Carindale at a glance
Built from 1976
Carindale began as a housing estate in 1976 and became its own suburb when it split from Belmont in 1980. That makes it much newer than Brisbane's traditional timber areas, where council counts houses built in 1946 or earlier.
Large, owner-occupied houses
45.5% of homes were owned outright and 36.1% mortgaged, with only 14.8% rented. Townhouses were 7.4% and flats 3.7%.
Creek and bushland
Bulimba Creek and the Belmont Bushland Reserve are among the suburb's notable features. Homes near either will see more leaves around the outdoor unit.
Brisbane City Council
Carindale is in Chandler Ward, postcode 4152, so local planning questions go to Brisbane City Council.
Zoning a big house properly
ActronAir says zoning works through dampers in the ducts that open and close to control airflow to each zone. Daikin's example splits bedrooms into one zone and living areas into another. In a two-storey house, upstairs and downstairs usually work best as zones of their own, because warm air rises to the bedrooms.
There are limits. ActronAir notes all zones run in the same mode, heating or cooling, and warns that zoning without the right temperature sensors can be less efficient. Ask where each sensor will sit.
West-facing rooms and long duct runs
Brisbane City Council's design guide says north-facing living spaces are ideal here, while south-west and west-facing living areas need screening from the late afternoon sun. If your family room faces west, mention it: it changes the heat load and maybe the zone layout.
The ACT Government's guide recommends at least R1.5 insulation on ducts and says suppliers may not include it by default, so make sure the quote states it. It also warns a big ducted or multi-head system may need 3-phase power. Have the switchboard checked before the quote, not after.
Ask before you sign
- How many zones, which rooms are in each, and where do the sensors go?
- Was this sized from a heat load that allows for our west-facing rooms?
- What insulation rating are the new ducts?
- Does our switchboard need work, and is it in this quote?
- If you're reusing ducts, have you checked their condition?
What we'd do
Our take for Carindale
In a big Carindale house we'd go zoned ducted reverse cycle, with the bedrooms and the living areas on separate zones and properly insulated ducts written into the quote. If the existing system is original to the house or past 15 years, we'd replace it rather than keep patching it. And we'd want a ducted specialist who measures every room, not one who quotes from the floor plan. Tell us the size of the house and what you want. Licence-checked ducted installers can see the job, and the one who takes it is the only one who receives your details. If no ducted installer near Carindale takes it within 48 hours, installers further afield in Queensland may see it.
