General information, not technical advice. For your own unit, check its manufacturer’s manual and ask a licensed technician. The Australian Refrigeration Council’s licence check shows whether a technician’s licence is current.
Who does it
energy.gov.au says servicing should be done by a licensed technician. The national rules explain why. The National Environmental Protection Agency says you need a refrigerant handling licence for anything involving a regulated refrigerant that could cause a leak, and lists servicing and maintaining the equipment among that work. The Australian Refrigeration Council, which administers the licences, says the licence covers servicing and maintaining the equipment whether or not there is refrigerant in it.
The agency describes what that licence is for in a consumer’s terms: licensed technicians have the expertise to make sure a system is “correctly sized, sited, installed, charged and maintained to prevent leaks and minimise energy costs”.
The faults a service is meant to catch
The clearest official picture of what goes wrong comes from bench tests run for the federal energy department. Two test facilities introduced common faults into four pieces of equipment, including a non-ducted home split system, after first recording how each one normally ran.
| Fault tested | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| A blocked condenser | The outdoor unit, which holds the compressor and condenser |
| A blocked evaporator | The indoor unit, which holds the evaporator coil and fan |
| Too little or too much refrigerant | The pipes joining the two units, which carry the refrigerant |
| Contaminated refrigerant | The refrigerant in those same pipes |
The results: on average, most tests showed energy losses of between 14% and 20%. When several faults existed at once, energy use rose substantially, and the system was highly likely to fail if they were not fixed. The department concludes that regular maintenance is likely to reduce what faults add to energy use and operating costs over time. The agency makes a related point: the systems that use these gases can be expensive to run if they are not properly installed or maintained.
What the regulator asks of technicians
The National Environmental Protection Agency’s page for technicians reads like a list of what a careful service involves on the refrigerant side. These are its words to the trade, not a checklist for a householder:
- “Fix any leaks before recharging a system.”
- Never charge equipment with a refrigerant of higher global warming potential than it was designed to use: doing so is an offence under national legislation.
- “All systems must be labelled with the refrigerant used, its charge and whether it’s flammable.” It reminds technicians that even R32 is mildly flammable.
- “Identify refrigerants in automotive systems before recharging, in case they contain contaminated or flammable refrigerants.”
- “Don’t retrofit a system with a more hazardous refrigerant unless it’s been redesigned based on manufacturer or engineer advice.”
- “Only do the work you’re licensed to do.”
- Keep the required records, store refrigerant in refillable containers, and return those containers to an authorised business or destruction facility.
- “Make sure you follow the standards and codes.”
- Businesses must keep their leak detectors, vacuum pumps and recovery units maintained, and check their containers for leaks.
Entry 03 sets out the refrigerant law in full, including what a leak means for you.
The parts you can see
Two parts of the system sit in plain view, and official advice speaks to both. If the unit has an outdoor compressor, energy.gov.au says to keep the area above it clear so air can flow, and notes that shade can make overheating less likely. Your Home also says the outdoor compressor should be shaded from direct sun.
Ducted systems add a third. Leaky or poorly insulated ducts waste energy and lose cool air, energy.gov.au says, and a qualified professional should always do the sealing or insulating. Your Home sets the standard ducts should meet: insulated to at least R1.5, with sealed joints to stop condensation and leakage.
When, and how often
No official source here sets one interval for every unit. energy.gov.au suggests a regular service inspection before peak use, giving late spring and autumn as examples, and leaves the question of how often to a conversation with a licensed technician. It also points you to your manufacturer’s guide for operating and maintenance tips. Your Home says to service coolers as the manufacturer’s instructions say.
Questions worth asking at the visit
- May I see your licence? The Australian Refrigeration Council suggests asking before the work begins.
- What refrigerant does the unit use, and is it on the label? Every system must be labelled with it.
- Did you find a leak, and was it fixed before refrigerant went in? That is the order the regulator asks for.
- How often should this unit be serviced? energy.gov.au suggests asking exactly this, and booking the next visit ahead.
Between visits, cleaning the dust filters is yours to do; entry 02 covers what official advice says about it.
A licensed technician can tell you what your unit’s manual asks for, and what they found when they looked.