New BTO, one warm bedroom: the finished wardrobe blocked intake air
One bedroom in a new BTO flat stayed warm while two rooms cooled normally. The difference appeared after a full-height wardrobe was installed below the fan coil. Before treating a young system as defective, the completed room layout had to be checked against the unit's return-air path.
By Team Snowflake | Reviewed 25 Jul 2026
Case summary
Midea Multi-split2 years oldHDBTengah, Singapore
- Concern
- An aircon part could be replaced before the completed carpentry and intake clearance were checked
- Found
- The finished wardrobe leaves too little return-air clearance below the fan coil
- Key check
- Compare intake airflow with the wardrobe panel fitted and temporarily opened
- Result
- After the carpentry correction, airflow increased without a fan or refrigeration repair. The bedroom response became comparable with the two working rooms.
What we were told
Two bedrooms cooled normally, but one remained warm. The affected room had cooled during the early handover and changed after a full-height wardrobe was completed below the fan coil. Its filter was clean, its fan ran, and no error light appeared. The room difference followed the fit-out change rather than the system's age.
What we checked
We reproduced the complaint beside a normally cooling bedroom. First, we matched fan speed, room use, windows, sun exposure, and controller settings. We then inspected the return-air space around the indoor unit with the finished wardrobe in place. Opening the cabinet panel temporarily let us see whether the room airflow changed without altering the aircon equipment.
The warm room had no unusual window, daytime sun, occupancy, or controller setting that explained the repeated difference.
The wardrobe top panel sat close to the fan coil and narrowed the lower return-air opening.
Airflow improved when the panel was opened temporarily, while fan sound and speed stayed steady.
The visible pipe route, insulation, drain, and working sibling rooms showed no second condition supporting a wider aircon repair.
What we found
We found that the finished wardrobe panel restricted the fan coil's return air. The unit could produce cold air, but it could not draw enough room air through the narrowed opening. Airflow changed as soon as the panel opened, without any adjustment to the fan or refrigeration circuit. That response also explained why the other rooms cooled normally. No aircon part had failed.
What fixed it
We recommended modifying the wardrobe clearance so the fan coil had the return-air space shown in its installation requirements. The indoor unit stayed in place and no aircon part was replaced. After the carpentry correction, we ran the affected bedroom beside one working room under similar settings. The scope stayed with the obstruction because that was the change that restored airflow.
Outcome
After the carpentry correction, airflow increased without a fan or refrigeration repair. The bedroom response became comparable with the two working rooms.
What this case teaches us
The completed room layout belongs in a first-year cooling check
- Compare the affected intake clearance with the working rooms before treating one warm bedroom as a shared outdoor failure.
- Keep the aircon layout, carpentry drawing, handover checks, and defect messages. They show when the room condition changed.
- The record should show the restricted intake and corrected retest. A young system alone does not prove faulty equipment.
Questions this case answers
One bedroom in my new BTO is warmer than the others, is the aircon faulty?
Can carpentry affect how well an aircon cools?
How much space does an aircon indoor unit need around it?
What should I keep from my BTO aircon handover?
Ready to get started?
Tell us what’s going on. Symptoms, setup, photos, anything we should know. We’ll assess and come back with the right next step.