What a Hervey Bay system goes through
Salt along the shoreline
Fraser Coast Regional Council's shoreline plan runs 112 km from Burrum Heads to Tinnanbar, with seawalls at priority spots such as Torquay Caravan Park. Outdoor units on the homes behind that shoreline take sea air every day.
A warm, humid run to February
January's mean maximum at Hervey Bay Airport is 30.3 degrees, and afternoon humidity peaks at 64% in February. That's months of steady cooling, with water running off the coil the whole time.
Heatwave is a listed hazard
Fraser Coast Regional Council lists heatwave among the region's hazards. A system that's been serviced before summer is less likely to let you down in one.
Gas in the house
Australian Gas Networks supplies natural gas to Hervey Bay, so your home may have a gas heater as well as an air conditioner. The two are serviced by different licence holders.
Why the warranty's corrosion clause matters here
Several brands put sea air on the owner. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' terms make the owner responsible for extra corrosion protection in coastal sea air, and so do Carrier's and Toshiba's certificates for installs close to the sea.
Others exclude the damage outright. Mitsubishi Electric's card doesn't cover salt damage to paintwork, metalwork or trims, and Samsung's excludes salt spray, sand and dust. Either way, a service that includes a wash-down and a look at the fixings is your best record that you've done your part. Keep the invoices.
What to ask the technician to cover
- Filters, coil, fan and drain tray cleaned, not just the filters rinsed.
- The outdoor unit washed down, and its coil checked for salt build-up and pitting.
- Brackets, bolts and the mounting checked for rust and looseness.
- The refrigerant charge checked by an RAC01 licence holder, with any low reading treated as a leak to find.
- A test run in cooling and heating.
- Anything that needs fixing written up as a separate item.
When should you book?
Late spring, before the January heat. Daikin suggests a licensed technician looks over the system at the start of every summer, and Mitsubishi Electric recommends a professional service once a year.
Between visits, Daikin says to clean or change the filters at least once a month through summer, and that swapping a blocked filter for a clean one can cut energy use by anywhere from 5% to 15%. Check your own manual for its schedule.
What makes a service bigger or smaller here?
Distance from the water. A unit that faces the bay and hasn't been washed down in a while takes longer, and corrosion found on the coil may turn the visit into a repair quote. After that, it's the number of indoor units, and access: a head high above a stairwell, or an outdoor unit squeezed under a Queenslander's verandah, takes more time.
If you also have a gas heater
That's a separate service. In Queensland, working on a type A gas device needs a gas work licence, and a servicing licence doesn't cover installing, removing, altering or certifying. Ask whoever services your gas heater to show their licence. Our gas heater service page explains what's involved.
Your part, and the technician's
You can
- Clean the filters on your manual's schedule, more often in summer.
- If the manual allows it, rinse the outdoor unit from the ground with the power off at the isolator.
- Keep sand, leaves and stored things away from the outdoor unit.
- Keep every service invoice for warranty claims.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Cleaning inside the indoor unit, coil and drain tray.
- Refrigerant checks and any leak repair, which need an RAC01 licence.
- The mechanical services work, under a QBCC licence.
- Any gas heater work, by someone with a Queensland gas work licence.
Questions for a Hervey Bay technician
- Is a wash-down of the outdoor unit included in the service?
- What does my model's warranty say about salt, and what should I be doing between visits?
- Will you check the brackets and bolts as well as the unit?
- What's the business's QBCC licence number, and does the technician hold an RAC01 licence?
What we'd do
What we'd do
Book a service every spring, have the outdoor unit washed down and its fixings checked at the same visit, and keep the invoice in a folder with the warranty card. If you're on the esplanade, we'd also rinse the unit between services where the manual allows. Licence-checked service specialists near Hervey Bay see your job where we have them, and only the one who takes it gets your phone number and email. If no one around the bay takes it within 48 hours, service specialists in other parts of Queensland may also see it.
