Air Conditioning Maintenance

Are you attending to regular air conditioning maintenance? In a recent discussion paper, the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH), has commented on the poor standard of maintenance applied to existing air conditioning and refrigerant systems. The basis of the discussion was on transitioning to a low emissions future and the AIRAH suggested that even minimal air conditioning maintenance could have a big impact.

Owners and users of air conditioning

One of the reasons put forth for this lack of air conditioning maintenance is that we, the owners and users, are reluctant to pay the cost of air conditioning cleaning. Another reason is the lack of regulatory government enforcement in the interests of refrigerant leaks and energy efficiency. The AIRAH recommends that maintenance standards need to be clarified and the costs outlined to the users.

Difficulties with air conditioning cleaning

The discussion paper points out that access to air conditioning systems is often limited, which further reduces the maintenance regime. There are often coils and fans that cannot be reached, roof-mounted equipment with no Occupational Health and Safety compliant access, no safe access platforms, a lack of lighting, no power or drainage facilities for maintenance workers. Without regular maintenance, we, the owners of air conditioning, are not aware of any refrigerant leakage from our system, and these chemicals are extremely toxic. If a system leaks a large amount of refrigerant over time, this can be identified and reduced, as part of your regular air conditioning cleaning.

Time for air conditioning maintenance

There are several steps that can be taken to reduce the dangers of excessive refrigerant leakage and to improve the energy efficiency of your air conditioning system, by:

• assessing the actual level of refrigerant charge as opposed to the design refrigerant charge,
• cleaning of the heat transfer surface,
• sealing of the building envelope and system ductwork,
• recalibration of the controls,
• logging and ongoing assessment of monitoring information.

Australian trials have shown that after the professional cleaning of just the fins and coils of a two-year-old split system, used in a commercial property, there was an increase in energy efficiency of more than 30%.

How can we help?

Fallon Services Air Conditioning Technicians can carry out cleaning and maintenance on even the hardest to reach air conditioning systems. Call today on 1300 762 260 or complete our Booking Form and one of our team will contact you.