ALDI Stirling STR-23RSJAIF (Oct 2013-2017)
VerifiedMPN: STR-23RSJAIF26 reviews
Don't buy a Stirling Air con – Useless. Complete waste of money. Outside compressor circuit board and fan motor both failed just outside of warranty. I Barely ever used the sir con then when I needed it it failed. It will cost more to replace the parts that the air con cost in the first place and the parts are no longer available anyway. Show details
Heating function not showing – Heating mode does not work. I've taken rhe batteries out and put back in but end heating icon isn't showing when I scroll through the icons.
P5 flaut code – Question what does P5 fault code mean on my system at home? Show details
Heap of crap! – I have a Stirling from Aldi. Hasn’t even been installed two years. Keeps flashing E9 code. So called “power cycling” does nothing. My dogs and I are freezing. I am not happy and will never buy another one. People, don’t waste your dollars. Get a reputable brand. Show details
5 Years in No go any more – Error code E9 same as others in the past. Had it tested nothing to do withe the functions related to E9 code. Computer boards are the most likely thje issue Show details
You get what you pay for always go bigger brand – Started with a EF fault then came good Now it has a EU fault P1 codes for 10 mins now EC fault Show details
Faulty split system – Split system Turns on and off all by itself I have tried everything to keep it off and I also have a ec code coming up this product is faulty and I have had no support from aldi. The manual tells me nothing on how to fix it. Show details
Hi Jackstar, I am so sorry to hear about your experiences… Read more (+2 replies)
Just Like "Suddenly Stopped Working" – Was heating this time last year, now only opens the door and a fan works, nothing else. Build date 10/2015. Same thing as other guys problem. Just as well they discontinued them in 2017. Not the first aldi electrical to give us a problem and no real back up, they always want "You" to send the unit back??? Show details
Suddenly stopped heating – After working well for 4 years the unit suddenly stopped heating. After following all of the instructions in the Manuel nothing worked. After reading reviews here there seems this issue is common. Show details
Sterling Aircon – I can’t comment on the performance of the unit as I only recently installed a sterling snd this is my only dealing. As a refrig tech I would say I don’t go to the butcher for fruit and veg, so I would say( just my opinion a supermarket shouldn’t sell aircons) In saying all that the indoor unit is ok to install, but no marking on indoor plate for… Read more
hole, I would also say the electirical connections on indoor and outdoor unit are very average. Seperate pipe cover and electrical cover on outdoor unit is not great. Also the suction tail on the indoor unit is very short( welding of tails required for a normal brick veneer house) But for the price I think not too bad, I’d prefer too install Fujitsu or Dakins( way better quality, but way more price) I think for the price quite good. But time will tell if there are issues, sterling Are better then the Fujita Cunningham’s Warehouse sold back in the day
Absolute CRAP Unit and CRAP Service – Overall this whole experience has been terrible. We purchased the unit from ALDI, had it installed and used it six (6) times. It then wouldn't operate and flashed an E0 sign. After speaking with Stirling they sent around a technician to have a look. We also go our own technician to have a look and on both accounts it was the same… Read more
result.........the mother board. That's where it all stopped, we have been waiting for months to get this unit fixed, to no avail. The technician has been back twice and hasn't done any work, just told us that the unit has been put in wrong and that he would quote us to what it would cost before Stirling would guarantee the warranty. A disgrace, told them all today to stick it and we will get it fixed ourselves. Never ever buy Stirling.................. a dreadful product and the subcontractors we have found ordinary and unprofessional.
Didn't last 3 years – We had purchased this unit in October 2014 but didn't have it installed till Novenmber 2016. The motherboard has now gone in it after only 3 years use. They will not honour the warranty even though it is only a couple of months out of warranty. Don't waste your money on Aldi crap. Aircons should last alot longer than 4 years
The worst Warranty service ever – I purchased my Stirling air conditioner a couple of years ago. Stopped working at the beginning of December 2019. Contacted Tempo they said repair man would contact me within 2 days. No one called. Contacted Tempo again 7 days later they gave me the repair guys phone number. I called him, he stated he couldnt help me. Called Tempo back, they… Read more
brushed me off and offered me the cost I paid for the unit. What about the money I paid to get this unit installed $800. Never ever will I buy one of these units again. Absolute Crap and so is the Warranty...
