Wall mounted air conditioner replacement advice

[endfire79]

My tenants (condo) wall mounted Fujitsu air conditioner is on the fritz.  I'm looking at getting another one.  I've seen a Panasonic for around $4000 (installation, change freon, tax etc).  I've seen some cheaper ones (Midea), more in the ~$2000 range.

Anyone here experienced in A/C units and able to offer some advice on the brand differences?

[GDS_Starfury]

I had a client last year with a 50 year old house and no central air.  hes along the canal system in central Ft Lauderdale.  fwiw hes an electrical engineer.  each of the rooms had a Yamaha on the wall.  these arent window shakers.
they looked like the top part of this pic.

[Staggerwing]

That's a ductless system. I've also heard them referred to as a Split or Mini-Split, though I'm not certain they are exactly the same. The coolant is pumped to the cooling unit from a central condenser (outside) though tubing so the wall units are pretty quiet and they don't require huge holes in the wall or large ductworks installed in the basement or ceiling, just an access hole for the tubing which is run along the outside of the building. I'm not sure it would work with a condo due to association rules and placement of the condenser unit could be a problem for a second floor dwelling.

[GDS_Starfury]

the only hole to drill with them is the drain tube.  those things got a room cold faster then Azz mentioning his herpies at a speed dating convention.

[endfire79]

Thanks, I'm a big inexperienced in this and getting a primer.

Yeah that's the sort of type of a/c I have.  It's a about 10 years old now, Fujitsu model, only cooling (not heating).  Our building system has most of the condenser unit (the big fan unit) either downstairs in the garage area, or on the roof (none are on the balconies). 

I'm just curious about the selection of A/C brands out there.  I've had an offer from a local a/c company for a Midea brand inverter type.  They're offering install and everything for $1950 + local tax (tax is high here), + 6 years warranty parts & labor.

I'm clueless as to Midea as they appear to be a Chinese brand and I wondered how they compared to the mainstream brands (i.e. Daikin, Mitsubishi, Yamaha etc).  Are they worth it, or are there big tradeoffs? 

[GDS_Starfury]

on second thought my client might have had the Fujitus.

[Bison]

6 year warranty for parts and labor is a pretty damned good deal these days.

[airboy]

I have a Sanyo system for several years.  It works fine as a supplemental system in my house that I use in Summer for the loft (interior roof goes up 19 feet in one area).

It is a ductless system.

Only issue - make darn sure you have a big enough interior drain system to take the condensation outside your home.  We had an "interior waterfall" with a lot of damage which the contractor's insurance covered.