5 things you should clean on your split system every quarter

Your split system has a service life of 12–15 years. Or 6 years if you ignore it. Five minutes of basic maintenance every three months is the difference between those two numbers — and it keeps your manufacturer warranty intact. Here's the checklist.

1. Vacuum the indoor filters (2 minutes)

Open the front panel of the indoor head. Lift out the two mesh filters. Vacuum the dust off (or rinse under warm water, dry completely, reseat). Do this every 3 months in summer, less in winter. Dirty filters kill efficiency more than anything else.

2. Wipe the indoor coil fins (1 minute)

Behind the filters you'll see thin aluminium fins. Run a soft brush or a microfibre cloth gently across them to clear dust. Don't bend them — straighten any bent fins with a fin comb if you've got one.

3. Check the condensate drain (30 seconds)

Find where the small white pipe exits the wall outside. In cooling mode, water should drip steadily from this when the unit is running. If nothing comes out on a humid day, the drain is blocked — call us before the indoor unit floods.

4. Clear the outdoor condenser (1 minute)

Walk around the outdoor unit. Pull leaves, spider webs, and grass clippings away from the back grille. Maintain ~300 mm of clearance on all sides. A blocked condenser can't dump heat properly and the indoor unit will start cooling poorly.

5. Test the remote and modes (30 seconds)

Cycle through cool / heat / dry / fan-only on the remote. Watch for the unit to respond within 30 seconds. If something doesn't respond, swap the remote batteries (the biggest reason units "don't work"). Still nothing? Note it and call us at the next annual service.

When to call us instead

• Coil fins look black or oily (mould — needs chemical clean)
• Outdoor unit makes a new grinding or rattling noise
• Cooling capacity has dropped noticeably — usually refrigerant loss (leak — needs licensed repair, not just a top-up)
• Water dripping from the indoor head into the room
• Anything you're not sure about — better to ask

An annual professional service ($189 for a single split, $329 for ducted) catches the things you can't reach: gas pressure, electrical connections, deep coil clean. We do it every year on most customer systems alongside the quarterly DIY you can do yourself.

FAQ