Review of Sharp AH-XP18MV 1.5Ton Eco-Inverter Air Conditioner

[Coolharry]

Sir,
I have intentialy joined this forum to thank you for your comprehensive study on the Sharp AH-XP18MV 1.5Ton Eco-Inverter Air Conditioner.Even the Salesmen at Sharp showroom are not able to provide the intricacies which you have shared with all. In order to keep the cost of products low Sharp Co. does not believe in much advertising and their real advertisers are their satisfied customers. In my search for Inverter Air Conditioner I have narrowed down to Sharp AH-XP18MV,Mitsubishi SRK18YJ-S and PanasonicCS-S18PKY but could not make the decision as which to buy. However your review has helped me to break the ice. If you have come across some better options please share it also.Also tell me how is the after sale service of Sharp.
Regards,
Coolharry

 

[akb]

here is how i use my ac...
room size 16x12 ft
occupants -1 most of the time

--->start with cool mode (temp set at 25c)
--->fan speed set to auto
--->super jet button on
(consumption 1400-1700 watts)
room gets chilled quickly

after 5-10 minutes
--->super jet button off
(consumption drops to 600 to 1000 watts gradually)

at night
--->gentle cool air button on
--->ceiling fan on (in slow mode)
(consumption drops to 100 watts and stays there most of the time)

it is a pleasure to see that figure 0.1kw in the window most of the time...:yahoo:

0.1kw @ 25C is amazing man. I am using the 1.1T model which doesn't have inbuilt power display so I am using a external wattage meter attached to power supply. For maintaining 25C my AC keeps eating ~ 500w for a small 120 sqft room. Only in higher range 28-29C it switches between 50-250w. I think the inbuilt power meter in 1.5T model of Sharp might just be showing the power taken by compressor only (Whats your thought Rishi ??). If that is the case, one may have to add 70-85w for IDU & ODU fans and circuitry etc. (BTW my AC in standby is eating 8 watts of power so I prefer to keep the main switch off.)

I am not using any stabilizer with my AC as there are no power cuts or fluctuations in my area. Also my vague knowledge of school time physics says that as its an inverter AC so there is already some transformer (or something) involved to convert AC to DC which should act as some level of protection besides the inbuilt safety circuitry. (I might be totally wrong hyeah

The Low Wattage button of Sharp Inverters is basically a power consumption limiter. There are three settings for the 1.5 Ton Sharp AH-XP18MV:

H --> High (Unlimited)
L1 --> Level1 (Limited to 1 kW power consumption)
L2 --> Level2 (Limited to 0.8 kW power consumption)

The question arises as of why they included this feature and what is the benefit of limiting the power input which will ultimately lead to reduced cooling capacity during initial startup. Its like running a 1.5 Ton Inverter on anemic dose of 1 kW power at L1 where it basically operates at 1.1 Ton. So if one always keeps it at L1 why spend the extra money on a 1.5 Ton and better get a 1.1 Ton Inverter air conditioner while saving INR 10K. The reason I believe is that a 1.1 Ton Inverter operating at its full operating capacity can never match the cooling efficiency of a 1.5 Ton Inverter operating at limited power so that it runs like a 1.1 Ton. Let us review the work cycle of an air conditioner in laymans terms to get a full picture.

Air conditioners follow a simple rule where they absorb heat from air situated inside the room in question and reject that heat to the outside atmosphere. For split ACs when the cross-flow fan situated inside IDU starts to rotate it sucks air from above the IDU passing it through the cold evaporator unit situated inside and finally blown out from below where the louvers are situated to guide the cool airstream. While passing through the evaporators the residence time the air spends causes heat transfer from indoor air to the evaporator via convection. This heat absorbed is then carried by the refrigerant gas via dedicated copper pipes to the ODU situated outdoor and are finally ejected to the outdoor atmosphere via convection. The component that does this very important job is known as the condenser unit or heat exchanger. An outdoor fan is provided to aid the heat exchange by expulsing the air through the condenser fins.

