Knowledge/Brands and suppliers/The warranty clauses that will actually void the cover
The warranty clauses that will actually void the cover
Every card we read needs a licensed installer. After that, the brands differ. On at least one major brand, any of these voids the cover: opening the case, putting the unit in a caravan or boat, re-installing it at a different address, or using it mainly for something other than keeping people comfortable.
- On every card
- Licensed installerevery card we read
- Voids it
- Opening the caseunless it's an authorised repairer
- Voids it
- Caravan or boaton at least one brand
- Not covered
- Access costsunits up high or hard to reach
What does each brand's warranty card actually say?
| Brand | Clauses that void or exclude |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Electric | Not installed by a licensed installer, or installed incorrectly. Case opened by anyone other than an Authorised Retailer or Accredited Repairer. Installed in a caravan or boat. Re-installed somewhere other than the original location. Doesn't cover the cost of getting at units in restricted or high locations. |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Must be installed by a licensed ARCtick installer, and the warranty is voided if not. |
| Panasonic | Only product bought in Australia and sold by Panasonic Australia or its authorised distributors or dealers. Only used and serviced in Australia. Only if installed by a licensed tradesperson. Only where keeping people comfortable is the unit's main job. Service may be refused where the install doesn't comply with the relevant Australian Standards. Excludes access costs, and rust from abnormally corrosive conditions. |
| ActronAir | Void if installed or serviced by unlicensed personnel. Warranty starts at commissioning, but if commissioning is more than 12 months after purchase, it starts 12 months after purchase. |
| Rinnai | Rinnai can reclassify a job as "Other Applications" at its sole discretion, and that includes any retrofit component fitted into an existing system. |
| Seeley | Registration required within the first 6 months. |
Does the warranty need a licensed installer or an accredited one?
Licensed. People mix up "licensed" and "accredited", but they're not the same test. Almost every card asks for a licensed installer. ActronAir, for example, voids cover if an unlicensed person installed or serviced the unit. That's a test of your licence, not of any accreditation.
So being on a manufacturer's dealer program generally isn't what protects the warranty. Holding the licence is. There's one big exception, and it depends on where the gear was bought. That one's covered on our page about the warranty trap on commercial work.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is the most direct about it. Its card says the unit must be installed by a licensed ARCtick installer, and the warranty is voided if not. ARCtick is the refrigerant handling licence.
Does Australian Consumer Law cover a big commercial job?
Maybe not, and ActronAir's card spells out why. The card says your customer only counts as a "Consumer" under the Australian Consumer Law if the price is under $40,000, or the gear is the kind people normally buy for personal, domestic or household use.
So on a big commercial job over that figure, with gear nobody would normally buy for a house, the consumer guarantees in the law may not be covering you the way you think. You're left with the manufacturer's written warranty, on its own terms.
Couldn't
verify
these
Does GENERAL (formerly Fujitsu) need yearly servicing and registration?
You'll often hear that GENERAL needs a service every year after year two, and that the warranty has to be registered. We couldn't verify either from the manufacturer's own documents.
They may well be real requirements. But it's the kind of claim that ends with you telling a customer their warranty's void when it isn't, or the other way round. So we're not publishing them as GENERAL requirements.
Same goes for the 60-day Daikin registration window you'll hear about. It's on Daikin's website and its frequently asked questions page, but it wasn't in the card text we could get hold of. Daikin also has a separate card for VRV, its own name for VRF. Get the current card before you rely on any of these.
Rethinking which brands you carry?
It's a bigger decision than the margin on the next job, because it decides who you ring when something goes wrong in year four.
Kevin will tell you how the ones you're considering actually behave on warranty.
Who this is for: small and medium HVAC contractors in Victoria. If you're a homeowner after a rebate or a repair, you need a licensed contractor, not us, and yours can point you the right way.
Related
- The servicing intervals that are warranty conditionsOne brand needs a service every 12 months on residential and every 3 months on commercial. Another needs a year-four evaporative service it charges for.
- Extended warranty, and what it ties you toWho offers an extension, what it costs you in scheduled servicing, the short registration windows you have to hit, and which ranges offer nothing.
- A Solar Victoria rebate can upgrade the warrantyOn one brand's heat pump, a Solar Homes hot water rebate brings a five-year parts and labour warranty, well above that product's standard cover.
- Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries aren't relatedTwo separate Australian companies with separately listed Japanese parents, two ABNs and two warranty contacts. Not parent and subsidiary, not related.
Review date: 1 April 2027. Figures in this area change without much notice and this page carries some that will go stale. Every number above is dated and sourced so you can check it yourself. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.