India AC Service, Repair & Shifting Handbook (2026)
A 9-chapter handbook you read online or print, with a service log spreadsheet, for owners and tenants in India after the purchase: when the AC leaks, stops cooling, shows a code, needs gas, an AMC or a move to a new home.
- 9chapters
- 18worksheets and tables
- 53checklist items
- 9official sources cited
Checked before every release
- 54automated testsrun at every release: prices, links, pages and data checked before publication.
- 9primary sourcesevery rule and number linked to the official text, for you to open.
- October 29, 2026editionrules and numbers checked on this date, updated when a text changes.
Built from the texts and data of Department of Consumer Affairs (India).
Most of the money an AC costs in India is spent after the purchase: the service before summer, the leak in July, the gas refill nobody tested, the board condemned in May, the AMC that excluded what failed, the shifting that lost the charge. This handbook gives you the order of checks for each fault, what a correct job looks like, what to put in writing, and the route when a complaint stalls.
Every rule is quoted from its official text (the Consumer Protection Act 2019 and its rules, the Model Tenancy Act 2021, the Ozone Cell refrigerant rules), prices are indicative ranges labelled as such, and the one study cited has its DOI. We do not repair, service or sell air conditioners and take no commission from brands or technicians: the handbook is on your side.
€19
Get the guide, €19Read chapter 1 free- 9 chapters (about 8,900 words): the triage, water leakage, no cooling, PCB and inverter faults, gas refilling and R32, the AMC, shifting, tenant and landlord, the complaint route
- 18 worksheets and reference tables, including the triage table and the AMC clause check, plus the checklist for every technician visit and four letters
- One spreadsheet (CSV: Excel, Google Sheets): service log and repair tracker
Instant access: right after payment your guide opens in your browser; print it or save it as a PDF. €19, paid once, no subscription.
As described, or refunded in full · written into our terms of sale
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What you get
- The triage table: ten symptoms, their likely causes in the order a technician checks them, what you can check safely and who to call first.
- Water leakage: the five causes, the monsoon, mould on the wall around the unit, and who pays for a leak.
- No cooling: the free checks, the temperature difference that ends most arguments, and when it really is the gas.
- PCB and inverter faults: which board, what the error code families mean, the checks before a board verdict, repair or replace.
- Gas refilling and R32: the five questions first, the leak test to demand, charging by weight, the R32 handling rules and the R22 phase-out.
- The AMC: what a year of contract must contain, eleven clauses to read before signing, and a sheet to compare three offers.
- Shifting an AC: the pump-down, transport, pipe length, re-installation step by step and indicative charges.
- Tenant and landlord: what the Model Tenancy Act says, who pays for what, and lines to add to the agreement.
- Your file and the complaint route: service log, chronology, the route to the National Consumer Helpline and e-Jagriti, four letters (brand, service company, final notice, landlord).
Free guides or the printable guide
The free articles answer one question at a time. The guide puts it all in order and gives you the tools to act.
Free guides
€0
57 free articles
- ✓The rules explained, official sources cited
- —The decisions in order, from diagnosis to action
- —18 worksheets and tables to fill in
- —A spreadsheet ready to fill in
- —Print it or keep it as a PDF
India service & repair handbook
€19
VAT included, paid once
- ✓The rules explained, official sources cited
- ✓The decisions in order, from diagnosis to action
- ✓18 worksheets and tables to fill in
- ✓A spreadsheet ready to fill in
- ✓Print it or keep it as a PDF
As described, or refunded in full
Who it is for
- Owners and tenants in India whose split or window AC is leaking water, cooling badly, showing an error code or about to be serviced, regassed or shifted
- Anyone offered an AMC, a gas refill or a PCB replacement who wants to know what to ask for, what to check and what a fair job looks like before paying
- Anyone whose complaint to a brand, a dealer or a service company has stalled and who wants the written route to the National Consumer Helpline and the consumer commission
Contents
- Before you call anyone: the triage and the technician visit free below
- Water leakage: drain, ice, insulation and the monsoon
- No cooling or weak cooling: measure before you pay
- PCB and inverter faults: error codes, boards and the right questions
- Gas refilling: when it is needed, the leak test, and the R32 rules
- The AMC: what an annual maintenance contract must include
- Shifting an AC to a new home, step by step
- Tenant and landlord: who pays for what
- Your service log, the complaint route and four letters
In the paid chapters: 44 checkpoints to tick, and 18 worksheets or tables across the guide, each based on the rule or data it cites.
