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  1. #1
    last farang standing
    Hugh Cow's Avatar
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    Why you should thank your "air conditioning repair man".

    The title is incorrect of course as there is no such thing as an indentured trade as an air conditioning repairman. It is refrigeration mechanic or technician, which any but the uninformed, ignorant or obtuse would know.
    There are many products that just would not be possible without refrigeration.
    The first one which is currently one of the most important are the covid 19 vaccines, along with virtually all other vaccines in use. Many antibiotics also require refrigerated storage including amoxyllin, erythromycin and augmentin and for diabetics, life saving Insulin. Virtually all blood requires some form of refrigeration. Many medical diagnostic machines including MRI and CT machines are refrigerated to prevent overheating.
    That fresh apple you just ate may have been upwards of six months old thanks to cold storage. Many fruits and vegetables are controlled ripened with refrigeration and certain gases including nitrogen carbon dioxide and ethylene. Allowing for consumption way past the actual season.
    People can now eat fruits that cannot be grown in their own countries thanks to cold storage.
    Snap frozen vegetables (thanks to an american Inventor in the 1880s named Clarence Birdseye who pioneered frozen food), can now be stored for long periods with little to no deterioration in nutritional content also keeping spoilage and therefore wastage to a minimum. in fact many fresh vegetables with limited shelf life have less nutritional value than frozen vegetables, unless consumed at peak freshness which is an extremely short period after picking.
    The list of foods now available to us not only from far away places in our own countries but from overseas is almost endless from imported steak to seafood. (Carpet bag steak anyone?)
    Imagine no fresh milk in ones' tea. Unthinkable!
    Of course three of the less essential products should be enough for anyone to appreciate the humble "air conditioning repairman,"namely ice cream and beer, the latter being consumed in a nice air conditioned bar.

    Here is a little snippet that you may find useful as a rule of thumb guide if you get this far in the thread:

    Approximate time for bacteria* numbers to double in meat due to temperature change.
    0°C (32F) 38 hours
    4.5°C (40F) 12 hours
    10°C (50F) 5 hours
    21°C (70F) 1.5 hours

    *dependent on type, product etc. Use at own risk. etc, etc.
    Last edited by Hugh Cow; 03-03-2021 at 10:12 AM.

  2. #2
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    It is refrigeration mechanic or technician
    fridgy

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    It is refrigeration mechanic or technician
    ...or the guy from the soi...

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    or Terry the Fireman.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    Why you should thank your "air conditioning repair man
    I pay him, it is he who should thank me for hiring just him and not one of the others available.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    or Terry the Fireman.
    One of the funniest threads ever here when Terry (and the cashed up lifestyle he never fails to remind us of) showed he actually lives in a gypsy camp themed shoebox so close to Silom 4 you'd be able to hear the rent-boys sucking dick from his combo balcony/kitchen

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Headworx View Post
    One of the funniest threads ever here when Terry (and the cashed up lifestyle he never fails to remind us of) showed he actually lives in a gypsy camp themed shoebox so close to Silom 4 you'd be able to hear the rent-boys sucking dick from his combo balcony/kitchen
    I know, it oughta be moved into Famous threads.

  8. #8
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    It was after all but a mere pitstop for when he did his laps of the Thai circuit, a bijou pied-à-terre to sleep and store his comestibles for those times when street fare and bar food palled.


    He is quiet these days with occasional interventions. Is he permanently in Perth these days?

    Apropos the OP, are there any posters who are not overall-wearing, grubby, manual workers?

  9. #9
    In Uranus
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    I know, it oughta be moved into Famous threads.
    It is.

  10. #10
    last farang standing
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    Just as a footnote. Many food poisonings happen at home and some can be traced to the home refrigerator. many are poorly designed/made and the temperature can vary tremendously. a simple test is to place a glass of water on the upper shelf of the fridge for 24 hours and check the temperature with a thermometer. This should give you an average fridge temperature. I myself keep mine at 2°C (36F) but it should be kept at at least 4°C (39F) with an ample air gap around the fridge to allow the hot air to escape. It is best to leave a fridge running if you are going away. turn the thermostat up to a warm setting if you have no food in it. This will prevent mold growing. They also have copper to aluminium bonded joints and are more prone to leaking gas when switched off due to the different rates of expansion by two dissimilar metals. When buying a new one do some research some models do not work well in hotter climates. Some top brand names make poor refrigerators, even though their prices are high. Here is an example:

    Three fridges to avoid buying | CHOICE

  11. #11
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seekingasylum View Post
    are there any posters who are not overall-wearing, grubby, manual workers?
    does finger pointing count ? or is it only the parisitic bootlicking middle managers that you admire ?

