Fitted Air conditioning

[Shnozz]

LastPoster said:

Infrared is different to an oil filled rad or electric heater in as much as it heats things not air. The second you turn it off, whatever (normally people) you have been heating will immediately feel cold again. It will warm a space by whatever it is heating getting warm and releasing that heat but that's not an efficient way of heating

Works well as a patio heater or to spot heat a warehouse where the packers sit, but not the entire place

The issue we have is the U.K. property is a large penthouse with a mezzanine. Two walls of 30 ft high glass windows, no insulation in the ceiling on the second floor.

Very hard to contain any heat, hence my installation of infrared to heat the person/object rather than throw out heat downstairs only for it to drift to the upstairs floors (and out the ceiling/windows) and leave downstairs cold.

[CorradoTDI]

PF62 said:

CorradoTDI said:

PF62 said:

CorradoTDI said:

Can anyone comment on the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries units and how user friendly they are to program and control?

I've been quoted for some units with a model starting SKM but I believe the units that start SRK are an upgrade / premium unit?

I have two of the SRK units and they are very easy to control, with every setting that you could possibly want (including being able to turn off the 'on' LED for the unit in the bedroom).

For the fan speed you can set individual settings, but for most of the time I just have them set to 'auto' and then they spin up and down as they need to - and that means you can just walk into the room, pick up the control and press 'on' and it will then do the rest.

They have various timers - a simple night timer so you can set it to run for x number of hours with x being whatever you choose, a daily on and off timer, and a more versatile weekly timer which has 28 separate on and offs so you can have it come on and off at different times during different days. At the moment I have the bedroom one set to come on for 30 minutes late evening in heating mode to warm the room just before I head to bed.

I didn't bother with the £100 wifi modules as they do cool and heat so fast I didn't think I would need it and that has proved to be the case over the last couple of years.

Thanks for that - just the kind of info I was after, cheers!

And if you want more, the user manuals are here -

www.mhi-mth.co.jp/en/products/detail/air-condition...

Thanks again for the advice - I've now had them fitted and all good so far!

One thing I can't seem to find though is how to turn off the on LED as you mentioned - just been through the manual a third time and can't see it but I maybe being thick!

EDIT - Sorry, found it!! Page 26 - I thought from the wording it was refering to the remote display!

Edited by CorradoTDI on Friday 28th October 15:11

Edited by CorradoTDI on Monday 21st November 14:12

[LastPoster]

Shnozz said:

LastPoster said:

Infrared is different to an oil filled rad or electric heater in as much as it heats things not air. The second you turn it off, whatever (normally people) you have been heating will immediately feel cold again. It will warm a space by whatever it is heating getting warm and releasing that heat but that's not an efficient way of heating

Works well as a patio heater or to spot heat a warehouse where the packers sit, but not the entire place

The issue we have is the U.K. property is a large penthouse with a mezzanine. Two walls of 30 ft high glass windows, no insulation in the ceiling on the second floor.

Very hard to contain any heat, hence my installation of infrared to heat the person/object rather than throw out heat downstairs only for it to drift to the upstairs floors (and out the ceiling/windows) and leave downstairs cold.

On a commercial level (in a warehouse or atrium) the answer would be destratification fans. I'd be concerned about noise and draughts domestically, but with the right sizing & placement they could bring down the warm air from high level

[EmilA]

I'm considering getting air con units fitted over winter, not just for the benefits in the summer but also to help with condensation and humidity over the winter. Was considering a PIV system but the costs of that system is already half way to an permanent aircon solution and I can sell my portable aircon unit off which also helps cover the costs.

So, out of the two options below, any of the readers have these and got any feedback or pros/cons on them please? The BTU on the units are fine and will cool the rooms nicely.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool-3ms9k9k...

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/argo-3ms9k9k9...

Edited by EmilA on Monday 21st November 12:55

[CorradoTDI]

EmilA said:

I'm considering getting air con units fitted over winter, not just for the benefits in the summer but also to help with condensation and humidity over the winter. Was considering a PIV system but the costs of that system is already half way to an permanent aircon solution and I can sell my portable aircon unit off which also helps cover the costs.

So, out of the two options below, any of the readers have these and got any feedback or pros/cons on them please? The BTU on the units are fine and will cool the rooms nicely.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool-3ms9k9k...

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/argo-3ms9k9k9...

Edited by EmilA on Monday 21st November 12:55

Not bad prices when you remember there is no VAT on domestic installs.

I think a few on here have fitted the more expensive option and seem happy with it.

I've got mine on heat now in the office, only set to 20 degrees when the rest of the house is at 19 but it makes the room nice and toasty and ticks along using a fairly negligable amount of electiricity (at the moment!)

[LastPoster]

EmilA said:

I'm considering getting air con units fitted over winter, not just for the benefits in the summer but also to help with condensation and humidity over the winter. Was considering a PIV system but the costs of that system is already half way to an permanent aircon solution and I can sell my portable aircon unit off which also helps cover the costs.

So, out of the two options below, any of the readers have these and got any feedback or pros/cons on them please? The BTU on the units are fine and will cool the rooms nicely.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool-3ms9k9k...

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/argo-3ms9k9k9...

Edited by EmilA on Monday 21st November 12:55

Have a look at the overall cooling capacity of the system, not the figure per room. You may find it's not adequate when cooling is required in all locations at once

[Blue Oval84]

EmilA said:

I'm considering getting air con units fitted over winter, not just for the benefits in the summer but also to help with condensation and humidity over the winter. Was considering a PIV system but the costs of that system is already half way to an permanent aircon solution and I can sell my portable aircon unit off which also helps cover the costs.

