Air Conditioning in Grovedale
Seventies and eighties family homes on big blocks, now surrounded by new estates. Grovedale is one of the most straightforward suburbs in Geelong to install in.
- Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Dealer
- Ducted and evaporative
- Large family homes
- Free site visits
Family housing, built when blocks were still big
Grovedale filled in mainly through the 1970s, 80s and 90s, on the flat land south of Waurn Ponds Creek. Brick veneer family homes on quarter acre blocks, four bedrooms, a separate lounge and a family room, and roof cavities with plenty of room to work in.
In the last decade the Armstrong Creek growth area has grown up against its southern edge, so Grovedale now sits between established housing and brand new estates. The two need quite different things from a system.
Seventies and eighties brick veneer
The core of the suburb. Generous roof space, straightforward truss layouts and blocks with plenty of room for an outdoor unit.
Nineties family homes
Larger again, often already ducted, and now at the age where the original unit is due for replacement.
Big blocks and separate living areas
Multiple living zones is the defining feature here, and it is why zoning matters more in Grovedale than in a smaller home.
Inland and flat
No salt exposure and no slope. The installation itself is about as simple as it gets in our service area.
What Grovedale households ring us about
The calls here are dominated by systems reaching the end of their working life at the same time.
Ducted units from the 1990s and 2000s
Twenty to thirty year old systems, often with ducting in better condition than the unit. Replacement with reuse of sound duct is our most common Grovedale job.
Evaporative that has stopped cooling
Evaporative is well represented here and the failures are predictable: pads, pump, float and a water tray that has never been cleaned.
Family rooms and rumpus additions
The room added in the 1990s that the original system was never sized for, and which is now the main living space.
Zoning that does not match how the house is used
Systems zoned by builder default rather than by how the family actually lives, so the bedrooms cool all day while nobody is in them.
Outdoor units in awkward spots
Even on a big block, units end up under bedroom windows or baking in the western sun. Relocating one is cheaper than living with it.
How we work out what a Grovedale house needs
The houses here are big enough that the zoning plan matters more than the equipment brand.
1. Map how the family uses the house
Which rooms are occupied when. That is what the zone plan should follow, not the floor plan boundaries.
2. Assess the existing ducting properly
In a 1990s Grovedale home there is often duct worth keeping. We check every run rather than judging from the manhole.
3. Check the return air path
Large homes with several living areas need a return that can actually pull air back. This is the most common defect we find on older installs here.
4. Consider evaporative honestly
Grovedale is inland enough that evaporative works reasonably well. If cooling only is all you need, we will price it.
Matching the problem to the work
What we usually recommend for Grovedale homes.
Four bedroom home, multiple living areas
Zoned ducted reverse cycle with the zones set around occupancy. The single best fit for this housing stock.
Existing ducted unit at end of life
Unit replacement with the ducting inspected and reused where sound. Normally the best value job in the suburb.
Cooling only, budget driven
Evaporative cooling. Grovedale is inland enough for it to work well, and the running cost is a fraction of refrigerated.
One added room, everything else fine
A split system in that room. Extending a stretched ducted system into a rumpus usually degrades the rest of the house.
Ducted unit from the nineties still limping along?
The ducting is often worth more than the unit. Ring us and we will tell you what is salvageable.
Comparing quotes in Grovedale
On a replacement job in a large home, these four questions separate the quotes.
Was the ducting inspected, and what was found?
Not whether it will be reused, but what condition it is actually in. Ask for the answer, not the decision.
How is the house being zoned?
Ask why the zones are where they are. Zoning that follows how you live is worth more than an extra kilowatt of capacity.
Is the return air being upgraded?
A new unit on an old undersized return will be louder and less effective than it should be. This is regularly left out.
Is the outdoor unit position sensible?
Big blocks mean options. Ask where it is going and whether it is away from bedroom windows, yours and the neighbour’s.
Replacing gas ducted heating or inefficient electric heating with high efficiency reverse cycle may attract a Victorian Energy Upgrades discount. Eligibility depends on the equipment, the property and current program rules.
Grovedale questions
Most relevant services here: ducted air conditioning. evaporative cooling. servicing and maintenance.
Nearby: Belmont, Waurn Ponds, Armstrong Creek.
Is my 1990s ducting worth keeping?
Often, and it is worth having someone actually look. Flexible duct of that era was generally decent quality, and what ruins it is physical damage from people crawling through the roof or insulation that has degraded. Where it is sound, reusing it can take several thousand dollars off a replacement. Where it is not, reusing it wastes the efficiency of the new unit.
How many zones should a Grovedale family home have?
Usually three or four. Living and kitchen, bedrooms, master, and sometimes a rumpus or study. More zones give finer control but each adds cost, and every zone has to be big enough to run on its own without starving the unit. We size them around how the family actually uses the house.
Does evaporative cooling work in Grovedale?
Reasonably well. Grovedale is far enough inland that the hot days generally arrive dry, which is the condition evaporative is built for. The trade offs are that it does nothing in winter, you need the house open while it runs, and it underperforms on the humid nights before a change.
Can you install while we are at work?
Yes, provided we have access arranged. Most Grovedale replacements are one to three day jobs and we can work with a key arrangement or a neighbour. We will tell you which days need someone home, usually just the commissioning.
How far ahead should I book?
Outside summer, one to three weeks. From December to February it stretches considerably, because everybody rings during the same hot week. If your system struggled last summer, autumn is the time to deal with it.
Is my Grovedale block big enough for the outdoor unit to be anywhere I like?
Usually yes, and it is one of the genuine advantages of the suburb. Quarter acre blocks give real choice about where the condenser goes, which means we can put it away from bedroom windows, out of the afternoon sun and somewhere accessible for future servicing. On a narrow block in Geelong West none of those three are usually possible at once.
Get a quote in Grovedale
Tell us the number of bedrooms and living areas, and roughly when the house was built.
If there is an existing ducted system, tell us its age. Whether the ducting survives is the biggest single variable in the price.
Site visits in Grovedale are free and we will get in the roof before quoting anything ducted.
Phone (03) 5214 8711
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Weekends by appointment.
Air Conditioning Geelong
Unit 2, 112 Balliang Street
South Geelong VIC 3220