Ducted Air Conditioning Repair
Most ducted faults show up in a bedroom
and start in the roof space.
Standby repairs ducted air conditioning across Wollongong, the Illawarra and Sydney: zone motors, drains, return air, ductwork and controller faults on Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu and other brands.
Ducted air con repairs, starting where the fault is
A ducted system is one indoor unit in the roof, a run of flexible duct to every room and a set of zone motors that decide where the air goes. When something fails, you notice it in a bedroom that stays warm or a stain on the ceiling. The cause is usually up in the roof, so that is where we start.
We repair ducted air conditioning in homes across Wollongong, the Illawarra and Sydney, including systems someone else installed. Our tradesmen are Certificate 3 qualified. Standby is an ARC member with a refrigerant purchasing licence, which matters on any repair that touches the gas.
For split system and ducted repairs in Sydney specifically, see air conditioning repair in Sydney.
Quick checks before you book
A ducted aircon that is not working sometimes has a simple cause. If none of these sorts it out, turn the system off and give us a call.
- The wall controller is set to Cool rather than Fan or Dry, with the set temperature below the room temperature.
- The zones for the rooms you want cooled are switched on at the controller.
- The return air filter behind the ceiling grille is clean. A clogged filter starves the whole system of air.
- The air conditioning circuit at the switchboard has not tripped and the isolator beside the outdoor unit is on.
- Nothing is stacked against or growing over the outdoor unit.
Common ducted faults we repair
One room or zone getting no air
Usually a zone motor or damper that has stopped moving, a loose zone cable or a duct that has come off in the roof. A zone with its own sensor also shuts off once it reaches temperature, which is normal and worth ruling out first.
Weak airflow everywhere
A blocked return air filter is the first suspect. After that we look at the indoor fan, the return air duct and any flexible duct that has been crushed or split.
Water through the ceiling
The indoor unit sits over a safety tray in the roof. A blocked drain line, a failed condensate pump or a tray that cannot drain sends water into the plaster. Keep the system off until it is fixed.
Blowing warm air
A refrigerant leak, a fault at the outdoor unit or a failed sensor. When a system has lost gas we find and repair the leak before recharging it, because gas added to a leaking system simply leaks out again.
An error code on the controller
Most wall controllers show a code when the unit shuts itself down. Write it down before you reset anything. It tells us where to look and which parts to bring.
Noise, smells or tripping
Rattling ducts, a squealing fan, a musty smell from the vents or a system that trips the switchboard. A burning smell or repeated tripping means turning it off at the breaker and calling us.
Duct repair in the roof space
Flexible duct spends its life in one of the harshest spots in the house. A roof space can reach 60 to 70°C on a summer afternoon. Years of that heat leave the outer sleeve brittle, joins work loose, runs sag or get crushed when someone crawls through the roof and rats chew through the lining. Each of those faults dumps cold air into the roof instead of the room.
When one room never cools properly, the duct is often the reason. We follow each run from the unit to the outlet, reconnect and seal loose joins, replace sections that have torn or collapsed and support the duct so it stays open. New duct goes in with the insulation the National Construction Code sets for your climate zone and an outer sleeve to keep damp out.
Error codes on Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu systems
An error code is the unit telling you which part it has shut down to protect. On a Daikin ducted system, A3 points to the drain, U0 to low refrigerant and U4 to the link between the indoor and outdoor units. On Mitsubishi Electric, P5 points to the drain pump or a full drain tray. Codes change between models, so treat them as a starting point and leave the diagnosis to us.
Resetting the system once is reasonable. If the same code keeps coming back, a part is failing and every restart adds wear. When you call, have the code, the brand and a rough idea of the system’s age ready.
How a ducted repair visit works
Step 1
Talk it through
Tell us the brand, any code on the controller and what the system is doing. That often narrows the fault down before we arrive.
Step 2
Find the cause
We check the controller, the indoor unit and drain in the roof, the ductwork and the outdoor unit, rather than swapping the first part that looks tired.
Step 3
Fixed quote before any work
You get a plain explanation of what failed and a fixed price for the repair. Nothing goes ahead until you say yes.
Step 4
Repair and test every zone
Once it is fixed we run the system and check airflow and temperature in each zone, not only the one that was playing up.
Repair or replace an older ducted system?
Most ducted systems run 15 to 20 years with regular servicing. Past that point parts get harder to find and a big repair starts to compete with a new system. We will tell you which side of that line yours sits on and why.
The rule of thumb the trade uses to weigh it up is on our air conditioning repair page. What a new system involves is on air conditioner replacement. Many of the faults above show up at a regular service long before they become a breakdown.
Salt air and the outdoor unit
In homes near the water, along the Illawarra coast and in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, salt settles on the outdoor unit’s coil and fins and corrodes them over time. A corroded coil cannot shed heat, so the system works harder, cools less and can cut out on the hottest days. We check the coil on every coastal repair and tell you whether a clean will bring it back.
Qualified, licensed and insured
Ducted repair questions
Why is my ducted air conditioner running but not cooling?
The usual causes are a blocked return air filter, the controller left on Fan or Dry or the zones you want switched off. If those check out, the likely faults are a refrigerant leak, a problem at the outdoor unit or a duct that has come apart in the roof. Each of those needs a technician to confirm.
Why is one room not getting any air from the ducted system?
Usually the zone motor or damper for that room has stopped working. The other common cause is a duct that has come loose or collapsed in the roof space. Check that the zone is switched on at the controller first. If it is on and the vent is still dead, someone needs to go into the roof to find which one it is.
Should I turn my ducted air conditioner off if it is leaking or not cooling?
Yes, if water is coming through the ceiling, the system keeps tripping or you can smell burning. Turn it off at the controller and at the breaker and leave it off until it has been looked at. A system that is only cooling poorly is safer off too, because running it hard puts extra wear on parts that are already struggling.
How long does a ducted air conditioner last?
Usually 15 to 20 years with regular servicing. Systems close to the coast and systems that have rarely been serviced tend to reach the end of their life sooner.
How much does a ducted air conditioning repair cost?
It depends on what has failed and where it sits. A blocked drain near the roof hatch is a different job from a refrigerant leak behind a wall or a collapsed duct at the far end of the roof. Parts, refrigerant, roof access and the number of zones affected all move the price. We find the fault first and give you a fixed price before any repair starts.
Do you repair ducted systems you did not install?
Yes. We repair Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu and other ducted systems regardless of who installed them.
Related pages
Ducted system playing up?
Zones, drains, ductwork and controllers, diagnosed properly and fixed at a price agreed up front.