Another air con spec me

[ShivP]

Hi all

Another spec me for AC, however it is for a big room. 15m length, 4.6m wide, 2.8m ceiling height. I'm guessing it is necessary to have a proper wall mounted unit rather than a portable unit?

The space has about 8m of bifold doors (integral blinds so not a huge amount of heat enters through here) and more importantly 2x roof lanterns with no blinds - a lot of heat enters through here. It gets hot even on a normal summers day let alone the temps we are having now so something needs to be done.

Anyone have any suggestdions? I am a complete AC noob and have no idea what sort of price we are looking at, what units to look at etc.

Cheers

 

[eviled]

save the environment, get a fan

 

[ShivP]

Got 3, they don't help

 

[kindai]

Currently looking at a multi-room split system myself, have said for the last 4 years I was going to do it but finally snapped last night lying there unable to sleep due to the ridiculous heat and humidity.

Let me know if you find anything or a particularly useful company.

 

[psd99]

Currently looking at a multi-room split system myself, have said for the last 4 years I was going to do it but finally snapped last night lying there unable to sleep due to the ridiculous heat and humidity.

Let me know if you find anything or a particularly useful company.

same here I considering multi-room split just not sure what kind of electrical wire/connections I need.

also need one of those venting fans on the exterior but need a ladder for that!

 

[samcat]

Add rooftop solar at the same time, then when the sun shines you can cool your house for free.
At night time you wont get any solar gain and wont get much thermal gain. As its already cooled it will be nice and stable.

Keeps running costs down, green credentials and comfort.

 

[Doobedoo]

same here I considering multi-room split just not sure what kind of electrical wire/connections I need.!

Mine has a 13amp plug that just plugs into a plug socket.

 

[Semple]

Mine has a 13amp plug that just plugs into a plug socket.

That's a portable one, they're talking about wiring a unit in permanently.

I've gotta say it is quite funny with the number of "spec me AC" threads pop up on the hottest days of the year.

But it's an interesting point they made on the news yesterday - is Britain equipped for this kind of heat. There's certainly been as hot of a day in history, but back 20-30+ years ago the odd day or so of extreme heat never warranted homes getting AC permanently installed. But when you consider the last 5 years, where we've suffered many weeks of a year with pretty high temperatures, is it about time we start preparing for longer durations of high temps, and higher temps - i can't imagine it'll be long until Britain passes 40C.

 

[TomO]

a portable unit wont really do anything on that size room.

I have https://www.aircon247.com/p/8643473...a-25kw-9000btu-wall-mounted-split-system.html - this in a 5m x5m x 2.5m bedroom and it struggles - fitting a bigger unit would have meant a lot more complicated installation, so went with it, still helps a lot.

Then have this https://www.aircondirect.co.uk/p/87...YZfIJp81Qr3hoD1u4aJJqCMIU0gKvTroN8aAqjP8P8HAQ in a 6m x 6m x 2.4m room and its ice cold in there - over specced it as the room is used as a gym (not many windows and north facing)

The biggy I have is this - https://www.airconditioningworld.co.uk/hitachi-air-conditioning-rpi-5-0fsn4e-ras-5hvrns2e-12-5kw - in a 12m x 6m room with vaulted ceiling to 4.5m - this is probably the 'right' size, doesn't struggle etc.

There are online calculators to figure out the output you need, although not sure how much they will allow for the windows etc. but gives a ballpark. Too small and it will take ages to cool down, less of a big deal if leaving it on all the time. on a hot night we turn the bedroom one on at least a few hours before going to bed. I did all the installation work myself apart from final connections and electrical works. The bigger units will need a dedicated power supply and thought given to pipe runs and siting of external unit etc.

 

[Doobedoo]

That's a portable one, they're talking about wiring a unit in permanently.

I've gotta say it is quite funny with the number of "spec me AC" threads pop up on the hottest days of the year.

But it's an interesting point they made on the news yesterday - is Britain equipped for this kind of heat. There's certainly been as hot of a day in history, but back 20-30+ years ago the odd day or so of extreme heat never warranted homes getting AC permanently installed. But when you consider the last 5 years, where we've suffered many weeks of a year with pretty high temperatures, is it about time we start preparing for longer durations of high temps, and higher temps - i can't imagine it'll be long until Britain passes 40C.

