Split System Installation in Altona

Capacity comes from room volume, glazing area and orientation, ceiling height and insulation, not floor area on its own. Altona post war homes typically have 2.4 metre ceilings, which keeps the volume down, but weatherboard walls with little or no bulk insulation lose heat far faster than a modern insulated cavity.

The practical result is that a 4 by 4 metre Altona bedroom that would take 2.5kW in a Point Cook estate house often wants 3.5kW here, because the walls and the single glazed timber windows are working against you. We measure the room, check the ceiling batts and look at the western glass before putting a number on it.

Altona is a bay suburb and salt reaches outdoor equipment. Standard condenser coils, plated brackets and unrated fixings age noticeably faster here than four suburbs inland. We see the evidence constantly on isolators, antenna fixings and old air conditioning units around Pier Street and the Esplanade.

Our standard here is a condenser with corrosion protection on the coil, stainless or hot dip galvanised mounting hardware, and a position that is not on the fully exposed western elevation where the building allows a choice. We also suggest a fresh water rinse of the outdoor coil each spring, which costs nothing and materially extends the life of the unit.

Most Altona blocks have side access with room for more than one outdoor unit, which means single head systems are usually available to you. That matters, because singles are more efficient at part load, they let rooms run at different temperatures, and one failure does not take out the whole house.

Multi head becomes the answer where a home has been extended to the boundary, where a townhouse has almost no side path, or where the only workable condenser position can hold one unit and no more. Multi head systems share one compressor and one refrigerant circuit, so all heads run in the same mode and part load efficiency is lower. Where the space exists in Altona, we recommend singles.

A reverse cycle split heats a room for roughly 28 to 36 cents an hour compared with 50 to 72 cents an hour for ducted gas, which is worth about $200 to $450 a year to a typical household, more if dropping gas entirely also removes the daily supply charge.

Victorian Energy Upgrades discounts come off the installation invoice directly. There is no rebate to chase afterwards and no income test. The property has to be at least two years old and there is a minimum customer contribution of $200 including GST. The program changed on 30 September 2026, so we confirm the current amount in writing at quote time rather than quoting a figure that may have moved.

Refrigerant work requires an ARC licence and the electrical connection requires a licensed electrician who issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety. We hold REC 37223 and carry out both parts, which is also what most manufacturers require before they will honour a warranty claim.

What should never be optional is the part you cannot see. Brazed joints, a nitrogen pressure test, a proper vacuum to remove moisture from the lines, insulated and UV protected pipework, a graded condensate drain that goes somewhere sensible, and a dedicated circuit with an isolator. Our workmanship is guaranteed for 12 months on top of the equipment warranty.