Last year, we bought a 1.0 HP Carrier Inverter Aircon (Window Type). We originally planned to buy the cheaper Hitachi one, which we already had in another room. But my sister’s friend who had an appliance shop said that the Hitachi one was bad, and recommended that we get the Carrier instead (more expensive by a few thousand pesos).
Note: I also have a review of our newer LG 1.5 Dual Inverter Aircon (2020) here: https://www.karenmnl.com/lg-dual-inverter-aircon-review/
I have also found another winner aircon, review here – Gree Window-type Inverter Aircon – very cold and much more affordable than the others!
SRP for the Hitachi is around 26k, for the Carrier, it’s around 30k. We got most of them on promo where they gave us free stand fans.
We wanted a window type aircon because it’s just easier – installation is faster since we already have the aircon hole (rectangle), and aircon cleaning is cheaper – just P400-500 for window type vs. P1000+ for split type.
CARRIER 1.0 HP Window Type Inverter Aircon
Anyway, we decided to try the Carrier upon his recommendation. Everything seemed okay. But that aircon was seldom used anymore after the first few months, then the ber months were cold enough not to use the aircon as much because that bedroom had good air ventilation. Haha, tipid mode pa din! 😀
Then last week, it started getting warmer, so the Carrier aircon was used. But it wasn’t getting cold at all. It was like it was stuck in FAN mode. After trying different modes on our end and the aircon was still not getting cold, I finally called Carrier for service.
Fortunately, we were still within the 1-year warranty so the service was free. Technicians came to our house, we explained the problem, and they knew what the problem was immediately.
Apparently it is a known issue – one of the sensors was triggered because of power surges. So all the technician did was reset the thing and that solved it. The aircon was putting out cold air again and the room was getting colder.
Of course, I asked him why this happened and how we can avoid such a thing in the future. Yeah, because if this happens again and we’re out of the warranty period, we’ll have to pay for the technician to come and reset the thing. Sayang naman kung ganun lang. According to the service form, he performed a “reset coil sensor” something something (couldn’t read the rest).
Also, we have 2 Hitachi inverter aircons in other bedrooms and we’ve never had a problem with them like this. J also has the same Hitachi inverter aircon. So 3 Hitachi inverter aircons bought 1-2 years ago and I’ve never heard of them having any problem as what this Carrier inverter aircon had.
Wala namang masabi si kuya except he told us to just unplug the aircon whenever it’s not in use nalang. Hahaha. So we’ll have to plug the aircon every night before turning it on, and then unplug it every morning after use. That’s the solution. LMAO. Hassle.
Well, at least the service was free this time, so I wasn’t pissed off that bad. Imagine if that was the problem and then I had to pay for them to fix what was essentially a product design flaw. We also have one free aircon cleaning pala, part of the package, that we should avail of before our warranty ends.
Also, the filter for this Carrier model was not as easy to remove and put back as other aircons.
HITACHI 1.0 HP Window Type Inverter Aircon
When we bought our first Hitachi aircon a few years ago, it was the cheapest and probably the only one available window type inverter aircon in the market (compact version). I really did not have high expectations. But my sister’s friend E recommended it because she had one. So we tried first with one aircon. It worked really well, even at 25-26 Celsius it was cool. This aircon runs almost 24/7 and the only problem is we have to have it cleaned more often because it gets dirty faster.
J’s old aircon broke so I recommended the Hitachi to him, too. Then a few months ago we bought another Hitachi again. So far so good, we haven’t had any problems. These aircons can get very cold! (a good thing)
We haven’t had any problems with these Hitachi aircons, and they are even used more than the Carrier one. No electrical surge issues. So many power interruptions have happened since we got them, no problem. We just clean the filters when we feel that they are dirty (every 1-2 weeks ideally but mostly just when we remember to) and then when we feel that the aircon is not getting as cold as it used to, we get it cleaned (every few months).
Update May 10,2018: Some of you requested for a fuller review of the Hitachi, so I made one: http://www.karenmnl.com/hitachi-window-type-inverter-aircon-review-compact/
SUMMARY
Both these aircons work well at cooling, they both have remotes. The Hitachi remote works better if pointed at the aircon (we have the remotes velcro stuck to the wall near the door so they don’t get lost). I wish they had the remote wall mount thing that our old LG aircons had, so we didn’t have to ghetto-fix these remotes with velcro tape. All of these newer aircons don’t have the wall mount. Update: the Carrier has a remote control holder. See update below.
However, the Hitachi Window Type Inverter Aircon will be the one we will be getting for the next bedroom to be upgraded to an inverter aircon because I feel like it is better designed for the Philippine setting. The Carrier, a Filipino brand, a US-based brand locally manufactured by Concepcion Industries, which I expected to be more suited to our electrical surges, fails at that, as discussed above. If we ever encounter this problem again we would most likely be already out of warranty and have to pay for the service. The plug / unplug thing that we need to do every time we use it is such a hassle! Either that or we have to install some surge protector thing for it pa. Sigh. Also, the Hitachi aircon is easier to clean (filter).
Even with all 3 inverter aircons in use, our Meralco bill was even 1/3 lower than our previous Meralco bills! The change to using an inverter aircon really did reduce the electricity consumption BY A LOT. Of course, the initial amount spent to buy the inverter aircons will take several years before it’s recouped. Next projects: inverter refrigerators!
UPDATE: March 12, 2018
I was contacted by Carrier customer service when they heard about this problem. They were very helpful even though I told them that the aircon was already working fine. They replaced our aircon with another one of the same model. They insisted on checking the unit and even fixed the installation. The original guy we got to install the Carrier did a poor job, and while that did not really affect the aircon itself, there were small gaps between the aircon and the aircon “hole”. Our usual aircon guy was not available to install the Carrier when we bought it so we settled for another installer guy, who was apparently a newbie.
The Carrier service person who inspected the unit helped us fix the gaps. He really went above and beyond what I expected. He even checked the wiring and changed the aircon outlet to rule out any problems.
