Smoke, burning smells or carbon monoxide
For a burning smell, smoke or sparks, Mitsubishi Electric says to stop the unit and turn the breaker off. If there's fire, call 000. If a gas heater might be leaking carbon monoxide, Energy Safe Victoria says to leave the house and get into fresh air, turn off gas appliances and open windows and doors, and call 000 in an emergency. Don't use that heater again until a qualified gasfitter has checked it.
These can't wait
- A burning or electrical smell, smoke, or scorch marks on the unit or a power point.
- A breaker that trips again as soon as you reset it.
- Water dripping onto a power point, the switchboard or the unit's wiring.
- Headaches, dizziness or nausea at home while a gas heater runs, or people and pets getting sick at the same time.
- Anyone at home becoming unwell in the heat or the cold. Look after them first, with a doctor or 000, and deal with the system afterwards.
What can usually wait for a booked repair?
Most breakdowns can: a unit that runs but won't cool or heat, a slow drip you can catch in a bucket, a new noise from a unit that otherwise works, or an error code on a unit that's now switched off. None of these gets more dangerous overnight once the system is off.
While you wait, cool or heat only the rooms you're using. Solar Victoria's advice is to close doors to the areas you don't need. On a hot day, shut the blinds on the sunny side and run fans. In winter, never bring an outdoor gas heater inside: Energy Safe Victoria says outdoor gas appliances don't belong in your home, caravan, car or tent.
In Victoria, during a Department of Health heat health warning, you can run your air conditioner at any hour without breaching the usual noise rules.
Before you book an after-hours call-out
We're a referral service, not a call centre. Local installers see your job, and whoever takes it contacts you to arrange a time, which may not be tonight. If yours genuinely can't wait, an after-hours repairer is your choice to make, and a few checks protect you.
Look at the warranty first. Daikin's warranty card says its warranty repairs happen in normal business hours, and Toshiba's certificate goes further: any repair by a non-authorised agent while the warranty runs voids it. A rushed night-time fix by the wrong person can lose you that cover.
Ask whether the technician holds an RAC01 licence if the refrigerant might be involved, and for the RTA number on the invoice. Agree in writing what they'll do tonight, which is often just making the unit safe, and what waits for a return visit.
If a late visit turns into a pitch for a whole new system, you don't have to decide there and then. Under the Australian Consumer Law, an agreement negotiated at your home that you didn't invite the seller to negotiate can be an unsolicited consumer agreement, with a 10 business day cooling-off period. Our cooling-off guide explains.
What's safe for you, and what's for the technician
You can
- Switching the unit off at the remote, then at the isolator or the switchboard.
- Catching drips with towels or a bucket, well away from power points.
- Writing down any error code and what happened just before it stopped.
- Resetting a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, leave it off.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Finding the fault and making the unit safe.
- Anything inside the indoor or outdoor unit.
- Electrical work on the circuit or the switchboard.
- Any gas heater fault, which is work for a qualified gasfitter.
What we'd do
Our take
Make it safe, then ask honestly whether it can wait until morning. Most breakdowns can, and a daytime repair by someone who specialises in your brand and system is usually the better job. If it can't wait because of fire, smoke, gas or someone unwell, call 000 first and a repairer second.
