There are two times to discover your AC has a problem: a mild morning in May, or the first 38-degree afternoon in July — along with half the island, all calling the same technicians. This checklist exists so you are in the first group.
The DIY half (one hour, all units)
- Wash the filters. Front panel up, filters out, rinse under the tap, dry in the shade, refit. If they were grey felt, do this monthly once summer starts.
- Run each unit in cooling for 15 minutes. Confirm genuinely cold air, no new rattles, no musty blast at startup — if there is one, that is mould on the coil, and the smell guide is your next read.
- Check the drain drips. While cooling, find the condensate pipe outside and confirm water appears within a few minutes on a humid day. No drip plus a full tray means a blocked line waiting for August — the star of our leaking AC guide.
- Look at the outdoor unit. Clear leaves and dust off the coil, remove anything stacked against it, confirm the fan spins freely. After a winter of northerlies, coastal units wear a salt crust worth hosing off gently.
- Check the remote's batteries and that every mode responds. Trivial, and yet.
The professional half
Book the annual service now, in spring: coil cleaning, drain flush, refrigerant pressures, electrical checks — the full scope and 2026 prices are in the servicing guide. Two reasons May beats July:
- Availability. Technicians' calendars in peak season fill with breakdowns; routine servicing gets bumped weeks out. In spring you choose the slot.
- Anything found gets fixed before you need the unit. A slow leak found in May is an inconvenience; found in August, it is a fortnight of hot nights in the repair queue.
Post all units as one request on Qabbad's AC page — technicians covering your locality, from Birkirkara to Mellieħa, reply with multi-unit pricing.
Worth deciding in spring, not August
- The veteran unit. If one unit limped through last summer, price its replacement now against another season of repairs — the installation cost guide has the numbers. Installers also have spring availability; August waiting lists do not care about your heatwave.
- The room that never worked. If a room has always run hot, spring is when to fix the real cause — shading, sizing, or an extra unit — rather than fighting physics in season with the settings guide alone.
Frequently asked questions
When should I service my AC in Malta?
Spring — April to early June. You beat the peak-season queue, and any faults found are fixed before the heat arrives. Coastal and heavy-use units justify a second lighter check in autumn.
What can I do myself before summer?
Wash filters, test-run each unit in cooling, confirm the drain drips outside, and clear the outdoor unit's surroundings and coil surface. Everything involving the sealed system, chemicals or electrics belongs to the technician.
How do I know if my AC needs more than a service?
Weak cooling with clean filters, ice on pipes, repeated tripping, or a compressor that grumbles at startup are repair-level symptoms. Describe them when booking so the technician arrives with parts, not just cleaning gear.