The hot weather on our sunny island calls for the frequent use of air conditioners (aircon). When we’re outdoors, we are constantly on the lookout for indoor air-conditioned spaces, and when we’re indoors, we have to turn on the aircon to cool the room, keeping us comfortable. Many of us struggle to even stay focused without the air conditioner.

Air conditioners seem to have a very long lifespan because we use them for long periods of time every day; however, they are also prone to breakdowns and can cost you a lot if not well maintained. Despite the fact that they are used on a daily basis, our air conditioning units are still often neglected. How should we look after the system that keeps us cool and productive in the sweltering heat of Singapore? By regularly servicing our aircon of course.

IMPORTANCE OF AIRCON SERVICING

2.1. How Often Should Your Aircon Be Serviced?

Although the air conditioner is an absolute necessity for some of us, there are others who do not rely on them at all. These people include the older generation as well as the younger ones who live with them; if you are one of them, you probably don’t need to service your aircon very often. The duration between each aircon maintenance service will vary depending on how frequently your aircon is used.

I. Rare User of Air Conditioners

Are you able to fall asleep without cold air blowing out from the air conditioning unit? Are you the type of person who rarely reaches for the aircon remote and only turns on the aircon once in a while? If you’re the type of person who relies primarily on the fan rather than the aircon, then you will only have to get your aircon serviced once a year.

Many people in this category will choose to skimp on aircon maintenance services because they believe that if the aircon is not turned on, it will remain in good working order the next time they turn it on. However, pests such as cockroaches and ants can live in your aircon if you leave it unused for a long time.

Aside from ensuring that everything is in good condition, it is recommended that you engage aircon maintenance and cleaning services in Singapore to ensure that there are no creepy crawlies breeding in your air conditioning unit.

II. Occasional User of Air Conditioners

Do you occasionally turn on the aircon when it gets too hot during the day, but you’re not overly reliant on it? If you do not use your air conditioner for long periods of time every day, or if you only use it a few times per week, you are classified as an occasional user.

Get your aircon serviced every six months to ensure that it is clean and ready to run any time. 

III. Frequent User of Air Conditioners

If you can’t live without air conditioning and turn it on religiously every day because day-to-day activities are simply unbearable without it, you fall into this category of frequent users.

You should service your aircon at least once every two to three months, and this also includes cleaning your filters on your own at least once a month to maintain your aircon’s efficiency.

2.2. The Benefits of Regular Aircon Servicing

Most Singaporeans consider aircon maintenance and aircon cleaning services to be a waste of money; however, the benefits of doing regular aircon servicing far outweigh the cost. When you service your air conditioner on a regular basis, you actually save more money than if you had to replace or repair the entire unit when it breaks down.

I. Great Air Quality

Allergens, dust, and dirt can all clog the air filters in your air conditioner, and even accumulate around the entire unit.

Your aircon blows cold air out of the unit to cool the room; if your air filters and the aircon unit itself is dirty, the allergens can flow through your room, causing bad air quality. 

Bad air quality can lead to a few adverse health issues, such as difficulty breathing, allergic reactions, respiratory problems, and even aggravate existing health conditions such as asthma. 

Regularly getting a reliable aircon servicing company in Singapore can help to keep your home safe for you and your family. 

II. Improved Energy Efficiency

Using a regular aircon cleaning service can help to improve your aircon’s energy efficiency and save you a lot of money on your monthly electricity bill. 

Clogged air filters not only reduce the quality of your air but also reduce the efficiency of your air conditioner. The unit’s airflow is obstructed by dirty air filters, causing the dirty condenser coils to force the air compressor to work harder in order to cool the room. This reduces energy efficiency, raises energy consumption, and as a result, increases the electricity bill.

III. Increase Unit Lifespan

Our aircon, like all other appliances, has a set lifespan. In the same way that we pay attention to our health, eat healthy foods, and exercise regularly in order to live longer, your aircon should be serviced on a regular basis to ensure that it lasts even longer than its stated lifespan.

When a part of your aircon fails, the overall performance of your air conditioner suffers. As a result, regular servicing is required to ensure that all of the parts in your air conditioner are in good working condition.

IV. Improved Performance

Research has shown that appliances lose 5% of their efficiency each year, and this percentage can increase if the appliances are not well maintained. Without proper aircon maintenance, your aircon could be deteriorating year after year without your knowledge, providing you with mediocre cooling performance when you could have a stronger and faster cooling system.

TYPES OF AIRCON SERVICING WORK

There are various types of aircon servicing work, each of which covers a different aspect and different part of the air conditioning unit. Regardless of the differences, all servicing works serve the same purpose: to keep the air conditioning unit at its optimum condition.