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Rubbish – Absolute rubbish. The unit failed after 8 months, E0 error. Contacted Stirling about warranty they replied asking for details which I gave them and then never heard from them again.
good air conditioner with great warranty service – The AC works well it just has a slightly long delay before it operates. Had slight issue with outside unit power board which was resolved without any issues by Tempo. Great company to deal with. Show details
Buyer Beware – I purchased my Aldi / Stirling Airconditioner (STR-23RSJAIF) in October 2016. I have it installed in my bedroom so a relatively small room but always thought it seemed under powered to the extent where I would leave my ceiling fans running while cooling in summer and in winter run a small space heater until the room got warm enough for the Aldi… Read more
airconditioner heating side of things to maintain it. I just figured it was underpowered and once you have gone through the expense of installing it, it's too expensive to take it down and get a refund / change it.
On the 5th of January 2019 it stopped working and was flashing an EA error - which of course isn't documented in the manual. The warranty instruction is to contact Tempo who looks after managing the repairs and this is where any semblance of competent let alone good customer service ends. I wont go into the excessively long and boring details but suffice to say that after dozens of emails and phone calls where I have done almost all the work myself in trying to get my air conditioner fixed under warranty (and I'm a tech guy), and as of writing this despite it being well and truly under warranty, and having been inspected and the fault diagnosed by an air conditioning repairer (it needs a new circuit board) who I had to find - no repair has been performed. Apparently they are out of parts ... and still are almost 4 months later. I like Aldi. I like their special buys. I have bought several of them. I would however never recommend purchasing a Stirling branded air conditioner to anyone. Likewise I would never again purchase or recommend anyone purchase a product with Tempo as the warranty agent. It has been a very frustrating disappointing experience and still ongoing... Buyer beware. I have learnt my lesson.
EDIT: Just as an update, TEMPO who looks after the warranty provided a full refund after several… Read more
Excellent – I bought 2 of these and they are fantastic work perfectly, I would definitely buy again. 1in the bedroom 1 in the family room using on heat now for winter large one in the family room warms our very large room. Smaller one in bedroom is excellent as well. Thank you Show details
Certainly beats the heat – We brought this unit thinking for such a low price if it only done our bedroom I would be more than happy at such a low price and as I work shift work we would use it in the hottest part of the day n it would do the whole 30 square house and I would have to put my hands in front of it to see if it was working it was so quite n it took one man 3hours to put it in n he commented on how easy it was to install Show details
Exactly what I wanted. Works well. Low power consumption – I bought 2 x 2300W-cooling and 1 x 3300W-cooling. Happy with both. Only minor design-improvements ALDI should take on board. The unit is quiet and even quieter in sleep mode. Somebody below complained about the long time until the unit starts operating - this is explained in the manual - it works like this. I did detailed measurements with a… Read more
power-meter:
Standby mode: 2W
Switching on in A/C-cooling mode: Power consumption for the first 3 minutes: 36W (if I recall correctly) - this is the power used by the fan of the indoor unit. The outdoor unit takes these 3 minutes to "prepare itself". After these 3 min. the power consumption climbs slowly from about 700W to approx. 1000W (that is what the rated power given in the manual is). It may not even go as high as 1000W, but stay around 850W - this depends on the outdoor temperature.
In case your wonder: "2300W cooling, but only 1000W consumption (of both units (indoor and outdoor) together)":
In the old days the cooling power was given in HP. I think 2300W is just a conoversion for the cooling HP, and one should simply not try to see a connection between the 2300W and the 1000W. It would make more sense to give BTU instead of cooling-W...
Sure, each time one starts the unit, one has to adjust the desired deflector-position again. It's no biggy, but recommendation to Aldi: Add a defector-memory-function!