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    it oughta be moved into Famous threads.
    Didn't know that but sure enough there it is, just a few threads up from some total fucking retard getting his marching orders from Gulliver's

  13. #13
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    I could do with a refrigeration mechanic for an upcoming project, but maybe before I get someone round a bit of advice would be appreciated.

    When we built the house 15 years ago we put aircon into the master bedroom, the main guest room and also a couple downstairs. One of the downstairs units went into a kind of spare room which has now turned into a little used toy room / clothes room and I reckon that aircon unit has been turned on less than 10 times in 15 years. The other large unit went in to the living room... but having a mainly open plan downstairs this was a stupid idea and it has never been turned on. I much prefer to have open windows with mossie screens and ceiling fans anyway and this is usually sufficient for downstairs.

    My plan is to move the small unit from downstairs into my daughter's room... which is little used and no chance of getting her sleeping there without aircon. The big never-used living room unit I plan to move in to my office... I hope to develop working from home and will need this.

    To be honest I much prefer to sleep with open windows with mossie screens and ceiling fans. I like the fresh air and also like to hear what's going on outside and find the closed window/aircon set-up claustrophobic and isolating... but I'm outvoted on this. I also leave the curtains open at night... it's dark when I go to bed and still dark when I get up... what's the point in curtains? Personally I reckon the set up is fine as it is although it can be as hot as hell this time of year. I also plan to get ceiling vents linked to a whirlybird thing in all the upstairs rooms, which I've heard can lower the inside house temperature by a few degrees.

    But anyway, we have two unused aircon units and I may as well put them to use... or maybe not?

    This is the small unit downstairs.



    And the outside bit. It would also be good to free up this bit of space to move a table along a bit.



    This is destined to go into my daughter's newly painted blue room. The wiring is already in above the window from the house build. The room is around 3.5m by 4.0m, similar in size to the downstairs room the unit is currently in.



    This is the never-been-used big unit downstairs.



    And the outside bit. And yes, I appreciate this is a bit disgusting... a problem with showing benevolence to our outside creatures. There is currently a pigeon fledgling in the cardboard box on top of the aircon but as soon as it flies the nest this project will get underway and the area will be cleansed. There is also a bird nest inside the unit, though God knows how they got in there. I think this will take some cleaning but I hope it will scrub up OK.



    And it's destination... my home office. The wiring waiting for it above the curtains.



    My two main issues (I think) are these:

    1) The large aircon unit is probably too big for my office which is around 4m square. Is this really a problem?

    2) I've been told that using these old technology units (apparently inverters are the rage now?) is a waste of time and I'm better off to get two new units. My argument is that I have two units, one unused and one hardly used and it makes sense to use them. The cost of cleaning and moving the units should be small. They are around 15 years old.

    Should I just go ahead?

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I could do with a refrigeration mechanic for an upcoming project, but maybe before I get someone round a bit of advice would be appreciated
    Whatever you decide, it might be better to do it sooner rather than later. I cleaned my aircons, well a man who can cleaned them, a month ago, before the cool season finished.

    Yesterday was seriously hot here, maybe 38C, and the forecast today is 39C. Those 'refrigeration mechanics' are going to be busy.

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    ^^ Nice map of SE Asia on your wall.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    . Those 'refrigeration mechanics' are going to be busy.
    We have this great guy. Pretty much does everything. Cleans the aircon, also installed two for us. Put in a new water heater, and added extra sockets to the bedrooms.

    We need to book him about 2 months ahead apparently.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    Three fridges to avoid buying | CHOICE


    Just out of principle I'd avoid buying a frig. with the brand name Smeg/smegma. I''m going to try that glass of water trick but I first have to get a thermometer.


    meg has a reputation as a luxury brand, but it doesn't always deliver bang for your buck. Its fridges are priced at the very upper end of the market, but they're made by the same company that produces Beko fridges, which fall at the lower end of the price scale and often don't perform well in our tests.Oct 6, 2020

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat Slick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    1) The large aircon unit is probably too big for my office which is around 4m square. Is this really a problem?

    2) I've been told that using these old technology units (apparently inverters are the rage now?) is a waste of time and I'm better off to get two new units. My argument is that I have two units, one unused and one hardly used and it makes sense to use them. The cost of cleaning and moving the units should be small. They are around 15 years old.

