You’ll be surprised what can live inside an air conditioner. Cleaning the air conditioner’s filters is not enough, you need to look beyond the filters to see what really lurks.
Air conditioning systems can be much worse for your health than dirty carpets. Contaminants such as mould, fungi, DNA, pet dander, dirt, dust, cigarette toxins, dead and alive animals only to name some contaminants are found in air conditioners and can make you sick. When tenants vacate, the air conditioning systems need to be decontaminated ready for the the new tenant to breathe healthy air and this means cleaning and sanitising all components including the coil fins, barren fan, louvers, drain and chassis.
If you are a landlord (refer Rental Tenancy Act ) or manage a property or workplace (refer Workplace Health & Safety Act) you need to be aware that you have a statutory obligation to properly maintain and provide clean air from the air conditioning systems.
You should consider engaging a professional air conditioning cleaning company to properly maintain and sanitise the air conditioning systems and always schedule a clean and sanitisation upon a tenant vacating. It’s also important you check the professional cleans in accordance with Australian Standard AS 3666.2-2002. – * (HydroKleen air conditioning cleaning and sanitising specialists are the only company approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice Program and they clean in accordance the the AS 3666.2-2002).
Penalties may be enforced for non-compliance of the regulations and can leave the property owner/manager liable for civil action should a tenant or worker lodge a claim for becoming sick from a poorly maintained air conditioning system.
AS 3666.2 Section 59 says in part:
“Clean” means visually free of sludge, slime, algae, fungi, rust, scale, dirt, dust and any deposit or accumulation of impurities or any foreign matter.
Currently it’s the tenants responsibility to keep the filters clean and the owners responsibility to ensure that the air conditioner is kept in a well maintained state.
Department of Commerce extract :
During the tenancy the owner/agent is responsible for the general upkeep of the property including (Residential Tenancies Act s42(b)
Mould/mildew by faults in gutter or fixtures and
Any other repairs to the property that were not caused by the tenant
Carpets get professionally cleaned when tenants vacate so why aren’t air conditioners getting professionally cleaned when there is more at stake? Is it a matter of what you don’t see you don’t think to clean?
Exit condition report
It’s important to ensure the air conditioning systems are left compliant. It’s on the list but is it really left clean?
Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) Exit condition report – general tenancies (Form 14a) – Air conditioners clean/working/undamaged
Under the Building Codes of Australia 2008, it has become mandatory to carry out maintenance to ‘safeguard people from illness or injury’.
Under section 1 entitled “Maintenance” there is also a performance requirement that states air conditioning systems must be adequately maintained to safeguard people from illness or injury.
HydroKleen is Australia’s leading air conditioning cleaning and sanitising company and will ensure that your split systems are cleaned and decontaminated in accordance to the various regulations.
HydroKleen is also the only company approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice Program to clean all types of split system air conditioners.
To find your local HydroKleen technician call 1300 608 318 or click on the link below for a quote or to email.
