When you have an air con system in your home or office, you get to enjoy the cool and dry air. Many people take that comfortable air for granted and never think about how the air gets cooled to a perfect temperature, until those parts stop working. There are several key components in an air conditioning system. In many cases it is less expensive to replace components instead of replacing the entire unit. However, there are certain key components which are very expensive and it is not worth to replace them when it becomes defective. There are also some key components that are non-replaceable at all.
If you do need to replace parts on your air conditioning unit, you should first look into your warranty to see what is covered and for how much longer. There are a few parts that are quite expensive and if they need to be replaced, it is usually best to get a new system. The first is the condenser coil. This piece is vital to the workings of the air conditioning unit and it cannot be replaced, so you would need a new unit instead. In many cases, condenser coil is covered under warranty for the first year only.
In fact, when you are purchased an air con system, normally the manufacturer will cover warranty for all the parts for the first year of purchase. However, in subsequent years, warranty is only covered for the compressor which is one of the most expensive components in the air con system. Therefore, you should try to make use of the warranty if your compressor breaks down. In Singapore, most manufactures provide a warranty period for the compressor for as long as 5 years.
Another expensive component is the evaporator coil which can cost over $600. This part is another necessity as it cools the liquid that turns to vapor as it mixes with hot air. The moisture goes down a drain and the cool air circulates through the building. While the part is expensive, the cost to install the part is expensive also, since it is tricky to get to and replace. Unless you can do it yourself, the cost to replace is about the same as having a new fan coil installed. In Singapore, although this part is replaceable, most vendor don’t sell the evaporator coil as a standalone, you need to buy the whole fan coil.
In summary, amongst all the key components of an air con system, both the condenser coil and expansion valve are non-replaceable. The rest of the key components, including the compressor, evaporator coil, condenser fan, evaporator fan, refrigerant pipe, control wire are replaceable. However, although the evaporator coil is a replaceable item, it is as good as non-replaceable because in Singapore most vendors do not sell the evaporator coil alone. Therefore, if your evaporator coil is defective, most likely you will choose to buy a new or second hand fan coil to replace your old fan coil.
