What's different about Armadale
Plenty of rented homes
The 2021 Census counted 40.5% of Armadale's occupied homes as rented, against 26.6% for Greater Perth. A split or ducted unit is fixed to the property, so a tenant needs the owner's written OK, and the owner usually arranges the work.
Townhouses and semis
Another 30.7% of homes here are semi-detached, row or terrace houses or townhouses. Shared walls and small courtyards limit where an outdoor unit can sit. The ACT Government's buyer's guide says to avoid enclosed courtyards and never box the unit in with slat fencing.
Inland heat
Armadale is 28 km south-east of the CBD, on the city's edge. Bureau of Meteorology averages put January at 33.0 degrees at Gosnells, another south-eastern suburb, against 29.8 at Swanbourne on the coast.
The scarp behind you
The City of Armadale rises east into the Darling Scarp, much of it state forest. Light snow has been reported in Roleystone, and the Perth Hills are the wettest part of the metro area, so homes up the hill lean harder on heating.
Heritage places
The City lists 162 heritage places, including the Armadale District Hall and St Matthews Anglican Church. If your building is on that list, ask the council before an outdoor unit goes on a wall the street can see.
The jobs that come up most in Armadale
One split for the room that cooks. In a townhouse or a rented house, a single reverse cycle split in the living area is often the practical answer: one wall penetration, cooling for summer afternoons and heat on cold nights. Our Perth split system page covers sizing and the WA licence side.
Looking after what's already there. The City of Armadale grew from 6,469 people in 1961 to 36,116 in 1981, so plenty of houses date from those decades and still run an evaporative cooler or a gas heater. Book the cooler's service before summer and a gasfitter's check before winter. See evaporative cooler servicing and gas heater servicing in Perth.
What you can do, and what needs a licence
You can
- If you rent, put the request to the owner in writing: which room, and why.
- In a strata townhouse, read the by-laws or ask the strata manager before booking.
- Pick a spot for the outdoor unit with open air around it, away from a neighbour's bedroom.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Sizing the unit for the room and its afternoon sun.
- Refrigerant pipework, which needs an ARC licence.
- The new circuit and switchboard work, by a licensed electrician working for an electrical contractor.
What we'd do
Where we'd start in Armadale
In a townhouse or rental, we'd start with one reverse cycle split in the main living area, with the outdoor unit somewhere open rather than a closed courtyard. Up the hill toward Roleystone, we'd size for heating as seriously as cooling. Either way, we'd want a split specialist who shows an EC number on the quote.
