Replacing your ducted air conditioning unit in Perth: when repair stops making sense

Plenty of Perth homeowners only find out their ducted system is on its way out on the first 40-degree day. By then you are choosing between a repair, a replacement and a wait for a technician.

The better time to decide is now, before summer. This guide covers the signs your unit is past repairing, how to weigh repair against replacement, and what a replacement involves, so you can make the call without a heatwave making it for you.

Signs it's time to replace, not repair

One fault does not mean the system is finished. A pattern of them usually does.

• Repeat breakdowns. A second or third call-out for the same system inside a year or two. Each repair is reasonable on its own, but together they add up.
• Rooms that never get comfortable. Some zones stay hot while others run cold. This can be a damper or motor fault, which is a fixable repair. If it comes with duct problems, it points to a bigger issue.
• Rising running costs. The system runs longer to do less.
• Age and parts. Older units get harder to service as parts are phased out.
• Noise and smell. New rattling, humming or a persistent musty smell. Some causes are cheap to fix (a dirty filter, a loose panel). Others are not.

Not sure which camp you are in? Start with a ducted air conditioning repair assessment. A good technician will tell you if it is not worth repairing.

What a ducted replacement involves

A full ducted air conditioning replacement is more than swapping a box. At CrispAir, the work can include:

• Paired indoor and outdoor unit replacement. Both ends replaced together so they work as a matched system.
• Zone damper and motor upgrades. Restores control of airflow to individual rooms.
• Touchscreen controller upgrades. Wi-Fi enabled, so you can run the system from your phone. See our air conditioner controller options.
• Ductwork inspection and section upgrades. Sections that are damaged or undersized can be replaced without redoing the whole house.
• Electrical and mains connection updates. Where the new system needs it.

If you are moving from evaporative cooling, an evaporative to reverse cycle changeover is the same job with some extra steps around the existing evaporative unit and ducting.

Can you keep your existing ductwork?

Often, yes. If the original system was designed properly, existing ceiling ductwork can usually be reused. That is a big part of what keeps a replacement manageable.

CrispAir inspects the ducts before quoting and issues a verdict. If the ducts are collapsed, undersized or leaking heavily, we will not quote a unit-only changeover. We will recommend replacing the unit, ductwork and zoning together, because a new unit on bad ducts does not fix the problem.

What to ask any installer before you sign

• Will you inspect the ductwork before quoting, and what happens if it fails?
• Is the quote for a matched indoor and outdoor system?
• What is the installation warranty, and what does it cover? CrispAir's is 5 years standard, extended to 10 years for Comfort Club members.
• What happens if the start date slips? CrispAir pays $100 per business day for a late start, up to $1k.
• Who does the work: employees or subcontractors? CrispAir uses in-house technicians.