Cooling issues with my Sharp AH-XP18MV

Rachit Kulshreshtha

Rachit Kulshreshtha

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@RishiGuru - Boss hatts off for such an amazing review. Your in depth analysis and verdict led me to buy the exact same SHARP AH-XP18MV on 16th March 2014 from Reliance Digital - Gurgaon. I was staisfied with the price of 41,300 + 1,500 for installation.

My room size is 15 x 12 ft. It is on 12th floor with the ODU facing north.

After the AC was installed, the performance was great. But now after 1 month the cooling has dropped tremendously. The AC takes 2 - 3 hours to cool the room that too if Turbo Jet mode is turned on. Without that, it just does not cool no matter I set it to Auto mode, cooling mode and what not. The air coming out of the AC is not very cool either. I am pretty sure that in a 300 SqFt room if a 1.5T AC is running on 16C, you would need a blanket in about 20mins (from my experience with 1.5 T, 4 * Voltas ACs installed at my hometown Bhopal)

Now i would like to get some precious advice to get out of this situation laying stress on the below points -

1. No Vacuum Pumping was done during my installation, no preasure or angular measurements as well - can this be an issue?

2. 2 weeks back I heard a small water trickling noise from the IDU when it was being turned on which I ignored - Does this say something?

3. The service support of both SHARP & Reliance ResQ is very bad. No one has even called back or visited my home after repeatedly calling them since this Saturday. I have emailed the sharp customer service - Sharp@service007.com. Is there anything else I can do?

4. What all should I do, or what areas should I get investigated when the technician visits?

5. Was my installation very bad? What are the pros & cons of a re-installation?

Guys please do reply to my queries - I am feeling very sad that such a well rearched buy went sour.

Waiting for your valuable response guys...
 
Last edited:
Rachit Kulshreshtha said:
@RishiGuru - Boss hatts off for such an amazing review. Your in depth analysis and verdict led me to buy the exact same SHARP AH-XP18MV on 16th March 2014 from Reliance Digital - Gurgaon. I was staisfied with the price of 41,300 + 1,500 for installation.

My room size is 15 x 12 ft. It is on 12th floor with the ODU facing north.

After the AC was installed, the performance was great. But now after 1 month the cooling has dropped tremendously. The AC takes 2 - 3 hours to cool the room that too if Turbo Jet mode is turned on. Without that, it just does not cool no matter I set it to Auto mode, cooling mode and what not. The air coming out of the AC is not very cool either. I am pretty sure that in a 300 SqFt room if a 1.5T AC is running on 16C, you would need a blanket in about 20mins (from my experience with 1.5 T, 4 * Voltas ACs installed at my hometown Bhopal)

Now i would like to get some precious advice to get out of this situation laying stress on the below points -

1. No Vacuum Pumping was done during my installation, no preasure or angular measurements as well - can this be an issue?

2. 2 weeks back I heard a small water trickling noise from the IDU when it was being turned on which I ignored - Does this say something?

3. The service support of both SHARP & Reliance ResQ is very bad. No one has even called back or visited my home after repeatedly calling them since this Saturday. I have emailed the sharp customer service - Sharp@service007.com. Is there anything else I can do?

4. What all should I do, or what areas should I get investigated when the technician visits?

5. Was my installation very bad? What are the pros & cons of a re-installation?

Guys please do reply to my queries - I am feeling very sad that such a well rearched buy went sour.

Waiting for your valuable response guys...
Click to expand...
Good to know that someone else has similar issues with Sharp because when I mentioned this no one is ready to believe that cooking a room takes a long time. For me it runs for around 2 hours at 1.6-1.8 and then slowly reduces. I too have Voltas in another room and had a godrej earlier and that seemed to cool the room faster. Hence, like I have mentioned in my posts earlier, I have seen no savings from installing an inverter.
I have had no other issues like Sharp Service has been quite good and installation was done correctly. Even all free services were done as required. Hence, I have been debating a lot on this forum if inverter was indeed a wise decision because I somehow feel that a regular AC is doing the same job better.
 
prakash14 said:
Good to know that someone else has similar issues with Sharp because when I mentioned this no one is ready to believe that cooking a room takes a long time. For me it runs for around 2 hours at 1.6-1.8 and then slowly reduces. I too have Voltas in another room and had a godrej earlier and that seemed to cool the room faster. Hence, like I have mentioned in my posts earlier, I have seen no savings from installing an inverter.
I have had no other issues like Sharp Service has been quite good and installation was done correctly. Even all free services were done as required. Hence, I have been debating a lot on this forum if inverter was indeed a wise decision because I somehow feel that a regular AC is doing the same job better.
Click to expand...

