Why timing matters in Bundaberg
Heatwave season
Bundaberg Regional Council says Queensland heatwaves typically run from October to March and are most common in January. January's mean maximum at the Bundaberg station is 30.4 degrees, and the record is 40.2.
Cyclone and storm season
Get Ready Queensland says the cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April, and the council says severe thunderstorms usually come from January to March. A unit with loose fixings or a blocked drain is better found in spring.
Beachside salt
At Bargara, Burnett Heads and the other beachside suburbs, outdoor units sit in sea spray. Daikin says its outdoor coils all carry a Blue Fin coating, but that maintenance and positioning, as set out in the installation manual, are essential.
Flood-prone streets
The January 2013 Burnett River flood inundated over 4,000 homes, with flood depths of up to 3 m in parts of North Bundaberg. An outdoor unit that has been under water needs checking before it runs.
A pre-season service, step by step
Indoor unit
Filters washed, then the coil, fan and drain tray cleaned and checked, so summer condensation drains away instead of dripping.
Outdoor unit
Cleared of leaves and grass, washed down if you're near the beach, and its coil checked for corrosion.
Fixings
Brackets, bolts and the pad or frame checked for rust and movement before cyclone season.
Refrigerant and electrics
The charge checked by an RAC01 licence holder, and the electrical connections tightened. A low charge means a leak to find, never a top-up.
Test run and a written report
Run in cooling and heating, with any fault written up separately so you can decide about it later.
Keep the records: warranties ask for them
Several warranties lean on servicing. Hitachi's FAQ says its warranty doesn't apply if regular service hasn't been carried out by an appropriately ARC licensed installer, and Haier asks for records of all service and maintenance when you lodge a claim.
Distance can matter in a regional city too. Toshiba's certificate says owners 100 km or more from an AHIC branch or authorised service representative pay travel and freight costs on a claim. Ask your installer where the brand's nearest service agent is before you need one.
What makes a Bundaberg service bigger or smaller?
Salt and time do most of it. A beachside unit that's missed a few services can need a proper coil clean, and corrosion may turn into a repair quote. A unit that sat in floodwater is a bigger job again. Beyond that, it's how many indoor units you have and how easily they can be reached.
Between services: what you can do
You can
- Clean the filters as often as your manual says. Most brands say about every two weeks.
- Before 1 November, look at the outdoor unit from the ground and clear anything loose around it.
- Near the beach, rinse salt off the outdoor unit from the ground with the power off, if the manual allows.
- After a flood, leave the system off until it's been checked.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Cleaning the coil, fan and drain tray.
- Refrigerant checks and leak repairs, which need an RAC01 licence.
- Electrical checks, and any wiring work by a licensed electrician.
- The mechanical services work, which needs a QBCC licence in Queensland.
Questions for a Bundaberg technician
- Can you fit the service in before the October heat?
- Will you check the outdoor unit's fixings for cyclone season?
- Is a wash-down included for a beachside unit?
- Where's the nearest service agent for my brand if it needs a warranty repair?
- What's your QBCC licence number, and does the technician hold an RAC01 licence?
What we'd do
Our take
We'd book the service for September, ask for the fixings to be checked and the outdoor unit washed down if we were near the beach, and keep the invoice with the warranty card. If the unit had been anywhere near floodwater, we wouldn't switch it on until it had been checked. Licence-checked service specialists near Bundaberg see your job, where we have them, and only the one who takes it gets your contact details. When no Bundaberg technician takes a service job within 48 hours, technicians elsewhere in Queensland may see it too.