As for the remote control holder, it turns out that the Carrier does come with a remote control holder, and a drain pan. The original installer did not install them and we don’t know where he put it or if he took them. This was during a very messy, harassed time for our family last year when our dad underwent major surgery, so we really didn’t have the time or manpower to make “tutok” the installation. Carrier provided us with a remote control holder, drain pan, and even installed it for us.
I am very happy with the customer service that we received from Carrier for this issue. Like I said, they went the extra mile. While other companies might take my concern negatively and just ignore me, Carrier took it constructively and totally changed my view of them. They didn’t have to do any of this, but they did. The Carrier guy who I talked to said that they take customer service seriously and take care of their reputation for good service.
After this experience with Carrier customer service, I’m actually feeling confident about their aircon now. FYI, the technician who first checked our Carrier aircon was from an authorized service center. The guy I am dealing with now who did everything I told you about is from Carrier mismo, and he is very knowledgeable tech-wise, and had tools and engineering gadget things. I felt like he knew what he was doing talaga, and he was able to explain things to me clearly.
UPDATE: June 13, 2018
We experienced the same issue again – the Carrier aircon stayed in fan mode even after setting it to cool; the compressor was not engaging. Take note, this is the replacement unit already, and not the original aircon anymore.
A service tech came by to check on it and he said that we might be pressing the remote control buttons too soon (sunod sunod pinipindot) without waiting for the aircon to respond to the first remote control press. He replaced the thermostat or something, I didn’t really understand the whole thing because I wasn’t able to watch him since he arrived at a bad time.
Anyway, the Carrier aircon seems to be fixed now, but I still want to know what the problem was. I am not really buying the “pressing the remote too fast” explanation that he is blaming on us.
UPDATE: October 20, 2018
Our Carrier aircon had the same problem again. I spoke with the service manager who came by the house to check on the unit. So it turns out that Carrier has been really “strict” when it comes to electricity fluctuations and set their threshold with only a small tolerance for deviation. Unfortunately, Meralco being the way it is, our electricity has been fluctuating and we experienced some very quick brownouts that lasted for a few seconds to a few minutes. The Carrier has a “protection” thing where if the electricity fluctuates beyond the acceptable range for 3x in one hour, the aircon will not let the compressor engage as a protective measure. So apparently, this is what has been causing all this “not cooling” problems we’ve been experiencing.
There is a very easy fix for this. You just press a few buttons on the remote, there is a specific button combination to do. I was asking but he wouldn’t really explain what it does exactly. He says it “updates” the aircon but I don’t understand how, by OTA? by Bluetooth? How can the remote get the new software to update the aircon? He just said that if you experience the “compressor not engaging” problem, just call their customer service / technical support, and they should be able to guide you on what buttons to press. Or, the technician can do a home service and do the button thing for you. Also, he said that they when you have your aircons cleaned, they have already instructed their service techs to update the aircon (by doing the button thing).
After that, if you ever encounter the same thing again, all you have to do is to unplug / plug your aircon. The unplug / plug should reset the aircon protection thing that was triggered when the aircon registered 3x beyond the norm fluctuations in one hour.
101 responses to “Updated: Hitachi vs. Carrier Window Type Inverter Aircon Experience / Review”
Carrier is an American brand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Corporation
Oh, sorry. I thought it was from Concepcion Industries.
I hate Carrier so much I’m actually making an effort to leave a reply. Like you, my husband and I thought Carrier was the best aircon brand so we spent more to use only Carrier aircons. The aircon in the bedroom was a complete lemon, and their service is really terrible. Your kuya experience is so familiar. We had so many problems and raised such a stink that my Facebook post made it to a management meeting. But despite that, they still couldn’t fix the aircon. They replaced it with a new (or refurbished?) aircon since it was still under warranty, but even that broke down. At some point, we just decided to call it a loss and buy a Panasonic, which has been running nicely with no problems. Our other Carrier aircon also broke down during a power surge. I was referred to a big distributor who was a friend of a friend, and he admitted that the problem is that all their electronics now come from China, so hindi na talaga matibay. Oh and my parent’s Carrier aircon also broke down during a power surge. So let’s all do ourselves a favor and simply avoid Carrier (which is indeed made by Concepcion industries). Thank you for giving me this space to vent!
Therese, thank you for sharing your experience. I was sort of suspecting that myself (made in China electronics). Our old old old aircons when we were kids were all Carrier and they were really sturdy. Kalawang na and everything and yet they still worked.
Apparently, my blog post reached Carrier Philippines and they contacted me today to see what’s really the problem with our aircon. They said the technician’s explanation didn’t make sense daw so they want to find out what the problem really is. They’ll inspect the unit tomorrow and I’ll update the blog. 🙂
Any updates on this? I’m on the market for an aircon for a studio condo (hence I ended up on your blog). Price has always been my benchmark but if performance record is this bad then this is very alarming.
Local Carrier is indeed made by Concepcion Industries, but the brand is US based.
Ok, updated the post.
Concepcion nga yan parang tie up sila in the Ph, but american brand talaga nagsimula si carrier.
Now, we’re actually having the same dilemma. Carrier, Panasonic, or Hitachi. Lol. My a/c guy doesn’t like Hitachi though. But based on some reviews like yours, seemed ok naman.
What size is the room you use the 1hp compact inverter?
Around 12-15 sqm
@marmar
Carrier contacted me last week, and they have been really nice about trying to get to the bottom of the problem. So far, quite happy with the customer service that I got after the problem was escalated up.
One of their technical managers visited our home to check on the unit, and while there wasn’t any problem with the unit right now and their findings were all within normal range, they insisted on replacing our unit with a brand new one, and they will take care of the installation and everything. I totally did not expect that. I wasn’t expecting anything from them at all because so far, the aircon is working fine now.
They want our unit back with them so they can study what went wrong with it in the first place, and for that, I commend them for the initiative. So far, how they responded to my complaint (which wasn’t really a complaint in the first place, just an observation and a worry) was above and beyond what I expected. They also regularly updated me, etc…
Still waiting for the actual replacement which will be happening within the week, but for now I’m very happy with their service.
blogger power. get enough mentions, they’ll pay attention.
