Questions, answered properly.

It depends far more on the installation than on the unit — pipe run length, mounting position, access, whether a dedicated electrical circuit is needed, and whether the site is coastal enough to require a corrosion-resistant condenser. That is why we assess on site free of charge and quote against the actual job rather than publishing a price that would be wrong for most properties.

No. On-site assessments and quotes for installation work are free. Repairs are different: diagnosing a fault requires a technician, instruments and time, so there is a call-out and diagnostic fee, which we tell you upfront and credit against the repair if you go ahead.

Durban North and Kenville (our base), La Lucia, Glen Ashley, Umhlanga and Umhlanga Ridge, Mount Edgecombe, Cornubia, Phoenix, Ballito, Salt Rock, and the wider North Coast including Umdloti, Sheffield Beach, Zimbali and Tongaat.

Every six months for units in regular use, and every six months for any coastal property regardless of use — salt air attacks the condenser whether the unit is running or not. A lightly used inland unit can reasonably go twelve months.

Yes. We have a qualified electrician in the team, and we take on plumbing and small building works. This matters because a great many aircon problems are actually electrical problems, and heat pump geysers are a plumbing and refrigeration job at the same time.

Yes, including after hours and weekends. After-hours work carries a higher rate, which we tell you when you call. Contracted maintenance clients are attended ahead of general call-outs, which matters most between November and February.

A standard back-to-back split unit is typically installed in four to six hours, so a single day on site. Longer pipe runs, multi-storey access, multi-split systems or installs that need electrical work beforehand can run into a second day. We tell you which case you are before we start, not on the day.

As a rough starting point in Durban’s climate, allow roughly 9 000 BTU for a small bedroom up to about 15 m², 12 000 BTU for a large bedroom or small lounge to about 20 m², 18 000 BTU up to about 32 m², and 24 000 BTU for an open-plan living area up to about 45 m². Treat those as indicative only — west-facing glass, high ceilings, a poorly insulated roof or a room full of people can push the requirement up a whole size. We calculate the actual load on site before quoting.

Yes. We install client-supplied units regularly. We will inspect it before we start and tell you honestly if it is the wrong capacity for the space or missing required components. The unit warranty stays with your supplier; our workmanship warranty covers the installation.

Usually yes. Most estates and sectional-title schemes on the North Coast — Mount Edgecombe, Zimbali, Umhlanga Ridge and similar — have rules about where outdoor units may be mounted, how visible they may be, and what noise levels are acceptable. We can supply the technical details your trustees or HOA need, and we plan the installation around whatever they approve.

For anything you run daily — a bedroom, a home office, a living area — yes. An inverter varies compressor speed instead of switching hard on and off, which typically cuts running cost meaningfully, holds temperature more evenly and is noticeably quieter. For a guest room used a few nights a year, a fixed-speed unit is easier to justify.

The four most common causes, in the order we find them: a filthy filter or indoor coil restricting airflow; low refrigerant from a leak; a failed capacitor stopping the compressor from starting while the fan keeps running; or a blocked outdoor condenser coil that cannot reject heat. The first is something you can check yourself in two minutes. The rest need measurement.

Almost always a blocked condensate drain. The indoor unit pulls a great deal of moisture out of Durban air, and that water leaves through a small drain line that clogs with dust, algae and biofilm. When it blocks, the tray overflows into the room. It is a routine, inexpensive fix — but left alone it damages ceilings, walls and cabinetry, so it is worth attending to quickly.

Common causes are a failing compressor drawing excessive start current, a shorted fan motor, water ingress into the outdoor unit, a damaged supply cable, or an undersized or shared circuit that was never adequate. Do not keep resetting it — repeated tripping under fault conditions can turn a repairable problem into a replacement. Switch the unit off at the isolator and call us.

It depends entirely on what has failed, and any company quoting a repair price before diagnosing the fault is guessing. We charge a call-out and diagnostic fee, then quote the repair before we do it. Ask us for the current call-out figure when you book — we will tell you upfront and it is credited against the repair if you go ahead.

Our rule of thumb: if the unit is under eight years old, repair it. If it is over twelve, running an old refrigerant, and needs a compressor or coil, replacement usually wins on total cost within two to three years once you account for the electricity an old fixed-speed unit consumes. Between eight and twelve years it is a judgement call, and we will give you ours honestly.

Every six months for a unit in regular use, and every six months for any coastal property regardless of use, because salt air attacks the condenser continuously whether the unit is running or not. A lightly used guest-room unit inland can reasonably go twelve months. Commercial systems and anything in a dusty environment need more frequent attention.