The overall efficiency of an air conditioner is highly dependent on how efficiently these heats exchange of the both indoor and outdoor takes place. A 1.5 Ton Inverter will always have a much bigger evaporator and condenser unit than a 1.1 Ton. So if both are operated at identical tonnage of 1.1 Ton cooling capacity, the 1.5 Ton will absorb heat much faster (due to bigger evaporator) from indoor and expulse heat to outdoor at a much higher rate (due to bigger condenser). So cooling efficiency aka EER climbs up for the 1.5 Ton Inverter while operating at 1.1 Ton cooling capacity and it consumes less power than a 1.1 Ton Inverter air conditioner operating at its full capacity.

Also the IDU of a 1.5 Ton Inverter air conditioner have a much bigger skew fan which results in higher indoor airflow leading to a further feeling of cooling in human beings. The Sharp 1.1 Ton Inverter has a max indoor air flow rate of 10.9 CMM while their 1.5 Ton does a max of 16.8 CMM. With the 1.5 Ton capable to produce 54% more indoor airflow the room cools faster and humidity falls rapidly which produces the rapid sensation of cooling in human beings. And even now if you keep it at a high indoor temperature of 29 C the people inside the room (120 sqft) will feel comfortable due to the high airflow rate. For the same room a 1.1 Ton Inverter AC needs to run at 27 C to produce the same amount of comfort level due to its reduced airflow capacity thus increasing the compressor load which needs to work and consuming more power.

Thanks for that explanation Rishi. Really deserves a applaud :clapping:. Unlike the 1.5T model, low wattage function in 1.1T is one step only (the max kw of which is unknown to me). Just to keep the initial load low, this function seems useless to me also. I am feeling a bit saddened that I am unable to keep my room cool at 25C @ 0.1kw like the proud owners of 1.5T model. Gosh is this even possible. Its like a 100w bulb keeping your room warm in winters .

 

[udaykhan]

The Low Wattage button of Sharp Inverters is basically a power consumption limiter. There are three settings for the 1.5 Ton Sharp AH-XP18MV:

H --> High (Unlimited)
L1 --> Level1 (Limited to 1 kW power consumption)
L2 --> Level2 (Limited to 0.8 kW power consumption)

The question arises as of why they included this feature and what is the benefit of limiting the power input which will ultimately lead to reduced cooling capacity during initial startup. Its like running a 1.5 Ton Inverter on anemic dose of 1 kW power at L1 where it basically operates at 1.15 Ton. So if one always keeps it at L1 why spend the extra money on a 1.5 Ton and not get a 1.1 Ton Inverter air conditioner which will max out at 1.2 Ton while saving an initial cost of INR 10K. The reason I believe is that a 1.1 Ton Inverter operating at its maximum operating capacity or even rated capacity can never match the cooling efficiency (EER) of a 1.5 Ton Inverter operating at limited power so that it runs like a 1.15 Ton. Let us review the work cycle of an air conditioner in laymans terms to get a full picture.

Air conditioners follow a simple rule where they absorb heat from air situated inside the room in question and reject that heat to the outside atmosphere. For split ACs when the cross-flow fan situated inside IDU starts to rotate it sucks air from above the IDU passing it through the cold evaporator unit situated inside which is finally blown out from below where the louvers are situated to guide the cool airstream. While passing through the evaporators the residence time the air spends causes heat transfer from indoor air to the evaporator via convection. This heat absorbed is then carried by the refrigerant gas via dedicated copper pipes to the ODU situated outdoor and are finally ejected to the outdoor atmosphere via convection. The component that does this very important job is known as the condenser unit or heat exchanger. An outdoor fan is provided to aid the heat exchange by expulsing the air through the condenser fins.

The overall efficiency of an air conditioner is highly dependent on how efficiently these heat exchange of the both indoor and outdoor takes place. A 1.5 Ton Inverter will always have a much bigger evaporator and condenser unit than a 1.1 Ton. So if both are operated at identical tonnage of say 1.1 Ton cooling capacity, the 1.5 Ton will absorb heat much faster (due to bigger evaporator) from indoor and expulse heat to outdoor at a much higher rate (due to bigger condenser). So cooling efficiency aka EER climbs up for the 1.5 Ton Inverter while operating at 1.1 Ton cooling capacity and it consumes less power than a 1.1 Ton Inverter air conditioner operating at its rated capacity.

