Call around Bangkok and you’ll get quotes of ฿400 and ฿1,200 for what sounds like the same job. It isn’t the same job at two prices. It’s two different jobs. One takes twenty minutes with nothing coming off the wall. The other takes the unit apart. Both get offered side by side if you’re comparing quotes for aircon cleaning in Thonglor and Ekkamai.
The twenty-minute spray: ล้างย่อย
This is what most of the cheapest quotes are for. The unit stays on the wall. The technician sprays water and mild soap through the front grille onto the part of the coil he can see, wipes the filter, and that’s the job. Fifteen to twenty-five minutes. No tools. Nothing comes apart.
It does something. It clears surface dust and can freshen a smell for a week or two. But it can’t get behind the coil fins, and it can’t reach the fan wheel or the drain pipe. None of those are reachable while the unit is still on the wall.
The full wash: ล้างใหญ่
This is what Thai technicians mean by “the proper clean,” and it’s the only job we do.
The front cover and the fan wheel come off the indoor unit. The coil is washed front and back with a pressure pump and a cleaning solution, not just the face of it. The fan wheel is cleaned on its own, because it grows a felt-like layer of dust and mould that a spray never touches. The drain pan and drain pipe are flushed and blown clear. The outdoor unit gets the same treatment. Sheeting goes down first, so none of it ends up in your room. The first unit takes 60 to 90 minutes.
Why we only do the second one
We thought about offering both, a cheap tier and a full tier, and decided against it. Two reasons.
The first is that the quick spray treats the symptom and leaves the cause. Dust and mould keep building up behind the coil where the spray can’t go, so the smell comes back sooner each time. That means more visits, not fewer. It looks cheap per visit and isn’t cheap over a year.
The second is about how people read a price list. Put ฿400 next to ฿1,200 and the small number lands first. We’d rather be one clear thing than a menu with a compromise option on it. If a quick spray is what you want, plenty of people in Bangkok will do it. We won’t.
How to tell which one you’re being quoted
Ask two questions before you book anyone. Does the unit come off the wall? Is the outdoor unit included?
If either answer is no, you’re being quoted the twenty-minute spray. Check that against the price you were given, because the two jobs often get quoted at prices closer than they should be. That’s what this article is here to help you avoid, whoever ends up doing the work.
What it costs
฿1,200 for one wall unit. ฿2,200 for two. Full dismantle, indoor and outdoor unit, every time. Full price list, including ceiling and cassette units. If you’re not sure your unit needs the full job yet, these are the signs that say it does.