Big Ideas In A Small Space

[mishmish 7]

Your trunking is really well done! Bathrooms look good. Love the blue mosaic looking tiles.

[macuser77 1]

Sure.. actually all the credit for the cleverly hidden trunking goes to my contractor.. He directed the gain city guys to install the trunking in the most unobtrusive way possible.

First off, my condenser sits outside a window in the master bedroom, the trunking coming in from the condenser outside is hidden behind my wardrobe.. refer to top left picture in the grid.

So once the trunking passes through the wardrobe, it splits 2 ways.. 1 going into the master, the other going outside to connect the rest of the air cons..The one going into the master travels along a beam into my toilet.. ref top right pic in the grid.

Once it goes into the toilet, the trunking has been tiled over so you don't even notice the trunking at all unless you look for it.. ref bottom left picture

And then the pipe for the condensation travels down to my shower area and drips out into the floor trap.. all hidden under my tiles.. ref bottom right picture

Here's a pic of the master bedroom aircon.. no trunking or piping visible..

Now here's a tour of the trunking for the rest of the house..

The trunking will come out from the master and travels above the doors of all the rooms.. my contractor did a box up of the trunking so its totally hidden away.. ref top left picture of grid..

The piping for the condensation also travels along the same path but it crosses over into the common toilet.. there's a little bit of the piping trunk visible here.. ref top right picture of grid..

Then of course its the same setup in the common toilet as the master toilet. The piping is hidden under the tiles and moves all the way to the shower area and near the floor trap..

And that is how all my trunking and pipes are hidden away!

Hi,

Was just wondering, if there were to be problems with the aircon trunkings in future, you'll have to hack away the toilet tiles ?

[mrmerry 2]

your toilet color scheme.

lucky u have a good contractor who helped u with the trunking. One of my neighbour had a horrid experience just recently with the trunking done by the aircon guys. Shows we must never take these things for granted! must treat him kopi!

[jaykr 0]

HI,

That is also my thinking. If you have any issues with your trunking in terms of condensation or leakage etc..... you might have a problem right?

When I asked they told me that the aircon will run through the wardrobe and I immediately stopped and asked if there is a problem would I need to break my wardrobe and they said it won't happen lar....etc... but the answer is yes, you would have to break your wardrobe. So I asked to give me an alternative where I don't have to run through my wardrobe.

I spent quite a bit on my wardrobe and it does not make sense to break it even if it in the distant future. ;p

Hi,

Was just wondering, if there were to be problems with the aircon trunkings in future, you'll have to hack away the toilet tiles ?

[blueeeeie 0]

HI,

That is also my thinking. If you have any issues with your trunking in terms of condensation or leakage etc..... you might have a problem right?

When I asked they told me that the aircon will run through the wardrobe and I immediately stopped and asked if there is a problem would I need to break my wardrobe and they said it won't happen lar....etc... but the answer is yes, you would have to break your wardrobe. So I asked to give me an alternative where I don't have to run through my wardrobe.

I spent quite a bit on my wardrobe and it does not make sense to break it even if it in the distant future. ;p

Ok.. here's what the air con guy told me..

There are 3 points of failure in the air con trunking:

1) Piping for the coolant

2) Piping for the water/condensate

3) Electrical

Piping for coolant - The usual problems that can occur with that pipe is leakages.. The aircon guys told me that the piping in the trunking are welded together so its continuous.. and there is only 1 manual connection (where the guys connect the coolant main pipe to the pipe coming from the air con with a nut) which is accessible near the aircon (if there is exposed trunking) or behind the unit itself (if there is no trunking nearby).. That manual connection is the usual suspect for any leakages especially if your air con is newly installed. I know this because I just had my air con system repaired cos the manual connection for one of my air cons was loose and coolant had leaked out..

This was what the air con guy explained.

The other problem with the coolant piping is water condensing on the pipe itself (they also call that sweating) which will cause water to drip through the trunking and show up as leakages.. So that is why the air con ppl ask you to upgrade your insulation. The thicker it is, the more protection you can get from the sweating problem.. So if you have proper insulation, you shouldn't suffer from leaks at least for the first couple of years.. unless you're unlucky and you got some defective insulation.. but then that is really unforeseen circumstances..

Again.. this was explained by both the air con salesman and the air con guy

Piping for water/condensate - Points of failure for this is if the water doesn't flow through properly and clogs the pipes.. collection of water at clogged point may cause leakages.. Prevention for this is through regular maintenance where the servicing ppl will flush your pipes for you and ensure its clear as well as proper installation.. the air con ppl will install your pipes at a slight gradient so the water will flow to the exit point..

Explained by air con guy..

Electrical - This one is heng suay liao.. if you had a good electrician during your reno, all your wiring should have been installed properly with no wire exposed.. if so.. then points of failure would be if rodents got in and started chewing on your wires and shorting your air con.. but then if it happens for your air con, it could also happen anywhere else in your house.. then you would also need to tear open your wall to get it fixed..

If the wiring wasn't installed properly.. then u can go after your contractor to get them to redo the damaged wiring and wall for you!

All in all, if everything goes well with proper maintenance and all that, you shouldn't need to tear out the trunking and insulation.. but after 5 to 10 years, its hard to say..

Its like buying a new car.. if u didn't get a defective car.. when the car is brand new you won't need to send it for major repairs and all that.. the cars run great with just light maintenance... but then after the car runs past a certain mileage.. components start failing because of wear and tear..