Also the IDU of a 1.5 Ton Inverter air conditioner have a much bigger skew fan which results in higher indoor airflow leading to a further feeling of cooling in human beings. The Sharp 1.1 Ton Inverter has a max indoor airflow of 10.9 CMM while their 1.5 Ton does a max of 16.8 CMM. With the 1.5 Ton capable to produce 54% more indoor airflow the room cools faster and humidity falls rapidly which produces the rapid sensation of cooling in human beings. And even now if you keep it at a high indoor temperature of 29 C the people inside the room (120 sqft) will feel comfortable due to the high airflow rate. For the same room a 1.1 Ton Inverter AC needs to run at 27 C to produce the same amount of comfort level due to its reduced airflow capacity thus increasing the compressor load which needs to work more thus consuming more power.

So the L1 level is like operating the air conditioner at the desired tonnage or cooling capacity which is going to return better efficiency wrt normal intended use. An analogy will be driving a car at reduced speeds [Reduced Cooling Capacity] so that its gives better mileage [Lower Average Power Consumption] while not being so slow that it takes ages to reach the destination [Set Temperature]. Of course driving at maximum speeds [Maximum Cooling Capacity] the person could have reached the destination faster [Set Temperature] but mileage would have definitely suffered [Higher Average Power Consumption].

Hope this helps.

Hi Rishi,
So do you suggest I should go for 1.5T instead? I was planning 1T for my 120 sqft room.

 

[akb]

Hi Rishi,
So do you suggest I should go for 1.5T instead? I was planning 1T for my 120 sqft room.

Rishi is more competent to reply to it. But 1.5T is toooo much for a 120 sqft room. Even 0.75T works well is such small rooms. I have seen many such.

But for inverters they advice to buy one step higher so I went for 1.1T of sharp for my 12x10 room. Besides that there is steep price difference also: 28.5k vs 42-44k.

 

[ghatgepatil]

Interesting thread.

Notwithstanding the obvious benefits of an inverter to a non-inverter, please try understanding one very important aspect. AC takes care of 'whatever heat in, it is to be thrown out'. Inverter ACs also possess a band where they operate on-off, beyond which the operation is of stepless modulation of the compressor-fan or only the fan. The fan should NEVER switch off, else the temperature sensor in the AC would not get its 'true' feed.

If suppose the inverter AC has a 0 - 10% on-off band, it would directly mean that if the cooling load established is 'just' 10% of its full compressor capacity, the compressor would shut off and the AC unit 'for that period' would run on-off. THAT is exactly what has to be avoided at all costs since the user is making the inverter a non-inverter!!!

AC sizing is the most critical in any sense. Accepted, that by settling for a higher capacity inverter would be not THAT much detrimental when compared to an equivalent sized non-inverter. But then, why loose out on THAT advantage? 120 sq ft room (if it is not plastered with sunlight on the top and the sides) would be an easy contender for a 0.75 TR AC. So, you must not settle for any AC capacity beyond 1 - 1.1 TR in any case.

 

[rishiguru]

hi rishi i am a proud owner of sharp ah xp18mv and very much satisfied with its performance.

Good to know.

however i am right now using it without any stabilizer...can u suggest any stabilizer? what should be the capacity? it is not because of heavy voltage fluctuation or something just for peace of mind as its an expensive machine

Are stabilizers really required for Inverter air conditioners? All one needs is a time delay circuit, if not already built into it. I do not use any stabilizers for my Sharp ACs.

0.1kw @ 25C is amazing man.

Ok lets keep some facts straight before we start dreaming of an air conditioner consuming less power than your mobile phone:

1) There is a common belief that Inverter air conditioners compressor remains always in operational state while switched on. While this is true to a certain point in that their compressors remain operational for most of the time but there are periods when the compressor shuts off just like non-Inverters.

2) It is impossible for the compressor having 6 kW cooling capacity of Sharp 1.5 Ton Inverter air conditioner to operate at just 0.1 kW input power. At that load it is the indoor fan, the outdoor fan along with the micro-computer module that is operational. At 0.2 kW, I believe the coolant pump kicks in and then the compressor kicks in and it suddenly jumps to 0.5 kW. Now the inbuilt micro-computer starts to play its own game, slows or shuts down the outdoor fan when required saving power, varies the indoor fan speed in auto mode to save power, addresses when the coolant pump to operate and commands when the compressor to kick in. So there may be a time when the compressor is running at 0.4 kW overall load and the other components like coolant pump and outdoor fan switched off.

