Benson Air Conditioners

Hi,

Has anyone installed a Benson A/C. We are about to buy a ducted system. Things we like are:
WA owned & designed (-3 to 53 degrees C operating temp)
Uses R290 environmentally friendly gas
More efficient than similar A/C from our research
Scroll compressor
Price is ballpark

Would love some feedback.
Thanks

Hi there. We are also looking at the Benson right now but want to make sure it is a decent product. Did you end up going with the Benson? If so, we'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

The 5 year warranty is also a pretty solid plus.

All A/C units in Australia (residentially) cover 5 years parts and labour typically - query the gas type personally - parts in stock with warranty would be my concern and are they inverter or digital scroll or fixed speed compressors?

Quote: "R290 is pure propane, a hydrocarbon and efficient naturally occurring refrigerant with similar properties to R22
No ozone depletion potential, ODP = 0 Extremely low global warming potential GWP = 3
Environmentally safe but highly flammable. Used only after careful consideration to safety."

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/refri ... d_145.html

Most A/C's nowadays have R410A or R407C - R22 (common in older units) is being phased out and cost for this product is becoming more expensive

Personally, not for me!

Their compressor is an inverter. I have my unit installed and apart from a few teething issues, it does the job well. hare1 and I are in touch as we both have Benson units. As your signature says, you get what you pay for

I would grade the Benson unit as mid range, hence the price.

So long as it works, that's the main thing.

I work for a refrigeration and air conditioning wholesaler and had never heard of R290 - interesting concept for air conditioning using a propane based gas, flammability wise but I am sure they have some safety mechanism for leaks etc.

Good luck and keep cool

I had a Benson Airconditioner installed 12 months ago, had a few ongoing issues. Finally found others who have them! Thought I must have been the only one Would be interested to know what temp you guys run it on a hot day and if it ever reaches it and turns off. Have never had r/c before and am not sure if mine is working properly. Would also be interested to know what level of service you receive from the supplier...

Thanks in advance

Argyle (hope you are not in the Kimberley's - WA) R290 is not quite capable of the heat transfer as other gases - consult the manufacturer / dealer I'd say (I accept no responsibility for this info - no idea about R290 apart from what I am told) It's an alternative for soon to be (already) pre-deceded gases).
It is a flammable gas which does does not sit well with me personally

Thanks for the reply, I wish I was in the Kimberley! I am in Perth. Have to say am not too impressed with this system myself so far. Hopefully issues can be resolved soon!

I hope so too - I have requested their tech disk for my future info - unknown in VIC

If you contact the listed Benson Airconditioning agents in a number of States they are no longer dealing with Benson. This might mean something - or nothing. Their head office appears to be non-contactable. I have an old Benson unit that has been working well but has now stopped. Having some difficulty contacting local Benson agent in Perth, who also deals with other brands. Good luck with your decision.

Argyle and infocat, I have sent PM's to each of you. Hope that helps

Sorry. New to the forum. What is a PM and how do I view it?

Kind of top left hand corner - below "home/forum"

Argyle - issues with PM. Let me know if you got my reply tonight...?

We are considering a Benson, are they that bad?

YES, either that or I got the mother of all lemons! Have been trying to get mine fixed since November! My advice DON'T DO IT...

I would recommend forking out the extra and paying for a big name brand. Be sure to have a reputed installer put the system in for you. After market support for me has also been terrible. I dont wish to defame the conpany that installed it for me, but PM me if you want to know who I went with.

Thanks for the heads up. I guess I've heard bad things for a lot of companies both big and small, now it's just getting harder

I had pretty much one of the first if not the first to have a Benson 17.5kw Ducted System installed when the company first started way back in Feb 2002. I remember even back then the owner was very passionate about sustainable heating and cooling solutions for the future.
I am about to sell my home and decided it's time to replace the old Benson which finally decided to poop itself a couple of years ago. Before that though it never missed a beat and was probably only serviced a total of 6 times in 18 years. I do have an air con professional taking a look tomorrow to see if there is still life in the old Benson or if it needs retiring.