Air Conditioners-Recommendations

[johnb 0]

Looking for advice/recommendations for air conditioners. Need two, installed in two studio condos. Thank you.

[jacko 8,813]

Looking for advice/recommendations for air conditioners. Need two, installed in two studio condos. Thank you.

I went to ARC on Sukhumvit and they came round and fitted one for me, it was all straightforward.

Just shop around and compare prices. A studio likely needs about 12,000 BTU and they seem to be around 20,000 baht, installed. Generally they hit you up for an extra charge by saying the distance to the compressor is more than what is included, so beware of that. You will need space in your electrical breaker box for a dedicated breaker, 32 amp. Numchai in Naklua or again on Sukhumvit is another option and they are quite good on service.

[mak100 0]

Would 12000 btu be enough for a 40 sqm room, if not, how much would be enough ? Cheers

[BigDUSA 71]

Would 12000 btu be enough for a 40 sqm room, if not, how much would be enough ? Cheers

 

Years ago I lived in a 40 sgm room and I installed a 23,000 btu AC and it worked well. I do like to keep a room cold. I took a look at Consumer Report's and they recommend LG for a large unit.

Edited June 15, 2011 by BigDUSA

[Gary 4,118]

The one thing that you want to avoid is too big of a unit. The bigger is better theory doesn't work with air conditioners. The unit has to run enough to be able to remove the humidity from the air in the room. Too large of a unit will make the air feel cold and clammy. Mildew from high humidity is also a problem.

[lovedog100 1,372]

Would 12000 btu be enough for a 40 sqm room, if not, how much would be enough ? Cheers

 

If you go to Big C or Carfour, you will find that you can often find an 18,000 unit for the same price, or cheaper than a 12,000 unit. I would go with that. For some reason the 18,000 units are always on sale. Maybe they are the bigger sellers. When I was looking, Big C and Carfour both had 18,000 for sale installed, cheaper than other places had 12,000 alone. More BTU for the Baht is not a bad idea.

 

A 12,000 unit can cool a 40 sm room, but it will struggle, and when first turned on will take a long time to cool the room down. The 12,000 will have the compressor and outside fan running a lot more, causing a whole lot more noise.

[simon_cook 22]

Numchai on Suchumvit did mine 6 years ago and all the cables running from compressors inside the house had rotted in the rain where Numchai hadnt done their job properly and just wrapped them in masking tape.Just had another company round 2 months ago to do it all again,cost me another 5000bt.Dont go to Numchai.

The guy told me they just couldnt be bothered and had just done the easiest thing.I was surprised because i always thought they were good but i wont be going there anymore.

Edited June 16, 2011 by simon_cook

[jacko 8,813]

Years ago I lived in a 40 sgm room and I installed a 23,000 btu AC and it worked well. I do like to keep a room cold. I took a look at Consumer Report's and they recommend LG for a large unit.

23,000 BTU sounds excessive for a 40 sqm room. I have a unit of that capacity for my large lounge/ dining room. Over-rating is a waste of money as these big units are expensive, and the compressors are heavier to fit on a condo outside wall or use up the balcony. They will cycle excessively and use more power. You would not need to go so big unless the room had high ceilings and was south facing, or had a large window area, or you were baking pizzas in there all day.

 

40 sqm is 430 sqft (for you USA guys), about the size of my bedroom. The 12,000 Samsung unit I have is more than adequate. I admit it is used only at night-time.

[chris2004 67]

I need to replace the AC in my bedroom (about 35 sqm) as it never seems to get cold. There seems to be different views on what size is needed 12,000 or 18,000. I don't want to buy one too small, does anyone know the recommended BTUs for a room that size. The 12,000 BTU ACs seem to be around 15,000 baht but the 18,000 BTU seem to jump up to 27-30,000 baht.

[jacko 8,813]

I need to replace the AC in my bedroom (about 35 sqm) as it never seems to get cold. There seems to be different views on what size is needed 12,000 or 18,000. I don't want to buy one too small, does anyone know the recommended BTUs for a room that size. The 12,000 BTU ACs seem to be around 15,000 baht but the 18,000 BTU seem to jump up to 27-30,000 baht.

That is quite a big bedroom, mine is 5x4 metres (20sqm) and my 12,200 BTU/hr unit handles it fine. A 12k unit should handle a room that size, a little under 400 sq ft.

There are always other factors, like a sun-facing wall, high ceilings, large window space.... or a person who likes it very cold ..... or is a bedroom athlete.

I used these numbers...

Sq Ft.............. SqM................BTUs

100 - 250............9 - 23............5000 - 6000

 

250 - 400...........23 - 37............6000 - 8500

 

400 - 550...........37 - 51............8000 - 11000

 

550 - 875...........51 - 81...........11000 - 15000

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/42075

 

Are you sure you need to replace the current unit, it might just need servicing or gas putting in. Does it freeze up?

