Kallang River condo warm: outdoor unit's air path blocked by hoarding
A resident in a newer Kallang River condo noticed one bedroom staying warmer than the rest, even with the unit running constantly. A waterfront project was under construction two blocks away. Site hoarding placed close to a building can quietly restrict the outdoor unit's air path.
By Team Snowflake | Reviewed 11 Jul 2026
Case summary
Mitsubishi Electric Wall-mounted2 years oldCondoKallang, Singapore
- Concern
- The resident worried the two-year-old unit was undersized or faulty and would need an upgrade.
- Found
- Outdoor unit's air path restricted by construction hoarding positioned close to the condenser intake and exhaust
- Key check
- Checked the building's exterior outdoor unit air path before assuming a sizing or refrigerant problem in a near-new unit
- Result
- The resident avoided an unnecessary sizing upgrade. Once management adjusted the hoarding gap, the room returned to its normal cooling time.
What we were told
The resident said one bedroom used to cool normally and now ran on high fan speed constantly without reaching the set temperature, while the rest of the unit cooled as expected. Nothing indoors had changed. A waterfront residential project had begun construction nearby a few months earlier.
What we checked
We treated the ongoing construction as the first lead rather than assuming a sizing problem in a unit only two years old. The outdoor unit's air path can be restricted from outside the building entirely, without any visible change to the indoor unit or its filter.
The indoor unit's own filter and coil were clean, with normal airflow measured directly at the grille.
Site hoarding for the nearby waterfront project had been erected directly facing that side of the building.
Refrigerant levels and indoor coil temperature both read normal for the unit's rated size.
Fan speed at the control matched the motor's actual measured output, ruling out a failing fan motor.
What we found
The hoarding panel for the nearby construction site had been positioned close enough to partially block the air path that side of the building relied on. This reduced the volume of air the system could draw in and reject. The unit itself was working correctly, and was correctly sized for the room. It simply could not move enough air past an obstruction that sat outside the building entirely, never part of its original design, and never something the installer could have anticipated.
What fixed it
We flagged the hoarding placement to the resident to raise with building management. This was an external site condition, not a fault with the unit itself. No parts were replaced. No upsizing was recommended either, because the system tested correctly once the air path restriction was factored into the diagnosis.
Outcome
The resident avoided an unnecessary sizing upgrade. Once management adjusted the hoarding gap, the room returned to its normal cooling time.
What this case teaches us
A near-new unit running constantly can still be starved of air, not undersized
- Nearby construction hoarding placed close to a building can quietly restrict an air path without anyone noticing from inside the unit.
- A unit that runs constantly without reaching temperature is not automatically undersized. Check the outdoor air path before recommending a bigger system.
- Ask whether anything has changed just outside the affected room's air intake, such as new hoarding or scaffolding, before approving sizing or refrigerant work.
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