Split System Installation in Seaholme

Salt attacks the aluminium fins on an outdoor coil. As they corrode, heat transfer drops, the system works harder for the same output, and eventually the fins disintegrate around the copper. In Seaholme we see that happen to standard units in a fraction of the time it takes inland.

What we specify here is a condenser with factory applied coil corrosion protection, stainless or hot dip galvanised brackets rather than plated steel, coastal rated electrical enclosures for the isolator, and a mounting position sheltered from the prevailing weather off the water where the building offers one. A fresh water rinse of the coil each spring costs nothing and adds years.

On a compact Seaholme block with 800mm side access and a rebuilt rear extension, there is often exactly one place an outdoor unit can go with the clearances it needs for airflow and service access. That single fact decides the system.

Where only one position exists, a multi head system running two to four indoor heads off one outdoor unit is the practical answer. It is not the ideal answer technically. All heads share a compressor and a refrigerant circuit, so they run in the same mode, part load efficiency is lower than a well matched single, and one outdoor fault stops every room. We would rather explain that up front than have it discovered in year three.

Seaholme has two very different houses. Original beachside cottages with 2.4 metre ceilings and small windows, and rebuilds on the same blocks with 2.7 metre ceilings, large sliding doors and often a raked ceiling to catch the outlook. They need completely different capacities.

The rebuilds are the ones people undersize. Large areas of glazing facing the water are a substantial heat load in summer and a substantial heat loss in winter, and the extra ceiling height adds volume. Where an original cottage lounge takes 5.0kW, the rebuilt version of the same room can want 7.1kW. We size on volume, glazing area and orientation, not on the floor plan.

Tight access means the pipe run from the indoor head to the outdoor unit is often longer here than the straight line suggests, because it has to go around the building rather than through it. Every system has a maximum pipe length and height difference, and long runs need additional refrigerant and reduce capacity at the head.

Condensate is the other Seaholme detail. A head on a wall with no fall to an outside point means either a condensate pump or a different wall, and a drain that discharges onto a narrow side path is a slip hazard and a nuisance. We plan both at the quote. The electrical connection is a dedicated circuit with an isolator, installed under REC 37223 with a Certificate of Electrical Safety issued on completion.

On price, a split system in Seaholme runs $2,500 to $7,500 installed depending on capacity and head count, with Victorian Energy Upgrades discounts applied directly to the invoice. The property must be at least two years old, there is no income test, and there is a $200 including GST minimum customer contribution. Announced changes commence 30 September 2026 and we confirm amounts in writing at quote.