Melbourne weather has a habit of going from jumper weather to 38 degrees before anyone’s had time to find the fan. I’m not sure anyone has told our air conditioners.
Every October I promise myself I’ll test the split system before summer. Every October I forget. Then the first hot night turns up, I press the button, and the thing makes a low humming noise, like a fridge that’s holding a grudge. Nothing cold comes out. I stand there in the lounge room pressing the button again, as if the second go will be different. It never is. If you’ve done the same, keep reading.
Why Your Aircon Fails on the First Hot Day
Most of us switch the aircon off around autumn and forget about it. Five or six months of dust sit in the filter, the outdoor unit slowly collects leaves, spiders and whatever else the garden throws at it, and then the first 35 degree day arrives and we expect the whole system to go flat out immediately. I wouldn’t cope with that either.
RACV made the same point a while back. Their home services manager said units sit switched off for months and then cop a hammering when the heat arrives, and he recommended booking an annual service and cleaning or replacing the filters before summer. That’s advice I’ve ignored for years, so I’m in no position to lecture.
Warning Signs Your Aircon Needs Repairs
The obvious one is warm air. You set it to cool, you wait, and what comes out is the same temperature as the room (or worse). Weaker airflow than usual is another sign, and so is having to crank it to the coldest, loudest setting just to feel any difference.
A humming noise with no fan spinning is a bad sign. So is a burning smell, which could be loose or burnt wiring, and I’d switch the unit off straight away if I noticed one. Odd rattles, strange smells and a dead remote also count, although check the batteries first. I have, embarrassingly, paid for the lesson on that one.
What You Can Check Yourself
Before you ring anyone, there are a few things that take about ten minutes and cost nothing. Switch the power off at the wall first. Then pull out the filters and give them a wash, or replace them if they’re well past it. Have a look at the outdoor unit too, because it’s amazing what ends up wedged around it. Finally, check that nothing is sitting in front of the air intake or outlet. A pot plant or a pile of washing will do it.
That’s about where I stop. Anything involving the inside of the unit is a job for a professional, partly because it’s fiddly and partly because it involves refrigerant.
Booking a Professional Technician
If it’s more than a grubby filter, it’s time to book in air conditioning repairs Melbourne households can rely on, rather than a friend of a friend with a gas bottle and a ladder.
Here’s why I’d be picky. Under Australian Government regulations, it’s an offence to handle refrigerant without a licence, according to the Australian Refrigeration Council. So ask whoever you book whether they hold the right licence. A good technician won’t mind the question, and I’d be a bit suspicious of one who does.
I’d also ask whether they offer a warranty on parts and labour, and whether they’ll try to repair your system before suggesting a shiny new one. A fixed-price callout is another thing worth asking about, mostly so the invoice doesn’t ruin your weekend.
Book Before the Heatwave Hits
I don’t have numbers on this, but I’d guess technicians get busier the moment a hot forecast appears. Everyone remembers their aircon on the same afternoon, and the queue grows fast. Getting it checked now, while the weather is still mild, is probably the cheapest and least stressful option.
So here’s my suggestion. Tonight, turn your aircon on for five minutes. If it works, great, and you can go back to ignoring it. If it doesn’t, you’ve got a few weeks of spring to sort it out instead of a 38 degree evening with a cranky family.
Where were you when your aircon finally gave up? I’d like to hear the stories, mostly so I feel better about my own.
