dirty air con

smelly air conditioning

What causes smelly air conditioning?

Sanitair Australia Leave a comment

“There’s a really bad smell coming from my air conditioner, what is it from?” This is a question we hear from our customers on a regular basis.

Smelly air conditioning units can be caused by mould and mildew that accumulate from condensation on the air conditioner coils, or a clogged drain pan or a leak in the system. Animals such as rodents, bugs, spiders and geckos also tend to creep into the unit and eventually die, giving off a ‘foul’ smell.

Contaminated air conditioning units can become a breeding ground for mould, mildew, and other sources of biological contaminants. Circulating these contaminants through the home or office can result in various symptoms affecting your family, friends, staff and customers.

 

These include:

  • Fatigue
  • Sore scratchy throat
  • Asthma symptoms or attacks
  • Allergies and Hay Fever
  • Dry eyes
  • Headaches
  • Battling to breath with tightness of the chest
  • Frequent colds, flu or flu-like symptoms

 

Signs that you may have mould/mildew growing inside your system:

To check if you have mould growing in your air conditioner you will need to examine your unit/ducts. An accurate and thorough examination can be difficult and this is why it’s ideal for you to have a qualified Technician inspect your air conditioning unit to examine areas that you can’t, using special equipment designed for the job.

 

Signs that you may have a dead animal in your smelly air conditioning unit:

  • The smell is stronger the closer you get to the vents
  • You’ve heard moving pests prior to the smell
  • You find pest droppings, hair, etc. in the unit

If you have a smelly air conditioning unit, then it’s time to find and clear the source of the bad odour. Contact Sanitair on 1800 130 168.

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Sanitair Supports Cystic Fibrosis Awareness

Sanitair Australia Leave a comment

What is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a relatively common inherited disease in which from infancy there are recurrent chest infections causing lung damage, intestinal malabsorption leading to severe malnutrition and growth failure, and there is an excess of salt in the sweat. Untreated, the condition is usually fatal in infancy or early childhood. With treatment, the average life expectancy of people who live to adulthood is about 37 years and this is increasing. (Credit: Cystic Fibrosis Australia)

May Is National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. Across the country, thousands of volunteers will come together to raise awareness about this devastating disease. They will tell their story of hope and progress.

 

Facts about Cystic Fibrosis

  • There is currently no cure
  • In Australia, one in 2,500 babies are born with CF, that’s one every four days
  • There are over a Million carriers of CF in Australia
  • Since 1986, all newborns have been subject to a heel prick test for diagnosis
  • People with CF are not encouraged to socialise with each other. The risk of cross-infection and exacerbation of lung conditions is too great. CF can be a lonely existence.

 

Is there hope for a cure?

Yes, there is hope for a cure! Around the world, people are conducting research. With help from donations, research can be done.

When CF was first described in 1939, patients lived only days or months. Today, CF patients live well into adulthood with a better quality of life. And the outlook is getting better as treatments advance.

 

Who is Cystic Fibrosis Australia?

Cystic Fibrosis Australia (CFA) is the national peak body for cystic fibrosis and works with state and territory partners to achieve national priorities.  Their core responsibilities are to ensure the availability and accessibility of new treatments, fund vital research, advocate for increased support and quality improvement in health care to people with CF.

Our organisation receives no government funding which means they rely on the support of individuals to help raise essential funds to resource the research projects.  CFA is committed to some bold targets and with your support will allow them to continue to work tirelessly with researchers and clinical teams to help reach their goal.

 

How is Sanitair contributing to Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month?

For the month of May, a number of local Sanitair technicians are donating a percentage of every Premium Split System Clean they do. The funds go toward Cystic Fibrosis Australia. 65 Roses is their national fundraising campaign held in May with the last Friday being their National Day

 

Recently, we received a wonderful review from one of our customers in the Central Coast whose son is diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis:

Thank you so much Sanitair for wanting to fund raise for Cystic Fibrosis, it means so much to our family. We recently used the services of Sanitair after discovering mould on one of our air conditioning units. Our 2 year old son has Cystic Fibrosis which has made us more conscious of the dangers to our health from pollutants and bacteria. Trent booked us in for our 2 units to be cleaned and we were shocked and amazed at how dirty the water was after the service. Just seeing the water sickened us as to what we were breathing in. As both units were only 18 months old, we had no idea that they could be so dirty. We were impressed with the prompt and professional service and will definitely be using Sanitair for our next aircon clean. Having your air conditioners cleaned is a MUST for everyone. ~ Caron and Matt

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insurance

Does your insurance company cover negligence?

Sanitair Australia Leave a comment

What Is The Insurance Definition Of Negligence?

“Negligence is a failure to act in a way that a reasonable person would when faced with the same situation/circumstance. In insurance, the policy holder might be negligent, or it might be another party.” ~ The balance

If you enquire whether an insurance company covers fire/flood and escaping water in homes, it’s safe to say that they will. If we start asking them if they cover negligence, it’s difficult to get a direct ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer. According to insurance companies (including Youi and Allianz), negligence is seen as a case-by-case assessment, so the homeowner should always do whatever seems reasonable to protect the property and that of others.

 

An example of Insurers not willing to pay for negligence

insuranceHere is a scenario where insurance companies refuse to pay for negligence…

If there is a nasty smell coming from your bedroom wall due to water damage which has caused mould and bacteria from a leaky air conditioning unit, the insurance company will deny the claim because insurance isn’t intended to repair maintenance issues.

