Aircon Replacement Need Advice

[tek888 1]

Hi,

I am new here, and this is my first post. Hope to get some advice from bros and sis here.

My >10 year old Fujitsu aircon is noisy, not cold and also consuming a lot of electricity. So I am seriously considering to replace the aircon since it is old and may not worth spending money on the repairs. Also I was told by aircon sales man that it is using old refrigerant that could be phased on in the near future. So it is better to replace with new Inverter aircon that is energy saving and also using new eco friendly refrigerant.

These are the items that I will like to seek advice

1) I want to replace my current 5 split aircon to 3 split since we hardly turn on the 2 blowers in the living room.

2) Went to several shops for quotes and seems like the most value for money is Panasonic system 3 inverter aircon. The quotes I received range from 2.4k+ to 2.7k+, inclusive of changing to new aircon pipes and trunking.

3) Attached my current and desired layouts below. Hope you can provide comments and inputs. This is recommended by one of the aircon shops.

4) I intend to remove the existing trunking routing through bedroom 2 and my master bedroom. But part of the trunking hidden in my wardrobe will be cut and sealed up.

5) The new blowers in my bedrooms 2 and 3 will then be re-routed to my bathroom 2. According to sales guy, this route is shorter.

6) Am also considering to remove a wooden feature wall in my master bedroom. Do you know any contractors who are able to do both the aircon and the removal of the feature wall?

Will appreciate your comments and advice. Apart from Panasonic system 3 inverter, if you have other brands/models to recommend it will be really helpful to me too. Energy consumption and price will be my priorities.

Current layout

Desired layout

[Bento28 0]

Can't deny that Panasonic is one the economical one.

My preference is MIT electric. Quieter n easy to maintain. Difference of $2-300.

Btw the propose layout seems better. Short piping then more efficient.

[tek888 1]

Thanks Bento for your input. I just learnt there are in-house experts Aron and Tim and have asked them for quotes on Mitsubishi, Panasonic and Toshibe so that I can make a comparison. If the $ difference is not too much, I might go for Mit or Toshiba instead.

[zep 0]

Hi I'm new here, base on my experiences as an aircon tech, the best brand that can last longer on the compressors is Sanyo, National, Panasonic. We all know National brand was taken over by Panasonic. I will definitely recommend a Panasonic brand for air con and fridge. As for Sanyo the compressor is the best and can last you at least more than 5yrs but the cooling fan coil design is a bit noisy. Mitsubishi uses Panasonic compressors in their unit but the electronics in my opinion can't last long. The more complicated the design, the more problem u will meet in the future. So my recommendation for aircon is 1st: Panasonic, 2nd: Sanyo, 3rd: Mitsubishi. As for fridge u won't go wrong with either Panasonic or Mitsubishi.

[tek888 1]

Hi I'm new here, base on my experiences as an aircon tech, the best brand that can last longer on the compressors is Sanyo, National, Panasonic. We all know National brand was taken over by Panasonic. I will definitely recommend a Panasonic brand for air con and fridge. As for Sanyo the compressor is the best and can last you at least more than 5yrs but the cooling fan coil design is a bit noisy. Mitsubishi uses Panasonic compressors in their unit but the electronics in my opinion can't last long. The more complicated the design, the more problem u will meet in the future. So my recommendation for aircon is 1st: Panasonic, 2nd: Sanyo, 3rd: Mitsubishi. As for fridge u won't go wrong with either Panasonic or Mitsubishi.

Thank you zep

It's always great to hear from the expert's point of view. A refreshing change from the sales talk that one usually gets stepping into an aircon shop.

I have pretty much narrowed down to Mitsubishi and Panasonic, as the prices for Toshiba seems to be steeper compared to these 2. Many bros mentioned Mitsubishi Electric is different from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and it is better to get the former. Can you enlighten us on what are the differences between these 2 brands?

Edited August 1, 2012 by tek888

[tek888 1]

Hi folks,

Finally I went for the Panasonic system 3 from GC. The price was slightly more expensive than Natural Cool but I feel it was money well spent. The pipes were upgraded to the thicker G22 and also thicker insulation as well. The workmanship of the installers was excellent, especially compared to the previous install done >10years ago, also by GC. Trunkings were very neat and the installers were very attentive to minor details. Overall a very good experience.

I monitored my power consumption for the last couple of days and was pleasantly surprised to see 60% reduction. I was only expecting around 30~40% based on what I gathered from my friends. So 60% is a bonus. Either my previous aircon was grossly inefficient or the new one is extremely thrifty.

[Batman 0]

Congrats bro... I also toying with the idea to replace a 6yo AC for my new place that I'd purchased...

[tek888 1]

Congrats bro... I also toying with the idea to replace a 6yo AC for my new place that I'd purchased...

If it's non-inverter type I think it is worthwhile to change. Inverter aircon is quieter and more power efficient.

[cooki 0]

Hi tek888, possible to share how much u gt ur Panasonic System 3 Inverter for & e package/upgrades it came w? Cos mi currently oso looking to replace mine.

[amyth 0]

Hi tek888, possible to share how much u gt ur Panasonic System 3 Inverter for & e package/upgrades it came w? Cos mi currently oso looking to replace mine.

hi guys

i am new to this wedsite as i m looking for some reno designs. i understand most of us have the same problem dealing with Ac.

i just happen to be in trade and can share some views and costing price with u.

feel free to drop me a mail. i see what i can to help

Cheers