Hi,
Me and my husband went window shopping yesterday, Desperately looking for an AC which could deliver us apparent reduction in our electric bill. Our current AC is Kolin, 2HP. which runs pretty much 24/7, (located to the biggest room) Our current bill ranges from 6k-8k pesos. We seldom watch TV or we don’t have excessive usage of other appliance, except for this one KOLIN AC, and our Ref which we do not unplug. At first, we were looking for a normal small AC anything less than 1HP. (we plan to move to the smallest room btw) we know that .75 AC’s would be sufficient since the room is pretty small. however, the salesman advised that we should get the HITACHI 1HP just like what you posted. Now, I’m torn to buying hitachi 1HP (knowing this would be too much for our small room) If you don’t mind how much is your electric bill before and after buying this inverter window type AC? and would you advise buying this type of AC if we would be moving into a small room?
Hi, we noticed around 2-3k reduction in our bill when we switched from 0.75 HP non inverter to Hitachi 1hp inverter. At first, I was hesitant because it was a big cash outlay and I thought it would take a long time before we recouped the expense.
But it’s actually worth the switch for us. It depends on how much you use. If you use a lot of aircon, it will be much more worth it for you because you save more.
As for 1hp vs 0.75, it’s better to get a bigger capacity aircon. Better too strong that you can dial down, than too weak where it struggles the whole time to cool your room. If it’s too weak, it will use up more electricity to keep up with cooling your room.
Hope that helps 🙂
Hello,
I love your blog and only stumbled upon it recently, just wondering if you could maybe post a comprehensive review of your Hitachi Compact Inverter air conditioner?
Aspects like the noise, efficiency, performance, pros and cons, etc?
Me and my friends have been looking for reviews to no avail. 🙁
Thank you so much and hopefully makagawa po kayo ng post that i can share with my friends, mag susummer napo kasi so we have to purchase new aircons, lahat kami naka carrier optima and YES STYRO po lahat ng air ducting nila.
Wala manlang metal or plastic sheet for sound and light insulation, hindi na kami bibili ng carrier ulit sobrang gahaman nila sa presyo dahil lang sa brand recognition when Hitachi, Daikin, and Panasonics are so much better overall.
For the price, can’t justify their products. Para lang nag downgrade.
Thank you 🙂 Will try to do a review on the Hitachi inverter aircon.
Hello,
Still the same person. Went ahead and bought it yesterday, cools quite well and very very quiet kaya lang napansin ko medyo meron vibrating sound na faint yung compressor pag start after reaching the desired temperature babagal tapos mag o-off then mag sstart compressor sa low na speed yung sound dun nag mamanifest.
Diko ma explain eh. Parang ordinary na aircon pero sobrang hina na vibrating sound.
Will you please be kind enough and share with me if yours emit the same sound? Parang ugong na vibration pero mahina and mabilis lang after super tahimik na.
Thank you so much. I just need to make sure if tatawagan ko ba Hitachi or not.
Love your blog and your response will certainly be appreciated!
I’m out of the country right now, pansinin ko when I get back. So far, wala naman akong napapansin na out of the ordinary. Haha, sanay kasi ako sa malalakas na aircon nung kopong koppng pa ? pero aircon vibrating, esp at the start seems normal 🙂
Hi! This is what I am experiencing right now.. after reaching the desired temp, the compressor slows down but i can hear the “ugong” sound..
Hey thanks for this review, I just recently bought a Hitachi 1hp compact inverter and i stumble on your blog looking for feedbacks :). Nice to know that it’s working perfectly on your part.
Hello raz,
Bought mine a few days ago super satisfied naman kaya lang nagigising ako minsan kasi sobrang tahimik so very noticeable yung sounds emitted by the components.
Napansin mo ba kapag na reach na temp ng room tapos mag sslow down yung aircon, pag nag on ulit compressor merong “BRRRR!” Na sound mga one second lang naman di naman malakas faint lang pero very noticeable.
Diko ma explain eh compressor galing yung sound pero pagtapos ng “brrr!” Sa initial na startup wala na then pag nag off compressor meron mahinang “thud”. LOL
Your response will be greatly appreciated for my peace of mind.
Great aircon, cools well, quiet, feels very well built and insulated compared sa carrier (even the light and sound) and everything feels very solid even the remote! Money well spent kahit medyo mahal although yung sounds I have mentioned medyo worrying pag tumagal baka lumakas.
Parang tunog na very sinilar sa nebulizer pero faint lang.
Sir KG,
Balitaan kita pag nainstall na yung samin bukas pa kasi delivery nung aircon eh full slot na kasi kagabe so bukas (sat) pa namin makukuha.
Pero feeling ko sa compressor yan. Maybe normal yan parang sa ref lang diba pag mag auto on siya eh may faint na tunog. Speculations ko lang yan. I’ll update you once nasamin na yung aircon 🙂
Feeling ko kasi sa sobrang tahimik you become sensitive sa mga slght noises IDK pero may pupunta na na Hitachi expert next week.
How’s your ac so far?
So far hindi ko pa na experience yung sinasabi mo, pero may rattling sounds sa grills sa labas parang nagsspark. Siguro bago palang kaya ganun. Mabilis lumamig yung room. Naka auto lahat sa akin eh.
Update mo rin kung ano balita ano gagawin ng tech sa AC mo.
Feeling ko nga OA lang ako pero nakakairita kasi apart from that perfect talaga tapos ang lamig talaga.
Rattling sounds? Napansin ko hindi naka welding lahat ng points ng grill so baka umuuntog sa case tignan nalang ninyo ientiy ninyo tapos touch it while the compressor is running to identify the source.
Sir KG
Naranasan ko na yung sinasabi mo na may “BRRR” sounds an lakas nga pati yung vibration malakas.
Naka timer siya then inon daw ng kasama ko kasi naiinitan daw siya. Then pag gising ko ganun na nga.
