Pictured: a blower wheel lifted out of an indoor unit during a service. You cannot see this from the room, and you cannot see it in a WhatsApp photo of the front panel either, which is why a good quote starts from facts about the system and not from guesses about what is inside it.
Most people now ask for an aircon quote the same way they ask a friend for a restaurant: send a short message and wait. "How much to wash my aircon?" is a fair question, and on a site that publishes its prices it can be answered in a line. The trouble is that the answer depends on five or six things the company cannot see, and every one you leave out is either a follow-up question or a number that changes later. This post lists what to put in the first message for each kind of job, using only what our own pages publish, so the reply you get back is a firm price and not a range.
The five facts that go in every first message
Whatever the job, send these before anything else:
- How many indoor units, and how many outdoor units. Servicing, chemical wash and overhaul are counted per indoor unit. Gas is counted per outdoor circuit. A flat with a System 2 in the bedrooms and a single split in the living room is three indoor units and two outdoor units, and the two numbers belong on different lines of the quote. We went through the counting in aircon quote per unit, per circuit or per fan coil.
- Wall, cassette or ducted. They have separate prices. A cassette is the square panel in the ceiling. A ducted unit hides above the ceiling and you only see the grilles. If you are not sure, say what you see in the room and we will tell you.
- What you want done, or what is wrong. "Servicing", "chemical wash", "overhaul" or "it is dripping" are each a different job. If you do not know the word, describe the symptom: smell, weak cooling, water, noise, not switching on.
- Property type and postal code. HDB, condo or landed matters for installation and for leak repair, where the published prices differ. The postal code matters for one small reason covered below.
- When it was last washed or serviced, and roughly how old the system is. Our own form asks for both, because a unit that has never been washed and a unit washed three months ago are not the same job even when the symptom is identical.
As a suggestion rather than anything we require, a photo of the label on the indoor unit, where the brand and model are printed, saves a round of messages. It is a convenience, not a condition.
If you want servicing or a chemical wash
This is the easiest quote to get right, because the prices are published and final. Normal servicing for wall units is $55 for 1 unit, $90 for 2, $120 for 3, $160 for 4, then $35 per unit from 5. A chemical wash is $135 for 1 unit, $245 for 2, $345 for 3, $425 for 4, then $100 per unit from 5. A chemical overhaul is $200 for 1 unit, $370 for 2, $515 for 3, $640 for 4, then $150 per unit from 5. All three are on our pricing page.
So for these jobs the useful message is the unit count, the unit type and the symptom. If you say "three wall units, one smells musty, none washed in two years", the reply can tell you which of the three jobs fits and what it costs on the published table. If you say only "how much to clean", you will be asked the same questions in a second message.
What a message cannot do is decide between a wash and an overhaul for you. That is the job of the 9-point pre-check, which is included with any service booking, so the honest answer to "do I need the overhaul?" is a price for what you describe, and a confirmation on site. We have a separate post on what you owe if you want time to think after the pre-check.
If something is wrong with the aircon
Here the message should lean on symptoms, because the cause is not known yet. Say what happens and when: only on a hot afternoon, only after the unit has run an hour, every time it starts. Say whether it is one unit or all of them. Say what you have already tried, such as washing the filters or switching the breaker off and on.
What to expect back is a visit, not a repair price. Our pricing page is clear on how repairs work: every repair visit starts with the 9-point pre-check to find the actual problem before any work, and the $55 minimum for 1 unit covers the visit and the pre-check. A standard repair for drainage or electrical work is $80. Compressor and PCB replacement are quoted on site, and concealed pipe work is quoted after the test, because they vary too much to price from a description. A company that gives you a firm number for a compressor from a text message has either guessed or is planning to adjust it later.
Gas is the one fault where a number can be given in advance, because the top-up price is published per outdoor circuit: R22 is $115, R410A is $130 and R32 is $170. But whether a top-up will fix the problem is not a question a message can settle. Our pricing page says the pre-check confirms whether a top-up will fix the issue. If the unit has lost gas, something let it out, and a leak is a two-step job on our pages, a test first and a repair only if one is needed. The figures for both are on the pricing page, and you decide before any work starts.
If you want a new installation
This is where the first message matters most, because the "from" prices on our installation cost page are starting points. A single split is from $1,200, a System 2 from $2,200, a System 3 from $2,800 and a System 4 from $3,500 for a standard inverter, and higher on the premium tier. What moves the final figure is on the same page: the number of indoor units, the tier, the piping run and finishing, any electrical work, and the property type.
So the installation message should say:
- the system you are after, such as a single split or a System 3, and which rooms;
- HDB, condo or landed, and the postal code;
- whether you are buying the units from us or have bought them yourself. We install units you bought online as well, and the installation workmanship carries a 2-year warranty either way. Our post on installation only, units bought online covers what that quote should include;
- your preferred date;
- a floor plan if you have one. Our pages say you can send one on WhatsApp and we will advise on how many units the layout needs.
Then expect a site survey, not a final figure. The survey is free, and our page says a firm quote often follows within a couple of days. Extra copper piping beyond the standard run, concealed trunking or a new electrical point are quoted upfront at the survey, never added afterwards. If another company quotes a single number for "installation" from a photo of the room, ask which of those items it has assumed.
Why the postal code is not just for the driver
Our pricing page says standard transport within Singapore is included. There is one published exception: in restricted parking zones, the CBD and Marina Bay area, a small surcharge of $10 to $20 applies if commercial parking is required. If you live or work in one of those areas, a postal code in the first message means the surcharge is in the quote from the start and does not turn up on the day. If you do not, it costs you nothing to include it.
What not to send, and what not to expect
A few things people include that do not help, and a few expectations worth setting:
- A photo of the whole room. It tells us the room, not the coil. A close photo of any visible damage, a stain, or water on the floor is more useful than a wide one.
- A competitor's price as the only information. By all means send the quote you were given, but send what it covers. A figure with no unit count, no job name and no mention of the pre-check cannot be compared with anything. Our post on what your technician should show you is a better yardstick than a bare number.
- An expectation of a diagnosis. We can say which job a symptom usually points to. We cannot see the inside of a unit from a message, and neither can anyone else.
- An expectation that the price will move. The price you agree is the price you pay. The only exceptions on our pages are major repair parts, which means compressor and PCB, and concealed pipe work, both quoted on site once the pre-check or test has shown what is needed.
How fast to expect a reply
Our pages say we usually reply within 5 minutes, and that we confirm pricing in that reply when the details are clear. If you sent the five facts, that is the reply you can expect: a job name, a price from the published table, and a question only if something is missing. If you sent three words, the first reply will be a question. Nothing about that is slow. It is simply the missing information arriving one message later.
The short version
- Always send: indoor units, outdoor units, wall, cassette or ducted, what you want done or what is wrong, property type with postal code, and when it was last washed or serviced.
- For servicing and chemical wash, the price is on the published table and the reply can be a firm number. The pre-check decides wash versus overhaul on site.
- For a fault, expect a visit and a quote after the 9-point pre-check. Compressor, PCB and concealed pipe work are quoted on site.
- For an installation, send the system, property type, whether you are supplying the units, and a floor plan. The survey is free and the extras are quoted upfront at the survey.
- Prices on our pricing page are the prices we charge, and the quote you agree is what you pay.
Send us yours
The message below opens in WhatsApp with the fields already laid out. Fill in what you know and leave the rest blank. WhatsApp us on 9107 2601 and we will reply with the job that fits and the price on our published table.