    Should I just go ahead?
    Yep, go ahead. As long as they work and in good working order then use them. Should cost 2500 - 3000 per unit in your area to move them. Inverters are great, and that’s all I’d buy if I was buying new, it you’ve got units already so just use those until the shit the bed. Then get inverters.

    Don’t worry about the unit being too big. It’s fine.

    Just make sure they work first. A good cleaning costs 500 per unit and install/swap is 2500 per unit on the low side depending on if you opt for any extras like special conduit/hole patching/paint.

    You’re looking at roughly 6,000 to move and clean 2 units.

  19. #19
    last farang standing
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    In Thailand it is economically feasible in Oz no, due to the fact that they have to be uninstalled and reinstalled. The pipe work should be changed. If they are on R22 and by the look of them they will be, it is still feasible cost wise in Thailand. I'm sure you are aware that there will be holes in the wall to plug, electrical to be removed and some repainting required.

  20. #20
    last farang standing
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    Quote Originally Posted by cisco999 View Post
    Just out of principle I'd avoid buying a frig. with the brand name Smeg/smegma. I''m going to try that glass of water trick but I first have to get a thermometer.

    meg has a reputation as a luxury brand, but it doesn't always deliver bang for your buck. Its fridges are priced at the very upper end of the market, but they're made by the same company that produces Beko fridges, which fall at the lower end of the price scale and often don't perform well in our tests.Oct 6, 2020
    Good point. Many Chinese companies make products for other well known brands. with 3 or 4 brands coming out of the same company and are virtually the same except for the badge. You can also buy relatively cheap temperature recorders that you plug into your computer and can see the temperature fluctuations over one hour to 7 days. Of course you would need some other uses for it to justify buying, such as possibly beer making or wine storage where you need a constant temperature.

  21. #21
    last farang standing
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    Mendip. I forgot to mention those old units will have lost efficiency and will be more costly to run and they may not last long. The outside unit condenser coil corrodes over time especially in Thailand with the poor atmosphere. Once that happens they will be too costly to repair and parts will most likely be unavailable and they will have to be replaced anyway.
    Running an oversized unit is more costly as it will cycle on and off more often and like all refrigerating or air con units uses most of its power in the first part of the cycle. Hence why inverters (variable speed compressors) are used. They smooth out the cycle by running at progressively lower speeds as the load drops and only cut out when set point and minimum speed are reached thereby avoiding the start up cycle where most power is used and reducing current during low load. They also smooth out the minimum and maximum temperature curve (hysteresis) to give a more even room temperature. The rule of thumb for sizing A/C in Thailand around 50 BTUs or approx 15 watts per square foot which will give you a rough guide to how oversized/undersized your units will be. Lastly your old outdoor units should be installed in a well ventilated area outside with good shade.

  22. #22
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    ^ Many thanks for your advice Hugh.

    The last few days have become as hot as hell in Korat and I need to get on with this...

    I think I'll press on and try and put these unused units into action and keep my fingers crossed. The outdoor units have been well shaded for the past 15 years, probably why the birds use them for nesting. We have a shaded balcony where both units can move to.

    There are two other units that are occasionally used and need cleaning, so that can be done as well. I think with labour being so cheap here in Thailand it's worth a try to move and use these old units, but I'll see what the refrigeration guy says when he gets here.

  23. #23
    last farang standing
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    ^ Many thanks for your advice Hugh.

    The last few days have become as hot as hell in Korat and I need to get on with this...

    I think I'll press on and try and put these unused units into action and keep my fingers crossed. The outdoor units have been well shaded for the past 15 years, probably why the birds use them for nesting. We have a shaded balcony where both units can move to.

    There are two other units that are occasionally used and need cleaning, so that can be done as well. I think with labour being so cheap here in Thailand it's worth a try to move and use these old units, but I'll see what the refrigeration guy says when he gets here.
    The added bonus is the old R22 gas is cheap in Thailand. In Oz R22 retails out at about $100 per kg which is enough to make relocation too expensive even without the $100 per hour labour rate.

  24. #24
    Thailand Expat Fondles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow View Post
    The title is incorrect of course as there is no such thing as an indentured trade as an air conditioning repairman. It is refrigeration mechanic or technician, which any but the uninformed, ignorant or obtuse would know.

    A mates 17yr old son just started a HVAC apprenticeship does that not qualify as an indentured trade ?

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