Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

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Gaybutton
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Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by Gaybutton »

I've been looking at several Thailand weather sites and from what I gather, very hot weather is expected even before summer starts. It's quite hot and humid already, but temperatures up to 43°C (that's nearly 110°F) are expected soon, along with occasional heavy thunderstorms. In the north, one forecast is predicting hail storms possible for today and tomorrow.

If you live in Thailand I suggest getting your air conditioners serviced now. If you wait around for the really hot weather to hit, but haven't had your air conditioners serviced (or new ones installed if need be), then I wish you luck finding available service without long waits, possibly days or even weeks, and possible price gouging.

If this applies to you, I suggest reading both: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7560 and viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7505

Also, if temperatures really do reach those levels, you also might want to take precautions that you don't fall victim to heat stroke or other weather related health problems. I would urge doing as much of your "out and abouting" as early in the day or as late in the afternoons and evenings as practical, while the temperatures are not so hot.

But don't worry too much about unusually hot temperatures. After all, Trump and the Republicans have assured us that global warming is only a myth . . .
fountainhall

Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by fountainhall »

I hope those owning apartments - or renting and being responsible for the air conditioners - have an annual maintenance contract with a reliable firm or individual. I believe this saves a decent amount of cash in the long run and avoids the problems GB mentions above.
gerefan
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Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by gerefan »

They may have a contract but never normally get them cleaned. I have had to insist on it several times.
TiT....wait until it breaks.
thaiworthy

Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by thaiworthy »

I guess by "serviced," that might usually mean "cleaning." We live in a rented apartment and call the maintenance guys whenever the efficiency of each unit is not up to par. In the past 5 years, that has meant cleaning 2-3 times a year or whenever we call them. They also installed a drainage conduit for the units, which has helped quite a bit. Sometimes we clean one of the unit's filters ourselves, but each thorough cleaning costs 500 baht each. They call the landlord who authorizes it. She is a wonderful Thai lady whom we embrace as a friend. No maintenance contract, but lucky us to have such an exceptional landlord.
Jun

Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by Jun »

I was wondering what exactly servicing would include. No one services domestic refrigerators & these can run for decades with no trouble & the fundamental principle of operation is the same.

Obviously aircon units don't run for decades with zero maintenance, so if it's just a deep clean, figuring out how to do it yourself could be a good approach. Then there is no need to wait for anyone.
gerefan
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Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by gerefan »

I get sick because of the pollution caused by the shit in the system. That’s why insist they clean it.
You can’t compare it with a fridge!
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Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by mahjongguy »

Jun wrote:the fundamental principle of operation is the same
That's true but there is one big difference in the application. The cooling coils in a fridge are inside the box, pretty much protected from anything that would get them dirty and reduce their efficiency. Compare that to an A/C unit where the cooling coils are next to a big fan that constantly exposes them to dust, cooking vapors, smoke, etc. All that crud needs to be washed away. If not, the A/C will use more and more kilowatts to produce less and less cool air.

The outside unit can just be blasted with a pressure hose, but effective cleaning of the indoor unit requires special detergents and a thorough rinse, usually involving some sort of rigged shower curtain to drain it all into a bucket in order to protect the furniture.
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Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by Gaybutton »

For those who believe getting your air conditioners serviced is unnecessary, fine with me. Meanwhile, blistering hot weather, and if the predictions are correct potentially dangerously hot weather, is just around the corner.

I have 4 air conditioners and had them serviced. It cost me a total of 1800 baht, and that included one that needed a shot of Freon. To me, that is money well spent. My air conditioners are working perfectly and I intend to keep them that way. When the hot weather arrives, I'm making sure I'm going to be comfortable in my own house.
Up2u

Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by Up2u »

I get my units serviced regularly by Numchai. 450 baht per unit. They clean/wash the outside compressors, flush the drain pipes, and hose down the interior units and filters.
Jun

Re: Get your air conditioners serviced - don't wait

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote:For those who believe getting your air conditioners serviced is unnecessary
No, I, along with Thaiworthy am wondering if a service includes anything other than cleaning. If just cleaning, some people might figure out how to do it themselves, rather than neglecting it.

Same principle as with my car. I service it myself, which saves money and I actually know the work has been done, which is quite difficult with some of the disreputable garages out there.


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