Introduction
An air conditioner in India is bought once and serviced, repaired, regassed and moved many times. The purchase gets all the attention; the money, the arguments and most of the disappointment come afterwards. Water runs down the wall in July. The machine blows warm air in May and a technician says the gas has finished. An inverter board is condemned for the price of half a new unit. An AMC sold in February turns out to exclude the parts that fail. The packers shift the AC with the furniture and it needs gas the week after. The landlord says the compressor is the tenant's problem. And the brand's service line opens a complaint number that never closes.
This handbook puts each of those moments in order. For every symptom it gives the likely causes in the order a competent technician checks them, what you can safely check yourself, what a correct job involves, what it costs in indicative ranges, and what to put in writing. It ends with the written route for when a complaint stalls: the brand's grievance channel, the National Consumer Helpline and the District Consumer Commission, with letters you can adapt.
How to use it: chapter 1 is the triage table and the checklist for any technician visit; read it first. Chapters 2 to 4 are the three families of faults (water, cooling, boards). Chapter 5 is gas refilling and the refrigerant rules. Chapter 6 is the AMC. Chapter 7 is shifting house. Chapter 8 settles who pays in a rented flat. Chapter 9 holds the service log, the complaint route and four letters. Print it (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, then "Save as PDF", or print on paper). The service log and repair tracker is also on your access page as a spreadsheet.
The rules are quoted from their official texts: the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the rules made under it, the Model Tenancy Act, 2021 published by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the refrigerant rules administered by the Ozone Cell of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Prices are indicative city ranges for a 1.5 ton residential split, the same bands as our free guides: they help you spot an outlier, they are not a tariff, and your city, your floor, your brand and the month of May all move them.
Chapter 1: Before you call anyone: the triage and the technician visit
Most expensive repair decisions are made in the first five minutes of a call, when the symptom is described as a diagnosis ("the gas has finished") instead of as what you see. Start from the symptom.
The triage table
| What you see | Most likely causes, in order | What you can check safely | Who to call first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water dripping from the indoor unit | Blocked drain, drain pipe without continuous fall, unit not level, frozen coil melting | Filter clean? Hose end outside, free, not in a bucket or a drain? | The installer if the AC is under three months old; otherwise a service visit |
| Water running down the wall where the pipes enter | Bare or crushed insulation on the copper pipes sweating | Is the pipe insulation torn or missing near the wall? | Service visit (re-lagging) |
| Runs but cools weakly | Dirty filter or coils, blocked outdoor unit, wrong mode, undersized unit, low charge from a leak | Filter, outdoor coil, space around the outdoor unit, mode, temperature difference (chapter 3) | Service visit with measurements |
| Indoor fan runs, outdoor unit silent | Supply voltage, outdoor fuse or wiring, communication cable, capacitor (fixed speed), board | Error code on the display, time of day it happens, MCB | Brand service if under warranty; otherwise a technician who reads the code |
| Error code or blinking light | Depends on the code family (chapter 4) | Note the exact code, the time and the weather | Brand service if under warranty |
| Stops after a minute or two | Overheating outdoor unit, power module, low voltage on load | Space around the outdoor unit, evening voltage | Same |
| MCB trips when the AC starts | Circuit undersized, compressor, board, earth fault | Is the AC on its own circuit of the right rating? | An electrician first, then the AC technician |
| Ice on the pipes or the indoor coil | Airflow (filter, blower), then low charge | Filter; switch to fan mode to thaw | Service visit; a refill only after a leak test (chapter 5) |
| Bad smell when switched on | Mould in the coil, the tray or the blower | Filter; is water standing in the tray? | Wet service |
| Unusual noise | Loose panel or bracket, fan touching, compressor | Is it inside or outside, at start or all the time? | Service visit |
What to say on the phone
Describe what you see, not what you think the fault is. "Water drips from the left end of the indoor unit after two hours of running, the filter was cleaned last week" brings a technician who checks the drain. "It needs gas" brings a refill, whether or not the machine needed one.