I placed one unit in my bedroom, one in the kitchen. The remote offers the option of switching the illuminated display off... - well that is: all the symbols on the display, which make sense. However, this main power symbol, which is illuminated regardless, if unit is switched on or off (and thus does not make sense at all), can not be switched off. THIS is the major negative I have to mention about this unit, and a very loud shout at ALDI: Do something about this on the next model - people complain about this since years!
Anyway, I have my own way dealing with this: In the kitchen, I don't care - however in the bedroom:
Hey, Aldi: I want to sleep there. Not possible with that light illuminating the room. Placing a sticker over the top surface does not help much, as the light bleeds through by the top. Thus, one could do what somebody wrote below: Unscrew the unit behind the lid, where the light comes from and place something (non-flammable) over it. I however went on step further - not really recommended, as something might get damaged and/or warranty might cease...: I scratched off the 2 pesky light super-bright blue SMD-LEDs successfully. Problem solved... ;) I have to say, I was hoping to reduce the 2W Standby power consumption significantly that way as well - but no: Amazingly, this bright light comes from only 0.2W, i.e. after scratching off the 2 LEDs, the stand-by power is still 1.8W. But that is what the power-point switch is for: If you do not use the A/C for a longer time, just switch off the wall-switch of the power-point to save power. 2W power-consumption non-stop for 1 year (assuming 40 cents/kWh) is AU$7 per year...
I did not measure the power-consumption in heating mode yet. But good to know: Don't be shocked, if you switch it on an absolutely nothing happens for about 3 minutes, not even the fan goes. Nothing. That's normal. It heats well (after those 3 minutes).
Somebody below mentioned problems removing the sticker from the unit - I assume that is the power rating sticker...: Use a hairdryer to do this and the sticker comes off easy. I removed the sticker from the front and placed it on the side. Hey, Aldi: You should do this to start with. Nobody thinks the power-rating-sticker is a Piccasso!
About the copper-pipes, which one needs to buy: Caution: Do not use water-copper-pipes. They do not do the job. But even for A/C-copper pipes there are different gratings: One seem to bend only with difficulty, while the real good ones are made of soft copper. My local plummer shop sold it only as 18m roll (I think it was), both pipes and already with insulation around. That sure is expensive... - but I was lucky to find ONE (only one of many) friendly A/C-installer, who sold me what I needed (3m) as cut-off for a really fair price.
I bought the required tools from ebay and made some myself.
If your read the manual well, you will find that 3m is the max. length of copper-pipe, which can be installed without additional regasing. And since you are in Australia and not in the US: Good luck finding a way to buy a can of R400A...: It's not being sold here to normal mortals.
Btw.: I am also happy with the 3300W-cooling unit from Aldi.
I welded 3 extremely strong Metal-constructions to fix the outdoor units to the brick wall, one as low as 1.5m above ground, the other 3.5m above ground (requires 2 ladders and 2 people to get the unit up there).
The timer function is also very good and easy to use. When I go to sleep, I type everything into the remote with closed eyes.
My room-size is quite a bit larger than the room-size the unit is rated for (about 25% larger), BUT: The huge walk-in wardrobe of that room has at least a curtain in the door, which I close, plus I have huge wardrobes and other bits of furniture in that room, so that the m3-size of that room is about right for the unit. Meaning: Giving a m2 (square-meter) size of a room, for which the A/C is good is pretty pointless, Aldi! Required is a Cubic-meter-size, which this A/C-unit can cool without probs.
Also: I installed the bigger unit (3300W-cooling) in my extremely huge split-level-living room (again: m2 size does not make sense in a split-level room). The room is approx. 4 times bigger than the unit is good for, but: It does it's job the way I expected. Obviously the 1st-floor remains boiling hot, while the sofa at which the deflectors are aimed is a very cosy-cool place to sit in summer.