A proper service includes deep cleaning of the indoor coil and blower wheel, filter cleaning or replacement, chemical cleaning of the outdoor condenser, clearing and sanitising the condensate drain, checking refrigerant pressures for signs of a leak, testing and tightening electrical connections, measuring compressor current draw, and confirming the temperature split. If a quote does not mention the drain and the coils, it is a filter clean, not a service.

Yes, and it is usually the cheapest efficiency improvement available to you. A blocked filter and a fouled condenser coil force the system to run longer to achieve the same temperature. Restoring airflow and heat rejection to design condition brings the runtime back down. The saving is largest on units that have been neglected for several seasons.

Bacteria and mould growing on a damp evaporator coil and in the condensate tray — very common in Durban humidity. Air fresheners and spray cans only mask it. It clears properly with a chemical coil clean and drain sanitisation, and stays cleared if the unit is serviced on a sensible cycle.

Yes — and most manufacturer warranties require documented servicing to remain valid. Skipping services to save money is the fastest way to find your warranty declined on the one claim you actually needed. We provide a dated service record for exactly this reason.

Never, in normal operation. A correctly installed, leak-free system holds its refrigerant charge for its entire service life. If you are being told your unit needs regassing every year or two, you have a leak that nobody has bothered to find. That is the actual problem to solve.

Typical signs are weak cooling that has declined gradually, ice forming on the copper pipework or the indoor coil, the unit running continuously without reaching setpoint, and a hissing or bubbling sound. None of these are conclusive on their own — a dirty filter produces similar symptoms — which is why we measure pressures and temperature split before touching the refrigerant.

Sometimes, but R22 is phased out, supply is limited and the price reflects that. If your R22 system has a significant leak or needs a major component, the sensible economics usually favour replacing it with an R32 unit that will use considerably less electricity. We will price both options and let you decide with real numbers in front of you.

Handled correctly, no. R32 is classified as mildly flammable and requires appropriate handling, tooling and ventilation, which is a reason to use a competent contractor rather than a general handyman. Refrigerants also displace oxygen in confined spaces. What we would genuinely warn against is the DIY top-up cans sold online — they routinely overcharge systems and introduce moisture and contaminants.

Most likely yes. Almost all split systems sold in South Africa in the last two decades are reverse-cycle. Look for a sun symbol or a "heat" or "mode" button on the remote. If it has one, using it is substantially cheaper than any electric heater in the house — usually around a third of the running cost for the same warmth.

A heat pump water heater typically uses roughly a third of the electricity of a conventional element geyser for the same hot water output. Since water heating is often the largest single item on a household bill, the reduction is usually significant and visible. Actual savings depend on your household’s hot water usage, your tariff and how the system is set up — we would rather size it properly and give you a realistic expectation than quote a headline percentage.

Very well. Heat pumps draw heat from ambient air, so their efficiency rises with ambient temperature — and the KZN coast has mild winters and warm, humid conditions for most of the year. This is close to ideal operating territory. Heat pumps struggle in genuinely cold inland climates; that is not our situation.

Far less than element heating, but the honest answer is that it depends almost entirely on whether you use a cover. Most pool heat is lost to evaporation from the surface. With a cover, a correctly sized heat pump holds temperature economically. Without one, you are heating the sky. Anyone quoting a pool heat pump without asking about a cover is not thinking about your bill.

Yes. Most of our commercial installation and major service work is scheduled for evenings, weekends or holiday periods precisely because the disruption is usually more expensive than the work. Say so when you enquire and we will plan around your trading hours.

It is a scheduled programme of servicing at an agreed frequency, at an agreed price, with documented records per unit and priority response when something does fail. It is worth it for any business where the air conditioning failing costs you money or disrupts operations — which, in Durban, is most of them. It converts an unpredictable emergency spend into a budgeted line and materially reduces how often the emergency happens.

Yes, and we do it regularly. We start with a full condition audit of every unit so that we — and you — know exactly what state the estate is in before we take responsibility for it. You get that report whether or not you proceed with us.

Yes. These are a different problem to comfort cooling: the load is constant, it runs 24/7, and failure has immediate consequences. We will discuss redundancy, alarm integration and appropriate unit selection rather than simply fitting a domestic split and hoping.

