Buying Guide

Buying Guide of  Air Conditioner

Air conditioning is a process of cooling/Heating/cleaning /controlling moisture and circulating the air.Air Conditioner is an inherent part of an household with summers getting hotter. You should consider your needs and do your research before finalizing the one you want to buy.

Split system Air Conditioners

A split air conditioner consists of two main parts: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. The outdoor unit is installed on or near the wall outside of the room or space that you wish to cool. The unit houses the compressor, condenser coil and the expansion coil or capillary tubing.

How do you know what capacity is right for your room?

The size of your air conditioner is very important. You need to think about whether you are cooling a single room, a selection of rooms or the entire house. If the air conditioner is too small you won't cool down and you'll waste electricity running it on high all the time. If, on the other hand, you choose an air conditioner that's too large for your needs you'll have to switch it off regularly when you become too cold. Switching it on and off all the time will also waste energy.

The Ton of air conditioning indicates the cooling capacity of the air conditioner. 

The energy efficiency of an AC depends on :

• Cooling capacity (in watts)
• Power consumption (in watts)

The cooling capacity or the energy efficiency should be kept in mind when purchasing an AC.

Inverter ACs

If electricity bills are your main concern, then an inverter-equipped AC is one of the best options you can go for. In traditional air conditioners, the compressor when active runs at its peak speed or is switched off. This process of constantly switching on and off the compressor, to adjust to the temperature change takes up a lot of power. Inverter-equipped air conditioners as opposed to traditional air conditioners constantly control the speed of the compressor motor, in order to adjust to the slight changes in the temperature of the room. Inverter air conditioners are said to be considerably more efficient than ordinary air conditioners. Inverter-equipped ACs are also said to have a better performance and have a longer life.

Some necessary tips concerning your air conditioner

 1)  Minimize air leakage by fitting the room air conditioner snugly into its opening and sealing gaps with a foam weather stripping material.

 2)  Locate the air conditioner in a window or wall area near the center of the room and the shadiest side of the house.

 3)  Do not install the air conditioner on an unstable surface or where there may be a danger of it falling. It may result in death, serious injury or product       failure.

 4)  Always use a power plug and socket with a ground terminal. Failure to do so may result in electric shock or product failure.

 5)  Clean the air filter once every 2 weeks. Dust and impurities collected in the air filter may block the air flow or weaken the cooling /dehumidifying   functions.

 6)  Block sunlight with curtains while you are operating the air conditioner.

 7)  Do not cool excessively indoors. This may be harmful for your health and may consume more electricity.

 8)  Start air conditioner well in advance before a large gathering or hot air enter the room. This reduces temperature and humidity to a minimum.

 9)  If your AC unit is on a balcony or verandah, plant trees or shrubs around it to provide some shade but do not block the airflow.

10)  A unit operating in the shade will save you 10% more electricity than one installed in direct sunlight.

 11) Set the thermostat as high as comfortably possible. Most people believe that a thermostat set to lower temperature than desired will force the AC to cool faster, it will actually take a longer time to bring the temperature down. Moreover, you will have an unnecessarily chilly room and wasted power. Hence,once you have found yourself a comfortable temperature and set the thermostat at that level, avoid touching the thermostat thereafter.

 12)  Switch on your ceiling fan along with your AC to spread the cooled air more effectively through the room.

 13)  Don't pace lamps, TVs or other heat generating devices near your AC unit. The thermostat reuses heat from such appliances, increasing power usage.

 14)  Pack up your AC during winter or when not in use; if lacking space and time, cover and protect it from dust

 15)  Run your air conditioner for a few minutes in late spring or early summer, before you need it. If you wait until the first hot day to discover it isn't working; you'll find yourself on a waiting list, sweltering for days before an air conditioning specialist can come to fix it.

Buying Guide of Air Cooler

Air cooler works simply where water is put in the cooler. The air is circulated by the pump in the cooler as water is sprinkled on the pads of the cooler. This evaporates the heat and cool air is circulated in the room.  Air coolers need a lot of water to be filled; hence this can be a big disadvantage if you do not get enough water in summers. 

Types Of Air Cooler

Desert Evaporative Air Coolers

Personal Evaporative Air Coolers

Room Evaporative Air Coolers

Tower Evaporative Air Coolers

Difference between Desert Coolers and Room Coolers

Desert cooler is better and provides better cooling. However desert cooler requires more power, more space and more water. In a hot place this type of cooler should be preferred.

In a smaller room and less hot environment, room coolers should suffice.

Comparison Of Air Coolers And Air Conditioners

Choosing Air Cooler Size

Air coolers are rated by air delivery or the cubic feet per minute of air that the cooler can blow into your home. You can use simple formula to identify the proper size of air cooler that you need.

(SQUARE FEET AREA X CEILING HEIGHT) / 2 = CFM OF AIRFLOW NEEDED.So if you have a room of 500 sq feet with ceilings of 8 feet high then ( 500 X 8 / 2 ) = 2000

Hence, you will need a cooler with minimum air flow of 2000 cfm.

All air coolers will clearly define the air delivery.