Bakit kaya ganun sir?
Sa first day wala talaga yung mga succeeding days na meron. Parang pipe na tumatama sa padded na section ng case diba? Faint pero nakakakirita kasi ang tahinik talaga nung aircon.
Itawag nyo sa pinabilhan nyo, gnun din ginawa ko waiting nalng for the hitachi reps
Ano balita sa unit nyo sir? I’m starting to get annoyed by the sound parang gusto kong ipapalit. Hindi talaga normal yung tunog and you never really get used to it, less than a week old and I am not a happy camper.
Yung sequence ng tunog pag on ng compressor “brrr!” After a second “brrrr” then another quick “brrrr” nanaman then mawawala na tapos pag namatay compressor “thud!” So IDK if loose yung compressor bushings/mount. If di maayos ng Hitachi rep to this week ibabalik ko ito at papapalitan ko ng panasonic.
Pinakinggan ko talaga yung Hitachi namin. May brrrr ako naririnig pero mahina lang, typical machine sound. Mostly yung sounds are coming from the air blown pushed out (parang wind). May slight vibration sound, but not too loud. Nadro-drown out pa nga siya ng “wind” sound.
It’s possible na di maganda yung pagkagawa nung nag install, may maluwag. Pulido kasi yung nag install sa amin.
Choosing between the carrier and hitachi window type inverter. Im buying one in a few days. I was leaning towards the carrier one since its a newer model and because its carrier. But after reading some of the comments im now torn and i cant decide. Im fine with the price as long as it performs well and will last me a few good years. Everyone says carrier right away when i ask which is better but the people ive asked dont have first hand experience with both units. Now im torn because i cant base my decision on 3-4 bad reviews about carrier when there are hundreds of users out there. Then the last guy is complaining about his hitachi unit too. Now both brands seem to have problems. Lol
So i went and bought my new window type inverter a few days ago. I didnt go with carrier nor hitachi since theres a new technology available for window type inverters. Its the MABE unit by GE or general electric. It costs less than the carrier but offers more new features. It has power surge protection already which addresses the carriers main draw back. It also only runs on 265 watts only which is more than half of what carrier and other brands have. Carrier is 600+ watts i think while others are higher. Cooling power has been top notch so far and ive been watching my meter these past few days and so far the power output was cut more than half of what i used to have with my old aircon unit. So do check this new unit out, i may have found the perfect one. I bought the 1HP unit and it cost 26k for spot cash and its been a bargain so far. Hopefully it doesnt breakdown because ill be using it atleast 15 hours a day.
Hi Michael, that’s great! It’s awesome that we have more choices now for window type inverter aircons. In the past, options were very limited. Hope you have a great experience with your new aircon! Please update us with your experience after some time 🙂
Hi Michael! How is your mabe aircon unit working si far? Im planning to buy 1hp unit for my kids bedroom. And i was offered this brand and it’s on promo now. Im considering on buying this one. I hope to get more reviews and feedbacks on this since its not as popular as the other brands..
Thanks!
My air conditioner has been replaced by Hitachi in just two days (great after-sales service!) and the unit works perfectly now.
Very cold still and quiet, no complaints. The minimim power consumption is 345 watts for the invert compact, @Michael, the reason why I went with Hitachi is because they are the pioneer in window air conditioner and it is apparent with how solidly built my air conditioner is.
The pipes, solders, mountings, cabinet, everything feels really solid unlike Mabe, Gree, Koppel, and Kolin.
The inverter is also weather-proofed I have noticed this when my old one was taken down, the condenser is also oversized as well as the evaporator considering how small this unit is it’s impressive just how much hardware they have crammed into it and the insulation is top notch. Quiet, cold, no light goes through and very little amount kf noose passes the AC cabinet.
I’m glad you’re happy with your purchase, however, i will stick with Hitachi. Let me know if yours will run great for the years to come! I’ll recommend it to my budget conscious friends and relatives 🙂
HI KGorriceta,
Congrats on your happy purchase! It’s great that Hitachi replaced your previous unit. Did they tell you what the problem was?
The service guy said most likely an issue with the compressor bushings/mounts and a possible cause for the amplification of the sound was the placement.
I told them I’d be happier if they could replace my air conditioner if the issue still persists then I’ll just live with my investment, I was getting used to the sound naman na and it is not loud at al, sobra sensitive lang ng hearing ko talaga. He wasn’t even able to record the sound sa phone nya lol.
Anyway, we’ll be moving to a new house naman in six months and this compact version will be moved to my uncle’s room.
I won’t hesitate getting the standard version for my room and my mom’s, the service guy said the standard size has twin fan motors (separate motors for the indoor and outdoor fans) which basically makes it a split-type hybrid, therefore quieter and more efficient.
It also has two large condensers on the sides instead of one large curved unit in the rear like the compact’s which makes it even more efficient kasi 295 watts lang daw kain sa kuryente kapag nag memaintain ng temp ng room.
I’ll let you guys know regarding our experience with the standard model and the Daikin FTKC series 3HP model that we will have in our dining/living area, thank you all!
Hi Karen MNL,
Thank you for this kind of blog. It really helps a lot. =) We are planning to buy Hitachi 1.0 HP window type inverter and we are just wondering where is the best supplier/store to get it.
Hi KGorriceta,
Where did you buy your Hitachi air conditioner?
Thank you.
Cheers
Hi Jon, thank you for your comment 🙂 I just posted a full review of the Hitachi, you might want to take a look at it.
Cheers!
Hi Karen,
Thanks. I’ll definitely gonna read it.
Cheers!
Hi KG,
May I know the exact model number of your Hitachi window inverter? I’m also interested in purchasing one. Thanks in advance.
Sa cash & carry po, got it for 27k i think can’t remember really. New unit is awesome, you won’t regret it. Payin for better quality than carrier.
