best air conditioner brand

[vermontmark]

We want to install AC in our bedrooms. We live outside Puerto Plata. Our electrician can purchase the following brands: Aire Conforstar (cheapest), Aire Airmax (a little more) or Aire Innovair (a little more still). I am actually less concerned about price than I am quality. Anyone have experiences with these, or suggest something different?

 

[Manuel01]

airmax is good and has i decent warranty

 

[JD Jones]

We want to install AC in our bedrooms. We live outside Puerto Plata. Our electrician can purchase the following brands: Aire Conforstar (cheapest), Aire Airmax (a little more) or Aire Innovair (a little more still). I am actually less concerned about price than I am quality. Anyone have experiences with these, or suggest something different?

Why are you limited to those brands? Are any of them Inverter A/Cs?

BTW, just in general, I had an A/C guy come by to check mine (TGM) in preparation of the summer season, and I asked him what brand he would install in his home.
He said the GREE inverter A/C are hands down one of the best you can buy. Cheap, work very well, and he's never been called to repair one since he's been in business (over 15 years)
These are 12K BTU for sale in Santiago for 15K pesos (19 efficiency)

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[chico bill]

If those are the only options he's giving you is he on a limited budget.
You have 220 volts or only 110?
If money is not a critical factor go with LG or Mitsubishi over those or at least TGM. Those would be the best options over those other low end brands. They are all easily available

 

[JD Jones]

If those are the only options he's giving you is he on a limited budget.
You have 220 volts or only 110?
If money is not a critical factor go with LG or Mitsubishi over those or at least TGM. Those would be the best options over those other low end brands. They are all easily available

My guy said to stay away from TGM because while they are a good brand, the compressor in the inverter ones are very overworked.

Some here may remember one of my TGM A/Cs failed last year after 5 years and there wasn't a compressor to be found here on the island. I ended up buying one in Miami (the last one they had) and got raped on charges (more than the cost of the compressor)

 

[MariaRubia]

We want to install AC in our bedrooms. We live outside Puerto Plata. Our electrician can purchase the following brands: Aire Conforstar (cheapest), Aire Airmax (a little more) or Aire Innovair (a little more still). I am actually less concerned about price than I am quality. Anyone have experiences with these, or suggest something different?

I have over 40 AC units. We always go for the highest efficiency units, look for the SEER number. I wouldn't install anything under 20 SEER, which rules out brands that you have mentioned. Remember the units are very cheap compared to the electricity costs.

I would recommend Lennox as these are very efficient, but also Gree which is made in the same factory and is badged for a cheaper market - basically the same machines with a different name on them. Expect to pay about 30,000 for a 12,000 BTU machine and about 50,000 for a 18,000 BTU.

 

[MariaRubia]

Why are you limited to those brands? Are any of them Inverter A/Cs?

BTW, just in general, I had an A/C guy come by to check mine (TGM) in preparation of the summer season, and I asked him what brand he would install in his home.
He said the GREE inverter A/C are hands down one of the best you can buy. Cheap, work very well, and he's never been called to repair one since he's been in business (over 15 years)
These are 12K BTU for sale in Santiago for 15K pesos (19 efficiency)

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Exactly. Gree is made by Lennox and was designed for the Chinese market as a cheaper price-tag version of their machines. Every technician I have spoken to says they are really good machines.

 

[cavok]

I just bought a 12,000 BTU Lennox for 25K pesos. Gree is supposed to be good also and cost 20K pesos. Most of those other Chinese brands are all the same and not of very high quality. Never had any luck with TGM's.

 

[chico bill]

Lennox is very good.
Never have seen Gree.
Wouldn't surprise me if a lot of these ACs are made in the same factory and they just change the outside badging.

 

[Buffness]

Agree with all the above...GREE ..20 SEER or above ...with WIFI... is probably one the worthwhile AC brands in DR ......

Why WIFI ? ..at first ....for us ...the SEER "Energy Saving" function left a lot to be desired ....even on the SE mode ...especially if you have kids leaving the AC on full blast 24/7 ....high bills..😬😩...I'm sure there is a setting they use at the office because the AC is always on ....🤔

But with WIFI.....you can get one of the Smart AC apps ...to control or schedule cooling cycles ...receive energy usage insights...and then you really see the benefits of having a 20 SEER AC....

But buy your GREE from a reputable source ...something about the inverters in DR....but thats another topic ....

