What a Bunbury service needs to cover
Two seasons of use
Bunbury averages 29.9 degrees in January and 30.0 in February, and July nights fall to a 7.3 degree mean minimum. A reverse cycle system works hard in both, so the technician should run cooling and heating.
Which water you're near
The GAA's guide grades salt exposure by the water: C4 right beside calm salt water such as a harbour foreshore, C3 from 50 m to 1 km back from a sheltered bay, and C5 within 200 m of a surf beach. Tell the technician which applies to you.
Damp winters
July afternoons average 65% humidity, and rain peaks from May to September. Mitsubishi Electric says dirt inside a unit can cause odours and encourage mould, so a coil and fan left uncleaned for years deserve attention before the heating season.
Plenty of rentals
34.1% of Bunbury's homes were rented at the 2021 Census. Landlords should keep every service invoice: ActronAir's warranty terms, for one, set residential maintenance at once every 12 months.
What the service should include
Expect the filters cleaned, and the coil, fan and drain inside the indoor unit checked: Mitsubishi Electric says that after several seasons a unit needs maintenance that takes specialised skills. Outside, the unit should be cleared of debris and, near the water, its coil and casing checked for corrosion.
Checking the refrigerant charge needs a technician with a full RAC01 licence from the ARC, and a low charge means a leak to find rather than gas to add. Any fault should come back as a separate written item. Our national air conditioning service page lists what any service should include.
What makes it a bigger or smaller job
One wall split with an outdoor unit at ground level is the quick case. Several indoor units, a ducted system with zones, or an outdoor unit high on a wall take longer. A unit by the harbour that hasn't been serviced in years may need a deeper clean of the coil, and any corrosion it shows should be quoted separately.
Questions to ask a Bunbury technician
- Will you run the heating as well as the cooling?
- Will you check the outdoor coil and casing for salt damage?
- Do you hold an RAC01 licence for the refrigerant check?
- What's your RTA number for the invoice?
- Will any repairs be quoted separately?
Your part, and the technician's
You can
- Clean the filters as your manual says; Daikin's general rule is every two weeks.
- Keep leaves and garden growth clear of the outdoor unit.
- Note any musty smell or drip to mention on the day.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Inside the indoor unit: coil, fan and drain tray.
- The refrigerant check and any leak search.
- Electrical connections, and anything past a comfortable ladder.
What we'd do
What we'd do
We'd book one service a year, before summer, and have the heating run at the same visit so it's ready for the wet months. Near the harbour or an ocean beach, we'd ask for the outdoor unit to be checked every time. We'd want an RAC01 technician who services our kind of system often, with any repairs written up for us to decide on.
