What should you check when a new aircon is installed?

Aircon installation checklist: what you can check

You check by looking and asking, not by taking anything apart. Look at where the outdoor unit sits, how it is fixed and how the piping runs, then ask for a test run and the papers. The installer does the hands-on work, and a Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW) does any electrical work that is needed.

Do the checks while the installer is still in your flat, so anything wrong can be put right on the same visit. This page covers what to look for at handover; for the rules themselves, see aircon installation rules for HDB flats.

Outdoor unit, brackets and piping

HDB's aircon installation guidelines say flat owners are responsible for the proper installation, safety and stability of their aircon, which must be installed by a BCA-trained air-conditioning condensing unit installer (BCA is the Building and Construction Authority). The location and installation method of the condensing unit, including the condensate pipe, must follow HDB's approved locations and methods; check with your HDB Branch if unsure. Condensing units cannot be placed along the common corridor, and the aircon ledge is only for the condensing unit.

Next, look at how the unit is held. HDB's home care guide shows that in flats with an aircon ledge, the condensing unit goes on the concrete ledge. Brackets should be on concrete or brick walls only, not timber frames, and should be stainless steel, free of corrosion and rust.

Then follow the piping. The same HDB guidelines say all aircon piping must run internally, pipe joints must be insulated and condensate must discharge into a floor trap in the flat. Look for rubber padding at the base of the condensing unit. There should be no hacking through reinforced concrete, and the unit must not cause vibration in the building.

If you have not booked yet, compare aircon installation services and ask how each company fixes the unit.

Test run and drainage

A test run is the simplest part of a new aircon handover. Ask the installer to run each unit in cooling mode before leaving, and stay with it for a few minutes. The air should feel cool, and the indoor unit should not drip.

Then find where the condensate goes. Water should drain into the floor trap in your flat, not onto the ledge or down the outside wall. HDB's installation guidelines say owners must keep the external wall free of stains and maintain the unit to avoid nuisance to neighbours, so raise a dripping pipe now.

If water drips indoors later, see aircon leaking water.

Paperwork: report, label and warranty

Start with the aircon installation report HDB asks for. HDB's guidelines say an installation report goes to the HDB Branch within 14 days after installation. Ask the installer whether it submits the report for you, and agree who does it before the installer leaves.

Next, note the Energy Label details. NEA says that for split and multi-split aircons, the label is affixed to the outdoor unit and shows the outdoor unit's model number. Write down the model numbers and the tick rating, from 1 tick (Low) to 5 ticks (Excellent). The label's annual energy cost uses fixed assumptions NEA states on the label, not your own tariff. Compare ratings in 5-tick or 3-tick aircon.

Finally, keep the warranty papers and read your brand's terms. As one example, Daikin's warranty terms run its general warranty 15 months from delivery or 12 months from installation, whichever is earlier. Daikin repairs or replaces defective parts free of charge provided the aircon has been properly installed, used and maintained, and its warranty becomes void for, among other things, non-genuine parts or not following its instructions on installation, use, service or maintenance. Workmanship problems on external field piping and insulation are not covered, so check that work at handover. Other brands set their own terms.

The full checklist

Tick these off before the installer leaves. To compare them with what was agreed before the job, see the aircon installation quote checklist.

• The condensing unit is in an approved location, not along the common corridor.
• Only the condensing unit is on the aircon ledge.
• Brackets are stainless steel, free of rust and fixed to concrete or brick walls.
• Rubber padding sits at the base of the condensing unit.
• All piping runs inside the flat, with insulated pipe joints.
• Condensate drains into a floor trap in the flat.
• Each unit runs in cooling mode and blows cool air.
• No water drips onto the ledge or outside wall, and no tray sits under or on the unit.
• You know who submits the installation report.
• You have the model numbers, Energy Label details and warranty papers.

If something is wrong

Ask the installer to fix any problem before you pay the balance. If it is not put right, compare other aircon companies. Extra work depends on the job; see aircon installation cost in HDB flats.

Do not open a faulty isolator or wiring yourself, and check the licence card of anyone who does before work starts, as the Energy Market Authority (EMA) advises. EMA says electrical work in an HDB flat needs a Licensed Electrician, the class of LEW approved for loads of up to 45kVA.

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