A full service of every covered unit at the agreed frequency — coil cleaning, drain clearing, filter service, refrigerant and electrical checks, and performance measurement — plus a documented record per unit, a condition report, priority breakdown response and discounted rates on any repairs outside the scope. Parts and repairs are quoted separately unless specifically included.

Per visit, yes — contract rates sit below once-off call-out pricing. The larger saving is in what does not happen: emergency call-outs at peak rates, compressor failures from running dirty, and water damage from blocked drains. For sites with several units the difference is substantial.

Yes. Complexes and body corporates are a good fit, because a single scheduled visit covering many units is far more efficient than residents individually arranging service. We can invoice the body corporate centrally or handle units individually, whichever the trustees prefer.

Contracted clients get priority response ahead of general call-outs, which matters most in December and January when everyone needs help at once. The call-out is attended at contract rates, and any repair is quoted before we proceed.

Yes. We attend emergency breakdowns after hours, on weekends and on public holidays across Durban and the North Coast. After-hours call-outs are charged at a higher rate than standard-hours work, and we will tell you that rate when you call rather than surprising you on the invoice.

It depends on where you are, the time, and how deep into peak season we are. We give realistic windows rather than optimistic ones. Contracted maintenance clients are attended ahead of general call-outs, which matters most between November and February when demand is at its highest.

Switch the unit off at the wall or isolator immediately and put a container under the drip. The cause is almost certainly a blocked condensate drain, and the water will keep coming while the unit runs because it is condensing moisture out of humid air continuously. Switching it off stops the source. Then call us — it is a routine fix, but ceiling damage is not.

For most split systems, yes — and for anything larger it is not negotiable. Running an air conditioner off a shared plug circuit causes nuisance tripping, voltage drop that stresses the compressor, and a genuine safety risk. We assess the existing board and supply as part of every installation quote and tell you upfront if work is needed before the unit can be installed safely.

Ask us directly about COC issuance for your specific job when you enquire, and we will tell you plainly what we can and cannot certify for that scope of work. We would rather answer that honestly for your job than make a blanket claim on a website.

It substantially reduces the risk. The damage from load-shedding comes from switching surges and voltage irregularities when supply is restored, and that is exactly what surge protection is designed to absorb. It is not an absolute guarantee against every event, but relative to the cost of an inverter control board it is straightforward economics.

Yes. Plumbing sits alongside our core HVAC work rather than replacing it. It is particularly useful where the two overlap — heat pump geysers, condensate drainage, geyser replacements — because one team can coordinate the whole job instead of you scheduling two contractors and mediating between them.

Yes, and it is one of the more worthwhile upgrades available on the KZN coast. A heat pump water heater typically uses around a third of the electricity of a conventional element geyser. We handle both the plumbing and the refrigeration side in-house. See our heating and heat pumps page for how the sizing works.

It is a drainage problem, which is where the two trades meet. The indoor unit condenses a large amount of water out of humid Durban air, and that water leaves via a drain line that blocks over time with dust and biofilm. Clearing and, where the original run was poorly done, re-routing that drain with correct fall is the permanent fix.

Yes, as standard on our own installations. Core holes are sealed and sleeved, chases are plastered, and we leave the site clean. If you want a full paint finish to match existing decor, tell us at quote stage and we will include it rather than leaving you with a patch.

Yes, within the scope of small works — minor brickwork, plastering, waterproofing, making good and general repairs. We are not a main building contractor and we will tell you when a job needs one rather than taking on something that should be built properly by a builder.

Yes, and it is a good fit. Having air conditioning, electrical, plumbing and small building works available from one team across Durban North, Umhlanga, Ballito and the North Coast removes a lot of coordination overhead from managing a portfolio.

Yes. Our premises are at 28 Westview Road, Kenville, Durban North 4051. We are not a national call centre routing your job to whoever is nearest — you are dealing with the people who will be at your property.

Durban North is our home area and normally our fastest response. Outside the November–February peak we can often attend the same day. During peak season we give you a realistic window rather than an optimistic one, and contracted maintenance clients are attended first.

Yes — La Lucia, Glen Ashley, Virginia, Umgeni Park, Broadway, Sunningdale, Riverside and Avoca are all within our core Durban North service area, alongside Umhlanga immediately to the north.

Yes, materially. Salt-laden coastal air corrodes the aluminium fins and copper of the outdoor condenser coil. On exposed sea-facing positions, an untreated coil can show significant corrosion within a few seasons — reducing efficiency long before it fails outright. Coated or blue-fin condensers, stainless mounting hardware and regular chemical cleaning of the coil are what extend the life of a coastal installation.

