Ask five aircon companies how often you should service your units and you may get five slightly different answers. That isn't a trick. The right interval depends on how hard each unit works, and in Singapore most units work hard, because the weather gives them no off-season.
Start with how you actually use each unit
Walk around your home and think about each indoor unit on its own. The one in the master bedroom that runs eight hours every night is doing far more work than the one in the spare room that is switched on when relatives visit. Dust, skin flakes, cooking oil and pollen all end up on the filter and coil, and the more air a unit moves, the faster that happens.
A simple way to sort your units:
- Heavy use: runs most nights or most of the day, such as bedrooms and home offices.
- Medium use: on for a few hours on most days, such as living rooms.
- Light use: on now and then, such as guest rooms.
Heavy-use units are the ones to book first. Light-use units can often wait longer between visits, though they still collect dust and can grow mould if they sit damp and unused.
A common rhythm
Many households in Singapore settle into a pattern of a general service every three to four months, with a deeper chemical wash about once a year. Companies often build their service contracts around a similar rhythm. Treat this as a starting point rather than a rule. If your units stay clean and cold for longer, stretch the interval. If they start to smell or drip sooner, shorten it.
Things that make units dirty faster
- A kitchen nearby, especially with open cooking.
- Windows facing a busy road or a construction site.
- Pets that shed.
- Running the unit with the windows open.
- Renovation dust. Book a service after any works in the flat.
Clean the filters yourself in between
Most wall-mounted units let you lift the front panel and slide the filters out by hand. Rinsing them under the tap, letting them dry fully and putting them back takes a few minutes and helps airflow between professional visits. Check your manual first, and switch the unit off at the isolator before you open it. Leave the coil, blower and drain to the technician.
When to call before the schedule says so
Don't wait for the next booked visit if you notice any of these:
- Water dripping from the indoor unit.
- A musty or sour smell when it starts up.
- Weak airflow even with clean filters.
- The room takes much longer to cool than it used to.
- Ice on the pipes, or new noises from either unit.
Dripping is often a blocked drain line, which a general service usually sorts out. Smells and weak airflow tend to point to a dirty coil or blower, where a chemical wash or overhaul may be suggested. Weak cooling with ice on the pipes can mean low refrigerant, covered in our guide to gas top-up signs.
Should you sign a service contract?
A contract fixes the number of visits per year and saves you from remembering to book. It suits people with several units who want them done on a schedule. Before you sign, check how many visits are included, which jobs each visit covers, whether the outdoor units are part of it, and what happens if you need an extra call-out between visits. Compare it with simply booking one-off visits yourself.
When you are ready to book, find a company by area or by service.