In Singapore, conventional air conditioner (non energy saving) is already phasing out. This is due to a ban on the import of such products by the government. Only the new energy saving inverter aircon which passes the energy rating is allowed. Energy saving inverter aircon uses circuit board control and multiple sensors and valves to achieve energy saving. Hence people are slowly getting accustomed to frequent circuit board (PCB) and sensor failure, which was seldom heard of in the past.
Many Singaporeans are willing to fork out considerable amount of money to purchase new circuit. Less customers were inclined to pay for PCB repair, even though the cost is 40% less than purchasing a new one.
Perhaps Singaporeans are used to the convenience of replacing the old with the new, automatically assuming this is the best cost investment in the long run. This is understandable. Unfortunately, this may not hold true with the aircon circuit board.
Replacing a new circuit board can be expensive. The price of the board, coupled with labour for replacement and an “insurance buffer” by the contractor, all adds up to a substantial amount. In contrast, repairing the circuit board costs only approximately 40% of the new board. Importantly, repairing the PCB can get them working well too.
You may think that a new circuit board has newer components so it will last longer. This is not entirely true. Aircon equipment and parts are manufactured at the same period for each model. Parts are kept for reselling in future. So the new circuit board probably has the same manufacture date as your existing one.
Electronic components have long lifespans. Thus, a repaired circuit board can still can last a reasonable number of years. Circuit board failure is normally caused by external causes. It is unlikely due to expired component lifespan. In this instance, a new circuit board will still be subjected to the same external damage , rendering little difference between a new circuit board and a repaired one.
I hope this information has allowed you a better technical understanding of PCB repair, hence enabling you to make an informed decision on whether to repair or replace.