Inverter Air Con: Beware Of High Standby Power

[VerifyTheFacts 0]

I have a system 3, two for room, use everynight, 1 for hall, use once in blue blue moon....does that mean the condenser for the hall will consume much energy on standby mode? Just because this is system-3, does that means the 3 blower sharing one common condenser or they have separate

"condenser" in the condenser unit?

If you have a System3, I will assume you have 1 system serving 3 rooms, then when the complete system is turn off (all 3 rooms are stop by remotecontrol but mains is still on), only then the standby will apply, if you operates any room unit, the system is now in operations and so it is not considered as standby.

[VerifyTheFacts 0]

can be converted one, pretty straightforward... but it is not the practice to directly connect the aircon power directly to the 20A isolator what, what happens if i need to change aircon few years down the road?

Connecting to an Isolator is a safer option and is a common practice now. Look at all the new condo and HDB apartments, why are they provided with Isolators and not 15A plugs anymore? Poor contacts or moisture can cause arcing/sparking across the connection and worst case can cause a fire if there are some material around to fuel it. If you need to change the aircon, the installer can easily connect it properly into the Isolator.

[neubie 2]

Connecting to an Isolator is a safer option and is a common practice now. Look at all the new condo and HDB apartments, why are they provided with Isolators and not 15A plugs anymore? Poor contacts or moisture can cause arcing/sparking across the connection and worst case can cause a fire if there are some material around to fuel it. If you need to change the aircon, the installer can easily connect it properly into the Isolator.

the 15A switch or 20A isolator is not often turned on/off like any lightswitch, so what arcing/sparking one speaks of? compressor does not turn on immediately upon switching on the 15A/isolator......unless the CP states otherwise, can still use wor....

depending on the placement of the mains switch, if the main switch is to be installed outdoors, then of cos the 20A isolator is used as it is more weatherproof (IP55). if not use 15A roundpin for indoors. so your statement about condo and hdb apt is not true. each type has got its own use.....for me, i wouldn't want a big ugly isolator to be installed indoors at my MBR....

Edited October 4, 2010 by neubie

[VerifyTheFacts 0]

the 15A switch or 20A isolator is not often turned on/off like any lightswitch, so what arcing/sparking one speaks of? compressor does not turn on immediately upon switching on the 15A/isolator......unless the CP states otherwise, can still use wor....

depending on the placement of the mains switch, if the main switch is to be installed outdoors, then of cos the 20A isolator is used as it is more weatherproof (IP55). if not use 15A roundpin for indoors. so your statement about condo and hdb apt is not true. each type has got its own use.....for me, i wouldn't want a big ugly isolator to be installed indoors at my MBR....

Fully agree but the advice by some member is to turn off the mains to save energy during standby, hence for those who are worried of high standby consumption (true or not nobody knows at this point unless it is listed on product catalog) will naturally listen to such advice and start turning off the mains irrespective of the neccessity. 15A sockets as you rightly indicated can still be used and also correctly noted only at the inside of house hence it is convenient to turn off, which is what was recommended earlier in this thread. What I highlight is the higher risks comparing 15A and Isolator. Considering that the reason for the Isolator to be located near the outdoor unit is meant for service person to turn off the unit for service and not meant for turning off to conserve energy for standby. Also consider the movable parts of 15A socket outlet and plug and Isolator where in the Isolator case, the supply wires to Outdoor unit are firmly screwed into the connectors compared to the 15A socket where the wires are screwed to the Plug and then the Plug is attached to the socket outlet, how many movable mechanical contacts are there (3 pins to 3 springloaded connectors)? Less mechanical movement means less chance of arching when contacts are poor. What I am trying to get at is why try to save a few dollars and put yourself at risk, if energy savings is the priority, use an Electric Fan.

[Andrew New 3]

Fully agree but the advice by some member is to turn off the mains to save energy during standby, hence for those who are worried of high standby consumption (true or not nobody knows at this point unless it is listed on product catalog) will naturally listen to such advice and start turning off the mains irrespective of the neccessity. 15A sockets as you rightly indicated can still be used and also correctly noted only at the inside of house hence it is convenient to turn off, which is what was recommended earlier in this thread. What I highlight is the higher risks comparing 15A and Isolator. Considering that the reason for the Isolator to be located near the outdoor unit is meant for service person to turn off the unit for service and not meant for turning off to conserve energy for standby. Also consider the movable parts of 15A socket outlet and plug and Isolator where in the Isolator case, the supply wires to Outdoor unit are firmly screwed into the connectors compared to the 15A socket where the wires are screwed to the Plug and then the Plug is attached to the socket outlet, how many movable mechanical contacts are there (3 pins to 3 springloaded connectors)? Less mechanical movement means less chance of arching when contacts are poor. What I am trying to get at is why try to save a few dollars and put yourself at risk, if energy savings is the priority, use an Electric Fan.

Fully agreed !

[forgotten 1]

My current aircon is non-inverter aircon. Last time even if I switched off all electric applicances except fridge, my electric meter still continues to tick quickly. Now by chance, I realise that my electric meter's ticking slows down very significantly after I have switched off the main switch of my aircon for days. So even non-inverter aircon uses standby power.

My aircon compressor's noise is disrupting my sleep, so I will just use my fan for the remaining months.

