Why servicing matters more in Brisbane
A long, humid run
Summer dew points in Brisbane average around 20 degrees. Afternoon humidity at Brisbane City Centre is 57% in December and January and 59% in February. That's months of your system wringing water out of the air, and every drop has to drain away cleanly.
Damp and dust inside the unit
Mitsubishi Electric's instructions say dirty filters cause condensation inside the air conditioner, which helps fungi such as mould grow. In a city this humid, that's a good reason not to let filters or servicing slide.
Salt air near the bay
Around sheltered bays, the Galvanizers Association of Australia's corrosion guide rates the shoreline to 50 m inland as C4 and 50 m to 1 km inland as C3. If you live near Moreton Bay, ask for the outdoor unit's coil and fixings to be checked for corrosion at every service.
After a storm or a flood
Get Ready Queensland's flood advice includes raising air conditioner units and switchboards above the flood level. If water has reached your outdoor unit, leave it off and have it checked before it runs again, rather than waiting for the yearly visit.
What a Brisbane service should cover
Filters, coil and fan
The filters come out and the coil and fan behind them get cleaned. Mitsubishi Electric's own instructions say owners should never try to wash the inside of the indoor unit, so this is the part you're paying a technician for.
The drain, flushed
Through a Brisbane summer the condensate drain (the small pipe carrying water away from the indoor unit) works nearly every day. Daikin's tune-up list includes flushing the drains, and the technician should check the water runs freely all the way out.
Refrigerant and electrics
Daikin's list also covers checking the refrigerant charge and tightening electrical connections. A low charge means a leak somewhere, and the ARC says topping up before leaks are found and repaired is illegal.
The outdoor unit
Cleared of leaves and garden growth, and checked for rust on the casing, fins and bracket if you're near the water.
Both modes tested
Even if you only use heating on a handful of July nights, a reverse cycle system should be run on heat as well as cool before the technician leaves.
Who can service an air conditioner in Queensland?
The QBCC's definition of mechanical services work includes maintaining, testing and repairing air conditioning, and Queensland requires a QBCC licence for that work whatever the job is worth. Anything that touches the refrigerant also needs a full RAC01 licence from the Australian Refrigeration Council.
On the electrical side, QBCC says a restricted electrical licence for refrigeration and air conditioning covers testing, repairing and maintaining that equipment. New electrical installation work isn't covered, so a new circuit means a licensed electrician.
You can check a business before you book. QBCC says a licensee's ads, online directory listings included, must show their licensed name and licence number, and its register can be searched by either.
Between services: your part and theirs
You can
- Clean the filters on your manual's schedule. Daikin's advice is at least once a month through summer, and every two weeks as a general rule.
- After a long run on cool or dry, Mitsubishi Electric suggests running fan mode for a while to dry out the inside of the indoor unit.
- Keep leaves, plants and stored things away from the outdoor unit.
- Near the bay, rinse the outdoor unit from the ground with the power off, only in the way your manual allows.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Cleaning inside the indoor unit, including the coil and drain tray.
- Checking the refrigerant and finding any leak.
- Testing the electrical connections and controls.
- Any unit on a second storey, a roof or a high bracket.
Ask these before you book
- What's your QBCC licence number, and does the technician coming hold an RAC01 licence?
- Will you clean the coil and flush the drain, or only the filters?
- Do you check the outdoor unit and its bracket for corrosion?
- If you find a fault, will you write it up separately so I can decide later?
- Will your RTA number, which starts with AU, be on the invoice?
What we'd do
What we'd do
We'd book the service for spring, so it's finished before the wet season, and keep the filters clean ourselves every month through summer. Near the bay, we'd ask for a corrosion check and advice on rinsing the outdoor unit. And we'd want a technician who services our kind of system every week, a split specialist for wall units or a ducted specialist for a ducted system, because they'll know where that model hides its dirt.