Thank you sa response. Medyo may kalayuan pala. From Marikina kasi ako. I’ll try to check sa mga malls na malapit samin. 😀
ive been using hitachi inverter aircon for more than 3 years kalabas lng niya that time no regrets matibay matipid kse FULL DC siya na inverter
Just bought hitachi ra-10hvq yesterday. I think my accesories is complete. Angle iron x2 are not on the package. Anyone got the same problem? Is it intentional so that i need to avail their installation chargea? Thanks in advance.
Hi Adel, I don”t think the supports are included.UPDATE: I asked my sis and she said that the brackets are included. She only paid for the installation (labor).HI! yung nabili ko may bracket ng kasama yung holder square type bracket mismo at yung support metal sa ilalim like ” / ”
dalawang piraso. Kaya nagtaka ako walang kasama yung sayo. Nabili ko sa SM MoA appliance. Yung malaki sana kukunin namin kaso hindi kasya sa window namin same din may kasama ding bracket.
Square type din yung sa amin na support. Hmmm.. baka kasama nga. Di kasi ako yung nagbantay nung nagpa install. Tanungin ko sis ko. I just saw on Lazada kasi na walang nakasulat na brackets or supports included sa contents list.
Kasama po sa compact inverter, the square bracket then 2 angle bracket. Natuwa nga yung installer eh kasi hindi na daw magpapasadya ng bracket at di narin siya nahirapan 🙂
Thank you. Just asked my sis. Kasama nga yung brackets.
Mine has 4 x brackets (square) + 2 x angle brackets (RA-20HV).
Maybe the angle brackets aren’t included for the compact model (RA-__HVQ)?
Thank you. I just asked my sis, who handled the installations, and she said the brackets were included with the aircons 🙂
Nice 🙂
Thanks for this blog, I also have a 1.5 HP carrier inverter and just over 1 year old and my ac is busted again! Stuck in fan mode! Takes 3-5 days before I can get a schedule with Carrier for service. One day it works and the next day it stops cooling. The first time it was only a few months old and the service guy said it was dirty, which I did not believe since it was working just fine a week before. Now again, working well to not cooling all in the same day. It really must be the surge protector tripping. Such a hassle, do not buy this ac!
Hi.. I justvhad my Hitachi aircon checked by 2nd level tech. The ac was bought aug2016 and now the PCB board needs to be replaced. We bought 2 1hp inverter and one 0.8 and 1 HP .. All are window type. The technician told me for the quotation of the board on Monday. With the 4 Hitachi aircon we bought on the same day.. Only one is having this kind of issue and it pisses me off as the price is not a joke for an inverter.
Too bad you’ve experienced that, must be an isolated case kasi may mga nababasa ako mag three years na Hitachi nila okay naman, mine is working perfectly since replacement unit as in 24/7 halos lunch breaks and night outs lang pahinga.
Sana diko ma experience yam, please keep us posted regarding this.
Hi, ask ko lng po… ilang days ang pagprocess ng replacement sa hitachi. Kasi yung sa akin may 2018 ko lng binili. Nasira last July due to leak freon. Then this month nasira ulit same issue. I ask for replacement na. Mukhang pinagpapasahan ako ng sm appliance, service center at mismong Hitachi. Anyway 2weeks n sya this saturday pero wala pa rin ako matinong sagot from hitachi. Thank you
Hi Karen! Just read your blog because I’m planning to buy a hitachi compact inverter also. I would like to know the size of the room where you installed it. My room is around 13 sqm. Can a 1hp compact type efficiently cool this space? Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Benjie, thank you for commenting 🙂 The rooms where the Hitachis are located are about 12-15 sqm (haven’t really measured accurately). The walls are cement and they have no sun-facing windows.
Like KGorriceta said, it really depends on other factors. Ceiling height and the amount of things you have in the room and the kind of materials used also play a part. Cement walls tend to make the room stay cooler longer after the aircon has been turned off. More items in the room means there are more things for the aircon to cool. Think of it like when you are heating soup – it is faster for a smaller amount of food to reach boiling, and it will take longer for a bigger amount of food to reach boiling point – but in the case of the aircon, think opposite. The less stuff you have in the room, the faster the aircon can cool it. Also, try to minimize any heat-producing items in your room – check your light bulbs, etc… LEDs produce less heat.
Based on guidelines, 1HP should be enough for your 13sqm room, but you also have to take other factors into consideration 🙂
Just chiming in for a bit of help.
It can be hard to predict how much cooling a space requires kasi the height of the ceiling, insulation, and how much sunlight is blasted outside of it throughout the day.
My bedroom is just 9sqm give or take, windows are blacked out, walang insulation sa bubungan and no direct sunlight but heat gets reflected off a nearby warehouse’s wall but the compact 1HP is “just right” meaning when I set it to 23-24 the compressor still gets to power down and maintain the temp at its lowest speed/cycle on and off at the lowest speed to maintain temp.
When it is hot outside (35-38c) the compressor rarely turns off at 25c setting for a 9sqm room. Yours is 13sqm and the ceiling might be higher than mine.
For a 13sqm the compact may not be enough, get the regular sized one or better yet, opt for the 1.5hp version for future proofing or for when something like a heatwave hits, may “insurance” ka na your AC will be powerful enough to take over.
Yug regular version mas matipid lansa kruyente ng around 50 or so watts than the compact.
I would have bought that one instead pero we’re renting lang kasi di kasya we can alter the size of the hole, I’ll buy the full sized version paglipat namin for sure.
Here’s my video review of the compact:
https://youtu.be/1vjQpgV9aZQ
Hi! just want to ask how’s your hitachi AC na have the same AC and we are experiencing problems na after 17 months,nagyeyelo at wala ng hangin.Have to turn it off for a few hours so it will work.Hearing that “brrr” sound too.
