The biggest problem with the HVAC industry is that there are many sub-standard people installing the systems. A tradesman with a Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration has completed a 4-year Apprenticeship. This is four years on the tools and three years of Tafe one day a week. There are many so-called qualified people installing systems that have only completed a 2-day course and are now considered competent to carry out installations. There is no way a 2-day course is anywhere near equivalent to a 4-year Apprenticeship and this is evident in their installations.
If you are not using someone that is qualified or authorised to repair the units they have just installed, you may find that they don’t care how it was installed and will take every short cut in the book. We see an abundance of systems that are just out of warranty with burnt out compressors and upon investigation find that a vac pump wasn’t used to evacuate the system upon installation. We can tell this by how clean and shiny the copper pipe is on the inside. Without moisture and oxygen, the copper piping should be like it was the day it was installed, bright and shiny. When we open a system and see that the inside of the copper piping is brown and discoloured, it’s an indication the moisture and oxygen are present. This causes the electrical insulation of the windings to break down, causing a short circuit and burning out the winding on the compressor. The customer generally blames the system however it is almost always due to an unskilled and unprofessional installation or short cuts taken.
When selecting an installer, ensure they have completed their Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.