Edited July 7, 2011 by jacko

[lovedog100 1,372]

That is quite a big bedroom, mine is 5x4 metres (20sqm) and my 12,200 BTU/hr unit handles it fine. A 12k unit should handle a room that size, a little under 400 sq ft.

There are always other factors, like a sun-facing wall, high ceilings, large window space.... or a person who likes it very cold ..... or is a bedroom athlete.

I used these numbers...

Sq Ft.............. SqM................BTUs

100 - 250............9 - 23............5000 - 6000

 

250 - 400...........23 - 37............6000 - 8500

 

400 - 550...........37 - 51............8000 - 11000

 

550 - 875...........51 - 81...........11000 - 15000

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/42075

 

Are you sure you need to replace the current unit, it might just need servicing or gas putting in. Does it freeze up?

Jacko, I wouldn't go by the figures listed in Thailand. It was written for Canada. Canada never gets the heat that Pattaya does. The sun is no way near as hot. Also in Canada walls are insulated, and windows are typically double pane. Walls in Thailand ate brick with a concreet covering, no insulation, and double pane windows are unheard of anywhere except in the luxury hotels. The numbers shown are lower than the recommended BTU's for Oregon, which isn't much warmer than Canada. The number of days that I used air-con in Oregon is about equal to the number of days I go with out air-con in Pattaya. That is a big difference. Even the good housekeeping website would show one size larger than your calculator. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/air-conditioner-calculator My front room has an 18,000 BTU unit and is 462 sq. ft. Your calculator shows it would need 8,000-11,000 as far as I'm concerned, 18,000 is to small, it takes way to long to cool the room. I've just had it cleaned and serviced, and it hasn't helped.

 

I need to replace the AC in my bedroom (about 35 sqm) as it never seems to get cold. There seems to be different views on what size is needed 12,000 or 18,000. I don't want to buy one too small, does anyone know the recommended BTUs for a room that size. The 12,000 BTU ACs seem to be around 15,000 baht but the 18,000 BTU seem to jump up to 27-30,000 baht.

Try Big C or Carfour, they usually have an 18,000 on sale. The salesman will try and talk you out of it, because it's marked down. Stick to the promotion unit. They are name brand, and have the same guarantee as the others.

[BigDUSA 71]

23,000 BTU sounds excessive for a 40 sqm room. I have a unit of that capacity for my large lounge/ dining room. Over-rating is a waste of money as these big units are expensive, and the compressors are heavier to fit on a condo outside wall or use up the balcony. They will cycle excessively and use more power. You would not need to go so big unless the room had high ceilings and was south facing, or had a large window area, or you were baking pizzas in there all day.

 

40 sqm is 430 sqft (for you USA guys), about the size of my bedroom. The 12,000 Samsung unit I have is more than adequate. I admit it is used only at night-time.

 

I agree it's overkill but I like to keep the room COLD. My wife and daughter used to wear a sweater during the summer when the AC was on.

[jacko 8,813]

Jacko, I wouldn't go by the figures listed in Thailand. It was written for Canada. Canada never gets the heat that Pattaya does. The sun is no way near as hot. Also in Canada walls are insulated, and windows are typically double pane. Walls in Thailand ate brick with a concreet covering, no insulation, and double pane windows are unheard of anywhere except in the luxury hotels. The numbers shown are lower than the recommended BTU's for Oregon, which isn't much warmer than Canada. The number of days that I used air-con in Oregon is about equal to the number of days I go with out air-con in Pattaya. That is a big difference. Even the good housekeeping website would show one size larger than your calculator. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/air-conditioner-calculator My front room has an 18,000 BTU unit and is 462 sq. ft. Your calculator shows it would need 8,000-11,000 as far as I'm concerned, 18,000 is to small, it takes way to long to cool the room. I've just had it cleaned and serviced, and it hasn't helped.

 

 

Try Big C or Carfour, they usually have an 18,000 on sale. The salesman will try and talk you out of it, because it's marked down. Stick to the promotion unit. They are name brand, and have the same guarantee as the others.

Correction accepted... I have made some effort at my own place with insulating foam on the underside of the roof and double glazing UVPC windows. But as I said my 12.2k unit handles things, I even lock the fan on low speed to keep the noise down and switch it on an hour before bedtime.... I considered for the OP that it was a bedroom and not needed for the midday heat. I also tried this calculator and came up with a slightly higher figure of 13,860 BTU/Hr. I agree with your recommendation of getting around the shops Carrefour (Now another BigC), BigC, Homeworks, HomePro, Numchai and look for special offfers. There are some units available at about 13.5KBTU, and there are often units they are selling off (end-of-line) at great prices. I just pulled out a Daikin leaflet, their 17.7500 BTU unit is 26,000 baht. I wanted to look at the Numchai website but there is a warning about it dumping trojans!

Edited July 8, 2011 by jacko