The quote says "3 units" and a number. It looks simple until you notice that the number on the next line says "per unit" and a third line says "per circuit". Three words, and each one counts something different in an aircon system. If you have a System 3 or a System 4, the difference between them is the difference between one charge and three.
This post is a decoder for that. What a quote can be counting, which published price counts what, a worked example for a System 3, and the questions that make a vague quote specific. Every figure is from the pricing page.
The four things a quote can count
1. The indoor unit. This is the wall unit in the room, which the trade also calls a fan coil unit, or FCU. Servicing, chemical wash and chemical overhaul are counted this way: a 3-room flat with three wall units is "3 units". Ducted and cassette units are counted per indoor unit too, at their own prices.
2. The outdoor circuit. One outdoor unit and the refrigerant pipes that run to the indoor units it feeds make one circuit. Gas top-up is counted this way. Indoor units that share one outdoor unit share one circuit, so a System 3 (three indoor units, one outdoor unit) is one top-up, not three. Two separate System 2s are two outdoor units and two circuits, which we covered in one System 4 or two smaller systems.
3. The fan coil unit again, for the leak test. The nitrogen pressure test is counted per FCU. Here the word "FCU" and the word "unit" mean the same thing as in point 1, but the price is built differently, so it is worth watching.
4. The whole job, or the visit. A few things are one price whatever the system size. The leak detector check is a flat $180 and that one price includes a System 3. The $55 minimum covers the visit and the 9-point pre-check for 1 unit.
What each published price counts
| Job | Published price | Counted per |
|---|---|---|
| Normal servicing (wall unit) | $55 for 1, $90 for 2, $120 for 3, $160 for 4, $35 per unit from 5 | Indoor unit |
| Chemical wash | $135 for 1, $245 for 2, $345 for 3, $425 for 4, $100 per unit from 5 | Indoor unit |
| Chemical overhaul | $200 for 1, $370 for 2, $515 for 3, $640 for 4, $150 per unit from 5 | Indoor unit |
| Chemical clean when we are already on site for another job | $100 to $150 per unit | Indoor unit |
| Gas top-up | R22 $115, R410A $130, R32 $170 | Outdoor circuit |
| Leak detector check | $180 flat, System 3 included | The whole check |
| Nitrogen pressure test | $180 per FCU (a System 3 is $540) | Fan coil unit |
| Leaking pipe change | HDB $520, condo $700 | Fan coil unit |
| Standard repair (drainage, electrical) | $80 | Repair |
| Ducted, normal servicing / chemical servicing | $60 / from $500 (depends on site conditions) | Indoor unit |
| Cassette, general / chemical | $60 / $340 | Cassette indoor unit |
Compressor and PCB replacement are quoted on site, and concealed pipe work is quoted after the test, so those are not on the table as a figure. That is deliberate: they vary too much to price from a description.
A System 3, worked through
Take a System 3: one outdoor unit, three indoor units, one refrigerant circuit.
- Normal servicing counts the three indoor units: $120.
- Chemical wash on all three also counts indoor units: $345.
- A gas top-up counts the one circuit: one charge, at the refrigerant your system uses. For R32 that is $170, for R410A $130, for R22 $115. If a quote shows the top-up three times, the question to ask is what the other two are for.
- The leak detector check is one flat $180 for the whole System 3.
- The nitrogen pressure test counts the three fan coil units: 3 x $180 = $540.
The same flat, three different counts. None of them is wrong, but a quote that says only "System 3, $X" tells you nothing about which count it used.
Where a quote goes vague
- "Gas leak repair" with one figure. It might be a top-up, a test, a pipe change, or all three added together. Ask which lines the figure contains and what each is counted per. We went through that in how to check a gas leak quote before you approve it.
- "Per unit" without a unit count. If a quote says $X per unit, ask how many units it assumed. A quote written from a description may count rooms rather than wall units, and the two do not always match.
- Servicing priced per unit, gas priced per circuit, on the same quote. That is normal, and it is the published way. What you want is for each line to say which it is.
- Ducted and cassette treated as wall units. A cassette is the square panel in the ceiling. A ducted unit hides above the ceiling. Both have their own prices, so a quote that applies the wall-unit price to either one has used the wrong table. Our posts on cassette cleaning and ducted cleaning cover why.
- A "from" price. Ducted chemical servicing is from $500 per indoor unit and depends on site conditions. A "from" figure is a floor. Ask what would move it.
A flat with more than one system
Many flats are not one tidy system. Say you have a System 2 in the bedrooms and a single split unit in the living room. That is three indoor units and two outdoor units, so two circuits.
- Servicing or a chemical wash for the whole flat counts three indoor units: $120 for servicing, $345 for a chemical wash.
- A gas top-up counts the circuit that needs it. If only the living room unit is low, that is one circuit and one charge. The System 2 is a different circuit and is not part of that charge.
- A pressure test counts the fan coil units on the circuit being tested, at $180 each.
So the unit count that belongs on a servicing line is not always the number that belongs on a gas line. When you give a quote request your numbers, give both: how many indoor units, and how many outdoor units. It takes ten seconds and it is the single most useful thing you can put in the message.
What happens when the job changes on the day
Every service booking starts with the 9-point pre-check, and it is included with the booking. If it finds something different from what you booked for, the job and the price are put to you before the work starts. And if a repair is approved on the same visit as a leak test, the test fee is offset against that repair, so you are not paying for the finding twice. We explained what you owe if you want time to think in aircon quote after the pre-check.
Quoted prices are final: the number you agree is the number you pay. Servicing, chemical wash and chemical overhaul carry a 90-day workmanship warranty.
Five questions that make any quote specific
- How many indoor units does this quote count, and which rooms are they?
- For each line, is the price per indoor unit, per outdoor circuit, per FCU or one flat price?
- Which job is it called: normal servicing, chemical wash or chemical overhaul? They are different jobs at different prices.
- Is this a final price, or a "from" price, and what would change it?
- What happens to the visit or test fee if I go ahead with a repair?
If you would like us to read your quote
Send us the quote as it is written: the job names, the unit count and each price. We will tell you which count each line uses and what the published price for that job is. If you would rather book a visit, normal servicing starts at $55 for 1 unit on the pricing page, with the 9-point pre-check included. WhatsApp us on 9107 2601 and we will tell you what to expect before we come.