Out Of Sign, Out Of Mind

Many houses depend on ducted air-conditioning for cooling and heating so obviously it’s an important selling point.

What stuns me is how many people assume a system is operating correctly so don’t check it out as part of the inspection process.

I mean to say, if you were buying a secondhand car, you’d check the air-conditioning was working, wouldn’t you?

I’ve been identifying and fixing typical household problems for nearly 40 years and I’ve lost count of the callouts my company’s had to fix either a poorly installed or poorly maintained system.

All ducted systems distribute cooled (or heated) air through a network of passageways, controlled by dampers, which snakes around the house through the roof cavity.

Trust me; it’s a whole different world up there above your head.

Summer temperatures can exceed 50C. Imagine the strain this puts on jointing tape and connections.

That dark little world can also get inhabited by vermin, which soon develop a strange appetite for rubber and plastic.

Ducting can disintegrate and dampers get jammed shut.

Usually a system failure happens slowly, which means an area won’t cool as quickly as it used to. This forces the entire system to work twice as hard, guzzling up your power.

You need a qualified and experienced technician that will do more than just fix an existing problem. The right person can advise on whether the system has been designed to work efficiently, particularly if it is zoned.

The best systems have the correct-sized air-conditioner with a zoning design that suits the house and its occupants, cooling or heating only those areas being used.

Don’t despair if you strike a problem. Repairs done to current improved industry standards mean better insulation ratings and even fire protection.

Now that’s worth a mention in the sales brochure.