AC Installation Dubai
Most air conditioners that fail early were not built badly. They were installed badly. The pipework was too long, the vacuum was skipped, the drain fell the wrong way, or the unit was sized off a guess instead of the room.
We install split, ducted, cassette and window systems across Dubai, either supplied by us or fitted to a unit you have already bought. The measuring happens before the quote, not after the delivery.
- Room measured before the unit is chosen
- Pipework brazed and vacuum tested
- Drain run checked for fall
- Supply and fit, or fit only
The decisions that come before the drill
An installation is mostly choices, and the wrong one is expensive to live with. These are the ones worth getting right.
Getting the size right
Undersized and it runs all day and never quite cools. Oversized and it cools fast, shuts off, and leaves the room damp because it never ran long enough to pull the moisture out. We work it off floor area, glazing, which way the room faces and how many people use it.
UsuallyMeasured, not guessed
Where the outdoor unit goes
It needs air around it and shade if there is any to be had. An outdoor unit boxed into a hot corner with no clearance works harder for less cooling and dies years early. Sometimes the right answer is a longer pipe run to a better position.
UsuallyAirflow beats convenience
The pipe run itself
Every extra metre of refrigerant line costs efficiency, and every unnecessary bend costs more. Beyond the manufacturer’s limit the system needs extra gas, and past that it needs a different unit. This is worked out before anything is fixed to a wall.
UsuallyShorter and straighter is better
Which way the water goes
Condensate drains by gravity. If the line has no fall, or it sags, water sits in it and eventually comes out of the indoor unit and down your wall. It is the single most common installation fault we are called back to fix.
UsuallyFall, checked with a level
What a blocked drain looks likeThe electrical supply
A new unit needs a circuit that can carry it and an isolator within reach of it. Running an AC off an existing socket circuit is how breakers start tripping. If the board needs work we will say so before we start.
UsuallyIts own circuit and isolator
If the board needs work firstInverter or fixed speed
An inverter varies its output instead of switching on and off, which is quieter, steadier and cheaper to run in a room used all day. For a guest room used twice a month, a fixed speed unit costs less and the running cost difference never catches up.
UsuallyDepends on how the room is used
How an installation runs
A site visit first, always. Quoting an air conditioner installation off a photograph is how you end up with the wrong unit on the van.
Most single split installations are done inside a day. Ducted work and anything involving a new circuit takes longer, and you will be told which before you commit.
- 1
Survey and quote
We measure the room, look at where the outdoor unit can go, check the pipe route and the electrical supply, and quote against what we found.
- 2
Brackets, core and pipework
Wall bracket fixed into something structural, core drilled with the right fall, refrigerant lines run and brazed, insulation taped along the whole length.
- 3
Vacuum, charge and commission
The system is pulled down to vacuum and held, which is what proves it is dry and sealed. Only then is it charged. Skipping this is why some units are low on gas within a year.
- 4
Test and hand over
Running temperatures checked, drain run with water, remote paired and explained, and the space left clean. Warranty paperwork for the unit goes to you.
Systems we install
What suits a two bedroom flat in Al Nahda and what suits a villa in Arabian Ranches are not the same machine.
Wall split installation
The standard for flats and villa bedrooms. One indoor unit to one outdoor unit, or several indoors on one multi-split condenser.
Ducted AC installation
Hidden above the ceiling with grilles in each room. The quietest option and the tidiest, and the one that needs the most planning.
Cassette installation
Shops, offices and open plan spaces. Four way airflow from a ceiling tile, so no wall space is lost.
Window unit installation
Older buildings, staff accommodation and anywhere an outdoor unit cannot be mounted. Cheapest to fit and to replace.
Inverter systems
Worth the extra in a living room or a bedroom that runs every night, which in Dubai is every room. Quieter, steadier temperature, lower bill.
Fan coil replacement
In district cooling buildings there is no condenser to install. The work is the fan coil, the valve and the thermostat.
Buying the unit yourself
Plenty of people buy the machine online and want it fitted, and that is fine. We will install a unit we did not supply and warranty our own work on it.
Two things to know before you order. Check the capacity against the room rather than against the price, because an underpowered unit will never satisfy the room and there is nothing an installer can do about it afterwards. And keep the box and the paperwork, because the manufacturer warranty is between you and them, and some of them ask for proof it was fitted by a licensed company.
If you tell us the room size before you buy, we will tell you what capacity to look for. That costs nothing and saves the awkward conversation on installation day.
Ask before you buyWhat people book with this
AC Repair
Not cooling, leaking water, tripping the breaker or making a noise. We find the fault before we quote it.
AC Maintenance
Scheduled servicing that keeps cooling steady and the electricity bill down on a unit that runs all year.
AC Duct Cleaning
Ductwork brushed and vacuumed out, with before and after photographs of the inside of your own ducts.
Electrical
Tripping boards, sockets, lighting, wiring faults and new circuits.
We also cover plumbing, electrical, handyman, painting, carpentry, tiling and renovation. An annual maintenance contract puts the lot on one schedule, or see everything we do.
Where our technicians go
Across the whole city, from the Marina and Downtown out to Mirdif, Al Barsha and the newer communities. If your building is not listed it does not mean we do not come.
New Dubai
- Dubai Marina
- Jumeirah Lakes Towers
- Palm Jumeirah
- Jumeirah Beach Residence
- Emirates Hills
- The Greens and The Views
- Discovery Gardens
- Dubai Media City
Central Dubai
- Downtown Dubai
- Business Bay
- DIFC
- Al Barsha
- Jumeirah
- Umm Suqeim
- Al Quoz
- Trade Centre
Old Dubai
- Deira
- Bur Dubai
- Al Karama
- Al Nahda
- Mirdif
- Al Qusais
- Oud Metha
- Garhoud
Outer communities
- Arabian Ranches
- Jumeirah Village Circle
- Dubai Silicon Oasis
- Dubai Sports City
- Damac Hills
- Motor City
- Dubai Hills Estate
- International City
Questions we get asked on the phone
How long does an AC installation take?
A single wall split in a straightforward position is usually a day, sometimes half of one. Ducted systems, multi-splits and anything that needs a new electrical circuit run longer, and if scaffolding or a rope access team is needed for the outdoor unit that adds time too. You get the honest answer at the survey rather than an optimistic one on the phone.
What size AC do I need for my room?
As a rough guide people use one ton per 400 to 450 square feet in Dubai, but that ignores glazing, which floor you are on, which way the room faces and how many people are in it. A west facing living room with floor to ceiling glass needs more than a north facing bedroom of the same size. Tell us the room and we will size it properly.
Can you install an air conditioner I bought myself?
Yes. Fit only is a normal request and we quote it the same way, from a site visit. The unit warranty stays with whoever sold it to you and our warranty covers the installation work.
Do I need permission from the building?
Usually yes for anything mounted on an external wall or a balcony, and most towers want a copy of the contractor trade licence and insurance before they will allow work. We supply those. Villas are generally simpler, though a community with a design code may have rules about where an outdoor unit can be seen from.
Is a more expensive unit actually worth it?
For a room used every day, usually. An inverter runs at part load instead of cycling, which is quieter, holds the temperature better and uses less electricity. Over a year of continuous running that difference adds up. For a room used occasionally it does not, and we will tell you which side of that line your room falls on.
What happens to the old unit?
We take it away as part of the job, with the refrigerant recovered rather than vented. If it is a recent unit and it still works, say so and we will leave it with you instead.
Book an installation survey
Tell us the room and roughly what you have in mind. We will measure it, size it properly and quote from what is actually there.