Question 1

How long does air conditioning installation take?

Accepted Answer

A single wall-mounted split takes one day: indoor unit and pipework in the morning, condenser and connections by early afternoon, then vacuum testing and commissioning, with working cooling the same evening. Multi-splits take one to two days, ducted systems three to five. Consent processes for flats add weeks before the day, not to it.

Question 2

How messy is air conditioning installation?

Accepted Answer

Far less than most trades: no wet work, no plaster off walls, no floors up in a standard install. The mess is drilling, one core-drilled hole of 50 to 65mm per pipe route, which we do with dust extraction and sheeting. Expect a tidied room and a hoovered floor the same evening, not a building site.

Question 3

Where should the indoor unit go?

Accepted Answer

High on a wall with clear space around it, throwing air along the length of the room rather than at where people sit or sleep, with a workable route to the condenser and a fall for the condensate drain. In bedrooms the rule is absolute: never blowing across the bed. Good positions are chosen at survey, balancing airflow, pipe route and how the room is lived in.

Question 4

Where can the outdoor unit go?

Accepted Answer

Anywhere with airflow, structure and neighbourly sound: ground level on a base, wall brackets on a rear elevation, a flat roof, a balcony, a lightwell or a roof valley. In London the position is usually the survey's main question, constrained by pipe length to the rooms served, planning discretion and keeping night-time noise away from bedroom windows, yours and next door's.

Question 5

How often does air conditioning need servicing?

Accepted Answer

Once a year for a domestic system, and this is a warranty condition rather than an upsell: the mainstream manufacturers require documented annual servicing for their 5 to 7 year warranties to hold. Between visits, rinse the indoor filters every month or two in the cooling season; that is the only maintenance you should do yourself.

Question 6

How long does air conditioning last?

Accepted Answer

A quality split system installed and serviced properly lasts 12 to 15 years, often more; neglected or badly installed systems fail in 5 to 8. Installation quality sets the ceiling, moisture left in the pipework or a botched charge shortens life invisibly, and annual servicing keeps the system near it. Parts support runs about a decade past purchase for mainstream brands.

Question 7

What warranty comes with air conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Mainstream manufacturers back their units with 5 to 7 year parts warranties, conditional on two things: installation by certified or accredited installers, and documented annual servicing. The installation workmanship itself carries the installer's own guarantee. Registration is the step people miss; we register the warranty at commissioning so the clock starts correctly.

Question 8

Do you need a drain for air conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Yes, every cooling system produces condensate, litres of water a day in humid weather, and it must go somewhere deliberate: ideally a gravity fall through a small pipe to outside, otherwise a condensate pump. The drain is a design decision made at survey, because positions that force a pump add cost, a little noise and a service item.

Installation & Aftercare