Air conditioner servicing essential to preventing house fires

A recent house fire in Taringa, suspected to have been caused by a gecko in a split system air conditioner, is a timely reminder to carry out regular aircon servicing to prevent accidents like this in your home.

Luckily the home’s smoke alarms alerted the residents to the fire and the family had time to get out safely before flames engulfed their townhouse.

How to prevent this from happening at your house

Gecko’s wreaking havoc in air conditioning units is a very common issue in sub-tropical climates like ours in Brisbane and southeast Queensland. The little reptiles love the warmth and humidity of the air con switchboard. Unfortunately, geckos can create serious problems inside the air conditioner causing the circuit board or fuse to blow, often leading to costly repairs, breakdowns, or in some cases fire.

Sadly, there’s more bad news, some air conditioner warranties don’t cover damage caused by geckos.

What can you do?

Regular professional service and cleaning of your air conditioner can uncover issues like the presence of vermin or geckos before it’s too late. A simple gecko deterrent can be installed during the service to prevent future infestations.

Ask our air conditioning team about adding a gecko deterrent to your next air conditioner service. We recommend servicing and cleaning your air conditioner at least once a year for cool only models and at the beginning of summer and winter for reverse cycle style air cons (twice a year).

This family were very fortunate that the smoke alarm system was operating well in their home. The homeowner reported that the family were able to get out safely, within 3 minutes of being alerted, and that a brief two minutes later flames were coming out of the kitchen window.

Fire can travel very fast, it’s essential to regularly maintain the smoke alarms in your home to protect your family in the event of a fire. Routine testing, battery replacement, servicing as well as clearing will ensure you get the earliest possible warning of a fire.

Find out more about smoke alarm maintenance – Essential smoke alarm maintenance tips from the experts