Air Conditioning

A bedroom needs a gentler aircon setup than the lounge. Here is where to point the air, what quiet and sleep modes actually do, and what Red Nose says about room temperature for babies.

A multi-split outdoor unit shares a fixed amount of capacity between its indoor heads, so the room ratings do not simply add up. Here is how the sharing works on a hot day and how to check a quote before you sign.

Rooftop solar can carry a big share of your air conditioning if the aircon runs while the panels are producing. Pre-cool in the middle of the day, keep the set point sensible, then check whether a battery or tariff change covers what is left.

Repair an ageing air conditioner when the fault is a cheap, isolated part on a unit with available refrigerant. Replace it when it runs on R22, keeps needing gas, or the repair is a big slice of a new install.

A good aircon installation quote names the exact unit and breaks the job into mounting, pipe run, electrical, drainage, making good and removal of the old system. How to read one line by line and compare two fairly.

If your air conditioner runs all afternoon and the house still feels warm, the cause may be the building rather than the unit. How to check the ceiling, west glass, draughts and sizing.

What the refrigerant on your air conditioner's compliance plate means: how R32, R410A and R22 differ, why gas work is licensed, and what it means for an older system.

Water dripping from a split system indoor unit is condensate that missed the drain. How to trace it to a blocked drain, a sagging line, a tilted unit or ice on the coil, and which fixes are yours.

Renting or living in strata? Here's what a portable, a window or wall unit, or a split system really involves, and how to ask your landlord or strata for approval.

Check the ARC refrigerant licence first, then ask these questions about sizing, electrical work, placement, the quote and warranty before you book an aircon installer.