Questions about buying a/c units

[livinthailandos]

I have a question about buying some a/c units, I plan on buying 3 a/c units however what Id like to know is

 

1. Other than homepro / nastech are there any other options on where to buy a regular a/c unit from that doesn't include air purifiers

2. Regarding the brand, which brand is easy to find a/c parts for incase a part has to be replaced ?
3. If the a/c unit breaks down and needs some new parts where to find on samui?

4. Are there any brands you would recommend staying away from 

Also I need a installation team  to install the new a/c so recommendations would be helpful. 

 

look forward to any information you can provide 

thanks

[krabi local]

I have Hitachi inverter AC unit from Homepro.

They are whisper quiet, so much better than the Samsung ones they replaced.  They are cheaper to run on electricity than the old ones as well.

Homepro fitted them for free, but I paid an extra 500 baht to have them hung on the wall rather than on the floor.

The installation was well done and they cleared up afterwards.

[steven100]

11 minutes ago, krabi local said:

I have Hitachi inverter AC unit from Homepro.

They are whisper quiet, so much better than the Samsung ones they replaced.  They are cheaper to run on electricity than the old ones as well.

Homepro fitted them for free, but I paid an extra 500 baht to have them hung on the wall rather than on the floor.

The installation was well done and they cleared up afterwards.

what BTU and room size .... was it expensive as I am buying one for a bungalow 26sqm ...

thanks.

[reargunnerph3]

I use Central Air in Pattaya but they has branches all over the place. Just had a 15 year old LG air con replace with a new Carrier 13,45o BTU air con for Bt14,500 installed. 1 year warranty. 

[muratremix]

Check deals for homepro and powerbuy

make sure it comes with free install otherwise it will cost you a lot to have it installed.

 

I bought a cheap 13000 btu sharp for 13-14k last year and its pretty good, you can set temp by 0.5 incrementals which is very good if you are sensitive to cold same as me.

[tweedledee2]

I think you will find that free installation is included from most resellers. I have a Carrier unit I bought from Big C that included free installation. I bought an 18,500 btu unit on sale for 15,000 baht. Once you decide on the brand you want to buy and the size, start comparing prices online. Then using that info go to different retail stores and compare prices. You might get lucky and find an unadvertised special price. 

[AlQaholic]

Find a local shop close to your home, that sells the brand you favour. They will install and service. usually one or two service calls/year for cleaning cost about 500 - 1000 per visit. To service three units per visit, I would estimate the cost would be around 1500.

[AlQaholic]

2 hours ago, krabi local said:

I have Hitachi inverter AC unit from Homepro.

They are whisper quiet, so much better than the Samsung ones they replaced.  They are cheaper to run on electricity than the old ones as well.

Homepro fitted them for free, but I paid an extra 500 baht to have them hung on the wall rather than on the floor.

The installation was well done and they cleared up afterwards.

A note on installing outdoor units on the wall; they produce more noise when installed on the wall because the vibrations are transferred thru the metal frame and into the wall structure. 

[Amusements]

Also check out Sirisans near Makro in Chewang. You can usually haggle a bit in there, especially if you are buying 3. The prices include fitting anyway.

[rob48]

I was told certain brands have internal alloy piping, copper is the prefered option as it lasts longer, especially near the sea. Inverter technology costs more, however saves on electricity costs

[crazykopite]

I purchased Daikin smile inverter air con units through Lazada saved myself at least 12,000 baht then brought in a contractor who charged 1,000 baht per unit they are superb super quiet and have a magic eye so if-no movement for 20/30 minutes it switches automatically to a lower level and more important because they are inverter the cost of running them is a good 60% less than normal air con units the initial cost is a little more but the savings make up for it.

[crazykopite]

1 hour ago, rob48 said:

I was told certain brands have internal alloy piping, copper is the prefered option as it lasts longer, especially near the sea. Inverter technology costs more, however saves on electricity costs

My Daikin units came with the copper piping .

[Tagged]

Bought it local as someone in my tread recomended. All good and quiet inside as outside compressor. 

 

 

[khunPer]

20 hours ago, livinthailandos said:

look forward to any information you can provide

I bought from HomePro, and their price include a standard installation of the unit – i.e. up to a certain number of meters between outdoor unit, and indoor unit, and electric shall be in place for outdoor unit – for longer length, cover panels for pipes, and electric installation, you can get a quote.

 

There are many other suppliers that also include standard installation, you can for example find aircons in Tesco-Lotus, (Bo Phut/Chaweng) or in more specialized shops like Sirisin.

 

If you keep to major brands, spareparts and service will not be a problem.

 

There are numerous aircon service shops all over Samui, and they normally can take care of all brands, and their services include refilling of cooling liquid, cleaning of filters, repairing leaks etc.

 

If you can afford inverter type aircons, which costs about 50% more to buy, its worth considering that, as you in long term will same 50% ( or more) in power consumption, furthermore inverters are more quiet.

 

I bought 7 Mitsubishi "Mr. Slim" inverters for HomePro in 2010, and they have been working perfect ever since. We regularly clean filters our self; however one unit will soon be due for refill of liquid (might have a small leak)...????