Hi, so far wala pa naman ganyan na problem. We do regular cleaning every few months, depending on how dirty the aircon is. Don’t let your aircon get too dirty to avoid problems. Since the techs take the ac apart to clean it, they can also check if there are leaks or holes. The service costs around P500, I think I wrote about it in another post.
http://www.karenmnl.com/hitachi-window-type-inverter-aircon-review-compact/
NEW UPDATE as of Oct. 20, 2018! I think they finally figured out what the problem was and we have some sort of a solution / fix for it.
with my experience with hitachi, 2 times na nasira since we bought it last May 2018. 1st last July (just 2monthts after we bought) nasira ung pipe ng freon. They just fixed it then after 4months this month nasira na naman. Same problem. Ang problema hirap kausap ng mga taga hitachi. Im asking for replacement pero ang hirap nilang kausap. 2 weeks na wala pa rin sila resolution if papalitan nila. Mukhang masasayang yung 28k ko. Hay… sana ung unit nakuha ko kasing tibay ng unit mo.
Sorry to hear about your Hitachi 🙁
Di ko pa natry makausap si Hitachi since we didn’t have any problems. Si Carrier lang nakausap ko sa ganyan, buti okay naman kausap si Carrier.
hi Karen,
just bought my Hitachi aircon last january 25. so far so good.
kumusta po mga aircon nyo?
sana kasing ganda din ng aircon ko sa mga nakuha nyong aircon.
i did all the installation and stuff, dko nagamit ung brackets na kasama kasi sakto lang ung butas ng wall for our AC.
i partnered my aircon with broadlink mini 3 para ma automate ko ang on and off on a certain date and time. also to open the aircon thru an app bago pa makarating ng bahay para malamig na ung room.
Thank you for your comment, Penggoy!
Okay pa naman yung Hitachi namin 🙂 we just do regular cleaning every few months from our suki aircon cleaning guy.
Thanks for sharing the tip about using Broadlink mini 3! Puwede pala? I didn’t know that.
Thank you for responding miss Karen. Planning have my ac cleaned every 6 months para efficient sya…
The broadlink mini 3 is like magic to our ac. I hope you can review and share your thoughts about it…
Thanks! I don’t have a Broadlink Mini 3, I only use the timer function on our aircon. I only turn it on late at night when I’m ready to wind down and sleep na, then set a timer for 4-6 hours depending on when I want to wake up. Lately because the weather has been cold I haven’t been using the ac that much 🙂 tipid tipid.
Yung cleaning schedule depends on how dirty the ac gets. Like, the ac in my room kahit 1 year di pa rin madumi. But the ac in my mom’s room, 3 months lang grabe sobrang dumi na. Depende sa placement and kung madumi ba yung area na yun, like if facing the street, open area, etc… Nasa side kasi siya nung kapitbahay namin na may garahe ng mga diesel school service vans. Every 4am nagpapainit ng sasakyan 🙁
Is there a timer to wake the ac up or turn it on? I cant find it in the manual thats why i decided to get the broadlink mini 3 para i can set the on and off automatically.
Regarding sa cleaning, i guess im good with a year since the placement is a vacant lot with cover that we use as storage and sampayan ng nilabhan.
Got the bill for feb and we only got like a hundred peso savings. We were using a .6 American home non inverter before. When we had the Hitachi i ran it for 24 hours as a stress test, nakagawian ko na sa mga new appliance ko since its within the 7 day return period. I tried to use it as normal as before pero may mga times na i use it out of the blue, kasi nga inverter, lol… oh, tumaas pala ang bayad sa kuryente ngaun so 300+ ang natipid ko. Our setting is 24c on weekdays, running from 820pm to 630am. On a weekend 23c, we open it 8 or 9 depende sa oras na pumasok kami sa kwarto and we turn it off mga 9am na since weekend naman.
Id say matipid sya pero parang nag expect ako masyado na mas malaki pa matitipid nya like ng Samsung 12.9cu na ref namin… lol
Hi, I don’t have a timer to turn it on. I just turn it on manually (via its remote control). To turn it off, the ac has a built-in timer that I can set so that it turns off after x amount of hours 🙂
Re: savings. I was on the fence too before buying our first inverter aircon. The previous aircon was a 0.75HP LG. Of course, comparing electric consumption with our 1HP (just relying on the Meralco appliance calculator estimates), the difference isnt’ that big to really justify the higher price of the inverter ac. But keep in mind that I was comparing 0.75HP to a 1HP so considering that and I still had about 100-200 pesos savings per month, puwede na. Iniisip ko nalang more on pang long-term tipid siya 🙂
In your case, you are comparing 0.6HP non-inverter to I assume 1HP inverter ac… 🙂 So you’re getting the cooling effect of 1HP at 300 pesos less than the cost of your old 0.6HP aircon, not bad! 🙂 I’m sure if you compare 1HP non-inverter to 1HP inverter, the savings would be more significant.
You know what, tama ka… hahaha… masyado lang ako nag expect ng super savings… pero 300 is still big compared to nothing… hopefully bumaba pa as our usage normalized…
Hi, can I ask how’s your carrier 1hp aircon now? Thank you!
I’m not the actual person using it, but so far, haven’t heard any complaints from my relatives so looks like it’s working fine. It’s used a few hours a night when it’s hot, especially during summer 🙂
Ask lang po. Kamusta na yong carrier aircon mo? Kakabili ko lang ng split type xpower
Gold 2 1hp. 7hrs a night
Ko lang ginagamit at 26 yong temp hindi ko alam if may savings ako. Kasi gamit ko dati 1 hp non iverter
At 6 hrs a night. Upon reading so many blog worried ako ng after service ng carrier and its quality. What do you think? Tnx
Thanks for the blog.
I have one comment about the Hitachi 0.8hp vs the Hitachi 1.0hp.
The RA-08HVQ has a EER of 13.2 and the RA-10HVQ has and EER of 12.1.
The higher the EER, the more efficient operation and the electricity consumed.
If the room has dimensions that are recommended for using the RA-08HVQ, buying the larger unit with 1.0hp would not be justified based on the initial price difference and the longer term use when factoring in the EER.
Sidenote: I used to be a truck driver. Almost every driver that I have talked with who had a Carrier Air Conditioning system installed in their truck had many problems. Those conversations with dissatisfied Carrier customers is why I will never buy a Carrier product. Even if it was a lower cost than competing brands, I still would not buy a Carrier aircon.
