The peninsula's three coasts, and what they mean for an outdoor unit
The bay side
The built-up towns along the western shore, Mornington among them, face Port Phillip and its shallow, safe beaches. The Galvanizers Association rates the first 50 m inland around a sheltered bay as C4 for corrosion, and 50 m to 1 km as C3.
Western Port
Hastings, Somers, Stony Point and Crib Point sit on Western Port, a large tidal bay on the peninsula's eastern side. The same sheltered-bay ratings are the closest guide there.
The surf coast
From Cape Schanck to Point Nepean, the peninsula faces Bass Strait with open-sea surf beaches. Within 200 m of rough seas and surf beaches, the Galvanizers Association's guide rates the air C5, its harshest coastal category.
Mild summers, cool winters
Bureau of Meteorology averages for Mornington give a January mean maximum of 25.0 degrees and a July mean maximum of just 12.8, with July nights at 6.5. On higher ground around Arthurs Seat, which rises to 305 metres, ask the installer to size for your spot rather than the coast.
Choosing and placing an outdoor unit near the water
Brands take salt air seriously. Mitsubishi Electric's manual lists salty places such as the seaside among spots to avoid, and Daikin's warranty card makes the owner responsible for extra corrosion protection in sea air. Daikin says its outdoor coils carry an anti-corrosion treatment, but still points owners to the installation manual on positioning.
So ask any installer how far your home is from the water, which brand's coastal protection they're quoting, and what the warranty says about salt. Where you can, put the outdoor unit on the side of the house away from the sea, with air around it and access for cleaning. Our coastal homes guide has more.
Holiday houses
At the 2021 Census, 27.5% of the Shire's private dwellings, 24,525 of them, were empty on Census night, and Wikipedia cites about 24,000 holiday homes. A unit that sits idle near the coast for months is worth a service before summer, when the house fills up. Check the outdoor unit for corrosion and the indoor filters for dust while you're there.
What we'd do
Our take for the peninsula
Within a kilometre of the water, choose a unit with proper coastal protection and get the warranty conditions in writing before you buy. Put the outdoor unit in the most sheltered spot that still has room to breathe. Book a service every year, before the summer crowds, and ask the technician to clean the outdoor coil while they're there.
Sending a peninsula job
Tell us the job and your postcode. Licence-checked installers on the peninsula who do that kind of work can see it, and only the one who takes it gets your details. If no one on the peninsula takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in Victoria may see it as well.