The gradual damage caused by the water, including the mould, is not covered. You will then end up spending a lot of money to repair the problem as the insurance company took the position that it was negligence as a homeowner that resulted in the damage – you didn’t maintain the property. Furthermore, the insurer may warn the homeowner that they have to repair the damage or they will cancel the policy!

 

How to avoid ‘negligence’

Luckily, negligence can be easily avoided. With the scary reality that as homeowners you have the full responsibility of doing general maintenance to your home regularly, this includes asking tenants to inform you if anything within the property needs fixing/extinguishing/cleaning etc which leaves insurance companies with no reason to refuse a claim.

If you own an air con unit/s regular maintenance includes servicing your air conditioning unit every 12 months or sooner. Speak to a professional cleaning company, such as Sanitair Australia to have a look at your aircon. An aircon service could help avoid future problems, such as:

  • insuranceLeaking unit
  • Noisy unit
  • A smelly unit due to bacteria, mould, insects etc
  • Higher electricity bill as the air conditioner has to work harder to cool the air
  • Unit replacement earlier than expected

 

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‘World’s Greatest Shave’

Sanitair Australia Leave a comment

Sanitair is supporting the World’s Greatest Shave again this year, are you?

 

What is World’s Greatest Shave?

The Leukaemia Foundation is hosting World’s Greatest Shave from 16-19 March 2017 to help make a difference in Aussie families who are living with blood cancer. Blood cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in Australia, claiming more lives than Breast Cancer or Melanoma. And every day another 35 people will be diagnosed.

People of all ages from around the country will shave, wax, colour the hair on their head, chest or face, supported by pleased family, friends, colleagues and classmates. Some people may have a personal connection to blood cancer, while others just want to take part for fun and to raise money for a great cause.

 

How to get involved?

You can join thousands of remarkable Aussies by getting sponsored to shave or colour your hair for the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.

You can start by signing up on the website: https://worldsgreatestshave.com and encouraging others over social media to get involved by inviting them to join your Shave team and support the cause. You can then host a ‘shave event’ coupled with a BBQ, day at the park/beach/your home etc or attend one of the events hosted by other companies.

 

How is Sanitair getting involved?

We love giving back to our local community and with Sanitair being nationwide, our local community expands throughout Australia.

Sanitair is recruiting the head office staff and technicians from our 50 branches across Australia to join their team and shave or colour their hair, moustache or beard and/or donate by sponsoring the team.

On March 17th at 3pm, we’ll be hosting a BBQ & drinks at our head office in Tweed Heads, New South Wales for Sanitair staff and technicians to join us for a good old laugh. Craig, the head of this ship will be shaving his hair off, and the ladies in the office will be colouring their hair too.

The money sponsored will provide emotional and practical support to families facing blood cancer and fund vital research that will mean more people survive while improving their quality of life.

 

If you would like to sponsor the Sanitair teams with a donation, feel free to visit:

Sanitair Head Office: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/craigjefferies

Sanitair Queensland: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairqueensland

Sanitair NSW: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairnsw

Sanitair Victoria: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairmelbourne

Western Australia: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairperth

Tasmania: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairtasmania

ACT: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairact

SA: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairsouthaustralia

NT: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/sanitairdarwin

 

We urge you to stand up and get involved in this worthy cause!!!

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

 

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It’s a ‘no-brainer’ why you should clean your Air Con in Australia

Sanitair Australia Leave a comment

Need a reason to clean your air con… Well here’s five!

 

1. Save $$$ on Electricity Bills!

Cooling systems take up a large portion of your monthly electrical consumption in Australia and with the price of electricity skyrocketing, we need easy ways to lower consumption. A contaminated air conditioning system uses more power because your unit works much harder to compensate for the reduced airflow and efficiency.

Get your AC unit serviced and it won’t need to work as hard and neither will you, to pay off your electricity bills.

 

2. Ensure your Aircon is working at 100% of its efficiency

In this hot weather, we can’t afford to have our air cons not functioning properly. So, allow your air con to work at its peak efficiency in the hotter months by ensuring that the critical components are cleaned correctly. Extreme heat can affect anybody, in particular, our senior citizens, who are at high risk of developing heat-related illnesses because of their inability to respond to summer heat. Another great benefit is that an air conditioner that is properly serviced also dehumidifies your home better, which results in less triggering of respiratory-related illnesses.

 

3. Avoid BIGGER problems in the future

Small air con problems may become bigger, more pricey problems in the near future, if not reported timeously. Our technicians may spot more serious issues whilst cleaning your air con, educating you on the state of your system. Maintain your air con consistently and reduce the risk of bigger, more serious issues. Don’t wait for the next Summer to maintain your air con, it may just be too late.

 

4. Improved health benefits

It is important for both kids and adults to live, study and work in healthy environments. Things like cigarette tar mould, dirt, dust, fungi, bacteria and pathogens etc are temperamental to our health.

“Biologically contaminated air conditioners can be serious health risks. A Sanitair premium award winning service will minimise the exposure and risk to room occupants.” ~ Dr John Darcy

 

5. Save time, Save energy, Save your air con

By hiring Sanitair Australia, a highly professional and specialised cleaning and sanitising company, it saves you time and energy trying to clean your air conditioner in your spare time, which unfortunately won’t be nearly as effective as hiring a professional. Not only does it save you time, in the long run, but you’ll also save money, benefit your health, reduce your electricity bill and increase the life span of your air conditioning equipment.

 

These are just a few of the many reasons why it is so vital to get your air cons professionally cleaned. Call one of our friendly staff members or technicians who are located throughout Australia on FREE CALL: 1800 130 168 who are happy to assist you with any requests you may have.

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