product or service reviews Are portable AC units worth buying in India? Below is a quick comparison of conventional Air conditioning (Window/Split) vs portable air conditioning units. 2 More models and options available 1 Can't be moved. Needs one per room minimum- for small families with one or two people, who spend few hours in living room and few more in bed room, two AC means double the expense, without full usage. 2 Needs installation effort Not convenient in rented houses or those who need to keep moving cities frequently 1 Movable units- easy to change direction or move around on need basis 2 No installation expenses 3 Serves the purpose of cooling a bit to some extent 1 Can't cool medium/big rooms. Portable A/Cs are efficient only in small rooms- around 10ft by 10ft. 2 Not truely portable. They have a big hot air duct that needs to be connected to window 3 No Resale value 4. Major Consumer goods brands like LG, Samsung etc are not offering portable AC.

Only few lesser known brands. 5. Star ratings not available as in conventional ones. Power consumption could be higher When I tried investigating a bit more about Portable Air conditioning systems, AMFAH brand came up prominently on the net. AMFAH has a video demo on youtube explaining how their portable AC works. samsung window ac dealers in chennaiBut we can't ascertain cooling power in the video- that has to be felt in person. rv ac unit gasketSo I went to their office in Egmore, Chennai to check it out in person. rattling central ac unitBelow are some pics and first hand observation notes from my visit. Surprisingly, popular AC makers like LG, Samsung etc are not selling portable ACs in India. (LG sells portable ACs in USA). Either they realize that portable ACs can't be effective in India and selling them could prove to be counter productive as customers realize their limitations, OR they feel portable ACs may cannibalize their main business- window and split ACs.

There seems to be no resale market for portable ACs either. Sites like OLX have near zero listing of Portable ACs- few existing listings seem to be from recent buyers who've realized the limitation of portable AC after buying it and want to get rid of it. Apart from AMFAH, Llyod seem to be another brand selling portable ACs in India. Lloyd's model is cheaper by 10k compared to AMFAH, with similar specs. Snapdeal had this product listed for about 25k. The user reviews are mixed- few suggesting it is total waste of money, while few saying it is fine for small rooms. Another lesser known site is selling the same for 2k less- Check this Conclusion: Portable AC is not a replacement for window/split AC. Where possible one should go for these conventional Air conditioning units. Portable ACs may work for small rooms and can be considered when there're some challenges to buying/installing conventional AC units. What do you think? Update: This pot has been one of the most read posts on my blog in recent times.

It is often confusing which ac to buy for your home, window or split ac. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The ideal ac which suites best and has the maximum star ratings is the best for you. We will assist you in choosing between window and split air conditioner These are hanging out of many house windows. This is the most used and economical air conditioner system. It is a single unit, which sits in a window or an opening in a wall with its rear releasing hot air outside and the front part releasing cool air into the room. Windows AC has size limitation and doesn’t go beyond 2 Ton capacity The splitting of the two units in an AC allows one to install the cooling unit inside and the hot noisy compressor unit outside with flexibility. Since two units are separate they can be larger or smaller, hence two indoor small units can be connected to one large outdoor unit.Here are some basic split airconditioner control troubleshooting guide that may help you to understand more of the electronics control of your equipment.

This is a non-inverter type of control.Take note that you need to have a good electrical knowledge to do this as the power supply to the printed circuit board is LIVE. It is always a good practice to disconnect and isolate the power supply when you are troubleshooting the control board. If you are not sure, get a qualified technician to check your unit. A split air conditioner is also commonly known as ductless split or mini split where there is an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit consists of a compressor, a fan and the condenser. This is the place where heat from the indoor is transferred from the indoor to the outdoor and is rejected to the surrounding. The indoor unit basically consists of an evaporator, an expansion valve and a fan. Copper pipes are used to connect the flow of refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The power input can come from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit. The non-inverter split air conditioner basically consists of a ON/OFF compressor where the compressor is either ON fully or OFF fully.

The inverter based compressor can regulate the speed of the compressor depending on the load required.Here is the breakdown of the typical controller for better understanding.Main Control Printed Circuit BoardThe main control board can be divided into input power supply, a microcomputer controller integrated circuit, temperature sensor inputs and outputs to control the compressor, indoor fan speed, outdoor fan speed and air swing. The AC input from the mains has to be converted to DC voltage where it can be used to power the integrated circuits and drivers in the electronics circuit. There are two ways to do this. One is by using a step down transformer where the AC voltage is stepped down to voltage such as 25V AC or 12V AC. This voltage is then converted to DC by the use of diode bridge as rectifier and electrolytic capacitor to smoothen the rectified voltage. A 3-pin voltage regulator is used to get a fixed 5V DC or 12V DC power supply. This low voltages are used to power the microcomputer, DC relays and other integrated circuits in the circuit.

A simple linear power supply circuit. The other method is to use switched mode power supply or SMPS which makes the dimension of the printed circuit board smaller as the bulky transformer can now be replaced with a smaller transformer. This design is becoming more common as the quest for smaller space is becoming more critical.There is usually a surge absorber or a varistor connected across the input of the power supply. This device acts to protect the internal circuit in the event of lightning or power surge. When the power input to the device exceeded its voltage rating, it will clamp the voltage by bypassing it to the input source. This is one device that can be easily damaged if the power surge or lightning occurred beyond its maximum rating.A fuse is placed in series with the input power supply to cutoff any overcurrent or short circuit that happened in the circuit. This is another protective device used in most electronics circuit. It has to be replaced once it is blown.

In order for the handheld remote control to send the settings to the controller at the air conditioner unit, there is at least an infra-red receiver printed circuit board that receives the signals from the handset. This receiver is usually located in front of the indoor unit and can be identified by a specially made sticker that allow infra-red frequency to pass through.Also known as handset, this is where you can control the air conditioner settings remotely by pointing your handset towards the air conditioning unit. Temperature, timer, operating mode, energy saving function, air swing direction, fan speed, ionizer and sleep mode are some of the functions that are usually available depending on the manufacturer of the unit.Split Airconditioner Control Troubleshooting GuideHere is a list of split airconditioner control troubleshooting guide that you can use if you need to troubleshoot your split air conditioner unit. When troubleshooting, make sure mains power is disconnected before proceeding to check the printed circuit board to prevent electric shock.