We had the same experience, my wife bought the Carrier inverter aircon since it was on promo and she prefers the Carrier brand as compared to.Panasonic.
Right after installation we get the ‘E’ /’P3′ error of death of the Carrier inverter aircon. Good thing Anson is just down the road, having a 7 day replacement warranty we quickly returned it and asked them to check it out, they replaced it without questions.
Apparently, they knew of this problem and they just replaced it with a new one, with the promise that if still didnt work we can replace it with a Panasonic.
So far 2 years it still works. We found out a way to fix the errors just unplug and plug back in after a few minutes.
I wouldnt get another Carrier inverter again.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂 So far, our Carrier is doing okay since my last blog update. We’re having a problem with one of our Hitachi’s though. Nagta-timer mag isa.
Hi there! We have the same carrier aircon that you had (not sire if you still have it). It’s been 2 years since you posted this but we are getting the same errors with our carrier aircon! How I wish, I stumbled upon your post before we bought the unit. It’s ridiculously expensive for a window type unit, but this makes me so sad. Kasi mukhang sakit na talaga ng unit yung ganun, paulit ulit lang sila ng sinasabi and all. Our unit just turned one-year old last month, pero ang daming beses na syang pinuntahan ng technician. Ang daming problema! Same din yung snuggest sakin na troubleshooting like click ng 10x yung button tapos plug then unplug tapos switch on ulit yung unit. Wala dn namang nangyayari. They should have upgraded the unit kasi ang tagal na palang issue nito! Nakaka stress tapos summer na tapos ECQ pa. Hay! Kawawa naman yung anak ko. Ang init hindi makatulog ? So sorry and thanks for allowing me to vent. Akala ko kasi ako lang yung nakaka experience.
Parang gusto ko ng palitan mismo ung unit, ayoko ng magdemand ng replacement kasi baka nga refurbished lang. Nakakahinayang lang. Buti kamo kung mura!
So better pa yung Kolin, Mabe, Samsung or Hitachi if ever?
So far, our Carrier has not had any problems since my last blog update about it. However, hassle that we have to unplug it every time it’s not in use. But since we’ve been doing that, no problem na.
But we are having problems with one of our Hitachis. The timer/temperature starts counting on its down and then it’s not getting as cold as expected, sometimes it shuts down by itself. It only started a few weeks ago after it’s been on almost 24/7 during ECQ.
We fiddle with it sometimes, we let it rest, and it seems to go back to normal but sometimes it doesn’t get as cold as we expect. We still have to see if it’s because the weather really is too hot, or because the ac needs to be cleaned. Last cleaning was late last year and then ECQ happened so it’s been months.
I’ll blog about it once we figure out more about what’s happening.
Hello! May I ask how long do you use your Carrier Window Type Inverter Aircon on a day?
We have just bought one recently and it’s nice to know about this blog especially on your recommendation to unplug it when not in use.
I hope our unit will last long. ?
Thank you 🙂 I’m glad you find the blog helpful.
To answer your question, only for sleeping at night… maybe 4-5 hours, and only when it’s hot (like summer).
Hello Ms. Karen;
Thanks for keeping us posted! I got in touch with a friend na engineer who used to work for Johnson Controls (owns Hitachi and manufactures major components for Hitachi inverter boards) and he said that most inverter ACs when dirty will try to prioritise heat dissipation so naka todo yung compressor and fans.
Since the condensers are too clogged up with dirt, the inverter board might overheat kasi not enough air moves through the unit which explains the weak cooling and shutting down after a while due to overheating protection so cleaning lang po talaga lalo pa at nagkaroon tayo ng ashfall recently.
Worst case scenario is bad control panel or inverter board, please keep us posted po!
Also, when was the last time you had yours cleaned po? TY!
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your comment 🙂
We just had it cleaned last month (May 29).
After cleaning, the timer issue still happened.
So the aircon cleaning guy told us to try removing the batteries from the remote control. Common issue daw sya sa mga remote. So manual open close muna ng aircon. After that, we didn’t experience the problem anymore. It seems like it’s the remote that is causing the problem.
It’s been a month, we will put the batteries back on the remote and if it happens again, confirmed na remote control problem siya.
Hello
I have a 1hp hitachi window type inverter unit now na ayaw na lumamig after i got it cleaned. the unit is just 2yrs old. accdg sa service center pcb daw sira. or yun display board. the pcb cost 9k and the display board 4k… nakaka dissappoint lang na 2 yrs pa lang yun unit pcb sira agad? nde pa solid yun diagnosis nung technician sa lagay na yan.
my old carrier aircon i used it for 13 yrs before nasira and i replaced it with this hitachi.
i contacted hitachi main office and they just referred me to another service center.
baka anyone can help me get a true diagnosis of the problem nde yun business as usual diagnosis…
Sorry to hear that 🙁 If like you said, nasira sya after it was cleaned, baka yung cleaning person yung nakasira… if Authorized Service Center yung nakasira baka mahabol mo sya for damaging your ac. Tinatanggal / disconnect kasi yung electronics nyan while before cleaning. Baka di marunong yung naglinis, baguhan or nakalimutan, nabasa niya or something.
Thanks Karen for your update. I purchased last April 2020 a 1.5 hp Carrier Inverter aircon. I experienced also the problem compressor not working after only 2 months. The unplugging/plugging sometimes work, but sometimes it takes hours before it works again, HASSLE. Still no reply from service center here in Bataan.
Hi Jojo,
Thank you for visiting the blog! You can also try contacting Carrier directly: https://www.carrier.com.ph/after-sales/
Hope your Carrier gets fixed soon! 🙂 Ours is okay na so far.
Thank you for posting such useful blogs comparing aircons. I am buying one today and your blogs have really helped. ?
Hi Karen, are you still using the ac after all this time? I have the 1.5hp variant and i haven’t been able to use it for days since it exhibited the same problem. Did you ever find out how to exactly perform the reset?
