Air Conditioning in Barwon Heads
A small town with expensive housing and hard weather. Original fibro cottages next to architectural rebuilds, and salt on everything either way.
- Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Dealer
- Coastal specification as standard
- Multi head and ducted
- Free site visits
Old shacks, new architecture, same salt
Barwon Heads sits at the mouth of the Barwon River across the bridge from Ocean Grove, and it has changed character more than most towns on the Bellarine. What were fishing shacks and modest holiday cottages are now among the most valuable properties in the region, and a good proportion have been replaced with architect designed homes.
What has not changed is the exposure. The town faces the open water at Thirteenth Beach and takes the full south westerly, and the salt loading here is as high as anywhere we work. Equipment specification here is not a preference, it is what determines whether an outdoor unit lasts eight years or fifteen.
Original cottages
Fibro and weatherboard holiday houses, often extended rather than replaced. Small roof cavities, mixed insulation, no consistent orientation.
Architectural rebuilds
Large modern homes designed around the view, with extensive glazing and high ceilings. Beautiful, and a serious summer load.
Heavy salt exposure
Open to Bass Strait and the south westerly. Standard outdoor coils degrade visibly faster here than anywhere inland.
Strong seasonal occupancy
A large share of dwellings are used part of the year. Systems sit idle for months and then run hard.
What Barwon Heads households ring us about
Corrosion, glazing and seasonal use, in that order.
Outdoor units corroded beyond repair
We see units here that are structurally sound and thermally useless because the coil fins have gone. Replacement with a coastal specification unit is the only sensible answer.
Glazed living areas that overheat
Rebuilt homes designed around the outlook, with window walls facing north or west. The heat load is far higher than the floor area suggests.
Systems that fail on the first hot weekend
Holiday houses that have not run since autumn. Predictable faults, discovered at the worst possible moment.
Wind noise from outdoor units
Exposed positions in a town this open produce buffeting and rattles that never happen inland. Bracketing and placement matter.
Salt washed off before it does damage
Regular outdoor coil cleaning is the single cheapest thing you can do for equipment life in this town, and it is routinely skipped.
How we work out what a Barwon Heads house needs
Two questions dominate: how exposed the outdoor unit will be, and how much glass there is.
1. Assume coastal specification
Almost all of Barwon Heads warrants a treated coil. We start from that rather than treating it as an optional extra to be argued about.
2. Measure the glazing and its orientation
In a rebuilt home this is the dominant load and the difference between a comfortable room and an unusable one.
3. Find a sheltered outdoor position
Where one exists. Where it does not, we specify bracketing and mounting suited to the wind rather than the standard bracket.
4. Ask about occupancy
Permanent, weekender or holiday let. It changes both the equipment recommendation and the service interval we suggest.
Matching the problem to the work
What we would recommend for the situations we see here.
Original cottage, a few rooms
A multi head system. One outdoor unit means one thing to protect from salt, which counts for more here than the equipment cost.
Architectural rebuild
Zoned ducted reverse cycle, sized properly for the glazing. A single split will not carry a glazed living space on a hot afternoon.
Holiday let
Simple, robust splits with straightforward controls and a service booked every spring. Guests will not read instructions.
Corroded existing unit
Replacement with a coastal specification coil rather than a repair. We will show you the coil so you can see the state of it yourself.
Outdoor unit looking rusty and tired?
In Barwon Heads that is normal wear, not neglect. Ring us and we will tell you what is left in it.
Comparing quotes in Barwon Heads
A quote here that does not mention salt has not thought about where you live.
Is the coil coated for coastal use?
The most important question in this town. The additional cost is modest and it is the difference between a unit that lasts and one that does not.
How is the outdoor unit being mounted?
Exposed positions need proper bracketing. Ask where it is going and how it is being fixed before you sign.
Was the glazing measured?
In a rebuilt home the windows are the load. A quote from a floor plan has missed the main input.
What service interval is recommended?
Coastal equipment needs looking at more often than inland equipment. A supplier recommending annual regardless has not considered the location.
Where new equipment replaces existing gas or inefficient electric systems, a Victorian Energy Upgrades discount may apply. Eligibility depends on the equipment, the property and the current program rules, which we check first.
Barwon Heads questions
Most relevant services here: multi head systems. ducted air conditioning. servicing and maintenance.
Nearby: Ocean Grove, Torquay, Armstrong Creek.
How much difference does a coastal coil coating actually make?
A large one in Barwon Heads. Salt carried on the south westerly settles on the aluminium fins of the outdoor coil and corrodes them, which reduces heat transfer and makes the compressor work harder for the same output. A treated coil costs a modest amount more at installation and commonly adds years of useful life. It is the single best value decision available on a job in this town.
Can ducted be installed in an original Barwon Heads cottage?
Sometimes, but many of the original cottages have very little usable roof cavity, and extensions built on to them often have none at all. We get up and look before quoting. Where ducting is not viable, a multi head system covers the same rooms and puts only one outdoor unit into the salt.
My holiday house sits empty for months. What should I do?
Book a service every spring, before the season rather than during it. A system that has not run since autumn accumulates exactly the same faults as one that has, and they all present on the first hot Saturday when every technician on the Bellarine is booked. Running it for half an hour every month or two also helps.
Do you cover Barwon Heads and Thirteenth Beach?
Yes. Barwon Heads is part of our regular Bellarine service run and inside our Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Dealer territory. Site visits are free and there is no travel charge.
Is there a downside to a coastal specified unit?
Only the small additional cost, and a slightly longer lead time on some models because they are not always the stocked variant. Performance is the same. There is no reason not to specify one for a house in Barwon Heads.
How often should a Barwon Heads system be serviced?
More often than an inland one. We would suggest every six to twelve months rather than annually, mainly so the outdoor coil gets washed down before salt deposits build up enough to do damage. It is a small job and it is the difference between an outdoor unit that lasts eight years here and one that lasts fifteen.
Get a quote in Barwon Heads
Tell us the street and how exposed the property is. In Barwon Heads that decides the specification.
If it is a holiday house or a let, tell us the gaps in your calendar and we will schedule around them.
Site visits are free and we will look at the existing outdoor unit’s coil before recommending anything.
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