@prakash14 - My problem is not with the time taken to cool the room. When the AC was working fine (initially after the installation), the room did cool down very quickl and the air was chilled too when I set the temp to 16C.
Now the AC is almost 'not cooling', even after 4 - 5 hours of continuous turbo jet operation, the room temperature changes marginally. I am pretty sure something is wrong with my AC and I am really looking forward for inputs that would help me juice out the solution from these tough to deal with service people.
 
Rachit Kulshreshtha said:
@RishiGuru - Boss hatts off for such an amazing review. Your in depth analysis and verdict led me to buy the exact same SHARP AH-XP18MV on 16th March 2014 from Reliance Digital - Gurgaon. I was staisfied with the price of 41,300 + 1,500 for installation.
Click to expand...
Isn't AH-XP18MV old model ? Sharp discontinued it last year I think.

Any particular reason you didn't buy newer model (18PMT/PHT) ? I understand MV has better features but still isn't it better to pick up a new model, not the one lying in the dealer's warehouse for a year (or more) ???
 
prime said:
Isn't AH-XP18MV old model ? Sharp discontinued it last year I think.

Any particular reason you didn't buy newer model (18PMT/PHT) ? I understand MV has better features but still isn't it better to pick up a new model, not the one lying in the dealer's warehouse for a year (or more) ???
Click to expand...

Hi @prime !
I went with the MV because it had the following pros in my mind -

1. Big price difference ~10K
2. Better looks (This is my personal opinion)
3. I thought the MFD date would not make much difference.
 
Rachit Kulshreshtha said:
Hi @prime !
I went with the MV because it had the following pros in my mind -

1. Big price difference ~10K
2. Better looks (This is my personal opinion)
3. I thought the MFD date would not make much difference.
Click to expand...

And, you can see real time power consumption in MV. :)

But 10k difference? I bought 18PMT for 41k + installation on 22nd April. I could not find it in Gurgaon. Only lower PET model was available at 43.5k (Dawar).

So, I picked it up from Delhi.
 
prakash14 said:
Good to know that someone else has similar issues with Sharp because when I mentioned this no one is ready to believe that cooking a room takes a long time. For me it runs for around 2 hours at 1.6-1.8 and then slowly reduces. I too have Voltas in another room and had a godrej earlier and that seemed to cool the room faster. Hence, like I have mentioned in my posts earlier, I have seen no savings from installing an inverter.
I have had no other issues like Sharp Service has been quite good and installation was done correctly. Even all free services were done as required. Hence, I have been debating a lot on this forum if inverter was indeed a wise decision because I somehow feel that a regular AC is doing the same job better.
Click to expand...
I also have this issue, AC takes a long time to cool & stays at around 1.6 KW , only if i set the temp to 28c it comes down to 0.9kw, did not have this issue last year . Last year att 28c it used to immediately show 0.3kw .
 
Gas leakage problem .. do the pressure test .. gas flow pressure must be 150 - 180 ..below that wont cool the room at all .. next if pressure is good ..
check gas leakage ..do the nitrogen leak test .. if any leakages .. change wiring .. next refill the gas after vacuuming ..check the pressure again .. and now enjoy the ac
 
prime said:
And, you can see real time power consumption in MV. :)

But 10k difference? I bought 18PMT for 41k + installation on 22nd April. I could not find it in Gurgaon. Only lower PET model was available at 43.5k (Dawar).

So, I picked it up from Delhi.
Click to expand...

@prime - In Gurgaon, I bought this from Reliance Digital who were offering a discount only on the MV. I did not research much regarding the availability of MV elsewhere as to me the basic check is to match the cheapest Online shopping price - which Reliance gave me. But then they delivered the PMT instead of MV. While getting it rectified I learned that PMT was being sold for ~50K. You got a real good price on your AC.

Arjun said:
I also have this issue, AC takes a long time to cool & stays at around 1.6 KW , only if i set the temp to 28c it comes down to 0.9kw, did not have this issue last year . Last year att 28c it used to immediately show 0.3kw .
Click to expand...

@Arjun, I am facing the same problem except the gap between change in performance was of only 1 month that too on a fresh installation. The service guys from authorized SHARP service center have re - insatlled my ODU so that it has complete free space ahead of it. Earlier the ODU fan was 3 - 4 Ft. from the balcony wall - which to me looked fine, but they said that heat reflection from the wall was causing the compressor to trip + Gas is low.

being.unbelievable said:
Gas leakage problem .. do the pressure test .. gas flow pressure must be 150 - 180 ..below that wont cool the room at all .. next if pressure is good ..
check gas leakage ..do the nitrogen leak test .. if any leakages .. change wiring .. next refill the gas after vacuuming ..check the pressure again .. and now enjoy the ac
Click to expand...

@being.unbelievable - Thanks a lot for your advice. The gas charging will be done today. I will ensure that he fills up till 150 - 180 mark for the R410A gas. Just to be sure is this reading to be taken when the AC is running or non operational?
 
