What shapes a Medowie job
A 1980s boom town
Medowie was a small rural town until a property and commercial boom in the 1980s. Its people live on only about 15.6 of the suburb's 42.1 square kilometres.
Houses, almost without exception
At the 2021 Census, 97.5% of occupied homes were separate houses, 2.1% semis or townhouses and 0.5% flats. 46.5% were owned with a mortgage, 30.0% owned outright and 22.0% rented.
Next to the base
Medowie is about 16 km east-north-east of Raymond Terrace and not far from RAAF Base Williamtown, and many of the people stationed there live in the suburb.
Williamtown's weather
The Bureau of Meteorology's Williamtown RAAF station averages a January maximum of 28.3 degrees with 59% afternoon humidity, and a July minimum of 6.5. Its records run from 45.5 down to minus 3.9.
Ducted, or a split at a time?
For a family house with a roof space, ducted reverse cycle heats and cools every room from one outdoor unit, with only the vents showing inside. A multi-split suits a house where you only need three or four rooms done. A single split in the living area is the quickest fix if you're not staying long.
Bigger houses need care with power. The ACT Government guide says ducted or multi-head systems in a large house may need an upgrade to 3-phase power, and your installer can tell you whether yours does.
If the house came with old gas ducted heating, the ducts can't simply be reused. The ACT Government says gas ducts are too narrow for reverse cycle and may have age-related issues.
What a Medowie ducted quote should show
- The heating capacity as well as the cooling capacity, in kW
- How many zones, and which rooms are in each
- Duct insulation rating (the ACT Government recommends at least R1.5)
- Where the outdoor unit will sit, and how far it is from the bedrooms
- Whether your switchboard or supply needs work first
- The installer's NSW licence number and the ARC details of whoever handles the refrigerant
Renting while posted to Williamtown?
A fixed system is the owner's call, so ask your agent first. If the answer's no, Rinnai says portables suit renters and temporary cooling, though CHOICE calls single-duct portables quite inefficient. They're a stopgap, not a fix for a whole house.
What we'd do
What we'd do in Medowie
If we owned a Medowie house we planned to keep, we'd put in zoned ducted reverse cycle, sized for the frosty end of winter as well as summer, and ask for the duct insulation in writing. If we were only here for a posting, we'd ask the owner about a split in the living room before buying anything portable.
