Air Conditioning

[Rich One]

Hola Tom I bought a SIGMA cold/heat 2500 frigorias split unit from Fravega , included installation and garantia. Is very adequate for a 30 m2 space. Install several units if necessary to be able to shut off certain rooms when not in use. Cold/Heat units cost the same as COLD only...!! The Current price online is $4500. Had it for 2 years , no problem.

Save yourself a head ache buy from an established business easy to find and complain

 

[TomAtAlki]

Thanks Ghost.

I do own the apartment and want the job done right. Can you (or anyone else) recommend a "real dealer"….someone who knows what they are doing and can do the whole job. Saving money is good but not the most important ingredient.

 

[Matiasba]

Thanks Ghost.

I do own the apartment and want the job done right. Can you (or anyone else) recommend a "real dealer"….someone who knows what they are doing and can do the whole job. Saving money is good but not the most important ingredient.

If what you want is to have some kind of warranty or someone to ask for in case you have any problem, then do the installation with the same people that sell your AC. It is more expensive and is exactly the same, but gives you tranquility since that are the same people and that turns them 100% responsible of your AC.

 

[EricLovesBA]

Just to throw out an alternative idea here - my in-laws have a couple of giant, industrial quality oscillating fans that they use this time of year. I haven't seen any weather here yet in which they fail to make you feel reasonably comfortable. The only down side really is they take up a bit of space and you need to have a decent stereo hooked up to your TV or you won't hear it. I would have loved to have that bit of white-noise to drown out the traffic sounds when I lived it Capital though. I've always found fans to be very soothing.

This might be the one they have, or something like it.
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-485284256-ventilador-industrial-de-pie-30-pulgadas-75cm-3vel-250w-gtia-_JM

 

[TomAtAlki]

Thanks for the suggestion Eric. We've lived with fans for 6-7 years including the one you pictured and a ceiling fan over our bed and a couple of others but, I don't know if this heatwave is hotter or of longer duration than the past but it is getting to me so air conditioning it is. I hope to only use the air con at times like this. I really don't like air con (except in the movies :=) )

 

[Davidglen77]

Porteros are very handy men. Lots of them, Id say the majority, has an extra job, we call it "changa", most of them have changas, inside & outside the building. The one we used to have in BsAs was "gasista matriculado" and also a plumber. They know a lot of things, they can mantain the building, they can paint, fix problems with radiators, etc. Im not saying all of them but lots. They have a lot of spare time in the afternoon. Mine got up at 6 am, in the front door til 12, then he had to be at the door again at 7 pm. Lots of them take a nap but others prefer to work. If they cant, they sure know of somebody (other portero of the block with whom he speaks every morning) who can.

Unless your Portero knows HVAC installation I would strongly advise against even considering one of them for a job like this. To install a split unit you need special equipment and a license to handle R-134 refrigerant gas which is highly lethal if discharged into the atmosphere close enough for someone to breathe. Also since the outside unit is usually mounted to the facade of the building or house they need to know how to install those anchors properly to support the brackets that hold the unit. Not rocket science but requires technical expertise. There's an alternative to these, they are those portable units which don't require any installation and you can move them from room to room as they are on wheels. You just have to put the vent hose out of a window and plug them in. They cost a bit more than the split units but considering how expensive the installation costs these days you actually may come out ahead buying one. There was one of these units in a place where I worked and it was great.

 

[EricLovesBA]

... , I don't know if this heatwave is hotter or of longer duration than the past but it is getting to me ...

I hear ya. I haven't looked at the numbers but this Summer (especially the last couple weeks) seems relatively brutal.

 

[Matiasba]

Unless your Portero knows HVAC installation I would strongly advise against even considering one of them for a job like this. To install a split unit you need special equipment and a license to handle R-134 refrigerant gas which is highly lethal if discharged into the atmosphere close enough for someone to breathe. Also since the outside unit is usually mounted to the facade of the building or house they need to know how to install those anchors properly to support the brackets that hold the unit. Not rocket science but requires technical expertise. There's an alternative to these, they are those portable units which don't require any installation and you can move them from room to room as they are on wheels. You just have to put the vent hose out of a window and plug them in. They cost a bit more than the split units but considering how expensive the installation costs these days you actually may come out ahead buying one. There was one of these units in a place where I worked and it was great.

My ex portero installed me one in BsAs and an 'arregla-tutti' installed us one here in Pilar. Of course is a complex work, but if someone know how to do it and have the tools, plus some experience doing that, I dont see the problem.
As you said it requires some know how, but doing it properly does not equal only an AC experts job.

 

[Gringoboy]

We had a split fitted last year and what a luxury it is.
The living room is about 30 m2 so we got an LG 4500.
It does a good job, but I have to say that this heatwave has pushed it to the limit.

 

[germano]

... There's an alternative to these, they are those portable units which don't require any installation and you can move them from room to room as they are on wheels. You just have to put the vent hose out of a window and plug them in. They cost a bit more than the split units but considering how expensive the installation costs these days you actually may come out ahead buying one. There was one of these units in a place where I worked and it was great.

The downside of the portable ones is that you have everything inside incl. the compressor - and that can be very noisy. I have both a portable and a split but don't use portable much because of the noise.