We boxed up our aircon pipes, and had to cut it open... with 7 holes
Just as our Reno approached the finishing lap of the journey... something incredibly frustrating occured.
So after our air con blowers were installed, I tested them out only about a week or 2 later and realised that the one in the master room wouldn't turn on. I thought it was a minor issue with probably the remote. Turns out I was so wrong. I called gain city to send someone over to check but instead they sent Mitsubishi electric servicemen. The guy did some tests and found that the blower and compressor were perfectly fine. But there must be a wiring issue somewhere causing power not to flow. I was worried as this meant any inspection of wire required cutting up the partition box ups that had already been so nicely done up. The guy couldn't do the rectification so they had to call down the gain city installer. I was furious by then, as it meant I had to make another trip down after work to supervise as we haven't moved in yet. I was even more frustrated and angered because the weekend before I spent 2 hours mopping the house almost 10 times as I didn't engage any professional cleaners.
When the gain city installer came, he cut up square holes in 7 locations trying to locate the faulty wire before showing me a sliced up wire... my ID rushed over too as gain city claimed that this was caused by negligence of the partition workers. Gaincity installer also claimed that he had tested the air con when he installed the blower. This was likely untrue as all the remote controllers were in their bags without batteries inserted and batteries still sealed in wrapping. He even suggested that my ID side had to bear the cost of reinstalling the wires. He was likely trying to pull a fast one and my ID wasn't having it. It was unlikely that the partition workers could have caused a clean slice in the wire.
I was frustrated because my cleaning efforts were wasted and moreover I had all furniture coming in a few days over the weekend. Thankfully, my ID managed to get the partition workers in time to patch up the walls though they still have to be painted during the defect touch up day a couple of weeks later...
TLDR: gaincity installer fumbled and made a mess, thankfully everything was resolved quickly by my ID. Partition boards can be cut up and patched back. I had to do a second clean up with my fiancée in time for our furniture to arrive on cleaner floors.
Dealing with hidden wiring issues behind boxed-up air conditioning pipes can be an exasperating part of home renovation. From my experience, one important takeaway is to always have electrical and installation work thoroughly tested during and immediately after installation, before any final finishing touches like boxing up pipes are completed. This can save a lot of hassle and prevent having to cut into newly completed walls multiple times. In our case, the wiring problem wasn’t apparent until we tried to use the aircon a week or two after installation. When the aircon in the master room failed to start, the initial suspicion fell on simple issues like remote control batteries, but this was not the root cause. The real problem was a slicing fault in the wire concealed behind the box-up — something that could easily have been missed during the initial installation. Having to make multiple holes (seven in total) to locate the cut wire was frustrating, especially since it happened just before we moved in and after painstaking cleaning efforts. However, it taught us the importance of clear communication with service providers and insisting on having professional oversight for repairs. We noticed inconsistent claims from different parties, and it was crucial that our interior designer was involved to properly coordinate repairs and identify responsibility. Another lesson is the resilience of partition board repairs. Although cutting into walls can seem catastrophic, proper patching and repainting during defect touch-up can restore the finish without permanent damage. Timely coordination with your interior designer and repair workers is key to minimizing impact on your move-in timeline. For anyone facing similar issues, I recommend documenting every step, maintaining clear dialogue with installers, and preparing mentally for some unexpected cleaning post-repair. Having a partner or family member involved can help handle the stress. Ultimately, while such setbacks are inconvenient, they are manageable with prompt action and good support. If you plan to box up your aircon pipes, consider scheduling testing sessions and inspections at multiple stages, and don’t hesitate to question service claims to protect your home and finances. Ensuring transparency and accountability with all parties involved can prevent unnecessary costs and workload later on.
That’s why i don’t trust gain city