Air Conditioner Installation. Selection and Quality Control
It is no secret that the sale of climate equipment happens all year round, although this is still a seasonal business — installation and sale of air conditioners peak in the summer period. Perhaps that is why the saying "prepare the sleds in summer" in this case acquires a very specific meaning.
Indeed, installing and connecting air conditioners is always cheaper in winter and autumn, but this does not affect the general rules for choosing a supplier of goods and services in this market, which is why some of them are listed below.
Photo 1 — Installation of the outdoor unit of an air conditioner
Choosing a Service Provider and Air Conditioner Seller
Modern air conditioners are quite complex devices, installation and maintenance of which require certain knowledge, skills, and experience if you want; in other words, such a device cannot be placed in a corner (if it is not a portable air conditioner, of course) like a television, plug it into the network and enjoy.
It is sufficient to say that even the creation of the simplest household air conditioner requires knowledge in aerodynamics, hydraulics, thermotechnics, electronics, electrical engineering, materials science, and... Additionally, it should be noted that according to statistics, about 80% of problems occur when installation of air conditioning systems is performed by unqualified "specialists" and representatives of one-day companies.
Photo 2 — Two-way Manometric Collector. Designed for measuring pressure in air conditioning system circuits
The Wider the Range of Services Offered, the More Trust
It should be accepted as an axiom that self-installation of an air conditioner is a utopia; there are several reasons for this, but one must know how to find alternatives. First of all, it should be a company that has been providing such services for at least one year.
However, installation and mounting must meet specific requirements, for example, it is very good if the company works with budget models — DELFA, SANYO, DAIKIN, HANSA, LG, and well-known brands — PANASONIC, MITSUBISHI, SUMSUNG, ELECTROLUX. In this case, company employees have undergone special training and are certified specialists who know the specifics of each manufacturer's model ranges and the requirements they impose on operation and installation.
Photo 3 — Air Conditioner Remote Control
Always Look for Reviews of Work
One should not neglect the opportunities of "folk radio" — friends, acquaintances, everyone who had air conditioner installation in their apartment or at work in the not-so-distant past are sources of valuable information.
Reviews of this kind often contain information that is either far from official or intended only for the "chosen few"; but in any case, one can learn how much it costs and maybe even see how it works in real conditions.
Internet plays an important role here — reviews, photos, and recommendations from ordinary people can be taken into account when choosing a particular seller or service provider.
Photo 4 — Selecting an Air Conditioner
One Must Be Realistic
The actual level of service in the current situation is almost at the minimum level, meaning most companies try to survive in competitive battles and thus set competitive prices for air conditioning repair and maintenance. But no company operating in this market for less than a day can afford cheap installation of air conditioners at absolutely low prices.
In other words, there is a certain minimum profitability across the entire market, where normal services cannot cost less than a certain level. Cheap installation of air conditioners can only seem like that in case of purchasing very expensive equipment, which happens not always.
Photo 5 — Filling the Air Conditioning System with Freon
It Is Preferable to Talk with Performers Before Placing an Order
In any company, people work, which means more should be learned about their qualifications. Besides having various certificates that can be found in offices, one should inquire not only about the rates for the specific services of interest but also ask what else that particular enterprise offers.
For example, warranty and post-warranty service, including even that installed by a third party. Naturally, all necessary information can be obtained completely free of charge.
Photo 6 — Installing the Indoor Unit of an Air Conditioner
Without Paper, You...
A professional approach to the job, if it exists in a particular company, is evident from the first minutes of client interaction: apart from showing the price list to the potential client, they also provide a license for conducting relevant types of work, certificates for the products offered, and a standard service contract that should clearly indicate the installation timeframes, mention relevant OKVЭD, OKPD, SNIPs where appropriate and necessary.
It is very good when the purchase of an air conditioner and its installation are done by the same legal entity — in this case, one always knows who to deal with if questions arise about the air conditioner's operation. Also, one should clearly distinguish between warranty and service maintenance: the first usually comes with the purchased product, whereas the second is only at the client's option (after all, a client may find a provider of such services elsewhere).
"The Main Thing in Our Business Is Accounting and Control..."
When the choice of a seller and provider is made, the process of evaluating the quality of work and services does not end. Attention should be paid to the entire installation process. Before any work begins, the contracting company must send a specialist to the site to assess the installation location and determine the power of the device that will be installed.
The installation of air conditioners (video on general concepts of household air conditioning, questions about proper selection and more — this is an opportunity to determine what is needed in a given specific case) is a very individual matter, so it is worth asking many questions before installation begins. At minimum, one should find out what exactly is included in the cost of air conditioner installation and what needs to be paid separately.
Video (installation of an air conditioner from start to finish until it is turned on), provided for viewing here, gives a general idea of the range of questions that such an event at home might involve.
Calculating the Power of an Air Conditioner
For a rough calculation of the power of a future air conditioner, one can use data provided in the standard documentation for each model. Usually, the power of an air conditioner and the recommended area of service in square meters are indicated.
However, attention should be paid to such parameters as room volume, the presence of windows and doors, their positioning relative to sunlight, and the number of people who will more or less constantly be in that room. Regarding air volume which affects the microclimate in a room, i.e., room volume, it can be said that the area figures provided assume standard ceiling height — up to 3 meters.
Photo 7 — To Ensure Comfortable Conditions in Your Home During Hot Weather, You Cannot Do Without an Air Conditioner
However, for windows, doors, or a relatively large number of inhabitants and household appliances inside the room, one can use approximate data to estimate their effect on air heating.
Heat from one sedentary person — 100-150 W.
Heat from an actively working person — 250-350 W.
Heat from a computer — 200-500 W.
Heat from a refrigerator — 100-200 W.
Heat from a window or door surface 1 sq. m (north side) — 100 W.
Heat from a window or door surface 1 sq. m (south side) — 300 W.
Also, one should consider the overall thermal insulation of the room and opportunities for heat exchange with outside air — if walls have poor thermal insulation, then, as in the case of heating, cooling will end up being a waste of money "in the wind".
From what was said above, it follows that additional power consumption for cooling should never be at the boundary of nominal values of an air conditioner — there should always be some margin. This is necessary so that, on one hand, cooling occurs faster, and on the other, prolonged operation under overload causes the device to fail sooner.
Therefore, buying an air conditioner with a 10-15% power reserve can protect you from many potential problems.
$ Air Conditioner Installation: Price of the Air Conditioner, Its Installation, and Everything Else
As mentioned earlier, the installation of air conditioners, whose price is quite high, does not differ in any way from the cost of installing cheaper models; therefore, the cost of installing the outdoor unit, connecting hoses, and wires, as well as the indoor unit can vary depending on specific installation conditions.
Therefore, a specialist's visit to the site, a preliminary assessment of installation conditions, and a quotation for the installation work that details all preparatory operations, consumption materials, their quantities, and the final amount to pay is necessary. Only in this way can a client understand where the free part of the installation is, i.e., what they paid for when buying an air conditioner and what additional payment is required.
Only with such an approach can one judge whether the air conditioner installation will be cheap or overly expensive. In general, in Kyiv and Moscow, the cost of installing a budget air conditioner is comparable to its selling price.
For comparison, the prices for the most basic types of work are listed below:
- installation of a small-power household split system (main line < 3 m) — from 6000/800 rub/grn;
- cutting a wall (1 m beyond norms) — from 700/80 rub/grn.
It should be added that standard rates for performed work and provided services suit 90% of all cases.