No it’s a split unit that plugs into a wall socket this is the exact model.

https://www.cooleasy.co.uk/categori...0btu-air-conditioning-heat-pump-inverter.html

Had it installed for about 9 months and it’s been fantastic, got it because we had 2 installed at work a couple of years ago and they too worked perfectly.

Also have to note that these have used to heat my home more than cool it.

 

[psd99]

good thread

Any tips on how to fit a unit to the wall?

Is it just a case of buying a AC unit, wiring it up and getting a pipe attached to the exterior outdoor fan? Or does the unit need some type of coolant inserted in there?

 

[psd99]

just wondering if someone who can fit plugs, sockets, lights wiring etc and do basic DIY for plumbing has enough competent skills to be able to install a wall AC unit.

 

[Doobedoo]

good thread

Any tips on how to fit a unit to the wall?

Is it just a case of buying a AC unit, wiring it up and getting a pipe attached to the exterior outdoor fan? Or does the unit need some type of coolant inserted in there?

I used 6mm fixing bolts for the internal unit and the external is sat on paving slabs. They are pretty simple to install you just follow the instructions basically.

https://www.cooleasy.co.uk/easy-fit-installation

 

[Doobedoo]

just wondering if someone who can fit plugs, sockets, lights wiring etc and do basic DIY for plumbing has enough competent skills to be able to install a wall AC unit.

Yes.

 

[Chief Wiggum]

We had a Mitzi Heavy system installed in June (then it rained for two weeks!) but it’s been great over the last week.
We opted for a 3 way unit to cover two bedrooms and a new room that will replace the conservatory later this year.
The unit that arrived turned out to be a 4 way with more kw output 10 vs 8 (bargain).
Had it installed by a local firm who worked really tidy, and they’re certified installers which gave an extra chunk of warranty.

Outdoor unit:


They suggested mounting in our perimeter wall to reduce any prospect of noise and vibration through a wall, plus it was easier than mounting above the shed!

One of the bedroom units:


This is in my daughters room, pipework goes into the adjacent wardrobe and then through the loft where it meets up with all the other pipework and powerfeed from the consumer unit. The water drains into the boiler drain in the airing cupboard behind. The master bedroom has a pump, but in hindsight we should have just piped it through the wall instead of doing that as it does make a bit of noise when it triggers.

The new room, they’ll pipe it it during construction so it’s nice and concealed.

 

[agw_01]

@Chief Wiggum, if you don't mind divulging, how much did a system like that cost to install?

I was thinking about a portable unit to cool my understairs cupboard where I have a rack full of switches, firewalls and a couple of servers but the more I sit here stuck to my leather couch the more I think a 3 or 4 way system may be a worthwhile purchase.

The units themselves seem to be very reasonable cost wise but given the length and complexity of some of the pipe runs I expect to need, this may be a job I leave to the pros!

 

[Chief Wiggum]

@agw_01 sure, we paid a little over the odds (I gather, from my sister in law who works in the trade)
£3.5k with another £500-600 for the unit for the new room, when we’re ready.
A two way system £2700.
Can’t fault the installers though, two guys who worked super clean, pressure tested the pipework overnight and vac’d it out before charging it. Two and a bit days for install.

 

[agw_01]

Thanks @Chief Wiggum. I'd not really looked into having a permament installation before because I expected them to be very expensive but from what I've seen, £600 for a split system excluding installation seems incredibly affordable.

Definitely something worth investigating.

What's the power consumption of the condenser?

 

[Chief Wiggum]

Yeah, it’s totally worth looking at a permanent installation.

No idea on power consumption (I’m in denial!) though we were talking about this at work yesterday, but not sure how I’d measure the consumption realistically. It’s hardwired to the consumer unit so no plug for me to measure. The installers indicated that they are very efficient for what they are and they’re never really running at full tilt.

 

[Doobedoo]

Mine will draw between 500w to 1kw depending on load. Generally it’s between 500-700w.