How often does a split system actually need servicing?
Once a year is right for a normal home used through the warm months. Move to twice a year if the unit runs most of the year, sits in a kitchen or workshop, or lives with heavy pet hair, pollen or coastal salt air. A unit used only a few weeks a summer can sometimes stretch to eighteen months, and we'll tell you if yours can.
What do you need from me on the day?
Clear access to the indoor unit and to the outdoor condenser, a power socket nearby, and somewhere to put a small amount of water. If the condenser is on a balcony, flat roof or behind a locked gate, mention it when you book so we bring the right access kit rather than discovering it on arrival.
Does every service include a refrigerant top-up?
No, and be wary of anyone who says it does. A sealed system does not consume refrigerant. If pressures read low, there is a leak, and the correct order is find it, repair it, then recharge. Topping up a leaking system is money spent on gas that will be outside again by next season.
My unit is noisier than it used to be. Is that a service job?
Sometimes. A soft rushing that grew over a year is usually dirt loading the fan, and cleaning fixes it. A rattle, a grind, a click on start-up, or a noise that changes pitch with fan speed is mechanical — bearings, mounts or the fan wheel itself. Book it as a fault call-out so we arrive expecting to dismantle rather than just clean.
Can you work on a rental or managed property?
Yes. We can attend with the tenant present and send the service record to whoever is paying, and we're happy to coordinate directly with a letting agent or building manager. Please tell us at booking who approves any repair cost, because that one detail is the usual reason a second visit becomes necessary.
How do I know whether to repair or replace an old unit?
We weigh the repair cost against the unit's age, whether parts are still available, how efficiently it runs now, and whether it was ever the right size for the room. A ten-year-old unit needing one sensor is worth fixing. The same unit needing a compressor rarely is. You get both numbers and the reasoning, not a push toward new equipment.
Will servicing make much difference to running costs?
A clogged filter and a dirty coil force the system to run longer to reach the same temperature, so yes — a clean unit usually reaches set point faster and cycles less. We won't put a percentage on your particular system, but the before-and-after readings we take on the visit will show you the change in your own numbers.