How to use Air Cooler

Place the cooler in front of an open window or install in a window for effective cooling. Fill the water as mentioned in the manual. Connect the power supply and switch on the pump of the cooler. Wait for 5 minutes for the pad get wet properly. Set the control as desired. For maximum air and cooling turn the air flow to “High”. Adjust the swing blades manually as desired.

Tips : 

        1) Disconnect the power cord while filling the water. Always use clean tap water.

        2) For longer life of pump, always operate it with sufficient water in the tank.

        3) Don’t use cooler in a closed room.

        4) For operating on inverter, the cooler needs to be connected to only sine-wave inverter of appropriate rating.

Buying Guide of Refrigerator

An appliance or compartment which is artificially kept cool and used to store food and drink. Modern Refrigerators generally make use of the cooling effect produced when a volatile liquid is forced to evaporate in a sealed system in which it can be condensed back to liquid outside the Refrigerator.

Types of Fridges or Refrigerators

There are basically three types of Frost-Free Fridges or Refrigerators i.e Top Freezer, Bottom Freezer and Side-by-Side. The most energy efficient and power saving type fridge is the top freezer type, because the freezer on top being the coldest part of the fridge, any cold that escapes the freezer naturally flows down by convection into the refrigerator compartment. The next best for power saving is the bottom freezer type and the least energy efficient and maximum power consuming fridge is the side by side design.

The next general broad categories of fridges are the no-frost fridges and the fridges that have manual defrosting. These days only the smallest fridges come without the no-frost option. In the no-frost or frost-free fridges, the fridge automatically de-frosts the fridge by blowing hot air over the fridge evaporators and melting any ice or frost formed on the evaporator. The water which is formed by the melting ice or frost is normally drained down to a drain water tray or pan placed directly over the compressor. The heat of the compressor evaporates this water and also helps in cooling the compressor. If the surrounding air is very humid, then evaporation slows down, and water may drain down on the floors. At this stage the excess water in the pan has to be removed manually. In fridges with no auto defrost, the fridge will have to be stopped, the door kept open to melt the ice that has formed in the freezer compartment of the fridge. Fridges without auto-defrost are normally of a single door design.

Most of the fridges sold in India have adjustable shelves, which is good to adjust the space in the fridge according to the size of items being stored in the fridge.

What is an inverter Fridge?

An inverter refrigerator is a fridge fitted with the new generation of inverter compressors. An inverter compressor is a compressor which can run at different speeds according to the load required by the fridge. When machinery runs at slow speeds it uses electricity much more efficiently than when it runs a high speed. Ordinary fridge compressors have just one speed, and the temperature in the fridge is maintained by running the compressor at its highest speed till the temperature in the fridge reaches one or two degrees below the set temperature and the compressor stops. The compressor then restarts when the temperature in the fridge is about one or two degrees above the set temperature and stops till it reaches one or two degrees below the set temperature. The ordinary fridge compressor works with start - stop cycles and runs at its highest speed when it is working.

Inverter Vs Non-Inverter Refrigerator

In the above image the sound of the new inverter fridges compared to the normal fridges is like comparing the sound of a headphone to an HiFi speaker; the energy power consumption to that of a CFL bulb to a filament bulb; and shows much higher lifespan of the inverter compressor.

How to choose the right size of the Refrigerator ?

The outside dimensions and inside capacity of a fridge in litres or cubic feet are important aspects to consider when shopping for a new fridge.

A) Outside dimensions of the fridge or Refrigerator

Before starting shopping for a fridge, the first thing to decide is on where to place the fridge in the house and measure exactly how much width and height you have to place the Fridge. From this you get the maximum external width and height of the fridge. The next, a very important point many forget is to take the size of the smallest door, through which the fridge has to pass through. This will be a limiting factor to how big a fridge you can buy. The door of most of the fridges in the market can be removed, and this will allow some larger fridges to be taken into the house. So before you go shopping it is important to have these basic measurements.

B) Refrigerator or Fridge size in litres

The size of refrigerators or fridges in India is given in litres. The litre capacity of a fridge is the total internal volume of both the freezer and refrigeration compartment in a fridge. There are no set standard sizes of fridges in India, each manufacturer has different size fridges which fall into a range of sizes normally set at increments of 50 liters, that is you have fridges between 100 and 150 litres, 150 and 200 litres and so on. As a rough rule the litre size of fridges required in India can be as follows.

The final choice of the fridge size will depend on the outside dimension of the fridge for which you have place in the kitchen and also the limit on the fridge size due to the house doors through which the fridge has to be carried through to get to the place where you will want to place the fridge. For most families, they buy the largest fridge they can afford and which will fit in the place allotted in their house.

Comparison of Direct Cool And Frost Free Refrigerators

Tips:

1)  When refrigerator is first installed, allow to 2~4 hours stabilizing at normal operating temperatures prior to filling it with fresh or frozen foods. Do not over fill it.

2)  Plug the power cord into a grounded 3 prong outlet. Do not use an extension cord.

3)  Please do not keep the door open for a long time, close door in the shortest time.

4)  Minimize door opening, keep the doors fully closed and properly sealed.

5)  Too much food is not advised to be put in. Enough space should be kept for cool air circulating freely.

6)  Do not use mechanical devices or other means to accelerate the defrosting process, other than those recommended by the manufacturer.