Hi Alvin, thank you for reading the blog 🙂
Are you talking about the Carrier? Yes, we are still using it. The problem did not happen anymore after the technician did the button press combinations on the remote. The aircon is working, it is cooling the room, so far so good, no more issues. Since nakakatamad to unplug it every time, it’s often left plugged in na din.
So it looks like that button press thing fixed it although I don’t understand how.
Hi Karen,
We are experiencing the same
problem with our Carrier Window Type Inverter aircon. It seems to be stuck in fan mode! This is only a 2 year-old unit and I am so disappointed with the quality of the product. It’s 3am and it’s so hot in our room. My wife and I have two kids beside us and ang hassle lang sobra. But thank you for writing this article, I plugged then un plugged the
unit and lumakas yung aircon.
My goodness, our old window type aircons from the 90s seem to be performing better than this unit. Oh well.
Hello Vincent,
Thank you for visiting the blog! 🙂 Glad to hear you got your ac working again. Hassle talaga siya…
Karen
So proud of Hitachi. I’m seriously considering ra-10hvq to be my next purchase. Ang taas ng EER!
I regret that I did not see seen your blog earlier. It’s been years and we’re still having so much trouble with our Carrier AC. Both the product and their service are just too stressful to handle.
Our awful experience started 2 to 3 years ago. The AC is always acting up and for some reason, we’re having so much difficulty booking a service with them. During the first incident, it literally took us days trying to contact them. I believe it was during the height of the pandemic. We ended up having the unit cleaned nalang muna. It run okay for only a few hours and then went off again. Tried calling carrier again to no avail. So, we just turned it off and on again after a few minutes. This kinda worked for us for a few days (albeit with so much waking up at wee hours in sweat). Again, booking a service with carrier was fruitless, so we ended up getting a 3rd party contractor, who told us to have the refrigerant refilled. At that time, I was surprised that the ac will have that problem so early. (Looking back, maybe that wasnt the problem at all. But what is done is done.)
So, we had the refrigerant refilled and you know that it is not cheap. To be honest, I wouldn’t have agreed to this but it was my husband who coordinated and oversaw everything and I just learned about it after. At that time, he was so stressed in dealing or not dealing (since we can’t contact them nga) with Carrier. Oh well, at least the ac blew cold air.. but for a few days only. We then had it checked again (by the same contractor) who again refilled the refrigerant. I don’t know if we paid for the refrigerant again. Not the main issue but such a pain considering I bought an inverter type to save on cost and chose the brand since it is supposedly better. Ugh.
After a few days, the unit is not working again. We tried the on/off for a few days until it was giving us so much headache from puyat. So, we called Carrier again. This time, thank God, we were able to book a service. A technician came and said he needs to return with some parts/materials the next day. Lo and behold, he did not come back.
Fast forward to Feb 2021, we decided to leave Manila and stay in the province. Although not the main reason for our relocation, I was truly happy that I don’t need to deal with the AC anymore!
Fast forward to now, we are renting out our condo and the tenant was complaining about the AC. The unit is past it’s warranty already so I’ll just have it checked by a 3rd party contactor.. just one last time. If the problem isn’t persist, I’ll just throw this lemon away, and swear to NEVER EVER buy any carrier product, nor any brand/item affiliated with them.
Hi Lyn,
So sorry to hear about your experience! It seems ours was not an isolated case at all.
My sister’s friend kasi recommended Carrier and she trusted him. We were not in favor nga because the Carrier was so much more expensive than our previous Hitachi, but sige, try nalang because it’s recommended. And then ganyan pala.
Although we’ve become friends na nga with the Carrier guy who visits us whenever we report a problem with the unit (yes, we had another problem with the unit last year but I didn’t update this post anymore because it was minor lang and fixed immediately by the Carrier guy), we’ll be thinking twice about getting a Carrier again.
The problem with the Carrier unit were always easily fixed by the Carrier guy, it’s always just resetting something or other, and he has the tools to check it. But what if you are not a technical expert at aircons? You’ll have to rely on always getting a service technician and pay for the service just for simply resetting something on the unit.
Very informative and valuable information. I just want to can I go for a full solar system using solar inverter? I mean I do not want to take any electricity from the grid
It’s a very good thing, it’s a very good reputation. So it will be best to support it
May I ask, how are those Hitachi units doing now? Still prob free?
Hi, we’ve already gotten rid of one Hitachi (the first one we bought) because it was rusty already and was always getting icy. We replaced it with another Gree (same model as the one we previously bought). To be fair to the Hitachi, it was used almost 24/7 for a bedridden senior’s bedroom for years and was really laspag na. It lasted around 4-5 years with this kind of use.
The Gree one works really well but it is not that abused naman. If you have regular cooling needs and only have a small window aircon hole, I would recommend the Gree as it’s easy to clean as well. So far no problems with it yet, just doing regular cleaning every few months. It’s very, very cold for night time but pag tanghaling tapat medyo nafefeel ko yung heat from outside pumapasok, and this is not even in a sun facing room and with semi blackout curtains. I mean like, 24C sa madaling araw sobrang lamig as in, pero 24C during noon during height of summer hindi kasing lamig ng night time 24C.
The Carrier one, while it has had many service calls, seems to be the best at cooling. It is able to cool the room it is in during summer, even with 2 big windows (sunny). So in terms of lakas ng cooling, Carrier talaga. Kayalang daming sakit ng ulo (I detailed this in a blog post about it where it was not cooling and had to be reset or something by the technician like every 1-2 yrs parang ganun). Just recently, around Holy Week 2023, it stopped cooling again and it turns out freon was leaking from corrosion. Anyway, that got fixed naman after Holy Week and it’s back to cooling. Maganda Carrier sa cooling pero yun lang, sometimes may issues. But when it works, malamig talaga kayang kaya ang summer kahit puro sun-facing windows yung room. Fortunately, maganda yung customer support ng Carrier.
Hi Karen. How many months have you bought the Gree AC? Do you face the same problem as with Carrier & Hitachi brands? I have read your blog because I am planning to buy an AC.