Edited December 23, 2010 by forgotten

[gimz63251073 0]

inverter or non-inverter --> turning off power point will spoil the compressor?

frankly, i have not heard of compressors being spoilt this way as yet, not even in this thread. The air con at my parent's house is always on standby and has almost died by the end of 6 or 7 years. Probably due to normal wear and tear...

As i am a very infrequent user of air con, i keep the 15A power point switch off at all times at my new house. Maybe i would be able to tell u guys a few years later whether mine is spoilt this way.

speaking of compressor disturbing sleep, my neighbour above uses his noisy air con everyday - rain or shine. Its noisy and it keeps dripping water! Somemore theirs is the new set (renovations carried out around the same time as ours)

[therat 18]

inverter or non-inverter --> turning off power point will spoil the compressor?

frankly, i have not heard of compressors being spoilt this way as yet, not even in this thread. The air con at my parent's house is always on standby and has almost died by the end of 6 or 7 years. Probably due to normal wear and tear...

As i am a very infrequent user of air con, i keep the 15A power point switch off at all times at my new house. Maybe i would be able to tell u guys a few years later whether mine is spoilt this way.

speaking of compressor disturbing sleep, my neighbour above uses his noisy air con everyday - rain or shine. Its noisy and it keeps dripping water! Somemore theirs is the new set (renovations carried out around the same time as ours)

me too. I also switch of the aircon switch. Basically my husband family habit is OFF the switch if the appliance is not in use.

When go for holiday, all plugs need to be remove.

simi brand is that.. new aircon still can drip water and noisy.

My above neighbour aircon also same thing.. drip and noisy. Can even know.. when their aircon on and off.

[Devil_82 1]

me too. I also switch of the aircon switch. Basically my husband family habit is OFF the switch if the appliance is not in use.

When go for holiday, all plugs need to be remove.

simi brand is that.. new aircon still can drip water and noisy.

My above neighbour aircon also same thing.. drip and noisy. Can even know.. when their aircon on and off.

me too but i only start to learn this recently for my new house haha....since have 2compressor i tap from the db box for the 2isolator with 2 20a switch. goes work off it..balek kampong on it...

really need to learn how to save the electricity bill

[smtan24 0]

have you tried to use those clamp meters, eg like Kyoritsu http://www.kew-ltd.co.jp/en/products/clampmeters/index.html to tong one of the live or neutral (but not both together) wires to find out what is the actual current when on standby mode?

cos i believe the clamp meter is calibrated in RMS values, which is the actual heating effect, multiply the current by 230V and you shd get the correct power consumed by any device.

also, side track a bit, i read the starmex series of condenser units have this (switch) settings for HDB flats with and without current limitations. max operating current is 8.5A for MXY-3A28VA (system 3 with up to 14.6kW) for limited current applications and 12.65A for unlimited current applications...

now, we all know that the higher the current, the more energy the aircon consumes, so to save power, can installers simply configure the condenser to run at lower current and save power bills?

Not all clamp meters are RMS(Root Mean Square). Check the meter they should state if they are RMS.

[kimsim 8]

hi

anyone know how to find out the lable indicative for standby mode in outdoor or indoor units?

i'm using mitsubishi starmex inverter single split model it's didn't showing.

if you have photo can be sharing here.

thanks

[forgotten 1]

inverter or non-inverter --> turning off power point will spoil the compressor?

frankly, i have not heard of compressors being spoilt this way as yet, not even in this thread. The air con at my parent's house is always on standby and has almost died by the end of 6 or 7 years. Probably due to normal wear and tear...

As i am a very infrequent user of air con, i keep the 15A power point switch off at all times at my new house. Maybe i would be able to tell u guys a few years later whether mine is spoilt this way.

speaking of compressor disturbing sleep, my neighbour above uses his noisy air con everyday - rain or shine. Its noisy and it keeps dripping water! Somemore theirs is the new set (renovations carried out around the same time as ours)

me too. I also switch of the aircon switch. Basically my husband family habit is OFF the switch if the appliance is not in use.

When go for holiday, all plugs need to be remove.

simi brand is that.. new aircon still can drip water and noisy.

My above neighbour aircon also same thing.. drip and noisy. Can even know.. when their aircon on and off.

The new HDBs that govt are building recently, have the aircon ledges outside the service yard and toilet instead of outside the master bedroom. That's a better design, give everyone less noise issue and better sleep!

Edited December 31, 2010 by forgotten

[demonlicious 0]

Think at the end of the day, its still best to put your money on established brands such as Daikin to avoid any potential hiccups in the future. Heard too many complaints about noise generated from friends on their aircon. Anyway, its a along term item so should be money well spent.

[atlantis2267 0]

Interesting thread here:

discussion on crank case heater

Two things I picked up:

- cch (crank case heaters) prevents migration of coolant into oil

- this heating required only if temp < 70deg F (21 deg C)

It does leave the question of whether we can ask the aircon installers to disable the CCH (during installation) - and still keep the warranty.

[aiwentimotai 0]

I found this information from an Australian site:

I too have a Daikin Inverter Ducted System, it uses heaps on standby.. 97 watts an hour .. that's 2.3kWs every day. there is a big outdoor plastic on/off switch next to the outdoor unit. you can turn it off there. the only thing you MUST remember is when there is a hot / cold day coming up you MUST turn that switch back on 2 hours at least before you turn it on inside (to circulate it's oils and things) or you will kill it pretty quick

yearly total: about 840 kWh's or @ 19c/kW ~$160 just to have it sitting there