Geelong's Leading Commercial Air Conditioning Specialists

Uneven temperatures are usually caused by airflow, zoning, thermostat location or changes to the way the office is laid out.

This is one of the more common comfort complaints we come across. One person is sitting under a vent wearing a jumper, while someone across the room is saying it is too warm. In that situation, changing the thermostat for the whole office often creates a new problem rather than fixing the original one. We'd start by figuring out where it's actually happening, vents might be blocked or poorly placed, airflow might need rebalancing, or the thermostat could be sitting somewhere that doesn't really reflect the rest of the office.

Office renovations can also be a factor. If meeting rooms, partitions or enclosed offices have been added since the system was installed, the original airflow setup may no longer suit the way the space is being used.

If the system is running continuously without reaching the set temperature, something may be making it work harder than it should.

That could be something fairly simple, such as dirty filters or restricted airflow. It could also be caused by doors being opened constantly, incorrect controls, a high heat load or a system that is struggling with the size of the space.

One useful question is: has it always behaved this way, or is this new? If it has always struggled, the system may not be correctly sized or configured for the premises. If it's a recent change, we'd look at filters, restricted airflow, shifted business hours, doors being left open, heavier heat loads, or a developing fault. Retail stores, cafés and other businesses with doors opening constantly can be particularly difficult to condition because the system is continually dealing with outside air.

And if the unit is already struggling to reach 24°C, turning the thermostat down to 18°C is unlikely to solve the underlying problem.

Air conditioning can contribute to higher electricity use if the system is running longer, working harder or operating when the building does not need it.

That does not automatically mean the air conditioner is faulty.

Since commercial HVAC often makes up a big chunk of a building's energy use, it's worth digging into. We'd check things like: are filters restricting airflow, have temperature settings changed, are the timers or schedules off, is an unused area being heated or cooled for no reason, are doors being left open, is the system taking longer than usual to reach temperature, or has maintenance been missed somewhere along the way? A higher bill doesn't automatically mean something's broken, the first step is just figuring out what's actually changed.

A room can be cool and still feel stuffy because air conditioning and fresh-air ventilation are not the same thing.

This tends to show up in meeting rooms, enclosed offices and busy workspaces where several people are spending long periods together.

If staff regularly describe a room as stale, heavy or stuffy, turning the temperature lower probably will not help much. We would look at the ventilation side of the system, including fresh-air supply, filtration and whether the existing equipment is operating as intended.

Meeting rooms can heat up quickly because the number of people in the room changes the cooling load.

They are notorious for this, and it makes sense once you think about it, a room that's empty most of the day can suddenly have eight or ten people crammed in with laptops running and the door shut, and the heat load changes dramatically in minutes. Chances are the system wasn't originally designed around that level of occupancy. If it's a regular headache, we'd look at the airflow, ventilation, controls and cooling capacity specifically for that room, because turning down the thermostat for the whole office just leaves everyone else freezing while the meeting room problem is still sitting there unsolved.

Water leaking from an indoor air-conditioning unit is not normal and should be checked.

Air conditioners naturally create condensation when they cool the air, but that water should drain away through the system. If it starts appearing around a ceiling cassette, indoor unit or ceiling area, there may be a drainage problem or blockage.

It is best not to ignore it just because the system is still cooling. A small air-conditioning leak can quickly become a much bigger problem if it starts affecting ceilings, walls, floors or electrical equipment.

A new or worsening noise is worth investigating, especially if the system did not make that sound before.

Sometimes the cause is minor, such as vibration or a loose panel. Other noises can point to a mechanical or electrical issue.

The main thing we would ask is whether the noise is new, getting worse or appearing at the same time as another problem such as poor airflow or reduced cooling.

From our side, an unusual noise is almost always cheaper and easier to sort out before the system stops altogether — and for a business, planned maintenance beats a breakdown mid-trading-day every time.

Persistent smells can be linked to dirty filters, moisture, drainage issues or contaminants around the system.

A brief dusty smell after a system has not been used for a while may have a fairly simple explanation. A smell that is musty, damp or keeps coming back is different.

Rather than masking it with air freshener, we would want to find out where it is coming from and whether filters, drainage, moisture or ventilation need attention.

