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Cute how Power Buy connected my air con drain tubes (NOT!!!)


bamboozled

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So the air con which I've had a few months started leaking in the house tonight, right above the bed where it hangs on the wall. Lo and behold, look what the experts from Power Buy on the corner of the moat used to connect the drain pipes!!! Truly defies don't-give-an-uck....

 

Excuse my ignorance, apart from the electrical tape, what type of conduit is that? Isn't it cheap-ass electrical conduit and NOT proper drain pipe? What should it be, PVC? So I'm sure all the other joints in this drain system are attached in the same way....ditto the other air con they installed. Unbelievable. I've seen some good ones here and this one is high up on the list.

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Standard installation here. The issue is probably the water level flow out isnt sufficiently leaning down enough causing a build up of gunk in the tube. Nowhere else for the water to go. 

I have many properties here. Happens all the time. Your biggest issue is that the pipes are usually fed through the wall making the join on the outside of the building, not inside the room. 

Important thing to consider when installing a aircon is which wall to place it to get rid of this water. 

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That is the correct drain pipe if it is 15 mm. It will say on the pipe 15mm (sold at all A/C supply shops). 1/2" is not the correct pipe, however. The black fitting also appears to be correct. What is missing is the fitting on the other end. I just repaired one of our units and used a flexible 15mm tube to connect to that same fitting. But I used the clamp that came with the flexible tubing.

 

I would just get the same tube I got if I were you, and use the rigid 10mm tube outside the house.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32902533459.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.39e24c4dUKE606

 

Otherwise, the installation looks typical for here.

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Thanks guys. I'll check the pipe in the morning for sizing. It looks like piping I have seen used as electrical conduit. But perhaps THAT installation was not correct! At any rate, electrical tape should NOT be part of this drainage equation in any way, shape, or form. The black fitting is tight on the air con end (coming out of the sheathing material) but it just sits loosely in the white pipe. They do not appear to be compatible. And it appears the electrical tape was the only thing holding them together.

 

It also appears that from the air con to the wall there isn't really any slope to the drain so I'll have to have a look at that tomorrow. It's probably 2 meters from the air con to the wall. From the amount of water that came out, it really wasn't draining well at all.

 

Luckily not too hot tonight.

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All our aircon installations (by HomePro) use the same white plastic "electrical conduit" for the drains. It's just fine if (of course) the right fittings are used (and glued).

 

I admit I haven't looked at the join between the A/C "tail" and the white pipe. I suspect silicone plays a part but since all are actually outside the house (the tails go directly through the wall from the indoor units) a small leak won't be an issue (until it stains the wall of course).

 

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So it sounds like the consensus on the white pipe is that it's fine, good. But the connection, def not. All those connections are hidden under a plastic cover so unless you're looking over the back of the installation guys while they're working, you wouldn't know how they connected the pipes. Even in Thailand (up to now), I would have assumed they were NOT using electrical tape.

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I had ordered an air purifier online with Power Buy a few months back - and they took my money and made me wait more than 2 months to deliver! With the item apparently being “in transit” from day 2 after the purchase onwards from Bangkok. Endless complaints - nothing but excuses several unsuccessful attempts to contact their “service hotline” and several visits to their store showed a staff that could not care less and this was surely my last purchase with them.

I should have checked their Facebook “community” tab before I bought - it is packed with complaints from mostly Thai customers and I don’t think I read a single positive review! Only after I threatened them with the police they finally managed to “find” the item. This was during the hight of the toxic air crises and I had no choice but to buy another air purifier while I waited to be able to breathe!

Power Buy - no thank you!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

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If the OP didn't watch every step of the installation, it's easy to see how he could sign off on the job when presented with the finished installation, with the drain pipes hidden behind plastic covers.

 

During our recent condo remodeling, I realized I had to watch every step of the aircon installation (not Power Buy, an independent company that was suppose to be more reputable) when they showed up with a unit 104 cm wide that was intended for a wall 108 cm wide.  Their project manager had our drawings and clearly knew where the aircon was suppose to go, yet somehow he thought that a 104 cm unit would fit, without considering the fittings that come out of the side of the aircon.  When I arrived on the job, his crew had started to install that unit on the 108 cm wide wall, even though it was going to stick out over a window by 6 or 7 cm.  What????  That's when I knew were I'd be spending the next few days, watching every move of these clowns.

 

They did use blue PVC pipe with glued joints for the drain lines.

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It's always mind boggling and I tremble any time work has to be done. And apart from questionable planning (too big a unit in too small a space) they NEVER EVER have the correct equipment. Anytime anyone at all has come to do some work on my rented house (houses), any type of work, they have helped themselves to my tools or equipment, without which I don't know how they could have done the job. Always hoping for divine inspiration and intervention, I guess. God love 'em.

 

Plus one on the PVC pipe drains! That stuff is much sturdier than the white plastic I got and that "glue" basically solders the PVC together. Good stuff when used in the correct way.

 

 

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On 6/19/2019 at 9:19 AM, NancyL said:

If the OP didn't watch every step of the installation, it's easy to see how he could sign off on the job when presented with the finished installation, with the drain pipes hidden behind plastic covers.

 

During our recent condo remodeling, I realized I had to watch every step of the aircon installation (not Power Buy, an independent company that was suppose to be more reputable) when they showed up with a unit 104 cm wide that was intended for a wall 108 cm wide.  Their project manager had our drawings and clearly knew where the aircon was suppose to go, yet somehow he thought that a 104 cm unit would fit, without considering the fittings that come out of the side of the aircon.  When I arrived on the job, his crew had started to install that unit on the 108 cm wide wall, even though it was going to stick out over a window by 6 or 7 cm.  What????  That's when I knew were I'd be spending the next few days, watching every move of these clowns.