3.1. Regular Aircon Servicing

The regular aircon cleaning service you receive a few times a year, depending on how much you use the aircon, includes simple cleaning and inspection services. It ensures that your aircon is functioning properly and addresses minor issues such as noise or water leakage. The key components of this service are:

1.Cleaning of filters and outer panels

When your aircon runs, it collects a lot of dust and debris, especially in the air filter. Mould can also form on the outer panels of your air conditioner.

Filters that are dirty or faulty will reduce the lifespan and efficiency of your air conditioner. Hence, during the aircon cleaning service, the service technician will use water to clean the air filter and outer panels of your air conditioner.

2.Cleaning of condenser

After cleaning the filter, the next step would be to clean the condensers. The condenser is the unit located outside your house; usually outside the service balcony. It is a vital component of the aircon as it releases heat and circulates air in order to facilitate heat transfer.

During aircon servicing, the service technician will clean away any leaves and debris on your condenser unit, then open it up to clean the inside as well. 

3.Inspect systems

As appliances such as the aircon lose efficiency every year, service technicians are required to drain and recharge the system, hoses, filters and connections to ensure that everything is working well. At the same time, they inspect the unit for damages and faulty components.

4.Level the outdoor condenser unit

The outdoor condenser unit is supposed to be in a level position. If it isn’t, the aircon fan motors and compressor will feel the strain, wearing out faster than normal. When the unit is leveled, it also aids in the proper operation of the drain.

5.Checking electrical components

The service technicians will inspect the electrical components of your aircon to ensure that there is no damage to the parts and that they are working fine.

6.Checking refrigerant system and coolant level

The refrigerant in your air conditioning system is a chemical that absorbs heat from the indoor air and then goes through a process to produce cold air that is circulated throughout the room. A coolant is a type of fluid that circulates through your air conditioning system to keep it operating at the optimal temperature range. When the coolant level is too low or too high, it affects the efficiency of your aircon.

Checks are done to both the refrigerant and coolant levels in order to ensure that your air conditioner is in good working order. 

7.Performing trial run

After the aircon maintenance work is done, your service technician will perform a trial run where they turn on your aircon to see if it’s operating well. This is also the time when they will keep a lookout for issues such as leakage and noises coming from the unit. After which, your aircon servicing is complete.

3.1.1. Regular Aircon Servicing Price in Singapore

Different aircon servicing companies in Singapore will offer different services and aircon servicing prices depending on the aircon brand, size, and whether there is a promotion. The cost of a regular aircon maintenance service is determined by the number of units that need to be cleaned and how thorough you require the aircon cleaning service to be.

In general, the regular aircon servicing price in Singapore ranges between:

Number of aircon units	One-Time Service Price
1 Fan coil	$40 – $60
2 Fan coils	$50 – $70
3 Fan coils	$70 – $90
4 Fan coils	$80 – $100
5 Fan coils	$100 – $120
6 Fan coils	$110 – $130

Some regular aircon cleaning service prices can even go up to $450 per session.Contractual aircon maintenance prices:

Number of aircon units	Price
2 Fan coils	$150 – $190
3 Fan coils	$180 – $210
4 Fan coils	$220 – $280
5 Fan coils	$270 – $330
6 Fan coils	$300 – $380

3.2. What Is Chemical Wash

The aircon chemical wash is a process of disassembling your aircon parts and soaking them in a chemical solution, formulated to recondition and restore your aircon’s optimal functioning ability. Some of these parts include the compressor, filter, and condenser. While it is not a frequently done procedure, the service technician may advise you to perform a chemical wash on your aircon if they deem it necessary. For example, if your aircon is taking too long to cool your room, or if it does not blow out cold air at all.

Soaking the parts of the aircon in the chemical solution will help to remove sticky debris, acid, mould, oil, dust, and other external pollutants that are not supposed to be in your aircon unit, it also kills about 99.9% of bacteria trapped in your air conditioning system. During the aircon chemical cleaning process, as major components of your aircon will be removed, inspected and cleaned, it also allows the technicians to identify damaged components to replace, while the chemical cleaning reduces chances of wear and tear. 

While you might think that a regular aircon cleaning service is sufficient, it actually isn’t. Regular aircon cleaning may remove dust and dirt from some parts of your aircon, but a lot of toxic gunk can still accumulate in your aircon over time. These harmful substances are difficult to remove and could corrode the internal components of your aircon, causing severe damage. As a result, affecting the effectiveness and performance of your aircon. 

Aside from ensuring that your aircon is clean and in tiptop condition, aircon chemical cleaning can help to improve your indoor air quality. Instead of releasing harmful dust particles into your room, your aircon will be producing cleaner and cooler air to fill your room in our hot and sunny Singapore.

3.2.1. When Should Chemical Wash Be Done

Similar to regular aircon maintenance, the frequency of doing chemical wash will vary depending on how often you use your aircon, and how frequently you get your aircon serviced. A standard practice would be to get a chemical wash done once every six months. However, if you have never had your air conditioning system serviced throughout its years of use, or you use it on a daily basis, it is highly recommended that you get your aircon chemically cleaned much more frequently to get rid of what’s trapped in your unit, such as once every three months.

