Seaford, in three facts
A post-war beach suburb
Seaford, 36 km south-east of the CBD in the City of Frankston, grew during the 1950s and 1960s because it was affordable and close to the beach and Frankston.
Units next to houses
Of 7,191 occupied homes in 2021, 73.6% were separate houses, 23.2% semi-detached, terrace or townhouses and 2.5% flats.
A third rented
32.9% of Seaford homes were rented at the 2021 Census, 35.4% owned with a mortgage and 27.5% owned outright.
If your heating is an old gas wall or space heater
If your home or unit still relies on a gas heater in the living room, start there. Energy Safe Victoria says any gas heater can spill carbon monoxide, and open-flued heaters do it more easily than other types. It wants every gas heater serviced at least once every two years by a qualified gasfitter.
Better Health lists the warning signs: a yellow or sooty flame (unless it's a decorative log fire), a pilot light that goes out or pops and bangs when it lights, and soot stains around the heater. Since 1 August 2022, Victoria has banned the sale of new and second-hand open-flued gas heaters that can't shut down automatically.
When an old heater is due for replacement, a reverse cycle split in the living area gives you heating and summer cooling from one unit. See gas heater servicing in Melbourne and split systems in Melbourne.
If someone feels unwell while the heater's on
Energy Safe Victoria says to leave the house and get into fresh air, turn off gas appliances and open windows and doors, then call Nurse-on-Call, see a doctor, or dial 000 in an emergency. Keep the heater off until a qualified gasfitter has looked at it.
Close to the foreshore
Seaford's foreshore faces Port Phillip. The Galvanizers Association's AS 4312 guide puts the first 50 m back from a sheltered bay's shoreline in its C4 band and the next kilometre in C3. In that strip, ask for an outdoor unit with factory corrosion protection and read the warranty's coastal terms. Our coastal homes guide explains more.
What we'd do
Our take in Seaford
If an old gas space heater is still doing the work, we'd book a gasfitter to service and test it before winter. If it's past saving, we'd replace it with a reverse cycle split sized for the living area, with the outdoor unit placed away from the neighbour's bedroom and, near the beach, protected for salt air.
Let us know the job and your postcode, 3198. Local installers who do that type of work, with licences checked, get to see it, and your number goes only to the one who takes it on. If nobody near Seaford takes it on within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in Victoria may see it too.