 

They did use blue PVC pipe with glued joints for the drain lines.

The tube can enter from behind the blower, if not, you could have shopped by size.  My 17000 BTU 17.6 SEER is only 80 CM wide, and also only 29.5 high, as opposed to 32, which allowed me to have the proper clearance below the t- bar ceiling, and above the sliders... It looks way better than the other installs on identical condos.  Also, the electrical conduit uses sweeping turns, which are more suitable for drainage.  Long pipe runs is asking for trouble, here.. At least my hot water heater used a three wire installation, as mentioned in the Panasonic install guide, four times.. likely because I installed it myself.  Probably will not even let them clean the ac.. Oh, and of course, it took four Thai men to do the rush job.  Works perfectly, but they sure as Hell aren't getting a rec from me, but Carrier Toshiba does. 

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45 minutes ago, moontang said:

The tube can enter from behind the blower, if not, you could have shopped by size.  My 17000 BTU 17.6 SEER is only 80 CM wide, and also only 29.5 high, as opposed to 32, which allowed me to have the proper clearance below the t- bar ceiling, and above the sliders... It looks way better than the other installs on identical condos.  Also, the electrical conduit uses sweeping turns, which are more suitable for drainage.  Long pipe runs is asking for trouble, here.. At least my hot water heater used a three wire installation, as mentioned in the Panasonic install guide, four times.. likely because I installed it myself.  Probably will not even let them clean the ac.. Oh, and of course, it took four Thai men to do the rush job.  Works perfectly, but they sure as Hell aren't getting a rec from me, but Carrier Toshiba does. 

No way the clowns could have had tubes enter the blower from behind since the wall is an outside wall on the 15th floor of a condo, without a balcony to anything similar nearby.  As it is, I think they "overspec'd" that aircon and could have gone with a smaller one because it cools the east-facing bedroom very quickly.

 

Like you, I'm happy with the Daikin Inverter units, but the the outfit that installed them.  Shouldn't have to watch them like a hawk.  At one point they had eight people working the job and it was hard to keep up with all their mistakes.  

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32 minutes ago, NancyL said:

No way the clowns could have had tubes enter the blower from behind since the wall is an outside wall on the 15th floor of a condo, without a balcony to anything similar nearby.  As it is, I think they "overspec'd" that aircon and could have gone with a smaller one because it cools the east-facing bedroom very quickly.

 

Like you, I'm happy with the Daikin Inverter units, but the the outfit that installed them.  Shouldn't have to watch them like a hawk.  At one point they had eight people working the job and it was hard to keep up with all their mistakes.  

Can also enter from the bottom, if the pipes are already through the wall. People make a big deal about them over sizing, but it is meant to cool on any given day, and a 95% of the time means you might need a hotel on the hottest days.  Also, you will have a larger coil, and you want have to run full blast in the condo heat plume.  I have been running mine 24/7.. and noticed the filters are staying surprisingly clean.  A ceiling fan is a great compliment, but not practical on the T bar.  My April mea was 1665, hottest month on record in bkk, and a west facing high floor.  Feb was 1950 with the old unit, and I made the move.  20 month ROI is not far fetched. 

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Ah yes, the joys of Thai-installed aircon. I am finally having all my aircons replaced, having put up with years of leaking and breakdowns. I should have done it a long time ago, but as it involves packing up (200k), moving out for 2 months (2 months rental elsewhere), about 1m in redecoration, and the ancillary hassles, I have been putting it off.

 

Apart from the breakdowns, one of the other major and disgusting f/us has been the discovery that the water run off pipe goes into my bathroom's sewage pipe. So for years there was an inexplicable (to me) stink from the aircon from time to time. (All of these run offs - from 5 aircons - were hidden in ceilings, and boxed covers.)

 

This was on top of other crap (literally, you might think) from the first renovation...unsealed piping, resulting in all the maple flooring warping, unboxed electrical plugs, with no case covers...etc etc.which resulted in another renovation of the renovation 3 months after the first one was "completed".

 

So, just ensure the run off pipe, (if it's internal), doesn't go to your sewage, but to your sanitary outlet, viz the run off from your shower/wash hand basin.   

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On 6/18/2019 at 10:36 PM, Mooner said:

Standard installation here. The issue is probably the water level flow out isnt sufficiently leaning down enough causing a build up of gunk in the tube. Nowhere else for the water to go. 

This is correct. My aircon was installed in exactly the same way by Numchai using the same black tape and electrical conduit. It has never leaked in 7 years. If the pipe is pointing downhill and is cleaned occasionally it will never leak, even if no tape is used at all.

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That's good news it never leaked and I hope that stays true for the rest of my connections because there are two or three more finished in the same manner on this one unit. They installed another unit in another room which surely will be the same (so far haven't seen any leaks!). However, electrical tape is not the correct way to install the drain tubes, that's for sure. They also didn't use any PVC cement at the joints (the conduit does say PVC on it and is 15mm 3/8's inch). I repaired the connection there with PVC cement and an O clamp. So far it hasn't leaked BUT there is at least 2 meters of pipe to get to the wall, including a downward L-shaped turn and the whole thing is angled slightly TOWARD the air con unit and not the wall so yes, that water was pooling right where that joint is. Man, incompetence. So, I can either raise the air con unit and inch or two (how much space do I need between it and the ceiling?) or I can angle the drain down a bit but this involves some hole cutting in the wall and work both inside and outside the house. Annoying!

 

I was thinking...I'm all for inexpensive labor. When you don't have a lot of money and need to get a job done (more or less!) it can be a life saver. What is really irksome is that it seems there is only one level of service in Thailand. If one had the option of calling the cheap, so-so service OR the expensive, dependable service, that would be a nice option to have.

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