There is no single service interval that suits every commercial air-conditioning system.

A small office running Monday to Friday has very different requirements from a restaurant, gym, retail store or business operating long hours every day.

When deciding how often a system should be checked, we would look at:

• how many hours it operates;

• the type and size of the system;

• how many people use the space;

• dust and contaminants in the environment;

• the type of business;

• the manufacturer's maintenance requirements.

The main thing is not to wait until something breaks. Commercial systems often work hard for long periods, so regular maintenance gives you a better chance of spotting a developing issue before it becomes a business interruption.

Yes. Dirty filters can restrict airflow and reduce the performance of a commercial air-conditioning system.

In a business, that can become more noticeable because the system may be operating for eight, ten or more hours a day. Restricted airflow can make it harder to maintain the set temperature and may lead to longer operating periods.

How often filters need attention depends on the environment. A dusty workshop or busy hospitality venue may need a very different maintenance schedule from a quiet office.

Not necessarily. If the building is empty, normal heating or cooling may be running for no real benefit.

But there are exceptions. Server rooms, equipment rooms, temperature-sensitive stock or other specialised areas may need conditioning outside normal business hours. The smarter approach is reviewing your HVAC schedule zone by zone rather than applying one blanket rule to the whole building. And if your business hours have changed but the air-con schedule hasn't caught up, there's a good chance the system may be running for hours when the building is unoccupied.

Yes. New walls, meeting rooms and partitions can change how air moves through the building.

Your system may have been designed for an open-plan layout that simply doesn't exist anymore. Once partitions go up, you can end up with enclosed rooms starved of conditioned air while other areas get more than they need. •  If you're planning a decent-sized office fit-out, it is worth getting an HVAC technician involved before the layout is locked in. It is much easier to plan airflow and zoning properly at the beginning than try to correct it after the renovation is finished.

Server and communications rooms can generate heat continuously and may need different cooling from the rest of the office.

The office system might switch off at 6:00 pm. The servers do not. If the server room relies on the same air-conditioning schedule as the rest of the workplace, the temperature can rise overnight or on weekends. For that type of room, we would look at the equipment load, operating hours and existing cooling before recommending a solution. It is not an area where we would suggest simply guessing the required system size.

That decision should be based on the condition of the system, repair history, running costs and whether it still suits the business — not its age alone.

An older system with one straightforward repair does not automatically need replacing. But if you are repeatedly paying for repairs, experiencing breakdowns during trading hours or struggling to maintain comfortable temperatures, replacement may become worth considering.

We would normally look at:

• the cost of the current repair;

• how often the system has needed repairs;

• its age and overall condition;

• whether replacement parts are readily available;

• energy efficiency;

• whether the system still suits the premises;

• how disruptive another breakdown would be.

For a business, downtime can matter just as much as the repair cost itself.

Before arranging a service, there are a few basic things you can safely check yourself.

Have a quick look at:

• Is the system switched on?

• Is it set to the correct mode?

• Has someone changed the thermostat or timer?

• Is there an error or fault code?

• Is the problem affecting one room or the whole building?

• Are doors or windows being left open?

• Is anything blocking the airflow?

• Are there unusual noises or smells?

• Is there any water leaking?

• When did the problem first start?

That information can be very helpful when a technician arrives. What we would not recommend is opening electrical panels or dismantling the equipment yourself.

If there is a burning smell, repeated electrical tripping, water near electrical equipment or another obvious safety concern, stop using the affected equipment where it is safe to do so and arrange professional assistance.

There is no single commercial air-conditioning system that is right for every business.

It really comes down to your building, occupancy, operating hours, layout and how each area gets used day to day. A small professional office in Geelong has completely different needs from a restaurant, showroom, warehouse or multi-storey building. Before recommending anything, we'd look at the size and layout of your premises, how many people use the space, your operating hours, windows and sun exposure, heat generated by equipment, zoning requirements, ventilation needs, how often external doors open, and whether different areas need independent temperature control. 

Climatic works across VRF systems, ducted systems, ceiling cassettes, wall-mounted units, air curtains and ventilation solutions. The goal is choosing equipment around how your business actually operates, not just running a floor-area calculation and calling it done.