I think the inbuilt power meter in 1.5T model of Sharp might just be showing the power taken by compressor only (Whats your thought Rishi ??).

The power consumption shown on the IDU display of Sharp 1.5 Tonners denote the total power drawn by the AC and not just the compressor. It has been verified by another member in another forum where he compared the values shown on the IDU to a power meter, both showing identical values in 0.1 kW increments.

BTW my AC in standby is eating 8 watts of power so I prefer to keep the main switch off.

Good to know about the standby power consumption. A part of the micro computer module must be awake to listen to your remote call.

Thanks for that explanation Rishi. Really deserves a applaud :clapping:.

You are most welcome.

Unlike the 1.5T model, low wattage function in 1.1T is one step only (the max kw of which is unknown to me).

Have you looked at the instruction manual? I believe it will most probably be in the 0.8 kW region.

Do this, during start up press the button and for the next 5 mins look for the highest consumption figure in your power meter. That will be the max limit.

I am feeling a bit saddened that I am unable to keep my room cool at 25C @ 0.1kw like the proud owners of 1.5T model. Gosh is this even possible.

Nope it is not possible with the compressor or the coolant pump kicking in.

 

[rishiguru]

Hi Rishi, So do you suggest I should go for 1.5T instead? I was planning 1T for my 120 sqft room.

Stick to your plan. 1.1 Ton will be more than enough for your 120 sqft room.

 

[akb]

Rishi, You were the inspiration to make me buy a Sharp AC and now I want you to put suspicious about my purchase to rest. I know this isn't your job but I just want to exploit your knowledge & helpfulness a little. Hope you wouldn't mind..

Consider this:

A small but heavily loaded 10x12 room. Inside it, a double bed with fully packed boxes, 2 big metal almiras, a 10x4x3 attic (that too packed), a CRT TV and other small things here n there. Half of the roof remains under sunlight (rooms on all sides so no sun on walls). A north facing window (no sunlight) with glass panes providing so so insulation and a wooden door with a inch gap below it

Delhi is hovering around 39-40C max temperature in day. The compressor is also on the roof partly under sun (though I have hanged its own flatted box as a temporary shed over it).

Is 500-600w okay to keep this setup cool at 25C with a occupancy of 2-3? This is the wattage where it stays on when the temperature is set to 25C. Very occasionally it drops to ~ 450w but then quickly jumps back to ~ 550w. The more and more I am reading the experiences of AH-XP18MV owners, I am starting to suspect my 1.1T ACs performance as to whether its working as expected or has some issue with the cooling. Yet to find any AH-XP13LV reviews.

naviworks above said that he sees "that figure 0.1kw in the window most of the time" to keep his 16x12 room cool at 25C. Despite your explanation above isn't it really cool if he is experiencing such low wattage for a considerably bigger room?

I also clarified from a user mk76 on other forum who mentioned 0.6kw to keep his room cool at 24C. In his clarification he said:

- Day time
- Room size - 15 x 10 + 6 x 6 (Study room - extended)
- I set the fan at 3.
- Also my room is on the back side ( shaded by adjoining building). So not much of sunlight

I also noticed that at 25C it requires 0.2-0.3 KW once the initial chilling is over.

Am I digging too much or my suspicions justified. I will take your word. Thanks in advance.

 

[akb]

Do this, during start up press the button and for the next 5 mins look for the highest consumption figure in your power meter. That will be the max limit.

Thanks for the suggestion. I set the temp to 16C and switched on the low wattage mode. The usage remained between 588-596w so I guess the max limit is 0.6kw.

 

[rishiguru]

Thanks for the suggestion. I set the temp to 16C and switched on the low wattage mode. The usage remained between 588-596w so I guess the max limit is 0.6kw.

The Sharp AH-XPxxLV are all 2010 models catering 0.8 ~ 1.1 Ton Inverter range. In 2011 Sharp released the new AH-XPxxMV models which catered the whole 0.8 ~ 2.0 Ton Inverter range. It consisted of two completely new and quite advanced models AH-XP18MV (1.5 Ton) and AH-XP24MV (2.0 Ton) while the existing solid LV lineup was revamped with only cosmetic changes to the IDU mimicking the color codes of its bigger brothers with some minor tit bit changes. As always the international models arrived a year later in India and when it did Sharp India choose to fill the 1.5 ~ 2.0 Ton Inverter range with new MV range while 0.8 ~ 1.1 Ton Inverter range continued to be their old LV range.

