Whether it’s a car, boat or any other product that runs via a motor, servicing is a critical part in ensuring that you achieve longevity in your investment. Like those products, an Air Conditioning system is a significant investment and also runs on a motor and therefore requires regular servicing.

Whilst servicing will ensure you increase the longevity and lifetime of your Air Conditioning System, parts will inevitably break down over time with continued use, age, and general wear and tear. As you can see from the below image from one of the Bonaire ducted heaters, there are a number of parts in a Ducted Heater and continued work on technology to improve Ducted Heater Systems.

The challenge we often see for most consumers is when to replace and existing product, as opposed to fixing a broken unit.

In general terms, you should be getting 12 – 15 years out of a newer model Gas Ducted Heater. The higher star rating, the more efficient your system will be and therefore the better / lower your operating cost will be as demonstrated in the below Bonaire operating Ducted Heater price guide. This diagram demonstrates the estimated savings on Bonaire units when you choose a higher star rating over a lesser star rating.

It is however really important to check the specific star ratings of systems when you are selecting your Ducted Heater as a 4 start heater can be up to 4.8 stars whilst a 5 star heater could be 5.1 stars. This means that the difference between a 4 star and a 5 star unit is really only .3 and in this case it may be better value to choose the 4.8 star system.

The reason we are mentioning operating costs in this blog, is due to the potential cost savings you might find in replacing your Ducted Gas Heater.

If you have a system that is 12 years old and you suddenly find it stops working, the fist thing you should do is call an knowledge Heating and Cooling Shop like Climatise or a licensed qualified plumber who specialised in Air Conditioning Systems and arrange a Service Call. A Service Call will usually cost between $280 – $350, is something that should be done at least every two years and is definitely the first point of call when a system stops working.

If it is found that the system is faulty due to parts, the first things we will do are;

• Asses the age of the unit.
• Find out if the product is still under warranty.
• Look at what parts have been found as faulty.
• Quote the cost to repair or replace the damaged parts where required.

If a unit is 12 – 15 years plus old, and is found to have a faulty fan that will cost around $800 – $1200 to replace and repair, our recommendation will always be to replace the unit. This would be the same advise for any significant part fault for a unit this old and probably any unit 10+ years old. WHY? Because this is usually the sign of the end. 

We will almost always see customers that choose to go against our recommendations come back again within 12 months and have to then look to spend another $800 – $1200 to fix another corresponding part. For example, if a customer spends $1200 to fix a fan motor, they are usually back with 12 months having to replace the CPU or other main componentry. A customer is then out of pocket $2000 plus with no 5-7 year warranty on their whole unit.

Instead, you would be better to invest around $3500 – $4,500 (depending on the unit you need/choose) to get a brand new Ducted Heating unit which will lower your operating costs, saving you money each year, that also has a 5-7 year warranty and the latest technology for enhanced performance. 

If your system is a 2 star or 3 star system that is old and not working effectively, you may simply benefit from a newer 4 or 5 star system that will save you money on operating costs as well as provide you with significantly better performance.

A new Ducted Heater will give you peace of mind, knowing you have a warrant in place to support you with any problems and a product that will last for years to come.

If you need expert advise or a service, call Climatise on 1300 210 300 and we will be happy to assist you.