My reasoning behind buying a clearly undersized unit for the room:
I have 5kW Solar panels on the roof. The 3300W-cooling unit consumes 1.5kW Power, my own generated powered, while other appliances can still be powered at the same time, even if there is no full sun, i.e. a bit less then 5kW.... The room would probably require a unit which consumes 6-8kW to cool it completely, but then I would cool the upstairs area, where I do not sit and pay a fortune in power, which I then would have to buy, instead of using the free power from the sun...
Installation cost:
Keep in mind that a licensed A/C-specialist and a licensed electrician are normally payed by the hour. Thus, if you are really handy and you know what you are doing, you could discuss with the A/C-guy and the electrician what you yourself are allowed to do before they arrive. However, if you don't 100% know what you are doing, you will have to pay a big bill in the end.
Wrong advise in the ALDI installation manual:
The manual reads in short: The connection of the pipes is following by bleeding (=create a vacuum with a vacuum pump in the refrigerant circuit), the then release with a 1/4 turn refrigerant (which is stored in the outdoor unit) into the circuit for 10 sec., AND ONLY THEN START LOOKING FOR LEAKS... Well, that is wrong. It you use the refrigerant to find a leak, and you indeed find a leak, which might be substantial and not be fixable by tightening the union-nuts (=flare nuts). In fact, if the union nuts have been tightened with excessive tightening torque they could have damaged the flared ends, i.e. everything needs to be dismantled again at that location and re-flared. Which means: All the so far released refrigerant will disappear into the atmosphere and be lost for the function of the A/C unit. ALDI needs to revise the installation manual.
The proper way of installation is: Pressure test of the connected pipes via service port with (ideally) Nitrogen. ALDI needs to specify the pressure of the Nitrogen. Probably somewhere in the region of 250-450 psi. Test with leak-detector and/or soap-water (bubbles). Only thereafter: Vacuum & R410A release into the circuit. And: Test again!
Why the correct handling of the refrigerant R450A is important:
The outdoor-unit is pre-loaded with 1100g refrigerant R410A.
While R410A is heaps better than the refrigerants of the old days, which had ozone depletion potential, while R410A is said not to have that.
However, as GWP for R410A I found (on two web-sites) numbers of 1725 and 2088 (latter on a German web-site) - this Global Warming Potential (GWP) means: R410A is 1725 or 2088 times as bad for global warming as CO2, i.e. (going with 2088): The amount of R410A in this A/C-unit is (if released) as bad as 2.3 tons of CO2.
Amendment (to understand, what equals 2.3 tons of CO2):
LPG produces 1.51kg/l of CO2
LPG produces 2.32kg/l of CO2, which means in layman terms:
A car, which consumes 17.5 Liter of LPG/100km (1.51x17.5=26.425 / 2300/26.425=106), has produced 2.3 tons of CO2 after driving 8704 km.
A car, which consumes 12 Liter of petrol/100km (2.32x12=27.84 / 2300/27.84=100.6), has produced 2.3 tons of CO2 after driving 8262 km
Oh, and one last thing: I will have to improve on the design:
1. Close all unnecessary drill-holes in the outdoor unit with white sticky-tape (to avoid breeding mud-wasps)
and for the same reason:
2. Protect the air-intake and air-exhaust surfaces with aluminium fly-mesh. Since the flymesh itself reduces the usable surface, the flymesh needs to be bent like a box, so that the air has the original surface to pass through. The "depth" of that construction needs to be about 9cm according to my calculation.
..and I will also protect the outdoor units from rain, keeping in mind that the airflow is not being limited....
3. ...while ALDI needs to improve on: The mounting plate for the indoor unit - it is "not fun to deal with". Very frustrating, challenging and exhausting, until the indoor-unit can finally be attached to it. Mind you that the joggling-act of attaching the unit includes inserting the in-/outgoing pipes at the same time. Design improvement required!
And a last one for ALDI: The standby-power consumption of the 3300W-cooling unit is 9W. That is unacceptable - there is no reason for that to be more than 2W (i.e. what the smaller unit consumes in standby). I solved this problem my way...