 

[johne]

This is a very important subject matter. I ask the mods...can we expand this to split units? Probably need a separate thread so as to address the issues of "not in the window etc." Si O No?

 

[AlterEgo]

This is a very important subject matter. I ask the mods...can we expand this to split units? Probably need a separate thread so as to address the issues of "not in the window etc." Si O No?

Not necessary. This discussion IS splits. I don’t think we’ve ever had a thread about window units.

 

[bob saunders]

We have two DAIZUKI mini-splits, 12,000 BTU and 16 seer. Installed in 2015, No problems so far. I n the school we only have a/c in the salon (auditorium) there we have same brand Daizuki , but larger capacity, again no issues.

 

[RDKNIGHT]

Brought 3 air max for my house back in 2019 they are all working well .. me living by the sea kills the compressors ...it;s very important to keep the filters clean inside the house..

 

[lifeisgreat]

3 TGM units $1500 installed 8:yrs ago still going strong..

 

[johne]

Not necessary. This discussion IS splits. I don’t think we’ve ever had a thread about window units.

LOL. My bad. Thanks.

 

[Buffness]

In DR ...a Lennox 18BTU non inverter and therefore zero SEER seems to use exactly the same amount of energy as a GREE 18BTU inverter 20 SEER...if not slightly less....that is according to the Smart app ...and the electricity bills ...and the CEPM energy usage monitoring app.....( thanks CEPM) ...something is not right.🤔.... so many questions ....can DR sellers tamper with or change the inverters before sale ?.... do GREE inverters really work ?....are the apps wrong ? .... someone should check to see if they see the same results with inverter ACs .....and non inverter ACs ...

It' s my new mini obsession ...why pay extra for inverter SEER after all ?

Also , one of Miesposa's friends owns a farmacia ....and its like a Canadian winter each time you go to in ....with AC on full blast ....all day ...her electricity bills are only slightly higher than ours ...no apps ...do shops get special discounts from the electric companies ? ...we want Canadian winter AC too 🥶🥶😬😁

 

[Liberator]

My current brand is Samsung and I always overrate the BTU with one level. Have in connected on 220/230W

 

[MariaRubia]

In DR ...a Lennox 18BTU non inverter and therefore zero SEER seems to use exactly the same amount of energy as a GREE 18BTU inverter 20 SEER...if not slightly less....that is according to the Smart app ...and the electricity bills ...and the CEPM energy usage monitoring app.....( thanks CEPM) ...something is not right.🤔.... so many questions ....can DR sellers tamper with or change the inverters before sale ?.... do GREE inverters really work ?....are the apps wrong ? .... someone should check to see if they see the same results with inverter ACs .....and non inverter ACs ...

It' s my new mini obsession ...why pay extra for inverter SEER after all ?

Also , one of Miesposa's friends owns a farmacia ....and its like a Canadian winter each time you go to in ....with AC on full blast ....all day ...her electricity bills are only slightly higher than ours ...no apps ...do shops get special discounts from the electric companies ? ...we want Canadian winter AC too 🥶🥶😬😁

I know some commercial places have something they put onto the electricity line which reduces the consumption, but it's illegal.

 

[chico bill]

In DR ...a Lennox 18BTU non inverter and therefore zero SEER seems to use exactly the same amount of energy as a GREE 18BTU inverter 20 SEER...if not slightly less....that is according to the Smart app ...and the electricity bills ...and the CEPM energy usage monitoring app.....( thanks CEPM) ...something is not right.🤔.... so many questions ....can DR sellers tamper with or change the inverters before sale ?.... do GREE inverters really work ?....are the apps wrong ? .... someone should check to see if they see the same results with inverter ACs .....and non inverter ACs ...

It' s my new mini obsession ...why pay extra for inverter SEER after all ?

Also , one of Miesposa's friends owns a farmacia ....and its like a Canadian winter each time you go to in ....with AC on full blast ....all day ...her electricity bills are only slightly higher than ours ...no apps ...do shops get special discounts from the electric companies ? ...we want Canadian winter AC too 🥶🥶😬😁

No such thing as zero SEER.
SEER is a measure of efficiency of energy use, and actually the new standard is SEER 2.
I'm sure if your AC was manufactured in the last 10 years the box had a SEER rating on it or their may be a sticker on the compressor.
It may be a lower SEER.

Commercial might get lower BTU pricing ? Compare the bills by KWH as see if the farmacia gets a break on rates -or they may have some unmetered items - not uncommon, or sometimes even hooked to the neighboring meter