Most importantly AH-XP13LV and AH-XP13MV had identical cooling capacity and cooling performance while the MV just looked better. This 13MV had two Instant Low Wattage settings:

L1 --> 0.8 kW
L2 --> 0.6 kW

Yours AH-XP13LV seems to have L2 by default.

Sharp AH-XP13MV

Link: Sharp AH-XP13MV Operating Manual

 

[lake1988]

Rishi thanks for your thread on Sharp AC.

I will be buying an inverter ac. My room size is around 140sqft. Daily usage will be 10hrs.
I have a bad experience with LG ac already..just to repair various parts within 3 yrs made me realize that their build quality is poor.
So I will be buying some other brand..
My question is you were saying in other thread that you found LG ac in your friends house has got better cooling than yours sharp one..both of them are of same tonnage.
Just asking in which perspective you think LG is better than sharp/hitachi/panasonic.

Also suggest me which brand I should go and do you know anything about Sharp's annual maintenance contract for their ac.

 

[akb]

Rishi, your insights on this please...

http://www.hifivision.com/general-l...co-inverter-air-conditioner-7.html#post492813

Will surely help other prospective buyers of 1.1 to decide between XP13LV & XP18MV.

 

[ghatgepatil]

@ akb, you should feel very pleased to net 500-600 W for a 1.1 TR AC machine on a continuous operation mode. A non-inverter 1 TR machine would have required anywhere between 900-1100 W (only when with the compressor running) on on-off basis. Hope, there is no need to give a repeat explanation on the detriments of on-off operation!

I have'nt read the manual or experienced this AC of yours, so can't comment. Many inverter ACs are provided with Turbo-cool function. What it does is rapidly cool a 'hot' room by running the compressor motor at 10-15% higher speed than usual (more than the rated peak) for 5-10 minutes, and then immediately get back to the (lean) inverter mode. If wattage is to be measured during these 5-10 minutes, you might find the inverter AC swallowing upwards of 1100 W during that period. This is an added convenience built into the AC, so as to make available 'quicker' comfortable environment. If you asked me of my opinion of this 'convenience', well, I would prefer not to go by it since, do not see as to why overload my compressor even though for just 5-10 minutes from peak levels. Always better to go by 'slow and steady' to get more effective life out of the equipment with reliability! More the features, more would be the chances and probability of any machine misbehaving in the long term.

It is not easy to rectify inverter drives!!!! One has to be prepared to shell out big bucks to replace the complete 'inverter board' if anything goes wrong. I owned a Panasonic 'inverter' microwave oven costing 12K. After 4 years of stupendous operation, the inverter function went kaput and was asked to shell out 6K for a replacement. Meekily settled for a basic MWO after that experience. Yes, Inverter AC is different as power saving is phenomenal @ 25-30% while comparing to even a properly (room) sized non-inverter AC.

 

[akb]

@ akb, you should feel very pleased to net 500-600 W for a 1.1 TR AC machine on a continuous operation mode. A non-inverter 1 TR machine would have required anywhere between 900-1100 W (only when with the compressor running) on on-off basis. Hope, there is no need to give a repeat explanation on the detriments of on-off operation!

I have'nt read the manual or experienced this AC of yours, so can't comment. Many inverter ACs are provided with Turbo-cool function. What it does is rapidly cool a 'hot' room by running the compressor motor at 10-15% higher speed than usual (more than the rated peak) for 5-10 minutes, and then immediately get back to the (lean) inverter mode. If wattage is to be measured during these 5-10 minutes, you might find the inverter AC swallowing upwards of 1100 W during that period. This is an added convenience built into the AC, so as to make available 'quicker' comfortable environment. If you asked me of my opinion of this 'convenience', well, I would prefer not to go by it since, do not see as to why overload my compressor even though for just 5-10 minutes from peak levels. Always better to go by 'slow and steady' to get more effective life out of the equipment with reliability! More the features, more would be the chances and probability of any machine misbehaving in the long term.

