In Dhaka dust and humidity, an AC that is not serviced at least once a year cools less, costs more to run and fails in the middle of the heat. When to book, what a service actually includes, how much you can do yourself and what to ask the technician – all in this guide.
Why before summer?
From April, demand for AC work in Dhaka goes through the roof – that is exactly when technicians are busiest, a slot takes two or three days, and rushed work drops in quality. Book a service in late February or early March and the technician can take their time, and your AC runs at full capacity on the first hot day.
The second reason is winter grime. From November to February the AC sits mostly idle; dust settles on the filter and coils, mould grows in the drain line, and leaves or a bird’s nest block the outdoor unit. Switch it on without cleaning and the first week brings weak cooling and a musty smell.
What a service actually includes
"Servicing" is more than washing the filter. A good technician usually does all of the following – check them off when the job is done:
- Wash the indoor filter, evaporator coil and blower fan with water/pressure (coil cleaner is better still)
- Clean the outdoor condenser coil and fan – this is where most of the dust collects
- Flush the drain line so water does not drip later
- Check refrigerant pressure with gauges – if it is low, leak-test rather than just top up
- Measure compressor and fan running current, test the capacitor
- Inspect electrical connections, breaker and stabiliser; check the copper-pipe insulation
- Verify remote batteries, thermostat and mode settings
How much you can do yourself
Once a month, take the filter out, rinse it under the tap, dry it and put it back – that alone keeps the coil far cleaner and stretches the interval between services. Wiping the outside of the indoor unit with a dry cloth and clearing leaves and plastic from around the outdoor unit are also safe.
What not to do: pour water directly onto the coil (it soaks the PCB), buy a gas can and try to refill yourself, or open the outdoor unit. Refrigerant is under pressure and causes frostbite; mixing the wrong gas can destroy the compressor – many times the cost of a service.
When a service is not enough
Some symptoms mean a wash service alone will not help; tell the technician in advance so they bring the right tools: frost on the pipe or barely any cooling (gas leak), a compressor that keeps cutting out (capacitor/voltage), a burning smell (wiring), and error codes on an inverter unit (PCB/sensor).
If the AC is more than 8–10 years old and needs gas every year, there is a serious leak – repairing the leak, or replacing an old non-inverter unit, can be cheaper in the long run than refilling again and again. An honest technician will lay out that calculation.
What to know before you book
In the AmarKarigor app, open the "AC" category to see nearby technicians – Verified badge, ratings, completed jobs and the typical price range side by side. Put these details in chat and you will get a rough cost before anyone visits:
- Brand, tonnage (1/1.5/2), split or window, inverter or not
- Age of the unit and when it was last serviced
- Any symptoms – weak cooling, dripping, noise, error codes
- Where the outdoor unit sits – balcony, ledge, roof (changes the risk and time)
- How many units – for several at once many technicians charge less per unit
An honest word about cost
We do not quote fixed prices, because a service, a gas top-up, a leak repair and a parts replacement are entirely different jobs, and labour changes with tonnage and location. Each technician profile in the app shows a "typical price" range computed from the jobs they have actually completed (once there are at least 5) – use it to compare, and get the final price in writing in chat before the work starts. Recording the price in the app afterwards gives the next customer an honest signal.
- Book the service in February–March; technicians are hard to get in April.
- A service covers indoor and outdoor coils, the drain, gas pressure and running current – not just the filter.
- Wash the filter yourself monthly; never refill gas yourself.
- Low gas means a leak – leak-test first, then refill.
- Brand, tonnage, age and symptoms in chat get you a cost estimate before the visit.