New to DubaiAC maintenance in Dubai: how often to service your home and car air conditioning
AC maintenance in Dubai comes down to a few habits. Clean your home AC filters often and have a technician service the system regularly, ideally before summer. Get the car's AC checked every time the car goes in for a service. In a rented flat, Dubai law makes the landlord responsible for maintenance and repairs unless your tenancy contract says otherwise, so read your contract first.
This guide covers how often each job needs doing and what you can safely do yourself. It also covers the signs that something is going wrong, and how to deal with your landlord when it does.
Why AC works harder in Dubai
In a cooler country, AC might run for a few weeks a year. Here it runs for most of the year, often day and night all summer. That's a lot of work for one machine.
Dust is the other problem. Fine sand gets into everything, including the filters and the coils inside the unit. Daikin, one of the big AC makers, explains that a blocked filter lets less air in, so the AC needs more electricity to cool the same room. That wears the unit out faster and pushes up your bill.
First, find out which kind of AC you have
The type of system decides what you can do yourself and who you call when it breaks. Not sure which one you have? Ask your landlord or building management.
Before you sign for a flat, ask the agent what the DEWA bill comes to in winter and in summer. If cooling is billed separately, ask about that bill too. Then you know what you're in for.
- Split units: a unit on the wall inside each room, connected to an outdoor unit on a balcony or roof. These are common in villas and older buildings, and you can usually reach the filters yourself.
- Ducted or central AC: one system cools the whole flat through vents in the ceiling, and you control it with a thermostat on the wall. The filter is usually behind a grille in the ceiling or inside a cupboard.
- District cooling (often called chiller): a central plant sends chilled water to the building, sometimes to the whole area. Your flat still has its own fan unit and filter. If the tenant pays for cooling, the bill comes from a separate cooling company such as Empower or Emicool, not from DEWA. Some rents include cooling, so check your contract.
How often to service home AC
The NTD Team all use Breasy (getbreasy.ai) and follow its advice on when to clean and when to book a service. If you have no idea what to do with the AC in your home, the app handles everything, and it has a chat to help you sort out problems. If you'd rather keep track yourself, here's the general picture.
There are two jobs: a small one you do often, and a bigger one a technician does less often. Booking the big one doesn't mean you can skip the small one.
- Filters: Daikin recommends cleaning split-unit filters once every two weeks. Check them more often after a sandstorm or when there's building work nearby. If your unit's manual says something different, follow the manual.
- Professional service: the technician cleans the coils and the drain line, checks the gas (refrigerant, the fluid that carries heat out of your home) and makes sure everything runs properly. How often you need one depends on the system and how hard it works, so follow your manual, your building's schedule or the app. Try to book before summer. That's when technicians get busy, and a breakdown in Ju
- Duct cleaning: if you have a ducted system, ask the technician to look at the ducts during each service. Book a deep clean if they're dirty or if you see dust blowing out of the vents.
What you can do yourself
Cleaning a split-unit filter is quick and needs no tools. Ducted systems are similar if you can reach the filter grille easily. If you'd need a tall ladder or have to unscrew anything, leave it to the technician.
- Switch the AC off at the controller.
- Open the front cover of the indoor unit and slide out the mesh filters.
- Vacuum off the loose dust, then rinse the filters under the tap.
- Let them dry completely before you put them back. A wet filter can grow mould.
- Wipe the vents and the area around the unit with a dry cloth.
- Keep the outdoor unit clear. Don't leave boxes, plants or drying laundry in front of it.
Who pays in a rented flat
Start with your tenancy contract. Under Article 16 of Dubai's tenancy law (Law No. 26 of 2007), the landlord is responsible for maintaining the home and carrying out the repairs needed to keep it fit to live in during the tenancy, unless you both agreed otherwise in the contract. Some contracts make the tenant pay for routine servicing or small jobs, and some rents include AC maintenance. Our guide to renting rules in Dubai covers what else to look for in a contract.
In the NTD Team's experience, landlords handle major AC repairs, usually through the Breasy app. In buildings with district cooling or central AC, the main plant is the building's job. You may still be expected to keep your own filters clean.
Before you move in, ask who to call when the AC breaks and get the answer in writing, by email or WhatsApp. When something goes wrong, report it in writing too, with the date and a photo or video if you can. If you and your landlord still can't agree, the Rental Disputes Center deals with disputes between landlords and tenants in Dubai.
Living in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or another emirate? Each emirate has its own tenancy rules, so the Dubai rules above may not apply to you. Your utility company may be different too: in Sharjah, electricity and water come from SEWA, not DEWA. Check your own emirate's rules and your contract.
Signs your home AC needs attention
Small AC problems get worse fast in a Dubai summer. If you notice any of these, call your landlord or a technician.
- The air coming out is weak, or not as cold as it used to be.
- The room takes much longer to cool down.
- Water drips from the indoor unit or stains the wall or ceiling below it.
- There's a musty or damp smell when the AC comes on.
- New noises: rattling, buzzing, grinding or loud clicking.
- Ice forms on the pipes or on the outdoor unit.
- The unit keeps switching itself on and off.
- Your electricity or cooling bill jumps when you haven't changed how you use the AC. If your account isn't set up yet, see how to set up DEWA.
Car AC: how often and what to watch for
Get into a car that's been parked in the August sun and you'll see why car AC matters so much here. Ask for an AC check every time the car goes in for a regular service. The mechanic will look at the cabin filter, the gas level and the compressor (the part that pumps the gas around). Replace the cabin filter as often as your car's service book says, and sooner if you drive on dusty roads a lot.
With a rental car, report AC problems to the rental company straight away rather than putting up with them. Our guide to renting a car explains what to check before you drive off. Buying a used car? Test the AC properly on a hot day before you agree to anything, and see our guide to buying a car in Dubai.
Get the car's AC looked at if you notice any of these:
- The car takes much longer than usual to cool down.
- The air is only cool while you're driving and warms up when you stop.
- There's a bad smell from the vents.
- You hear hissing, squealing or clicking when the AC is on.
- There's water on the floor inside the car. A small puddle under the car after parking is usually just condensation.
What affects the cost
This page doesn't cover prices, because they change and depend a lot on your home. A dedicated budgeting guide will cover them. For your home, what you pay depends mainly on how many units you have, the type of system (split, ducted or district cooling) and the size of the home. It also depends on whether you book one-off visits or sign a yearly contract with a company that visits on a schedule. For a car, the make and model matter most, along with what actually needs fixing.
Before you book a technician
Ask people who've lived here a while, such as neighbours, colleagues or the security desk in your building. They'll have names and opinions, and it's worth hearing them. Just don't treat any one person's advice as the final word. Things in Dubai change quickly, so get a second opinion before you agree to a big repair or a replacement unit.
Ask the technician to explain what's wrong and, if they can, to show you the faulty part. If you're renting, speak to your landlord first so you don't pay for a repair that was theirs to cover.
Next step
AC is only one part of getting a new home running. Read our guide to setting up your home, which also covers electricity, water, phone and internet.