 

When installing electric for aircons on Samui, do include phase protectors (with magnetic switch), as the power supply is (very) unstable, and might damage aircons if not protected. A phase protector will switch the unit off when voltage goes below, or above, a certain percentage of 220 volt, nominel set for +/- 15%, and leave the power off for for example 5 minutes, so the compressor unit don't switch off and on constantly during voltage deviations. If you install 3 units, and have 3-phase power, you should have one unit on each phase. A phase protection can look like this (my 3-phase installation, box-door open, there are 2-3 aircon units on each phase, as I have more than 3 aircons)...

 

[Andycoops]

3 hours ago, AlQaholic said:

Find a local shop close to your home, that sells the brand you favour. They will install and service. usually one or two service calls/year for cleaning cost about 500 - 1000 per visit. To service three units per visit, I would estimate the cost would be around 1500.

I pay 1800 baht for my 3 Daikin units to be serviced. 

[Speedhump]

Free Installation will obviously not include channeling out a brick wall and making good if you want pipework hidden rather than ugly plastic tubing on your interior/exterior wall, nor usually include pipework over more than say 8 or 9 feet distance to the external unit. Get a detailed quote after they visit and survey. Also, inverters are quieter and cheaper for running for long periods (say if you like to sleep with it on all night), but a bit pricier to buy 

A tip a builder gave me: if for a bedroom, the a/c should blow across the bed, not blow from the head or foot of the bed. 

[Skeptic7]

Wanted Hitachi, but could only find LG locally so we got 2 LG Dual Inverter Units. One 9000 BTU and one 18,000 BTU. As another poster (krabi) said about Hitachi and I'm gonna borrow it..."whisper quiet" the LGs are too. Bought locally, delivered and installed for ฿34,000 for both. Could have gotten slightly larger Hitachis for around the same price from Lazada, but were concerned with installation, warranty and service...if/when needed. 

[ben2talk]

Hitachi is okay, I'd go for Mitsubishi Mr Slim. Take care that when the wall is drilled that they don't drill through steel (our neighbour lost the guarantee on their house after an A/C installation guy drilled through a precast wall).

 

The Mitsubishi's are the most simple for maintenance and cleaning - I added a bit of 3M filter to mine (500 baht for a roll at yer local hardware store). I have a Daikin downstairs which is very good, not exactly loud - the main bearing failed in the outside unit within 6 months, got replace and failed again, got replaced and lasted 5 years so far... but the sound of the scroll fan isn't so sleep friendly as the Mitsu and I can't just jump up a ladder and give it a superficial clean as I can with the Mitsu (result - Mitsu requires less full cleaning, as I can clean out most of the fan myself). I think Hitachi and Panasonic are top brands, but so much evidence seems to point to the Mitsu's being 1. best/easiest for maintenance 2. best overall value - that making it also the most likely simple for repair (no problems during the first 3 years to date).

 

Inverters really do save money as long as you use them a lot - I leave mine running 24 hours, I switch to memory mode (29C in hot season) when I go out. Also I put my inverter blowing across our 7x3m bedroom so that the bed gets a fairly direct airflow, but having a fan in the room helps too (just a simple vertical scroll type fan).

 

The Daikin I bought pretty cheap (they were 40k in Central at the time when R410A refrigerant came in, mine was an 18000 BTU 'old' R32 model so I got it for 26k installed). Daikin has an 'eye' and will adjust 2 celcius if you're absent... but with the Mitsu I use a memory button to put the temp up from 26/26 to 28/29 when I go out.

 

Just a tip - I watched installation of the Daikin and one Mitsu, but the other I didn't watch. When I put in insulation, I removed the power cable - the guy twisted his joints in the attic - used up 3 short lengths of cable for that run - so I had to pay someone else to climb up there and pull a new one through for me. Don't trust them...

[crutchy26]

I would steer clear of Samsung. I have 5 in my house. The compressors of the (evil-twins) two 22 000 BTU both failed within weeks of each other, after 3 years. OK, under warranty. Then a control card crapped itself.  One of the 9 000 BTU units required a new condenser (5 ooo) just a few weeks ago.  Whatever you buy, ask to see how easy it is to clean the filters. ESSENTIAL for optimum operation. During hot spells clean at least monthly (imho)

[BritManToo]

16 hours ago, Speedhump said:

A tip a builder gave me: if for a bedroom, the a/c should blow across the bed, not blow from the head or foot of the bed. 

I disagree, at head you can set the 'tilt' to blow on your head and shoulders and use a higher temp to save money.

Head of bed every time for me.

[Speedhump]

57 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I disagree, at head you can set the 'tilt' to blow on your head and shoulders and use a higher temp to save money.

Head of bed every time for me.

Personal choice I guess. I hate having a fan blowing directly on my face/head when sleeping. In a small bedroom the a/c isn't an expensive cost anyway, if you have an inverter type. Each to their own. ????

I also found this which explains my thoughts better:

 

"Air conditioning units in the bedroom should ideally be placed to the left or right of one of the sides of the bed rather than directly above the bedhead or on the opposite wall facing the bed. This is to prevent cool air being dumped directly onto you while in bed, which can be too breezy and result in a dry throat in the morning. Placement of the unit should be in a space where cold air does not blow directly on you. This is a general rule of where to place an air conditioner, but is especially important in a bedroom environment."