Before you touch a flooded or dripping unit
If water is dripping onto power points, or onto the floor near electrics, switch the air conditioner off at the switchboard if you can do it safely. If floodwater reached the outdoor unit, leave it off until a licensed technician or electrician has tested it. Don't open the indoor or outdoor unit yourself.
Why Cairns systems drip, smell and stop
Humidity and open windows
Mitsubishi Electric says not to run its units for more than 4 hours at high humidity (80% or more) or with windows or an outside door open, because condensation may drip and damage furniture. Cairns' February afternoons average 71% humidity at the Bureau of Meteorology station.
Drains and dirty filters
Samsung says most leaks come from a blocked or kinked drain hose or a poor slope, and Mitsubishi Electric says dirty filters cause condensation inside the unit.
Mould and smells
Mitsubishi Electric says dirt inside an indoor unit can grow mould and also clog the drain, which is often why a smell and a leak turn up together.
Floods
Cyclone Jasper's December 2023 flood took the Barron River past its 1977 record of 3.8 metres. A unit that's been under water needs checking before it runs.
Hot spells
The Cairns station's mean January maximum (the average of each January's hottest reading) is 35.2 degrees, and its record is 42.6, set in November. Mitsubishi Electric says cooling may not be enough when it's very hot outside.
Checks to run first
Shut the room
Close the windows and doors. A unit cooling against open louvres in humid air can drip and struggle.
Look at the drain hose
Outside, the hose should run downhill and straight, with its end out of any water. Samsung lists each of those as a leak cause.
Clean the filters
Power off first, wash them as the manual says and dry them in the shade.
Dry out a smelly unit
Ventilate the room and run Fan mode for 3 to 4 hours, as Samsung suggests.
Check the basics
Breaker on, remote on Cool, fresh batteries, and no timer switched on.
What makes a Cairns repair bigger or smaller
A slipped or blocked drain line is often a short visit. Mould right through the coil and fan needs a proper strip-down clean, which our cleaning page explains.
A unit that's been under floodwater may need parts or may be beyond saving, so ask for the findings in writing and, for an older unit, a replacement quote too. If the refrigerant is low, there's a leak: the ARC says topping up before the leaks are repaired is illegal.
Under warranty, check the card before calling anyone. Mitsubishi Electric, for one, asks owners to contact the Authorised Retailer or an Accredited Repairer within 30 days of becoming aware of a defect. Our main repairs page has more on warranties.
Who can fix it
Repairs are mechanical services work in Queensland, so they need a QBCC licence at any value, and refrigerant repairs need an ARC RAC01 holder.
Cairns repair jobs are seen by licence-checked technicians nearby who work on your type of system, and only the one who takes yours gets your number and email. Should no one near Cairns take the repair within 48 hours, technicians elsewhere in Queensland may see it. The Cairns page has more on the local climate.
Questions for the technician
- Where exactly is the water coming from?
- Is this a drain problem, a mould problem or something else?
- Is the unit still under warranty, and are you authorised for this brand?
- After the flood, is this unit safe and worth repairing?
What's yours to do
You can
- Close up the room while the aircon runs.
- Check the drain hose outside and clean the filters.
- Switch off and protect the floor if it's dripping inside.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Clearing drains inside the unit and fixing the slope.
- Coil and fan cleaning, and electrical testing after water damage.
- Finding and fixing refrigerant leaks.
What we'd do
Our take on Cairns repairs
Shut the room, check the drain hose and the filters, and run Fan mode for a musty smell before you call anyone. If it still drips or won't cool, switch it off and get one repair specialist who works on your brand, with the fault in writing. If floodwater reached the unit, we wouldn't switch it on at all until it's been tested.
