Two warranties, and your rights underneath
A new system usually comes with two promises: the manufacturer's warranty on the equipment, and the installer's workmanship warranty on the installation.
They don't overlap as much as people assume. AHIC, which warrants Carrier and Toshiba systems, says it does not warrant installation or installation-related defects. Midea's conditions put problems from improper installation on the installer, and ActronAir encourages owners to call the installer first.
Under both sits the Australian Consumer Law. An air conditioner has to be of acceptable quality, and the installation has to be done with due care and skill. Any contract term trying to exclude or limit those guarantees doesn't hold, and Samsung's split system pages describe its warranty as being on top of those rights.
Does who installed it affect the warranty?
Yes, and it's in almost every card we read. Mitsubishi Electric's card says the warranty won't apply if the product isn't installed by a licensed installer or is installed incorrectly. Gree's is void if the unit isn't installed by a suitably qualified trades person. MHIAA requires installation by a suitably licensed and qualified person, to the manufacturer's instructions and to Australian Standards.
Other cards exclude the faults rather than void everything. Daikin and LG exclude problems from incorrect or faulty installation, TCL excludes faults from installation by a non-licensed plumber or electrician, and Haier excludes installs done without the compliance certificates local codes require.
That's why the certificate at the end of the job matters. Rinnai, and AHIC for Carrier and Toshiba, ask owners to get Certificates of Compliance from the installer. TCL wants a proof of installation certificate from a licensed plumber or electrician when you claim.
Servicing, repairs and filters
Several brands set a servicing interval, and a few go further: some evaporative and gas products need a paid service in a particular year to keep their longer cover. Our servicing guide lists the intervals by brand and system.
Who does the work counts as well as when. AHIC's certificate says any repairs by non-authorised agents during the warranty period void its express warranty for Toshiba and Carrier. Hitachi excludes damage from servicing by anyone other than a qualified person, and from filter neglect, so keep up with the filters too.
Do you have to register an air conditioner warranty?
Usually it's the extra years that depend on it. Hisense extends its standard warranty from 5 to 7 years if you register online within 6 months of purchase. TCL's 2 year extension has to be claimed within 30 days of installation or purchase, and Bonaire's 2 year extension needs an application within 6 months of installation.
For the standard cover, it varies. Midea says its warranty applies automatically, MHIAA encourages registration without saying it's required, and ActronAir asks for it within 14 days. The safe habit is to register on the day it's installed.
There are deadlines after a fault appears, too. Mitsubishi Electric, Rinnai and AHIC (for Toshiba) all set a 30 day window for reporting a defect.
When does the warranty start?
Start dates differ, which matters if a unit sits in the garage for months before it goes in. Daikin counts from the date the original owner bought it, and MHIAA from the purchase date on the tax invoice. Rinnai counts from when installation is completed, and ActronAir from commissioning.
Mitsubishi Electric counts from installation, provided that happens within a reasonable period of purchase, which it says would generally be within 12 months.
Moving it, where you bought it, and the fine print
Moving a unit usually ends its cover. Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Gree, Rinnai, Haier and MHIAA all exclude units re-installed away from the original location, and many cards exclude caravans and boats.
Where it came from can matter. Mitsubishi Electric covers products the original owner bought from an Authorised Retailer in Australia, TECO excludes products not bought from an authorised TECO reseller, and AHIC excludes units bought second hand or at auction. Seeley's 7 year Breezair and Braemar warranty needs the product first bought through a participating Seeley dealer, not a distributor, wholesaler or trade installer, or residential cover is 5 years.
Buying a house with a system already in it? Some cards cover the original owner only, Gree's and Mitsubishi Electric's among them.
Add-on jobs can carry shorter cover. Rinnai's booklet classes a product installed as a retrofit component to an existing system as an Other Application, with 2 years parts and 1 year labour.
Access counts too: MHIAA says the equipment must be safely accessible with a 1.7 metre ladder. Near the sea, salt is the other big exclusion, covered brand by brand in our coastal guide.
Don't open it up to fix it yourself
Mitsubishi Electric's instructions say the unit shouldn't be installed, relocated, taken apart, altered or repaired by the user, because that can cause fire, electric shock, injury or water leaks. The ARC says handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without a Refrigerant Handling Licence is an offence. Beyond the safety risk, a home repair hands the brand an easy reason to refuse a claim.
The paperwork to keep together
- The tax invoice or proof of purchase, with the date on it.
- The installation date, and the installer's business name, RTA number and contact details.
- The model and serial numbers of every indoor and outdoor unit. Hisense and TCL both ask for them when you claim.
- The compliance certificates. In Victoria that means a Certificate of Electrical Safety and a plumbing compliance certificate.
- Every service invoice. Haier asks for records of all service and maintenance with a claim.
- Your registration confirmation, and any extension certificate. Bonaire issues one showing the new expiry date.
If something goes wrong
Stop and write it down
Note what's happening and when it started. If water's coming from the indoor unit or the breaker keeps tripping, Mitsubishi Electric says to stop using the system.
Call the installer if it could be the install
Samsung says most leaks come from a blocked or kinked drain hose or an improper slope, which is installation territory. Start with the installer for anything like that.
Then the brand, within its deadline
For a fault in the equipment itself, contact the brand or the retailer with your proof of purchase. Several cards want notice within 30 days of the defect appearing.
If you're knocked back
Ask for the reason in writing. If the installation work fails a consumer guarantee and the problem isn't major, you can require the installer to fix it within a reasonable time. If they refuse or take too long, you can have someone else fix it and recover reasonable costs. If the installer came through us, our complaints page explains how to raise it.
Keeping your side of the bargain
You can
- Register the product as soon as it's in, and put any extension deadline in your calendar.
- Clean the filters as the manual says, and keep the outdoor unit clear.
- Book servicing at whatever interval the card sets, with a licensed technician.
- Keep invoices and certificates in one place, with photos of each unit's model plate.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Installing to the brand's manual and the Australian Standards.
- Commissioning the system and issuing the compliance certificates.
- Warranty servicing, repairs and any refrigerant work.
What we'd do
Before you choose a brand
We'd read the warranty card for the exact model on the quote before signing, not after something breaks. Look for four things: who has to install and service it, any registration deadline, when the clock starts, and what it says about salt if you're near the sea. Then choose an installer who's fitted that brand many times, because they'll know its manual and its paperwork.
