Aircon Chemical Wash Cost in Singapore

Why the price drops per unit

The technician's travel, setup and pack-down happen once, whether they clean one unit or five. That fixed cost is spread across the units in the visit, which is why three units cost $345 rather than three times $135. If you have been putting off the second bedroom, doing it in the same visit is where the saving is — a second unit adds $110 to a $135 job, not another $135.

Chemical wash vs general service vs overhaul — what each costs

These three get confused constantly, and the price difference is large enough to matter. Here is what each one costs at aircons.sg for the same unit count, so you can see the gap before you commit:

• General servicing (from $25 per unit) — the 3-monthly upkeep: filters, a wipe over the coil, a flush of the drain. It keeps a clean unit clean, and it cannot reach mould that has already taken hold inside the coil.
• Chemical wash (from $100 per unit) — solution is worked into the evaporator coil so the mould and biofilm that water alone leaves behind actually break down, with the drain treated and an anti-bacterial finish on top. This is the tier that fixes a musty smell or cooling that has fallen off.
• Chemical overhaul (from $150 per unit) — the indoor unit comes apart completely and each component is cleaned on its own. Worth the extra only on units that are heavily fouled, or that have gone 2 to 3 years without attention.

Which of the three you need is settled by the 9-point pre-check that comes with any service booking, not by a sales pitch at your door. Its whole purpose is to stop you buying a tier above the one that would have solved the problem.

What the price includes

• The 9-point pre-check, which comes with every service booking
• Power isolated at the unit and the fan coil cover taken off
• Coil-safe solution worked into the evaporator coil until the mould, biofilm and grime break down
• A full pressure rinse to carry the loosened deposits away
• Drain tray and pipework flushed, treated and vacuumed clear
• An anti-bacterial finish applied afterwards, which buys time before growth returns
• Reassembly, then the unit run and the cooling checked before the technician leaves
• 60 days workmanship warranty

Reckon on 60 to 90 minutes an indoor unit, pre-check and final testing included.

What does not get added to your bill

Most of the unpleasant surprises in this trade are add-ons at the door. For the record, here is what we do not add:

• No GST. aircons.sg is not GST-registered — the quoted figure is the final figure.
• No weekend surcharge. The same price holds all 7 days inside standard hours — 9am–9pm Monday to Saturday, 10am–6pm on Sunday.
• No transport charge. Getting to you anywhere in Singapore is already in the price. The one exception is a restricted parking zone in the CBD or Marina Bay area, where $10–20 is added if commercial parking has to be paid for.
• No contracts, no prepaid plans. We do not sell annual packages or take money upfront for future visits.
• No unapproved work. If the pre-check finds a separate problem such as low gas or a worn part, it is quoted before anything is done.

Is a chemical wash worth the money for your unit?

Spend the $135 if the symptoms point at the coil rather than at routine dirt:

• The first minute after switch-on smells musty or sour, like a damp cloth.
• The room takes noticeably longer to cool than it used to, or never really gets there.
• The electricity bill has drifted upwards while nobody changed how the aircon is used.
• Water is dripping off the indoor unit — usually a coil or a drain that has clogged.
• You can see it: black spots, slime or mould on the fins or the louvres.
• The last wash was more than 6 months ago — bring that forward if there is asthma or allergies in the house, or young children or pets.

If none of that describes your unit and it was serviced recently, keep the money and book a general service instead. That is the honest answer, and it is the one the pre-check will give you.

Why the cheapest quote often costs more

Quotes for the same job swing widely here, and the lowest number on your list is often the one that costs most by the time the unit has to be written off. There are three usual ways a price gets that low. Harsh or generic chemicals are cheaper to buy than coil-safe ones, and they attack the aluminium fins. Leaving the drainage untreated saves time on the day, which is why the musty smell is back within a few weeks. Cutting the rinse short saves more time again, and the residue left sitting on the coil gets the growth going faster.

Doing those three properly, and standing behind the job with a warranty, costs a little more that afternoon. Weighed against replacing an aircon that runs into the thousands, it is not a close call. So when you line up quotes, look past the number at three things: whether the pre-check is part of it, whether that figure is final or a starting point, and whether the workmanship warranty is written down.

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

• Aircon Chemical Wash — the full service, step by step, from $100/unit
• Aircon Chemical Overhaul — full disassembly clean, from $150/unit
• Aircon Servicing — routine 3-monthly maintenance, from $25/unit
• The 9-Point Pre-Check — how we decide which service you actually need
• Chemical wash vs chemical overhaul — when each is worth it
• Signs your aircon needs a chemical wash — not just a general service
• Transparent Pricing — every price on one page, no GST