Home / FAQ
162 questions answeredFrequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to what people actually ask us about AC faults, servicing intervals, equipment types, contracts and pricing in the UAE.
Home / FAQ
162 questions answeredStraight answers to what people actually ask us about AC faults, servicing intervals, equipment types, contracts and pricing in the UAE.
Why a system isn't cooling, leaking, icing, making noise or smelling — and which faults mean switch it off now.
Duct, coil and upholstery cleaning, fogging, service intervals and indoor air quality.
Split, cassette, ducted, FCU, VRF, tower and window — which is which, and which suits your space.
Choosing between unit types, sizing, installation and replacement.
Chillers, AHUs, district cooling, ETS, VAV, BMS and other plant-room equipment.
Tank cleaning, disinfection and lab testing, pumps and pool plant.
Maintenance contracts, commercial kitchens, refrigeration and regulatory requirements.
How pricing works, response times, areas covered and what to expect on the day.
Nine times out of ten it's the condensate drain pump or a blocked drain line rather than the AC itself. Cassettes sit above the ceiling, so they can't drain by gravity like a wall unit — a small pump lifts the water out. When that pump fails or the line clogs, the drain pan overflows into the ceiling void.
Uneven cooling between rooms, a musty smell when the AC turns on, visible dust around vents, or a noticeable rise in DEWA bills without a change in usage.
With no refrigerant involved, the usual causes are a fouled water coil, a clogged strainer restricting chilled water flow, or a control valve or actuator that has seized shut. All three are serviceable — none require a new unit.
Every 4 to 6 months in Dubai. Cassettes pull air from the whole room through a wide return grille, so they load with dust faster than most people expect, and the blower wheel in particular collects a film that cuts airflow noticeably.
A ducted system uses one indoor unit and a network of ducts to distribute air through multiple outlets, while split AC uses a separate indoor unit per room. Ducted looks cleaner and cools more evenly, but the duct network needs its own periodic cleaning.
Every 12 to 18 months for most homes; every 6 months for restaurants, clinics or heavy-traffic commercial spaces.
Yes. The decorative panel is designed to be removed and refitted, and our technicians work off the existing service access. If the unit was installed without adequate access, we'll tell you before starting rather than cutting into your ceiling unannounced.
If there's no outdoor condenser unit for your apartment and your building bills you for cooling separately (Empower, Emicool, Tabreed or similar), you're on district cooling with an FCU. Split systems always have a matching outdoor unit.
It depends on the shape of the room. Four-way suits square, open spaces where air needs distributing evenly in all directions. One-way suits long, narrow spaces, corridors and rooms where one or more sides are close to a wall, since a four-way unit there would throw half its air straight into the wall.
Split units cool individual rooms independently and are cheaper to install per room; ducted systems look cleaner and cool a whole floor evenly but cost more upfront. Most Dubai apartments already come fitted with one or the other, so it's rarely a choice you make from scratch.
Send it on WhatsApp and a technician will answer — no obligation, no call-centre script.
Tell us what you need and we confirm a fixed written price after inspection. No charge to quote.
Last updated:
HILLS AC Services, Business Park Building 4, 7th Floor, Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, Dubai Hills, Dubai, UAE. Contact: info@hillsacservices.com · +971 58 563 0095.
Only to respond to your enquiry, quote, schedule and carry out your job, issue your invoice, and follow up about the service. We may contact you about a maintenance reminder for a service you have already used. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP on WhatsApp or emailing us.
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data. We do not share it with third parties for marketing. We do not publish photographs of your property without your written permission.
Only where necessary to deliver the service: our technicians assigned to your job, and, for water tank work, the independent laboratory that issues your water clearance report. Both are bound to confidentiality.
Enquiry details are kept for 12 months if you do not book. Job records, invoices and service certificates are kept for 5 years to meet UAE accounting and warranty requirements.
Under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data, you may request a copy of the data we hold on you, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it, or withdraw consent to being contacted. Email info@hillsacservices.com and we will respond within 30 days.
Enquiries reach us through WhatsApp's encrypted messaging or our email. Job records are held on password-protected devices and accounts. Access is limited to staff who need it.
Our services are contracted by adults. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.
If we update this policy we will change the date at the top of this page.
HILLS AC Services enters people's homes and offices. We treat what we see and record there as confidential, and we handle your personal data in line with UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (the UAE Personal Data Protection Law).
We process your data on the basis of your consent (when you contact us) and to perform the contract for the service you have booked.
We ask for the minimum needed to quote and deliver the job: name, contact number, area, and address at booking. We do not ask for identification documents, financial details or anything unrelated to the service.
We do not store card details. Card payments are processed by the payment provider or terminal at the point of sale, and we retain only the transaction reference on your invoice.
Before and after photographs are taken of ducts, coils, tanks or work areas as a record of the job, and are shared with you. We will not use any photograph of your property in marketing without asking you first and receiving your written agreement.
If personal data is lost or exposed, we will investigate immediately, notify affected customers without undue delay, and report to the UAE Data Office where the law requires it.
Data queries and requests: info@hillsacservices.com
Prices shown on this website are starting prices. Your final price is fixed in writing after the inspection and does not change on the day, unless you ask us to add work that was not quoted.
Bookings are confirmed by WhatsApp or email. Please give us at least 12 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule so we can reallocate the slot.
Someone over 18 must be present to give access at the start and to sign off at the end. Please make sure ceiling access panels and tank hatches are reachable.
If you are not satisfied with a duct or deep cleaning job, tell us within 7 days and we will return and re-clean the affected area at no charge.
We are insured. We protect floors and furniture before starting. In the unlikely event we damage something, report it within 48 hours and we will repair, replace or compensate fairly. We are not liable for pre-existing faults in ageing AC equipment, ductwork or plumbing that become apparent during service. We will always point these out to you.
Payment is due on completion unless agreed otherwise in writing. We accept cash, card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Tamara and Tabby.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Emirate of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
This website does not set advertising or tracking cookies of its own. It does not store your form entries in your browser.
Two third-party services load content on this page and may set their own cookies:
You can block these in your browser settings; the map will simply not display.
If Google Analytics or the Meta Pixel is added to this site in future, this notice will be updated and a consent banner shown before any tracking cookie is set.