Give four facts in every call: the brand and model (on the sticker on the side of the indoor unit and on the outdoor unit nameplate), the date of purchase or installation, the exact symptom and when it happens, and the error code if there is one. Ask for the complaint or job number and write it in the service log (chapter 9) before you hang up.
Under warranty: the one rule
If the AC is still under the brand's warranty, have it attended by the brand's own service network and nobody else. Work on a sealed circuit or a board by an unauthorised technician is a standard ground for refusing a later claim. Note the date the comprehensive cover ends (commonly one year on the whole unit) and the dates of the longer part covers (often the PCB and the compressor), as printed on your warranty card, not on the box.
Checklist for every technician visit
- I have the brand, model, serial number and purchase invoice ready, and the warranty card.
- I have written down the symptom, when it appears and the error code.
- I have the complaint or job number, the name of the technician and the visit charge agreed before he starts.
- I asked him to show me the fault (the dirty filter, the blocked drain, the oily joint, the burnt board) before agreeing to any part or gas.
- Any measurement he takes is written on the job sheet: temperature difference across the indoor unit, running current, supply voltage, pressures.
- Any part replaced is named with its part number, and the old part is handed back to me.
- Any gas charged is written with its type (R32, R410A or R22) and the quantity in grams.
- The job sheet states the warranty on the work and on the part, and I paid against a GST invoice by a traceable method (UPI, card or bank transfer).
- I have a photo of the job sheet and of the invoice, and I noted the visit in my service log.
What a visit should cost
| Item | Indicative range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection or visit charge (outside warranty and AMC) | ₹300–₹700 | Usually adjusted against the repair if you go ahead |
| Dry service (filters, panels, quick check) | ₹400–₹600 | Not enough before the summer |
| Wet service, split (coil jet-washed with a cover, drain flushed, outdoor coil rinsed) | ₹500–₹1,000 per unit | The one that matters, in February or March |
| Drain clearing alone | Often included in a wet service | Rarely worth a separate high charge |
Bands for a metro, not a tariff. Brand service, a local firm and an app often differ by a factor of two for the same visit.
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Sources you can check
9 official sources cited in this guide. We install nothing and sell no equipment. Terms of sale.
Frequently asked questions
How do I receive the guide?
Right after payment you are taken to your guide page, with the spreadsheet to download. Bookmark it: the link stays valid and always shows the latest version. To keep a PDF, save it from your browser (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, then "Save as PDF"): the layout is made for printing. Stripe emails you the receipt, and "Find my purchases" at the bottom of every page sends the link again.
Is VAT included? Is it a subscription?
€19 is the total you pay, VAT included, once. There is no subscription and nothing is charged later. Your card details go to Stripe and never reach us.
Why is the price in euros?
The handbook is sold by a French company through Stripe and charged in euros: the price shown is the total, paid once. Your bank converts it to rupees at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee. Your card must be enabled for international online payments.
I already have the India buying pack. Is this the same?
No. The buying pack covers choosing the AC, the tonnage, the label, your bill and the installation. This handbook starts after the purchase: faults, gas, AMC, shifting, renting and complaints. A few points of the pack (warranty, gas) are developed here in full.
Do you recommend a service company or a brand?
No. We sell no equipment or service and take no commission. The handbook gives you the checks, the clauses and the letters to judge whoever you call.
What is the guarantee?
The guide is guaranteed as described: if it does not open or contains an error, we fix it, and if we cannot, we refund you in full (refund policy in the terms of sale). Write to admin@tech-bharat.com. A duplicate payment is always refunded.
Free guides on the same topic
- Shifting an AC to a new house: the move that quietly damages the machine
- AC gas refilling in India: when it is needed, and when it is not
- Water dripping from a split AC: the drain, the ice and the monsoon
- The inverter PCB: the other expensive failure in an Indian split AC
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