Good Split System – Happy with cooling and heating performance Quiet Installation was Ok This system is easy to use, manuals give full detailed information how to install and use Not happy that power light is always on. Plastic finishing of indoor units is not of high quality Had to spend time to remove stickers from indoor unit. Show details
Aldi Stirling Air Conditioner – I have this air conditioner and would recommend it to anyone as long as their needs are a close fit to mine. I was looking for an inexpensive air conditioner that I would use mainly in summer when it was extremely hot and humid (Sydney summer). It's slightly under capacity for my living room but does a fine job for me but I don't want to be in a… Read more
refrigerator-type environment.
The only shock was the installation. Even by doing most of the work myself, there was a fair amount of extra expense installing and connecting the two units (eg I had to buy the copper piping to connect the two units). A friend helped with the vacuum extraction but I had to pay a licensed electrician to connect the power to comply with insurance requirements.
The packaging does recommend a licensed installer do the installation. To be fair to consumers, there should be an indicative cost for this service on the packaging as it could affect a buyers decision to get the unit. Installation is a substantial cost whether you do it yourself or have someone do the whole job.
2 units puchased - just going through warranty process with 1 unit – Bought 2 units in October 2014, installed and been working great up until 1 unit stopped cooling about 6 weeks ago. Now going through the warranty process to have it replaced as it lost all it's gas and caused corrosion. Other than this I found the units quiet, east to use and practical in the 2 areas used in. We'll be using the remaining unit a… Read more
lot more now as we didn't use that one as much as the problem one......just to see if the same thing happens to this one.....lucky there is another 2.5yrs warranty left. Really hoping we don't have the same problem. Fingers crossed!
Find out how ALDI Stirling STR-23RSJAIF (Oct 2013-2017) compares to other Split System Air Conditioners
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All 3 air Conditioners have now failed – The 3 units we installed all work OK and run whisper quiet. However the power used by the unit in the living area, which admittedly is undersized for that space, runs continuously at 1000W - nearly double the 520W advertised on the box and only achieves about 5C cooling. I have an in-line power meter to measure the power. The unit in the… Read more
bedroom, which is appropriately sized, cools the room off very effectively and correctly switches down to low fan when the room is down to temperature. However, the power only drops below 520W if the room is closed up, curtains drawn and the room is down to temperature. I very much doubt that it produces 2.3kW of cooling at 520W power input as advertised. The display is also very bright and lights up the bedroom like a night light. This was fixed by removing the display board from behind the front cover, putting black gaffer tape over the LEDs and re-installing the board (10 minute job). Update 4/01/2026: All 3 of these A/c units have now failed - all lost their refridgerant gas. Would never buy an Aldi A/C again. I don't buy any of their products anymore - however their fridge is still going strong 6 or so years on.
Doesn't cool effectively – On a hot day this small unit does not cool my very small home effectively, it is fine with heat but not cool. I have to put the temperature on 16 but it only feels like 24 degrees .The unit was very reasonably priced but cost a lot to install. To get another is just too costly. Show details
Aldi $599 Air CON – I comment in general on the Aldi/Stirling air conditioner offerings, not on any one model. When Aldi first put an air-con on their Special Buys around 2009/2010 it was a 6.4Kw unit and priced at $599.00. I bought 3 and they all worked flawlessly (and still do) The only caveat I now have is that the ones on offer in 2016 are all weeners around 2… Read more
to 3Kw, and at the same price of $599.00. Such a unit is fine for a bedroom or other small room, but the value for money has pretty much gone. 6KW for $599.00 was fantastic. 2.3KW for $599.00 is a bit ordinary, and too small for many situations. I am disappointed that an effective price hike is masked by a downgrade in specifications. Smacks and excoriations to Aldi for that. Had they reduced the price on the weeners, Aldi may have retained some moral high ground.
Not a bad unit one issue – We have only had this installed a day, so far it cools effectively. The only issue is that you can't make the power indicator turn off. So when you want to go to bed you either have to put up with a fairly bright blue illumination or turn the power to the unit off at the wall (which is outside on a standard installation). Show details
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Hi Sacha, We're sorry to hear that you are having an issue… Read more