So, out of the two options below, any of the readers have these and got any feedback or pros/cons on them please? The BTU on the units are fine and will cool the rooms nicely.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool-3ms9k9k...

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/argo-3ms9k9k9...

Edited by EmilA on Monday 21st November 12:55

Just to add, they're great at heating, but I don't think they actually dehumidify anything in heat mode (of course, heating the air helps massively).

As a dehumidifier, they really don't work very well in my view as in this mode they also seem to cool the room down, so not what you really want in the winter.

I've got a standalone Meaco dehumidifier for use in winter and it can pull 6 litres of water out every couple of days, keeps things nicely in check.

I'm prepared to be corrected by one of the A/C experts if I'm just using the system wrong!

[LastPoster]

Blue Oval84 said:

Just to add, they're great at heating, but I don't think they actually dehumidify anything in heat mode (of course, heating the air helps massively).

As a dehumidifier, they really don't work very well in my view as in this mode they also seem to cool the room down, so not what you really want in the winter.

I've got a standalone Meaco dehumidifier for use in winter and it can pull 6 litres of water out every couple of days, keeps things nicely in check.

I'm prepared to be corrected by one of the A/C experts if I'm just using the system wrong!

No, you are correct.

Relative humidity can go up as warm air holds more moisture than colder air so moisture that has condensed out onto surfaces can evaporate again as the surrounding air warms up

A split system will dehumidify the air as it cools (if the evaporator air temperature is low enough) but not as it heats.

A dehumidifier will heat the room slightly as it works, as the room air passes over the evaporator and condenser within the dehum unit, additional heat is gained as the refrigerant is compressed (bicycle pump theory). In a split the condenser is either outside (or in the case of a portable, the warm air is exhausted outside)

[EmilA]

Thanks for the feedback. Our windows all have alot of moisture on them in the mornings, I have a Meaco 12l dehumidifer aswell but it's not a large unit and I have to move it across the rooms throughout the day.

I was planning on using it overnight to dehumidfy the room while we're asleep to prevent the buildup of moisture while using the central heating to keep the room warm. I have Hive TRV's installed throughout the house and the bedrooms radiators are effectively shut off during the day. Costs of air con vs new windows is a large difference, and it adds the benefit of the cool air in the summer.

[Blue Oval84]

I'll be honest, I think running the heating to keep the room warm in conjunction with the air con cooling it down sounds like a recipie for some horrendous bills, and depending on how cold it is outside it still may not be enough to stop condensation forming on the cold glass.

I have the same problem with condensation in the bedroom (closed door whilst I sleep as have a house share) despite my humidity being held at around 55% all day by the Meaco, my solution is just to Karcher window vac the windows each morning, it only takes a couple of minutes and leaves them dry as a bone.

[EmilA]

Guess the other option would be to use a wall mounted air con unit to remove moisture from the bedrooms during the day.

I've got an installation quote and its over £2k so I may have to rule it out, or look at going back to a 3 unit solution and not 4 wall units. Would also make it cheaper to install.

[Max1111]

Has anyone had their condenser installed at the front of their house? is there a good way to hide it?

[colin_p]

[normalbloke]

Max1111 said:

Has anyone had their condenser installed at the front of their house? is there a good way to hide it?

Yes, park a recovery truck with a banger racer on it, and a few gearboxes scattered around. Job done,

[heisthegaffer]

Max1111 said:

Has anyone had their condenser installed at the front of their house? is there a good way to hide it?

We have our units on the side of the house, 8s this an option?

[Evanivitch]

Max1111 said:

Has anyone had their condenser installed at the front of their house? is there a good way to hide it?

Not really. They need air flow and space around them, and you may need to have planning permission.

[bogie]

Max1111 said:

Has anyone had their condenser installed at the front of their house? is there a good way to hide it?

Yeah we have one at the front on the ground floor, its disguised inside a slatted black cover on 3 sides and there is a dwarf brick wall nearby so its not too obvious, it is on our drive and not near any boundary.

You can get a variety of slatted covers, so long as they are large enough and not airflow restrictive, should be fine. Just google for pics.

[Flumpo]

Max1111 said:

Has anyone had their condenser installed at the front of their house? is there a good way to hide it?

As long as it’s weatherproof and let’s air flow you could adapt a range of products/make your own:

Overpriced examples:

[FishAndChips]

Anyone have experience of Daikin Perfera units? Presumably anything Daikin is going to be decent? Just had a quote of £7k for an install to cover 3 rooms, 2 x inverter outdoor units (2.5kW & 3.5kW) and 3 x indoor mounted units. Seem reasonable, or toppy?

[TriumphStag3.0V8]

FishAndChips said:

Anyone have experience of Daikin Perfera units? Presumably anything Daikin is going to be decent? Just had a quote of £7k for an install to cover 3 rooms, 2 x inverter outdoor units (2.5kW & 3.5kW) and 3 x indoor mounted units. Seem reasonable, or toppy?

Personally I think that is a little high, but not massively so. I had four rooms covered from a single outdoor unit (four indoor units) - Mitsubish Zen units.
It was a few years ago and obviously prices will have gone up since then. In my workshop I had (about six months ago) two indoor units and two outdoor units fitted for a little under £3k but these were cheaper units.
(Supply and fit in both cases)

Also it depends on how difficult an install would be (pipe routing, electricity supply access, outdoor unit location, whether scaffolding is required etc, which all has a bearing on price). For my house it was easy as all the pipework was run through the loft and down the outside wall which could all be done from a ladder.

Did you get any other quotes? Now is the time to get it done as it is a relatively quiet time for the installers. In the summer, prices and wait times will rise.