It is not easy to rectify inverter drives!!!! One has to be prepared to shell out big bucks to replace the complete 'inverter board' if anything goes wrong. I owned a Panasonic 'inverter' microwave oven costing 12K. After 4 years of stupendous operation, the inverter function went kaput and was asked to shell out 6K for a replacement. Meekily settled for a basic MWO after that experience. Yes, Inverter AC is different as power saving is phenomenal @ 25-30% while comparing to even a properly (room) sized non-inverter AC.

I hope nothing breaks for 4-5 years at my end after the warranty period of AC

I tell you my confusion. You say 500-600w continuous is nice power saving for my 1.1T inverter AC. At the same time you say a non-inverter would have consumed 900-1100w. But a non-inverter has 50-70% ON cycle. so half of the time it will be off, effectively averaging the consumption to ~ 500w only?

 

[ghatgepatil]

HVAC is a pretty tough subject. 1+1 need not be 2, most likely the answer would be 11.
Would suggest you to quit your clamour for technical justifications and enjoy what you possess. Else, you would need to spend quite a bit of time understanding the refrigeration and cooling fundamentals, that too if you are already a similar-field engineer or have a technical bent of mind.

 

[akb]

HVAC is a pretty tough subject. 1+1 need not be 2, most likely the answer would be 11.
Would suggest you to quit your clamour for technical justifications and enjoy what you possess. Else, you would need to spend quite a bit of time understanding the refrigeration and cooling fundamentals, that too if you are already a similar-field engineer or have a technical bent of mind.

ok boss

 

[rishiguru]

A small but heavily loaded 10x12 room. Inside it, a double bed with fully packed boxes, 2 big metal almiras, a 10x4x3 attic (that too packed), a CRT TV and other small things here n there. Half of the roof remains under sunlight (rooms on all sides so no sun on walls). A north facing window (no sunlight) with glass panes providing so so insulation and a wooden door with a inch gap below it

I hope the glass windows are heavily curtained. If not get it done since outdoor heat is conducted through the glass and making the indoor temperature rise creating more burden for your AC that needs to work more.

Secondly the inch gap under the door is a killer for your AC. Cold air being heavier resides down and when it does a lot of it is escaping through the gap. Again your AC needs to work more to keep the set temperature. Stuff some cloth on the gap for temporary solution and get it fixed soon so that cold air does not escapes.

Delhi is hovering around 39-40C max temperature in day. The compressor is also on the roof partly under sun (though I have hanged its own flatted box as a temporary shed over it).

ODUs ideally should always be in a shade so that effective heat dissipation can take place. But always that is not possible and from your efforts it seems you created a shed on a temporary basis.

I tell you my confusion. You say 500-600w continuous is nice power saving for my 1.1T inverter AC. At the same time you say a non-inverter would have consumed 900-1100w. But a non-inverter has 50-70% ON cycle. so half of the time it will be off, effectively averaging the consumption to ~ 500w only?

If your room is poorly insulted then a non-Inverter will have a much higher duty cycle.

 

[lake1988]

Rishi..your suggestion on this..http://www.hifivision.com/general-lounge/41224-review-sharp-ah-xp18mv-1-5ton-eco-inverter-air-conditioner-8.html#post492857

 

[rishiguru]

Rishi thanks for your thread on Sharp AC.

Thanks for the complements.

My room size is around 140sqft. Daily usage will be 10hrs.

Which floor? For 10 hours daily operation Inverters are the way to go.

I have a bad experience with LG ac already..just to repair various parts within 3 yrs made me realize that their build quality is poor. So I will be buying some other brand. My question is you were saying in other thread that you found LG ac in your friends house has got better cooling than yours sharp one..both of them are of same tonnage.

The old LG Inverter on which my views were based had a much better product quality than their current lineup. Their 1.5 Ton Inverter used to cost 10K more than their current 1.5 Ton. With multiple members complaining regarding many designs and manufacturing related issues of their ODUs, I do not suggest them anymore.

Just asking in which perspective you think LG is better than sharp/hitachi/panasonic. Also suggest me which brand I should go and do you know anything about Sharp's annual maintenance contract for their ac.

Hitachi do not make Inverters as of now. You can opt for Panasonic or Sharp both are good. The biggest strength of Sharp is undoubtly the VFM. No one can match Sharp on this aspect as of now in the Inverter range.

 

[lake1988]

My room is in 1st floor and there are floors above it. This room is also my Theatre Room so many gadgets are there..
Also if you know any details regarding Annual maintainance contract of Sharp please let me know.