UPDATE - My experience with Reliance Digital & Sharp After Sales Services

Finally after uncountable phone calls to many people including the sharp call center, the srvice guys, the franchise owner and the SHARP customer care official (Sounds like a nightmare right!) I was able to get a visit by them yesterday. If it were to help somebody, I am posting the contact details of these people who can make things move a bit quicker -

1. SHARP Customer Care - 1800 425 4322 (register your complaint here & ensure to get your ticket#)

2. SHARP Service Franchise Owner Gurgaon - Mr. Rajiv +91 9212 483 332

3. SHARP Service Guys - The technicians who visit your place -

a. Nandkishor - +91 9313 110 830
b. Zayed - +91 8750 677 499
c. Jitender - +91 7533 005 109

4. The cheif engineer of Gurgaon Service Center - Supposedly the most experienced technician
Abdul +91 9540 917 020

5. SHARP's Delhi Head Office (Escalate here) -
- 011 4666 5516, 011 4666 5807, 011 4666 5806

NOTE: None of the above listed contacts are helpful as per my experience, but if you keep calling them, they atleast arrange a site visit.
 
Rachit Kulshreshtha said:
@prime - In Gurgaon, I bought this from Reliance Digital who were offering a discount only on the MV. I did not research much regarding the availability of MV elsewhere as to me the basic check is to match the cheapest Online shopping price - which Reliance gave me. But then they delivered the PMT instead of MV. While getting it rectified I learned that PMT was being sold for ~50K. You got a real good price on your AC.



@Arjun, I am facing the same problem except the gap between change in performance was of only 1 month that too on a fresh installation. The service guys from authorized SHARP service center have re - insatlled my ODU so that it has complete free space ahead of it. Earlier the ODU fan was 3 - 4 Ft. from the balcony wall - which to me looked fine, but they said that heat reflection from the wall was causing the compressor to trip + Gas is low.



@being.unbelievable - Thanks a lot for your advice. The gas charging will be done today. I will ensure that he fills up till 150 - 180 mark for the R410A gas. Just to be sure is this reading to be taken when the AC is running or non operational?
Click to expand...

My ODU fan does not face the wall[DOUBLEPOST=1400136691][/DOUBLEPOST]So you have PMT or MV ?
 
So let us know if your power consumption goes down ( shown on the display ) after the gas charging, did you notice any improvement after the reinstalled the ODU?
 
Arjun said:
So let us know if your power consumption goes down ( shown on the display ) after the gas charging, did you notice any improvement after the reinstalled the ODU?
Click to expand...

I did not get a chance to evaluate the same. They closed the gas vavle and the AC would be operational only after the Gas charging.
 
Guys, I have a few more concerns, kindly take a look and let me know how to proceed.
The service center people will be coming today to refill the R410A gas.

1. Due to the re - installation, I have ~1.0 mtr. of spare copper piping which is extra and currently coiled up to connect the IDU & ODU. Should I get this extra pipe removed? Currently I am using the entire 4.5 mts. of supplied piping.

2. How should I ensure that he has filled the gas to the optimum level and not given less quantity of gas than needed?

3. How can I be totally sure that the leakage does not happen again? Will the nitrogen test reveal all the leakages, and fixing them can guarantee me no future leaks unless the unt is tampered with?

4. I have heard that once you start to have a gas leakage in the AC, the vicious cycle of refill and leakage starts and you just have to bear the refill cost every 5 - 6 months. Is this true that gas leakages are very tough to seal and can relapse no matter what you do?

5. How can i check if my IDU is delivering optimum fan speed and air flow?

Please reply at the earliest.
 
babhishek said:
keep us posted...
1 your call
2 you cant - he should be doing things right
3 no guarantees
4 mostly yes, not always
5 noo idea
Click to expand...

@babhishek - Thanks for the reply man! Hope my problem is sorted out once and for all.

Rachit Kulshreshtha said:
Guys, I have a few more concerns, kindly take a look and let me know how to proceed.
The service center people will be coming today to refill the R410A gas.

1. Due to the re - installation, I have ~1.0 mtr. of spare copper piping which is extra and currently coiled up to connect the IDU & ODU. Should I get this extra pipe removed? Currently I am using the entire 4.5 mts. of supplied piping.

2. How should I ensure that he has filled the gas to the optimum level and not given less quantity of gas than needed?

3. How can I be totally sure that the leakage does not happen again? Will the nitrogen test reveal all the leakages, and fixing them can guarantee me no future leaks unless the unt is tampered with?

4. I have heard that once you start to have a gas leakage in the AC, the vicious cycle of refill and leakage starts and you just have to bear the refill cost every 5 - 6 months. Is this true that gas leakages are very tough to seal and can relapse no matter what you do?

5. How can i check if my IDU is delivering optimum fan speed and air flow?

Please reply at the earliest.
Click to expand...

More advice guys please...
 
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