A question frequently asked by our landlords and clients –
“Do I need to get my evaporative air conditioner shut down for Winter?”
There are a few factors that determine if you require an
Evaporation Winter shut down. If your unit is an older system, it will
not have a self-cleaning function. This means that water will sit in the sump
over the Winter period and as a result, this water will go stagnant and mould
and bacteria that thrive in such conditions, could threaten the health and
well-being of you and your family. In addition, exposure to wintry
weather could cause the unit’s small hoses attached to the pads to freeze over and
burst/split. Replacing these parts can be costly, but most importantly
avoided!! Therefore, a crucial step when shutting down your unit for Winter is
turning the water off and draining the sump.
If your unit is a newer air conditioning system, it will
have a self-cleaning function. This means it will have a valve that drains the
water out of the unit once turned off to prevent water sitting in the sump.
However, this function does not clean the unit and regular manual cleaning is
still required; to ensure that built-up dirt does not damage your system.
If you have an investment property,
then a small outlay just before winter and summer each year can save you big
dollars down the track on costly repairs or replacement.
For your own home - winter in Adelaide is extremely cold! If
your unit doesn’t have a cover or a Winter flap in the dropper, all that
freezing air from inside will go straight into your house causing your heating
system to work harder.
At Smith Partners Real Estate, we can recommend trusted
trades to provide a comprehensive evaporative winter shut down, though
following these critical steps:
- turning
the water off to the unit
- cleaning
out the unit
- flushing
the unit out
- checking
all parts for defects
- isolating
the power to the unit
- fitting
the Winter cover (if applicable) or check the Winter Flap is secure in
place (if applicable)
We recommend to all our Landlords that a winter shut down
should be performed each year to save them on expensive repair costs later down
the track. To find out more on how we care for your investment, call Smith
Partners Real Estate on (08) 8251 3249 to have a chat with one of our friendly
staff.