Btw.. all this was explained to me by the air con ppl so if I'm wrong anywhere, please forgive me.. this is only a sharing of what I've learnt

Edited May 21, 2013 by blueeeeie

[blueeeeie 0]

your toilet color scheme.

lucky u have a good contractor who helped u with the trunking. One of my neighbour had a horrid experience just recently with the trunking done by the aircon guys. Shows we must never take these things for granted! must treat him kopi!

Yeah.. make sure that you let your ID know that you don't want too much exposed trunking.. so he should be able to work with the air con guys on how to run the trunking and installation..

Don't depend on the air con installers to guide you.. they tend to run the trunking where its more convenient for them..

[blueeeeie 0]

Your trunking is really well done! Bathrooms look good. Love the blue mosaic looking tiles.

Thanks thanks.. my hubby really made a good choice in selecting this mosaic.. had to go to a couple of places before he finally found what he was looking for..

[jaykr 0]

Hi Blueeeie,

Thank you for the lengthy explanation. Much appreciated.

It seems there are 3 areas where it can break down but the one that I am very concerned about is the "Sweating" . If it goes through my 9 feet wardrobe and there is sweating , then it would impact my wardrobe. It would then be a very expensive affair.

So I think in the interest of preventing future problems , for me it would be best not to run through the cabinets.

But I totally understand why some people choose to do so. =)

Again thank you for the clear and lengthy explanation. Much appreciated.

Regards,

Jaykr

Ok.. here's what the air con guy told me..

There are 3 points of failure in the air con trunking:

1) Piping for the coolant

2) Piping for the water/condensate

3) Electrical

Piping for coolant - The usual problems that can occur with that pipe is leakages.. The aircon guys told me that the piping in the trunking are welded together so its continuous.. and there is only 1 manual connection (where the guys connect the coolant main pipe to the pipe coming from the air con with a nut) which is accessible near the aircon (if there is exposed trunking) or behind the unit itself (if there is no trunking nearby).. That manual connection is the usual suspect for any leakages especially if your air con is newly installed. I know this because I just had my air con system repaired cos the manual connection for one of my air cons was loose and coolant had leaked out..

This was what the air con guy explained.

The other problem with the coolant piping is water condensing on the pipe itself (they also call that sweating) which will cause water to drip through the trunking and show up as leakages.. So that is why the air con ppl ask you to upgrade your insulation. The thicker it is, the more protection you can get from the sweating problem.. So if you have proper insulation, you shouldn't suffer from leaks at least for the first couple of years.. unless you're unlucky and you got some defective insulation.. but then that is really unforeseen circumstances..

Again.. this was explained by both the air con salesman and the air con guy

Piping for water/condensate - Points of failure for this is if the water doesn't flow through properly and clogs the pipes.. collection of water at clogged point may cause leakages.. Prevention for this is through regular maintenance where the servicing ppl will flush your pipes for you and ensure its clear as well as proper installation.. the air con ppl will install your pipes at a slight gradient so the water will flow to the exit point..

Explained by air con guy..

Electrical - This one is heng suay liao.. if you had a good electrician during your reno, all your wiring should have been installed properly with no wire exposed.. if so.. then points of failure would be if rodents got in and started chewing on your wires and shorting your air con.. but then if it happens for your air con, it could also happen anywhere else in your house.. then you would also need to tear open your wall to get it fixed..

If the wiring wasn't installed properly.. then u can go after your contractor to get them to redo the damaged wiring and wall for you!

All in all, if everything goes well with proper maintenance and all that, you shouldn't need to tear out the trunking and insulation.. but after 5 to 10 years, its hard to say..

Its like buying a new car.. if u didn't get a defective car.. when the car is brand new you won't need to send it for major repairs and all that.. the cars run great with just light maintenance... but then after the car runs past a certain mileage.. components start failing because of wear and tear..

Btw.. all this was explained to me by the air con ppl so if I'm wrong anywhere, please forgive me.. this is only a sharing of what I've learnt

[kengwee 3]

Hi blueeeie,

can pm me your reno quotation and details?

Thanks!!

[NSW 0]

hi there, how has the masterlock been working? I read that it is not good with moisture..

[blueeeeie 0]

Hi blueeeie,

can pm me your reno quotation and details?

Thanks!!

Hi Kengwee,

You can give a ring to my contractor Dennis to request for a quote.. he's really friendly and will provide it to you asap with no strings attached..

His number is located in my signature..

[blueeeeie 0]

hi there, how has the masterlock been working? I read that it is not good with moisture..

So far so good..

I've used it on my gate for more than 2 weeks now.. no issues here

I think its important that the lock doesn't get wet from rain water.. if the gate at your place gets splashed alot (from rain or washing) then I don't think its a suitable home for that lock..

This lock is meant to be an indoor lock..

[kengwee 3]

Hi Kengwee,

You can give a ring to my contractor Dennis to request for a quote.. he's really friendly and will provide it to you asap with no strings attached..

His number is located in my signature..

okie, thanks.. will give him a ring this weekend..

[verre 0]

Hi blueeeie,

May i know where did you get the blue mosaic looking tiles? it's really nice!

[blueeeeie 0]

Its been a busy busy week for us as we began moving into our new place..

All the works in the house has been completed (save for some defects here and there which my contractor has promised to fix) and my husband and I have obsessively cleaned the place from top to bottom..

Seriously.. I think I actually lost a little bit of weight from the morning till night cleaning!

Anyway, not all my furniture has arrived yet.. but here's a sneak peak of what our place looks like..

For those who are interested.. the stickers are from Blik..