite sure I know my parts...the frost wash is in the blower part. Well, I think it is. I still am getting mostly positive reviews on Mitsubishi far more than any other brand. Hitachi doesn't seem to be a big player in AC as of yet. Or so it seems. Well, I'm still pondering my next move!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have Carrier, York & Mitsu and they have all good.

I spent a day at the Hitachi mini-split plant in India and it was pretty impressive. They build an A -line Hitachi, a B-line Hitachi and something of a generic brand and are (apparently) the largest selling brand in India.

Been involved with a few York plants.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not quite sure I know my parts...the frost wash is in the blower part. Well, I think it is. I still am getting mostly positive reviews on Mitsubishi far more than any other brand. Hitachi doesn't seem to be a big player in AC as of yet. Or so it seems. Well, I'm still pondering my next move!


I think your dealer is as important as anything. Someone close by that cares about your business and does there own service is best.

If you have a good AC guy doing your service that you’ve been happy with, just get a quote from him.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...