You can also opt for a chemical overhaul, where cleaning is a lot more thorough. Check with a reliable aircon service company in Singapore to determine when you should give your aircon a chemical clean.

3.2.2. How Much Does Chemical Wash Cost

Aircon chemical wash prices in Singapore will differ based on the extent of the chemical clean. An aircon chemical wash that does not require the dismantling of the unit, or only partial disassembling, would cost around $85 to $100. 

If the parts of the aircon, such as the fan coil, electronic control, air filters, and other washable components require dismantling for the chemical wash, then the cost can go up to $150 to $200. 

Here are some of the things that will be done during your regular aircon chemical cleaning:

1. Cleaning and checking of the air filter, front panel, cover, indoor evaporator coil and indoor drainage tray; the indoor evaporator coil absorbs heat from the air inside your home and works with a condenser coil to complete the heat exchange process the produces cool air; the indoor drainage tray then catches the condensate that forms when the heat exchange happens, directing the water outdoors through your aircon drainage system.
2. Checking, deodorising and purifying the aircon filter; the aircon filter blocks solid contaminants such as smoke, pollen, dust and dirt from being blown into your room. 
3. Vacuuming of drainage pan and drainage system; the drainage system removes water released when the evaporator in your aircon converts refrigerant from a liquid to a gas. Over time, algae and other gunk can build up in your drainage.
4. Checking of fan bearing, lubrication, compressor suction and discharge pressure
5. Tightening of electrical contacts
6. Use a chemical solution to remove dust, oil and dirt in various parts of the aircon

3.3. What Is Chemical Overhaul

Another procedure done to thoroughly clean and recondition your air conditioning system is the aircon chemical overhaul. This process aims to clean the aircon parts and machines that have not been cleaned for a long time. It is mainly recommended for air conditioners that have been used continuously for a long time without proper aircon maintenance. Doing a chemical overhaul will help in restoring and improving the performance of your air conditioning system. 

While a chemical overhaul might sound similar to the aircon chemical wash, both chemical cleaning processes are actually different. When you do a chemical wash, it helps to ensure that the basic components of your aircon, such as the air filters and evaporator coils are cleaned properly. This prevents the growth of substances such as mould, which could have detrimental effects on your health. On the other hand, a chemical overhaul cleans deeper and much more thoroughly. It ensures that everything in your air-conditioning system, down to the aircon pipes are properly cleaned. This facilitates better airflow for your aircon, which improves efficiency and performance.

During a chemical overhaul, your aircon unit will first be dismantled from the wall to ensure proper and thorough cleaning of each part of the air conditioning system. Parts of your aircon will be soaked and cleaned with a chemical solution to ensure that the air expelled from the unit is fresh. The chemical solution will also be flushed through the internal pipes. 

After which, the service technician will check on the fan bearings’ lubrication to make sure that your aircon can operate quietly. A process of chemical cleaning is also carried out on the drainage system to curb water leakage problems. The fan evaporator coil is then chemically cleaned to get rid of accumulated dust and dirt, this is so that heat can be transferred properly within the aircon. This process also involves the topping up of the refrigerant gas. 

The entire chemical overhaul process is extremely important in preventing respiratory problems and allergies associated with bad air quality.

3.3.1. When Do Your Need A Chemical Overhaul

A chemical overhaul is not required frequently as long as you have had your aircon serviced regularly. It is also not recommended to get a chemical overhaul done too frequently as too much of it can damage the internal components of your aircon too. 

While the aircon chemical wash is recommended once every six months, the chemical overhaul should only be done once a year. However, if your aircon is not functioning properly, or you have not been servicing your aircon for years, you should get a chemical overhaul done to clean out the accumulated gunk. Check with a reliable aircon service company in Singapore to see if you need to increase the number of chemical overhauls done per year.

3.3.2. How Much Money Do You Need For A Chemical Overhaul?

A chemical overhaul will cost approximately $150 to $190 per aircon unit, this price can increase depending on the brand, extent of the chemical overhaul and the aircon service company too. 

Here are some of the steps done for chemical overhauls: 

1. Lubricating fan bearings to reduce noise and increase efficiency
2. Checking and monitoring thermostats and controls of the unit
3. Cleaning fan evaporator coil, pipes, blower wheel and drain pans with appropriate chemicals to remove dust, grime, and increase efficiency
4. Replacing faulty bearings and eliminating operational noise

On a hot and humid island like Singapore, the aircon is an appliance that we cannot live without. While aircon servicing is a complicated procedure to learn about, it is a necessary procedure to go through in order to keep our aircon in optimal working condition. If you’re unsure of what should be done or require additional assistance, contact us today and the aircon maintenance specialists at Yong He Aircon will be happy to assist you.