The Problem
A homeowner in one of Mont Kiara's premium condominiums contacted Masters Aircond Service KL about all 4 of their aircond units underperforming. Despite having the airconds set to 16°C, the rooms weren't getting cold enough. A musty smell was also coming from the units whenever they turned on — a common complaint in KL's humid climate.
The units were Daikin 1.5HP wall-mounted inverters, approximately 5 years old. The previous owner had done basic filter cleaning but never a deep service. The result: years of accumulated dirt, mould, and bacteria deep inside the evaporator coils and blower fans.
Our Assessment
During the initial inspection, Kevin identified several issues across all 4 units:
- Heavy mould buildup on the evaporator coils — standard cleaning wouldn't be enough
- Blocked drainage in 2 units — water was backing up into the drip tray
- Reduced airflow — the blower fans were caked with grime, reducing output by an estimated 40%
- Slight gas undercharge in 1 unit — likely a slow leak at a flare joint
Based on the condition, we recommended a full chemical overhaul rather than a standard chemical wash. A chemical wash cleans the coils in place, but given the severity of the buildup, we needed to fully dismantle each indoor unit to clean every component individually.
The Work
Step 1 — Full Dismantling
Carefully removed each indoor unit from the wall mount. Disconnected drain pipes, electrical connections, and refrigerant lines. Labelled all parts for proper reassembly.
Step 2 — Chemical Soak & Clean
Each evaporator coil, blower fan, drain tray, and housing was soaked in professional-grade alkaline cleaning solution for 30 minutes. This dissolves mould, bacteria, and hardened grime that standard washing can't reach.
Step 3 — High-Pressure Rinse
After soaking, each component was rinsed with high-pressure water to flush out all dissolved contaminants. The amount of black water that came out was significant — the coils looked brand new after rinsing.
Step 4 — Drainage Repair
Cleared the blocked drainage pipes in 2 units using a nitrogen blowout. Checked gradient and realigned the drain trays to ensure proper water flow.
Step 5 — Gas Leak Fix & Top-Up
Found and repaired the slow leak at a flare joint on the master bedroom unit. Performed a gas top-up with R32 refrigerant to the correct operating pressure.
Step 6 — Reassembly & Testing
Reassembled all 4 units, reconnected all lines, and ran a full performance test. Each unit reached target temperature within 10 minutes — compared to 25+ minutes before the overhaul.
The Result
After the Chemical Overhaul
The homeowner was impressed by the difference — "It's like having new airconds," they said. We recommended a maintenance contract with quarterly servicing to prevent the buildup from recurring.
Lessons for Homeowners
If your aircond hasn't been deep-cleaned in 3+ years, a regular chemical wash might not be enough. A chemical overhaul fully dismantles the unit and cleans every component individually — it's more thorough and restores the unit to near-new performance.
This is especially important in Mont Kiara's high-rise condos, where the humid environment accelerates mould growth inside aircond units. Regular quarterly servicing catches problems early and prevents the kind of buildup we found in this case.
Kevin Chong
Kevin has been servicing and repairing aircond systems across Kuala Lumpur for over 10 years. He founded Masters Aircond Service KL to provide honest, reliable, and professional aircond service to homes and businesses throughout KL.
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