am i right that if your house has an old aircon system and I wish to upgrade. price will be more expensive than the prices on display?
is panasonic system 3 any good?
Hi,
If I am not wrong, the pricing for new air conditioner in the market is as follows:
1. Price include air conditioner set (ie both condenser and the number of FCUs) + materials (those meeting manufacturer's spec) + installation + dismantling and disposal of existing air conditioner . It has warranty of air conditioner 1 yr, compressor 5 yrs, installation 1 yr. This will be the price on display.
2. Price include air conditioner set + installation +dismantling and disposal of existing air conditioner; using existing materials. It has warranty of air conditioner 1 yr, compressor 5 yrs, installation 1 yr. However, installation warranty is subjected to conditions that defect is not from existing materials. This will be the price on display with some discount.
3. Price include air conditioner set + installation + dismantling and disposal of existing air conditioner + upgraded materials. It has warranty of air conditioner 1 yr, compressor 5yrs, installation 1 yr. This will be the price on display + add-on cost for upgraded materials.
4. In the air conditioner market, there are dealers and installers. Dealers do not install air conditioner but there linked up with installers to provide installation who represent the dealer. Installer normally do not sell air conditioner and many will not do installation for you if you buy your own air conditioner. Some dealers provide installation services for customers who have existing air conditioner but change in placement or who buy their own air conditioner. In this case, you need to specify the conditions of the purchase of installation services such as the material, dismatling and disposal of existing air conditioner if any, installation warranty, etc. Price is subjected to quotation.
5. The above are for HDB, and if you are in private property, then they may be addition cost for hacking and sealing of walls, partitions, cornices. Even if you only wish to install your air conditioner in the same way as in HDB, ie exposed pipes and wiring in conduits, most seller will still charge you extra. This is because most dealers feel that people living in private property has more money to pay for the same job. But with proper sourcing and quotation, you can avoid the extra charge. Ask for quotation with itemized job scope to understand the charges.
6. Some will provide services to install addition power points, others don't and in this case, you would need to get your own electrician to put up the addition power point.
You need to check and compare prices and options.
The standard material required by Mitsubishi StarMEX are:
Pipe:
SWG 22 (0.8mm)
gas/ liquid:
9.52mm(3/8 inches)/6.35mm(1/4 inches) for below 18k Btu and
12.7mm(1/2 inches)/6.35mm(1/4 inches) for above 18k Btu.
Insulation:
5/16 (8mm). You may wish to increase it to 1/2 inches if you have them concealed to avoid costly repair due to water condensation. Don't forget that drain pipe also needs to be insulated too.
Wires:
Power: 3 core/1 mm2 (for below 18k Btu) and 3 core/2 mm3 (for above 18k Btu)
Indoor/outdoor connection wire: 4 core/1 mm2
Drain pipe internal diameter: 15mm
It is important that you insist in your sales agreement that the seller comply to manufacturer's specification and installation requirements (unless you upgraded them) as some materials used as "normal" by sellers are out of the specification and with inappropriate installation procedures.
Branded materials may be preferred to unknown brand.
Sorry, no experience with Panasonic system 3.
The above are my opinion and hope that they are helpful.