Eleven things we check before a used unit is sold
A reconditioned air conditioner is either good value or somebody else’s problem, and the difference is entirely in what was checked before it changed hands. This is our list. Use it on us, or on whoever else you buy from.
- 01
Compressor start-up current measured
The single best indicator of remaining life. A compressor drawing hard on start is near the end.
- 02
Running pressures on both sides
Tells us whether the system holds charge properly, not just whether it blows cold for ten minutes.
- 03
Leak test held under pressure
A unit that passes a five-minute test can still fail an overnight one. We do the overnight one.
- 04
Indoor and outdoor coils inspected
Corroded fins never fully recover. It is the damage that cannot be cleaned away.
- 05
Fan motors run and listened to
Bearing noise is cheap to fix now and expensive to ignore.
- 06
Control board function tested
Every mode, not just cooling. Boards fail selectively and it shows up in August.
- 07
Capacitors tested, replaced as standard
Cheap, and the most common reason a used unit fails in its first season with you.
- 08
Drain pan and line cleared
The unit was probably retired dirty. It does not leave here that way.
- 09
Full strip clean of both units
Coils, blower wheel, casing. This is most of the labour in reconditioning.
- 10
Recharged to manufacturer weight
By weight, not by guess and by feel on the pipe.
- 11
Age and history written down
Manufacture year and what was replaced, given to you on the invoice.
Questions about used units
- Is buying a used air conditioner a good idea?
- For a room cooled seasonally rather than year-round, usually yes. A checked, gas-tested reconditioned unit at a fraction of new is sound value. For a main living room running twelve hours a day through summer, the efficiency difference makes a new inverter unit the better buy.
- What should I check before buying a second-hand AC?
- Compressor sound and start-up current, gas pressure, coil condition, fan motor, control board, and whether the outdoor unit has been standing in weather. Ask the age and what has been replaced. A seller who will not tell you either is the answer to your question.
- Do you give any warranty on used units?
- We warranty our own workmanship on every unit we recondition and fit, and we tell you exactly what was replaced and what was not. We cannot give a manufacturer warranty on a used compressor and we will not pretend otherwise.