Air-con compressor dangles from fifth-floor Tampines HDB flat by pipes and cables — removed within hours after urgent rectification works

SINGAPORE: An air-conditioner bracket and compressor were left hanging precariously outside a fifth-floor HDB flat in Tampines on Sunday afternoon, with the compressor suspended only by its connecting pipes and cables after the bracket partially dislodged from the facade, AsiaOne reported.

AsiaOne was alerted to the incident at about 2:45 p.m. on Sep 13 by a resident from the block. Photographs shared with AsiaOne showed the compressor dangling from its pipes and cables, with the bracket partially detached, only one of its two arms still affixed to the building’s exterior.

A netting was used to cordon off the ground floor area beneath the affected stack of flats, with a town council worker seen speaking with residents at the scene. A police fast response car was spotted near the block at around 3:30 p.m.

By 5:20 p.m., less than three hours after the incident was first reported, both the bracket and compressor had been removed.

What the law says

Under the Building Control Regulations, flat owners face a maximum fine of S$20,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both, if an air conditioning condensing unit and/or its structural supporting system falls due to a lack of maintenance. Flat owners are advised to engage only Building and Construction Authority-trained installers when replacing or installing air conditioning condensing units.

A similar incident occurred in July 2022 at Block 55 Chai Chee Drive, where police had to forcibly break into a 10th-floor flat after a compressor was found dangling outside and the owners were not contactable, AsiaOne reported.

Netizens react

The incident drew responses online touching on installation practices and HDB design.

“Lucky the copper wires are strong,” one commenter wrote.

One commenter pointed to the role of HDB flat design in preventing such situations: “That’s why I prefer the newer HDBs with service yards. Requires less climbing and provides an extra level of safety.”

A commenter with apparent knowledge of installation practices attributed the failure to technique: “Brick walls are not suitable for using wall plugs. They should use punch-through brackets and bolts instead. Must be a newbie installer at that time.”

Another asked the question underlying the whole incident: “Bracket or concrete problems?” pointing to the two most likely causes of a dislodged bracket, neither of which reflects well on whoever was responsible for the installation or maintenance.