Yes, and we do it regularly. Sectional title schemes normally have rules on where outdoor units may be mounted and how visible they may be, so the first step is establishing what your body corporate permits. We can supply the technical specification trustees usually ask for, and we plan the installation and the condensate drainage around whatever is approved — balcony drainage in particular needs doing properly.

Yes — offices, medical suites, retail and light commercial throughout Umhlanga Ridge and Gateway. We can schedule work outside trading hours, and we offer planned maintenance contracts with documented per-unit service records for facilities managers.

About ten minutes. We are in Kenville, Durban North, immediately south of Umhlanga, so it is well inside our core service area rather than an outlying one.

Yes. Ballito, Salt Rock and Shaka’s Rock are a regular part of our service area. We schedule North Coast work efficiently — often grouping several properties into a run — which keeps travel costs sensible for clients. Tell us when you enquire whether it is urgent or can wait for a scheduled run.

At least every six months, and ideally with a check before the season you actually use it. Systems that stand idle in coastal air develop problems that a system in daily use does not — dried and silted condensate drains, corroding condenser coils, and seized fan bearings. A short service before the December season prevents the call-out during it.

Yes. Estates generally have architectural rules governing plant positions, visibility and noise. We work within those and can provide the technical details the estate office requires for approval. It is worth involving us early — the approved position affects pipe routing and therefore cost.

Yes, if you can. Installing at construction stage means pipework, drainage and electrical supply are built into the structure rather than surface-mounted afterwards. It costs less, performs better because the routes are shorter and cleaner, and it looks considerably neater. Retrofitting into a completed house is entirely possible — it is just the more expensive path.

Yes. The estate has architectural guidelines covering the position, screening and noise level of outdoor plant. We design the installation to comply and can supply the technical detail needed for approval. One important point: screening must still allow the condenser to breathe — a unit enclosed too tightly will overheat and fail early, so the screening detail needs designing, not improvising.

Yes — offices, retail, warehousing and light industrial. This kind of work usually suits a planned maintenance agreement with documented service records, both because uptime matters and because facilities managers need the paperwork.

It is worth doing, particularly before any warranty period expires. Developer-fitted units are frequently specified to a build budget rather than to the individual room, and on sites close to the coast they often lack the corrosion-resistant condenser the location really calls for. A service visit will tell you what you actually have and whether it is sized correctly for the rooms it serves.

Often, yes. Capacitors, fan motors, contactors and blocked drains are inexpensive faults and well worth fixing on a unit under about ten years old. The calculation changes if the unit needs a compressor or a coil, is over about twelve years old, or runs the obsolete R22 refrigerant — at that point a new inverter unit usually costs less over two to three years once you count the electricity. We will show you both numbers and let you decide.

Yes, we charge a call-out and diagnostic fee, and we tell you what it is when you book rather than when we invoice. If you go ahead with the repair, it is credited against the job. We would rather be upfront about it than advertise a "free" call-out and recover it inside an inflated repair price.

Not necessarily, and it depends entirely on the cause. It might be a failing capacitor, which is a small part. It might be that the unit is on a shared or undersized circuit, which is an electrical fix rather than an aircon one. It might be a failing compressor, which is the expensive case. Please do not keep resetting it in the meantime — running a faulting circuit repeatedly can turn a cheap repair into an expensive one.

Yes. The wider North Coast is a regular part of our service area. Where the work is not urgent we group jobs into scheduled runs to keep travel costs reasonable, so it is worth telling us whether your job is an emergency or something that can wait a few days for a scheduled visit.

Severely, on exposed positions. Salt-laden air corrodes the aluminium fins and copper tubing of the outdoor condenser, progressively reducing heat transfer before eventually causing failure. On direct sea-facing installations we have seen untreated coils significantly degraded within about three seasons. Coated or blue-fin condensers, stainless hardware and six-monthly chemical coil cleaning are what keep a coastal system alive.

Yes — it is one of the better arguments for a maintenance contract. We attend on a schedule, service the units, clear the drains, and report on condition, so the system works when your guests or your family arrive. You do not need to be there, and we will flag anything that needs a decision rather than acting on it unilaterally.

Yes. Zimbali applies architectural controls over visible plant, and it is also a severe coastal environment, so both need designing around together. We will specify equipment appropriate to the exposure and position and screen it to comply with the estate’s requirements — while making sure the screening still allows the condenser adequate airflow.