“Our split stopped cooling in a heatwave. FreshDuct found a leak on the outdoor unit, repaired it and re-gassed it — icy cold again the same day.”
Verified
Sunshine mixes post-war brick with newer builds across the inner west, and its splits cop a heavy, west-facing summer load. When a unit stops cooling, ices up or throws a code, FreshDuct diagnoses the actual fault — gas leak, capacitor, fan motor or board — and repairs it properly, all major brands.
Cooling well in the morning but gone by mid-afternoon? A hard-run west-facing condenser is usually where the fault hides.
Sunshine sits on the flat, exposed inner west, a suburb of solid post-war brick homes sitting alongside newer estate builds and unit developments. Cooling is a real mix — older single-head splits retrofitted years ago through to recent inverter systems — but almost all of them face long, west-facing afternoons with little shade to take the edge off the heat load.
That relentless exposure is what drives the repairs we see. A condenser baking in the afternoon sun cycles hard for hours, so capacitors fatigue, outdoor fan motors seize and refrigerant charge quietly bleeds away on the older units. We work out whether the fault is electrical, a gas leak or the control board, then fix the cause rather than throwing parts at the symptom.
The faults we see most on Sunshine split systems — based on the local homes, install styles and conditions.
A Sunshine condenser facing the full western sun runs its fan for hours on the hottest days. The capacitor and outdoor fan motor fatigue first — we test both and carry the common replacements to get you cooling again.
Older retrofitted splits across Sunshine lose charge slowly through worn line-set joints. A system low on gas cools weakly then ices up, so we pressure-test to find the leak and repair it before re-gassing to spec.
With a mix of ageing and newer units here, we give honest advice — a decade-old single-head on failing electrics is often worth repairing, but a leaking R410a system needing a compressor rarely is.
Real photos from FreshDuct split-system diagnostics, refrigerant work and repairs. We document every job with clear before-and-after photos.



One local team for the whole system — from a not-cooling diagnosis and re-gas to parts, board repairs and an annual tune. Need a hygiene clean instead? We do that too.

Not cooling or heating? We fault-find the whole system — refrigerant, electrics, sensors and board — and tell you plainly what it needs.
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Low on refrigerant means a leak. We pressure-test, find and repair the leak, then re-gas to the correct charge — not just a top-up.
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A full service and tune — pressures, electrics, capacitor, fan and drain checked so the system runs efficiently and reliably.
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Capacitors, fan motors, PCBs, sensors and contactors sourced and replaced for all major brands, with a clear quote first.
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Need a hygiene clean instead? Deep coil and barrel-fan cleaning, mould treatment and sanitising for cleaner, healthier air.
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Ducted, evaporative and multi-head systems too — one local team for heating, cooling and ventilation across Melbourne.
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When a Sunshine split stops cooling we start at the outdoor unit, because that is where the afternoon heat does its damage. We run the system, read any error codes, and test refrigerant pressures, the run capacitor, the outdoor fan motor and the contactor before quoting, so the diagnosis is based on measurements rather than guesswork.
On the older systems the fault is often a slow leak on a retrofitted line-set or a capacitor cooked by years of hard-run summers. We repair the leak and re-gas to the correct charge, or fit the failed part, then re-check the cooling output on a warm day so you know it is genuinely holding.
FreshDuct repairs and services split systems right across Sunshine and Sunshine North 7 days a week, and we are often out nearby in Footscray and Essendon, so a Sunshine booking fits neatly into the day’s run.
We also cover the newer estates further west toward Werribee and Point Cook, and can usually prioritise a system that has failed mid-heatwave in a house that copes with the worst of the afternoon sun.
A methodical diagnosis and repair — we find the actual fault, quote it clearly, and fix it right the first time.
We run the system, read any error codes and test the electrics, sensors and refrigerant pressures to find the real fault, not just the symptom.
If it is low on gas we pressure-test to find the leak — a re-gas without fixing the leak just fails again in a season.
You get a clear, itemised quote before any part is fitted — capacitor, fan motor, PCB, sensor or a re-gas, with honest advice on repair-versus-replace.
We fit the part, repair the leak and re-gas to the manufacturer charge, then re-test cooling and heating output.
Electrics, contactor, fan, drain and airflow checked and tuned so the system runs efficiently and reliably.
A clear report with photos and honest advice on whether to keep servicing or plan a replacement.
Verified 5-star reviews from across FreshDuct’s split-system, heating and cooling services.
“Our split stopped cooling in a heatwave. FreshDuct found a leak on the outdoor unit, repaired it and re-gassed it — icy cold again the same day.”
Verified
“Bedroom head was throwing an error code and shutting down. They diagnosed a faulty PCB, quoted it and had it running the next visit.”
Verified
“Honest team — the outdoor fan motor had failed and they replaced it rather than pushing a whole new system. Saved me a fortune.”
Verified
“Great communication. They tested the capacitor and pressures, showed me the readings and explained exactly what was wrong.”
Verified
“Multi-head system, one room never cold. They tracked it to a blocked drain and low charge on that circuit and sorted both.”
Verified
“Quick, professional and tidy. The report and photos showed exactly what they checked and fixed on the unit.”
Verified
We cover Sunshine and the surrounding suburbs. Explore nearby areas and related FreshDuct services.
That pattern almost always points to the outdoor unit struggling as the western sun loads it up. A weak capacitor or a tired fan motor will cope in the cool of the morning but drop out once the condenser is running flat-out in the afternoon heat. We test the electrics under load to catch a fault that only shows when the system is working hardest.
It depends on the fault and the age. A ten-year-old single-head that just needs a capacitor or fan motor is well worth repairing, but an older R410a or R22 system that has lost its compressor or leaks badly is usually money better spent on a new unit. We give you the honest numbers both ways before you decide.
Yes. FreshDuct diagnoses and repairs split systems across Sunshine and the surrounding inner west, 7 days a week — not-cooling and not-heating faults, re-gas and leak detection, error codes and parts for all major brands. Call 04 3191 8137 or request a free quote.
It is usually one of a few things: low refrigerant from a slow leak, a failed capacitor or fan motor on the outdoor unit, a blocked filter or coil, or a fault on the control board. We diagnose the actual cause rather than guessing, and quote the repair before we start.
We do, but a split system is a sealed circuit — if it is low on gas it has a leak. A top-up alone just leaks out again within a season, so we pressure-test to find the leak, repair it, then re-gas to the correct manufacturer charge.
It depends on the age, the brand and the fault. A capacitor, fan motor or sensor on an otherwise sound unit is well worth repairing; a failed compressor or a leaking coil on a 12-to-15-year-old system often is not. We give you honest, itemised advice either way.
Not-cooling & not-heating diagnostics, gas re-gas and leak detection, error-code faults, capacitor, fan-motor and board repairs, and an annual tune — a clean, documented service with photo proof. Available 7 days.
Tell us the fault and your split system — we respond fast, 7 days.