Following is a rough guide on what to expect from every dollar you commit on aircon servicing in Singapore. We are not offering many of the services listed below, information is solely for educational purposes.

$20/unit (what to expect?)

Starting with what appears to be the cheapest, it is none other than the regular aircon maintenance contract. Cost roughly $300 a year for 4 visits.

Most companies formulate their pricing based on $80-$100 per visit, and targets to complete the “cleaning services” within 30 minutes in order to remain profitable. The quality of work, scope of work is often superficial. Normally 2-3 guys comes with one or two ladders, a water bucket with some cloths , a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. Upon arrival, one guy removes all the aircon covers and plastic filters and brings it to the toilet for washing. The other guy then takes the vacuum cleaner to the toilet and begin to vacuum the aircon drain pipe. He can also vacuum the aircon water pipe from the aircon water tray. The cover is wiped dry and covers put back.

What’s achieved, clean aircon covers and filters, water pipe unclogged.

Is it necessary to engage someone to do this job or should you do it by yourself? Should you pay someone $100 (per visit) to clean 5 aircon covers and filters in 30 minutes or less? Why outsource? Because it appears to be very difficult to remove the aircon cover and you worry you may break some parts, isn’t it?

How about not removing the aircon cover? Is it really so important to clean the aircon cover so thoroughly? how about just wiping it? The plastic filters are super easy to remove and clean.

In reality, most aircon external covers are not dirty at all because it is indoor . There are probably some dust on top of the aircon cover and on the filters only. Just wipe the top of the aircon cover and wash the filters. Do you still want to pay someone to do it?

How about vacuuming of the aircon drain pipe? It is advertised as preventive maintenance, you felt safe to at least vacuum the drain pipe once every 3 months to prevent the pipe from clogging. If the water pipe clogs, water drips off the aircon, could damage your appliances, floor or cause family members to fall down. Yes, valid concerns.

What if I tell you that it is often due to lack of cross ventilation, use of perfumed stuff in the room, cooking activities in the house that leads to aircon water dripping issues. What if it tell you that my aircon never drip once in 10 years? What if it tell you that it is bacteria that clogs your drain pipe and mold that blocks your blower? Vacuuming can only temporarily remove the bacteria biofilm that clogs the drain pipe.

What if your property is well ventilated? Then, you shouldn’t be experiencing water dripping. Do you still see a need to buy the “water dripping insurance”?

What if you like to burn essential oil, scented candles or simply can’t open doors and windows for good cross ventilation? What if whenever someone cooks in the kitchen, you smell food in your room? You will have a very moldy and bacteria infested aircon and likely to experience water dripping. So, should you continue your lifestyle and take up an aircon maintenance contract to stop the leak? No you shouldn’t!

If your aircon is bacteria and mould infested, the air quality is bad, general servicing that only cleans the filters and covers cannot remove bacteria and mold from the system.

Will your technician attempt to vacuum on it, this is unlikely because it takes more time, a lot more, it is no longer profitable. What if you insist that they clean up what looks obviously dirty (for now, i assume you don’t know it is mold yet) and they start to vacuum on the blower, it is going to loosen up the mold spores and cause you even more harm. These vacuum cleaners are constantly sucking what looks like jelly, which is bacteria biofilm and these guys are rushing from one job to another. The vacuum cleaner tank is full of bacteria, the vacuum hose and brushes are full of bacteria, when they run the vacuum cleaner, does it smell terrible, i bet it is! At the end of the day, the vacuum cleaner is chucked inside the van, closed up, incubate overnight, ready to be used again on unsuspecting customers on the next day.

Don’t be fooled by maintenance contract slogan that regular servicing improves air quality, better air means healthier living. Don’t sign up an Aircon Disservice Contract!

People’s aircon problem is often a result of lack of cross ventilation and from the use of scented stuff or release of starch/protein/oil from cooking activities. If the environment is as such and there is no way to change the way you manage the bio-deposits or provide better cross ventilation, your aircon is doomed to be very moldy and bacteria infested. Contract general servicing can at best prevent water dripping but if not done properly, can cause you huge health issues from the dislodged mold and spread of bacteria.

If your aircon is bacteria and mold infested, you will have to thoroughly disinfect it. However, if the way you use your aircon is not changed, the aircon will become mold and bacteria infested within 3-6 months depending on how much bio-deposit is released into the living space, how well ventilated the property is and how hot the rooms are, from sunlight.

If there can be a positive change to the release of bio-deposits, level of cross ventilation and heat management of the room, you can expect a thorough disinfection once every 1 to 2 years.

To thoroughly disinfect a wall mounted aircon can cost as much as $250-$350/each.

Presuming that there is only one aircon in the house that constantly runs into problem, wouldn’t it be better to throughly disinfect that aircon properly? At the end of the day, it may cost about the same. Only difference is quality vs quantity, what will you choose?

$40-$60/each (what to expect?)

As mentioned above, companies that does contract servicing normally formulate their pricing based on $80-$100 per visit and spends about 30 minutes on the job to be profitable. You will expect such pricing if you have only 2 aircons to be serviced. If it is a maintenance contract, read what I’ve written above, they are the same.

$60-$80/each (what to expect)

As most aircon maintenance contract are aggressively priced to look cheap. $60-$80/each pricing are normally ad hoc servicing for 1 unit, job scope is often superficial as mentioned above.

$120-$150/each (what to expect)

With this pricing, you can expect a full dismantle chemical cleaning. Often, gas top up is necessary and charged separately.You may end up paying $200-$250.

As mentioned above. Once your aircon becomes bacteria and mold infested, you need to thoroughly disinfect it. Unless the service personal has specialised machine to carry out the operation, they have to dismantle the aircon off the wall in order to clean the inside of the aircon, back of the heat exchanger and on the fan blower.

Such method risk causing gas leak to the system, it also may introduce moisture or worst, water gets into the gas system. If not done properly, it can result in total system replacement as gas leak is a very expensive problem. Moisture and water in the gas system can cause premature compressor failure.

$250-$350/each (what to expect)

Touted as the most expensive chemical cleaning service in Singapore, expect 1 to 1.5 hours per aircon. It is in fact not as expensive as it looks. This is none other than our patent granted non dismantle chemJet servicing. For 2 units and above and during promotional periods, a 20{fb1d329791d795fe648c75bd713fa46a3cb5b70a471d226a156aa435810d6193} discount brings the pricing down to $200-$280/each. The current pandemic and bleak economic outlook will likely see a prolonged extension of this promotional discount.

The discounted price is almost the same price as the chemical overhaul as mentioned (after all their additional top up charges). The pricing is more or less similar, the only difference however is that one is forthright, heavily discounted, while another appears cheap, but comes with surprises and add ons.