Aircon Indoor Thermistor

The indoor thermistor is the temperature sensor inside the fan coil unit. It tells the system how warm the room is.

When it reads correctly, the aircon keeps cooling until the room reaches your set temperature. The compressor runs, the room drops, and the unit holds the setpoint.

When it reads wrong, the system thinks the room is already cool. It cuts the compressor off early. The fan may still run but no cooling is coming through.

The aircon starts normally, runs for a period, then stops while the room is still warm. You lower the temperature setting and it starts again — but the cycle repeats.

There may be no unusual sound or error light. The unit appears to be working but cannot hold comfort.

In some cases the unit runs all night without the room ever reaching temperature. Or it keeps switching on and off in a short cycle.

A blocked filter, dirty coil, or weak indoor fan motor can create the same pattern. Restricted airflow causes the coil to get too cold, triggers a protection cutout, and the unit stops — exactly like a sensor fault.

From the room side, airflow fault and sensor fault look almost identical. Both cause early cut-off. Both leave the room warm.

Replacing the thermistor first can miss the real issue entirely. The unit behaves the same way after replacement and you have spent on the wrong part.

We run two checks in sequence during the same visit.

First we confirm airflow is healthy — filter, coil condition, and fan speed. If airflow is weak, we restore it and retest before moving on. A clean coil and clear filter often resolve the symptom without any part replacement.

If airflow checks out, we compare the sensor reading against measured room temperature under normal running conditions. A sensor that reads significantly off its actual environment is the confirmation we need.

We recommend replacement only when airflow is normal and sensor mismatch is confirmed with a reading. No reading, no confirmed fault.

The most common finding is airflow restriction — filter or coil. These resolve without part replacement. Confirmed sensor faults are less common but clear when the data shows it.

Indoor thermistor replacement is a minor repair once the diagnosis is confirmed. The sensor is a small component that sits inside the fan coil unit, and access is straightforward on most indoor unit types.

Sourcing is reliable for most brands in Singapore. It is not a part that typically needs to be ordered in — most common makes are available quickly.

If a technician recommends thermistor replacement without running airflow and temperature checks first, ask what readings were taken. A confirmed fault has a measured mismatch. If there is no measurement, there is no confirmed fault.

A confirmed thermistor replacement should restore stable cooling control. The unit should run full cycles and hold the room at your set temperature without cutting off early.

We run the system after replacement to confirm the symptom is gone. If the same short-cycling pattern returns, the original cause may be elsewhere — likely airflow — and needs a recheck.

If the unit also has an outdoor thermistor, we check both readings are consistent before signing off on the visit.

If the room reaches comfort reliably — even if the cycle pattern looks unusual — replacement is not urgent. Some units run shorter cycles in cooler weather and this is normal behavior, not a fault.

We will tell you clearly what we observed — confirmed fault, borderline reading worth monitoring, or a pattern within normal range for that unit.

Monitoring is the right call when symptoms are intermittent and readings are not yet conclusive. We will give you a specific condition to watch for so you know when to act.