Hey OzBargain,
My ducted air conditioner stopped working. It gives an error code which shows up as OD PCB Failed. I'm sure it's out of warranty. Will i have to replace the whole system or can it be repaired. Either way what would be the approximate cost that i would be looking at.
It's a 12.5kw Fujitsu Outdoor unit AOTG45LATL.
Error code - 11
This is the first time I'm facing this kind of issue. I'm a bit worried about someone would scam me.
I Would Appreciate Any Help
Thank you. Will I be able to get the quotes without paying for inspection?
If we say yes, are you going to skip the question about cost of inspection with the repairer?
The risk of a non inspection quote is that they arrive with the part after many weeks and it isn't the entire issue… and you had to pay for the call out and part.
@Ughhh No exactly. I would still ask them. But this will let me know it's a valid option and I can bring it up in the discussion. Because so far everyone I spoke to mentioned that they need to do the inspection and it will cost around $200-300.
I had a slightly different issue - PCB failed on a split system.
I used an AC tech with no call out fee to diagnose the problem - they identified the specific issue. Sadly, the unit was a poor quality LG one, and apparently are notorious for expensive spares. I was quoted ~$700 including labour for replacement (including ~$600 for the part alone!), by multiple people.
Decided to cut my losses, and given it was a house I just moved into (will live here a while) - ripped out the old unit and installed a high-quality new one (Mitsubishi Electric).
If you live in the inner-north/inner-west of Melbourne - PM me. Couldn't recommend my guy highly enough.
My LG ducted system stopped working. A local "technician" charged me a call out fee of $150 and diagnosed a fried PCB. He subsequently quoted around $700 to fix it but stipulated that it could be more if he found other problems when he dismantled the outdoor unit. I thought he was dodgy, particularly after he left and I discovered that he hadn't refit the outdoor unit cover properly and left one of the screws on the ground.
I called another technician who came out and immediately diagnosed a blown fuse in the outdoor unit. His total charge for the call out and replacing the fuse was $54.
Live and learn!
@t1e2l3l4 thank you. I tried to send you a DM and it says. It would be really helpful if I can have the person's number.
User t1e2l3l4 does not accept new conversations.
I had a similar issue a few years back. Get multiple quotes as others have said. Mine came back where the cost of repairs was half the cost of a new unit plus a wait of several weeks in the peak of summer for parts to arrive. On a 15 year old unit the cost of repair didn't make sense to me as something else could fail a week later given the age so I decided to replace.
Nice write up on whirlpool for what can go wrong and costs of repairing a fuji https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2131977
I had this happen randomly in the middle of the night in summer. I switched the mains power off for a couple of minutes then back on and had no error code. I guess it's the age old turn it off and on again.
I got it fixed. A spider was the culprit. Thankfully it's just a 15A fuse that I had to change.
BargainBuddy - where was the fuse that needed replacing? I have the same model and last week got the exact same error code. Cheers
It would have been the 15A fuse on the outdoor unit's PCB.
Sorry for the delayed reply. I hope you have already figured it out. It's in the outdoor unit as @resisting the urge mentioned. You have to open the front case and access the PCB. Turn off the power before doing anything. Be safe.
I have the same issue. We reset the breaker and it started working again. But 3 months later, the reset no longer helps.
So unlikely a fuse…but I don't understand how turning it on/ off helped anything?
Mine is wall mounted way off the ground. No sign of mice or spiders. Guess their could be a ghecko etc further in.
Outside fuse looks ok, but apparently there is a fuse further in?
Any tips greatly appreciated (especially since I'll be up a ladder and dont want to pull the whole thing apart).
Get 3 repair quotes including from Fujitsu support themselves.
Replacing PCB is doable, just a question of whether it's economical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLMoJLe2Sww