Questions For Air-Conditioner Experts:

I'm nt an airconditioner expert, but i've worked in building services. in any of these things you have to provide paramenters. what is the'cooling load '? the cooling load determines everything. it involves the following considerations-

floor area of room
total number of projected occupants(a source of heat)
does the room have windows?( if so, what kind of glass?) which determine solar heat gain
what equipment do you have(TVs, lights etc, all give off heat)

to be honest, a professional calaculation of air conditioner sizing is a nightmare. (if you aren't trained in it) there's a method called the manual j. it is very arcane and intricate. what most of us down here do is rule of thumb. i actually prepared an excel template, based on the info i got, that should help.

bottomline- in a domestic setting, use 1.5 hp split units for each room ( provided the room is 3m x 4m max;beyond that, get a second unit).remeber, I'm not a core HVAC guy.

as to procurement, you can g=buy the units at   cash and carry/samsung/shoprite/LG .then get an installer who will installe them and provide ant ancillaries( solatek voltage cut outs, rubber hose for drainage, cabling, socket outlets and trunking- if these were not alraedy provided for in your house)

note: you must also confirm that your mains supply cable is sized for the maximum number of ACs you intend to install.otherwise, you may wake with an electrical fire in the middle of the night.

Cooling load calculation will tell you how to do this,check that out

yes and no

yes if you visit during the dry season (february-Dec) lol

No if you visit in January only. God help you.

generally you need to be comfortable. If pass one night without sleep because heat, then you will not ask this question.

yes when you are around use the ac when travelling remove plug from wall socket when you are back plug back and use there is oil in the compressor that lubricates it as for the  out door  fan if there  is noise let it be greased ac is a flow process machine installed and handled right lasts years bearing PHCN flunctuations