Should you repair or replace your aircon?
A repair-or-replace decision shouldn't depend on which contractor you happen to call. This tool weighs unit age, refrigerant type, what failed, and the quote against replacement — and shows you the reasoning, so you can sanity-check any quote you've been given.
Run the diagnostic
Answer one question at a time. The form skips ahead the moment your answer is decisive on its own — most cases land on a verdict in two or three.
How we think about it
Most repair-or-replace advice in Singapore comes from one of two sources: a contractor whose recommendation depends on which side of the call they sit, or a generic 50% rule imported from US HVAC guides that doesn't account for our refrigerant phase-out, climate, and install patterns. Neither tells the full story.
The real answer depends on five things working together — unit age, what specifically failed, what refrigerant it runs on, how the repair quote compares to a new unit, and whether this is part of a pattern. The calculator above weighs all five. The sections below explain the reasoning so you can argue with the answer if you disagree.
Signals to weigh
Two columns of indicators. Most real cases are a mix of both — the calculator weights them; this list shows them on their own.
Lean toward repair when
- Unit is under 5 years old
- Failed part is a capacitor, sensor, fan motor, or drain
- Repair quote is well under half of replacement cost
- Refrigerant is R32 or R410A
- First major issue in the last 24 months
- Unit is still under manufacturer warranty
Lean toward replacement when
- Unit is 13+ years old
- Compressor or coil leak on a 10+ year unit
- Refrigerant is R22 with a major component fault
- 3 or more major repairs in the last 24 months
- Repair quote is more than half of a brand-new unit
- Unit needed a refrigerant top-up more than once in 12 months
Common mistakes when deciding
Four patterns we see repeatedly when people make this call without a framework.
Replacing too early on a small fault.
A capacitor failure on an 8-year-old unit isn't a death sentence — it's typically a S$80–150 fix. Replacing the whole unit because of one cheap part is a several-thousand-dollar mistake.
Repairing too long on a unit in decline.
Three repairs in a year usually means the fourth is coming. At some point the cumulative spend crosses what a new unit would have cost — and you still have an old unit at the end of it.
Trusting a single contractor's recommendation without context.
A contractor who only does installs has incentive to recommend replacement. A contractor who only does repairs has incentive to repair. The diagnostic logic — age, component, refrigerant, history — is what removes the bias.
Ignoring refrigerant type.
R22 is being phased out in Singapore. Top-ups will keep getting more expensive, and a major repair on an R22 unit rarely pays back even when the price looks reasonable today.
Common questions
Still on the fence?
Edge cases, conflicting quotes, or just want a second opinion before committing — describe your situation and we'll give you our read. No booking pressure.