Air Conditioner Help Please
I have an IP with two AC units. One in the master bedroom which works fine and one in the living area which doesn't. The comment from the tenant is that with a temperature of over 35 degrees it doesn't work. It has just been serviced and the AC person said it was around 30 years old. I have asked my PM but have as yet received no answer. Am I obliged to replace the unit given that Melbourne now a days regularly seems to have temperatures over the 40's? I did get the AC person to give me a quote for replacement and the brand he recommended was Daikin though he did give me a quote for two other brands as well. Panasonic and Conia. Someone who I have used for renovations offered to get a Mitsubishi which he says is the very best ? for a good price from his neighbour who sells them. Any one have any comments or experience with any of these? Also can some one please explain why there are 2 separate charges listed as well. Electrical which makes sense to me ( I assume installation ) but also for refrigeration which doesn't. I have never installed an AC and am too far away to go around and get all the information so would appreciate any advise or comments. Thanks in advance
Answer:
yes, you are obliged to maintain the amenities in the property. And given that it's 30 years old, I think you've gotten your money's worth out of that air-con! Having bought about 25 air-con units the past 5 years, I can tell you that this is an area rife with over-quoting. You should be able to pick up a no-name split system for about $400 (I buy them off the internet) and have it installed for about $500, so you shouldn't have to pay more than $1K total. (Or a bit more if it's a large open plan area and you need a more powerful unit, or if you have a difficult installation.) I buy the absolute cheapest unit that I can - for both myself and for tenants - and I've not had any problems with my "no name" units. Even if I do, given that they're about 1/3 or 1/4 the price of the brand names, if I lose one, I'll just chuck in a new one (if it's out of warranty, of course - even the dirt cheap ones came with a 3 yr warranty). The air-con salespeople will probably try to tell you that you need an inverter - a refrigeration mechanic and air-con business owner that I know says "don't bother". These are useful in milder climates where you want the unit working at a low level, but in Australia's extreme heat the unit will pretty much work at full power all the time anyway, so there are no real energy savings to be had. And you don't pay the electricity bill anyway.