FAQs and Troubleshooting - Air Conditioners - ActronAir

1. The air conditioner is not running but some control lights are on

Possible reasons	Remedy
Control is in a timer mode	Refer to your instruction manual
Control is set in heat only mode in summer or set in cool only mode in winter	Auto mode is recommended so the A/C unit will select heat in winter and cool in summer as needed
The controller may be in one of the following modes. The delay could be due to: defrosting compressor delay after restart delayed fan start on heating	Wait 10 minutes to see if the air conditioner restarts. If it does not try resetting the air conditioner at the electrical switchboard
The unit has tripped out on a safety function/device.	If a fault code appears on the wall controller, take note of the fault code and contact your installer/dealer. The fault codes are also available on this website in the Fault Codes section.
A safety device (usually high pressure) has tripped out	Reset the air conditioner (it may be necessary to wait 5 minutes before it will restart)
Internal fault in the air conditioner	Contact your installer/dealer

1. Indoor fan runs but the air coming out is not cool (on cooling) or warm (on heating)

Possible reasons	Remedy
Wall controller (thermostat) not calling for cooling or heating	Check the wall controller (thermostat) temperature (refer to setting the room temperature in the operating instructions manual)
Control is in heat mode in summer or cool mode in winter	Auto mode is recommended so the A/C unit will select heat in winter and cool in summer as needed
Outdoor fans not running	Wait 10 minutes to see if it restarts itself, if not try resetting the air conditioner at the electrical switchboard
Outdoor fans are running but the air coming out is not much different to the temperature of the surrounding air (it should be hotter in summer and colder in winter.)	Try resetting the air conditioner by turning the main power off in the electrical switchboard and then turning it back on after 30 seconds
Internal fault in the air conditioner	Contact your installer/dealer

1. Compressor runs excessively and the room is too cold in summer or too hot in winter

Possible reasons	Remedy
Wall Controller (Thermostat) set too high or low	Check the wall controller (thermostat) temperature (refer to setting the temperature in your operating instruction manual)
Internal fault in the air conditioner or room temp sensor fault.	Contact your installer/dealer

1. Air conditioner runs excessively but cannot bring the room to a comfortable temperature (i.e. room too hot in summer or too cold in winter)

Possible reasons	Remedy
Outdoor temperature is hotter than the units maximum design temperature.	Check your brochure specifications for maximum operating temperatures
Windows or doors may be opened to non conditioned areas	Keep doors to unconditioned areas (eg laundries, bathrooms etc.) closed. Note that any doorways on the return air path will need to be kept open, which may mean for example that doors to an unconditioned hallway will need to be kept open.
Air conditioner maybe undersized for the house	Contact your installer/dealer
Leaves, papers or other items blocking the coil at the outdoor unit	Clear all debris away from the outdoor unit
Leaks in supply or return air ductwork	Contact your installer/dealer
Outdoor unit located in a narrow passage at the side of the house and the airflow is recirculating or restricted in some way	Contact your installer/dealer
High ceilings and warm air stays up high (heat mode only)	Contact your installer/dealer
Location of sensor or controller is in the wrong place	Contact your installer/dealer

1. Air conditioner regularly cuts out on a circuit breaker trip or error code

Possible reasons	Remedy
The circuit breaker is regularly tripping out	Check circuit breaker rating compared to units rating.
Cutting out with an error fault code displayed on the controller	If a fault code appears on the wall controller, take note of the fault code and contact your installer/dealer. The fault codes are also available on this website in the Fault Codes section.

1. Some rooms/zones are hot and others cold

Possible reasons	Remedy
The amount of air supplied to each room needs to be altered, this is an air balance issue	Contact your installer/dealer
Supply air grille dampers need adjusting	Contact your installer/dealer
Different temperature behaviour in different rooms (e.g. large windows facing west in one room and large windows facing east in another room)	Try to reduce the heat loads in the hottest rooms by closing curtains or blinds.

1. Excessive energy use

Possible reasons	Remedy
Refer to air conditioner runs continuously in section 5	Contact your installer/dealer

1. Noisy inside unit (noisy indoor unit or return air grille)

Possible reasons	Remedy
Noisy return air grille could be caused by a dirty filter	Clean return air grille filter
Internal fault in the air conditioner	Contact your installer/dealer

1. Noisy outside unit

Possible reasons

Remedy

Some noises are normal during operation of the air conditioner. When heating or cooling is started or stopped, a swishing or gurgling noise may be heard. This noise is generated by the refrigerant flowing between the outdoor and indoor units. A whooshing noise may be heard from the outdoor unit during operation. This noise is generated when the refrigerant changes direction in the defrost operation. On start up, the outdoor unit may be louder than normal for a few seconds whilst the compressor reaches the designated speed and operating pressure. During defrost operation the compressor may generate more noise than normal.

Excessive noise from the outside unit could indicate a fault with the air conditioner. Contact your installer/dealer.

1. Indoor fan operation

Possible reasons	Remedy
Heating Mode: Indoor fan continuing to run when compressor is off causing cold drafts	CONT fan is NOT recommended in heating mode. This will ensure that cold drafts are reduced.
Cooling mode: Indoor fan cycling on/off with outdoor unit	CONT fan is recommended in cooling mode.

1. Resetting of blank zones following a power outage

If you do not have any zone lights (or zones 3 and 4 lights are not lit up), please do the following:

1. Switch main air conditioning circuit breaker off for 1 minute.
2. Switch back on and walk to the wall controller.
3. Press zone buttons 1 to 4 in order, one after the other.

Your zones should now be re-activated.

1. Cannot adjust my temperature setting as high or low as I used to be able to

Setting The Lower Limit

1. Press the right hand side of the controllers down arrow button once, followed by the left hand side of the controllers down arrow button once.
2. You must press the two buttons in Quick Succession.
3. The display will now show the lower limit for 3 seconds and this is indicated by low also being illuminated.
4. Whilst the lower limit is displayed, use the set-temp arrow buttons to adjust the lower limit up or down.
5. After 5 seconds, the lower limit will be automatically accepted.

Setting Upper Limit

1. Press the right hand side of the controllers up arrow button once followed by the left hand side of the controllers up arrow button once.
2. You must press the two buttons in Quick Succession.
3. The display will now show the upper limit for 3 seconds and this is indicated by high also being illuminated.
4. Whilst the upper limit is displayed, use the set-temp arrow button to adjust the upper limit up or down.
5. After 5 seconds, the upper limit will be automatically accepted.

Note:

1. You cannot adjust the upper limit below your current set-temp.
2. You cannot adjust the lower limit above your current set-temp.

It is not recommended to adjust the upper and lower limits outside the defaults, before talking with your installer. Doing so may cause damage to your system and void warranty. Default upper and lower limits = upper (30°c) and Lower (16°c).

1. My unit continuously shuts down whilst in heating mode

At certain outdoor conditions (low temperature) there may be a build up frost on the outdoor heat exchanger. This gradual build up frost reduces the performance of the air conditioner. The microprocessor detects this frost build up and will automatically activate the defrost mode. This is a normal function of a reverse cycle air conditioning system, and can occur every 20 minutes.
The defrost mode is displayed on the wall controller by flashing the heat light every 10 seconds.

1. There is water running from my outdoor unit whilst in heating mode

When the unit is on the heating cycle, the outdoor coil will condensate, so water may be found underneath the outdoor unit after use. As the ambient temperature decreases, the unit will need to defrost more frequently, and cause more water to melt off the coil.
This is normal operation and only happens during the winter months.

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