Power Outage Caused My Air Conditioners to Malfunction. Now What?

Llaidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 10:52
Last edited 13/04/2020 - 13:12 by 1 other user

Hi Guys,

Due to a recent power outage, all three of my Samsung inverter air conditioners are not working properly. Two of them show flashing lights and the last one doesn't even turn on. The ones with the flashing lights when turned on, would perform for 30 seconds and turn itself off again. I have already tried turning on and off the main switch from the circuit breaker but that didn't work.

Just wondering what should we do at this point as the damage was not done by us and getting the units repaired sounds like an expensive job which might be too much for us. Is there any possibility to seek compensation? Any advice would be great. Thanks guys and have a great day!

Home & Garden Air Conditioner

Comments

  • Melb69 on 13/04/2020 - 10:56
    +2

    Would probably go under your house insurance, but you would need to pay excess. Are the ACs still under warranty. If they are can you get the supplier's repairer to look at it.

    • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 11:17
      +1

      Unfortunately, my access is $1000 and if this thing happens again it would mean spending more money. Thanks for the suggestion.

      • Euphemistic on 13/04/2020 - 18:45
        +3

        But this is why you have insurance. You took a risk upping your excess and saved money along the way.

  • Scot on 13/04/2020 - 11:13

    This happened to me a couple of months ago after our lights flickered then came back on. Our air conditioner would do the same thing( came on for 20 secs then turn off) I also tried circuit breaker etc. I was close to calling in someone when I decided to try and just reset all the previous settings( mine is inbuilt in wall panel) Lo and behold everything started working again perfectly. No trouble since then.Worth a try. Maybe take out batteries if you have a remote control and reset individually!

  • Scot on 13/04/2020 - 11:17
    +2

    This was on the internet
    Here are the steps you need to take to reset your AC thermostat.

    Shut Down Your AC at the Thermostat. The first step in resetting your AC thermostat is to turn it off at the AC unit. …
    Find Your Circuit Breaker Box. …
    Reset the Circuit Breaker for Your AC Unit. …
    Wait 30 Seconds. …
    Turn the AC Thermostat Back On. Set Your Thermostat to “Cool” Again.

    • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 11:21

      Hey man thanks and I would love to try this out! So how do I find the thermostat and how do I turn it off? Is it like a piece of hardware and complicated to remove? Also I might try to reset my remote controls. Mine is a samsung smart inverter NJ050DHXEA

      • Euphemistic on 13/04/2020 - 18:46

        The thermostat is internal to the AC. That’s a central heating reference.

  • brendanm on 13/04/2020 - 12:13
    +1

    Turn them all off at the breakers, leave for a while, turn back on.

  • akyeeeahdude on 13/04/2020 - 12:44

    As brendanm has said and similar to what Scot has eluded to - you need to turn off the circuit breaker at the switch board (may as well also flick the isolation switch on/off as well). It's happened to Samsung split system before and that's how I got it going again.

    • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 12:49

      I have done this before but that didn't work. I'm wondering if I should go upstairs to the outdoor unit which is on the roof. I assume that outdoor units should also have a knob that controls power? Only thing is it's on the third floor and hard to reach. Thanks

      • shadowangel on 13/04/2020 - 12:59

        For how long ? turning them of then on again may not work. they they will need to fully discharge.

        • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 13:18

          Did you mean all the switches on the circuit breaker? I've done that for a bout a minute. For the actual AC switch on the board, I've left it off overnight for about 8 hours.

  • Ocker on 13/04/2020 - 13:14

    Were the units operating when the power outage occurred? That is an important first point to know in the diagnosis process

  • Ocker on 13/04/2020 - 13:46

    My first step would be to contact the power company that is your supplier (not retailer) and ask if there was a power surge associated with the blackout.

    They may act ignorant but insist they check their supply logs, and regardless of their answer push them for a copy of same. Then, if all of the above OP's comments does not provide you with an answer to your problem get a service agent to check the units as it would appear highly likely a power surge has affected the systems. If this is/was the case ask the tradie to supply you with a letter detailing the cause as being due to a power surge.

    Next, regardless of tyour power supplier said about a power surge tell them you have proof it has caused you loss and damage. Under their supply obligations they are liable for any damage(s) caused by a power surge. Or at least it was when we hit Citipower with a claim a couple of years ago - they did their best to shed responsibility but finally coughed up about $1,000.

    • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 14:58

      Wow thanks. I didn't realize we can actually hold these guys responsible. Could they argue that this was beyond their control and therefore not their fault?

      I have actually gone upstairs to the outdoor unit and found that after switching everything off and on again, the motor inside was not spinning therefore I believe this is a much bigger problem.

      • Ocker on 13/04/2020 - 18:32

        To my knowledge they have no way out of accepting a claim if their equipment allowed a power surge to reach your property and in turn damage your equipment. I suggest you contact consumer affairs in your state (I am in Victoria)

  • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 14:58

    I have actually gone upstairs to the outdoor unit and found that after switching everything off and on again, the motor inside was not spinning therefore I believe this is a much bigger problem now. Does this mean I need a new motor and how much does one cost? I'm curious to know what am I looking at for the entire fix. Thanks guys.

  • Ocker on 13/04/2020 - 18:37

    From the Powercor/Citipower website:

    Voltage Variations
    The voltage level at which we must supply
    your electricity is prescribed by the Electricity
    Distribution Code and overseen by the
    Essential Services Commission.
    On occasion, a variation in the supply voltage
    can occur. If you suffer damage to your
    property as a result of a voltage variation
    outside the prescribed limits and you use less
    than 160 megawatt hours of electricity per
    annum, you may be eligible for compensation
    from us. Business customers need to take
    reasonable precautions to minimise any loss or
    damage caused by voltage variations.
    For more information on voltage variations,
    including the industry guideline, visit
    www.citipower.com.au or
    www.powercor.com.au

    • laidbackken84 on 13/04/2020 - 18:45

      Hi That is gold thank you so much and I am from Victoria as well. I think my power provider is with Jemena as I got an SMS from them when the outage occurred.

  • payless69 on 14/04/2020 - 12:14

    This is unusual. If they do not come back after a day lodge a ticket with the supplier, Samsung and your local consumer protection agency. Forget about phoning, write.

    • laidbackken84 on 14/04/2020 - 12:59

      By local consumer protection agency do you mean VCAT? Unless I am mistaken. I heard it was quite impractical going with VCAT as one would have to pay money for a hearing and now with the virus happening, delays are sure to be expected.

  • Bargain4Days on 14/04/2020 - 21:41

    Dumb question, are your AC 3 phase? (Red white blue cables on Circuit breaker)

    • laidbackken84 on 15/04/2020 - 12:43

      Are you referring to the indoor unit communication area? Mine has green and yellow cables. My Circuit breaker is downstairs and doesn't have any cables running into it. Thanks

  • Bargain4Days on 15/04/2020 - 16:55

    Sorry, let me rephrase it better, Green and yellow wire is Earth (Path of lowest resistance) there should be a red active and black neutral (return). But if your AC runs on 3 phase (Red White Blue and N + E)

    My boss had a issue where his utility pole fell due to the storm, complete outage for street, when they repaired his pole, they reversed two of the three phases, which caused his AC to malfunction somewhat similar to your AC, but his AC brand was Hyundai

    https://www.clipsal.com/products/detail?CatNo=4CB340D10&tab-…

    Is this the breaker you see? (Three pole breaker)

    • laidbackken84 on 15/04/2020 - 20:58

      Yup mine is a Clipsal one. I think it's the same type. Why is that? Thanks

  • Bargain4Days on 15/04/2020 - 21:45

    So your AC is 3 phase, check your manual for the trouble shooting side of things, ask your energy provider if they have screwed up on the wiring of 3 phases, that could be the issue

    • laidbackken84 on 15/04/2020 - 21:59

      Do you mean my service provider for electricity or the actual company that handles energy supply? Thanks mate I might check with them.

      • Bargain4Days on 15/04/2020 - 22:14

        handles energy supply, go through them first, could be an fault on their end. If you dont want to go through the hassle, get a sparkie to come and check. if the fault is on their end, send the bill to them

        • laidbackken84 on 16/04/2020 - 10:53

          Hi mate I've just done that and Jenema power said that the best thing to do is to get an air con repair company to look into it and then make a claim. If they send out one of their tech guys and found no fault, I would be charged $600 for a call out.

  • Bargain4Days on 16/04/2020 - 17:16

    600 for a call out, does that include service fee? Thats a really expensive call out fee

    • laidbackken84 on 16/04/2020 - 18:54

      Don't think so. Ridiculous right?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join