Where to Put Your Aircon Outdoor Unit in Gqeberha's Wind and Salt

Why the outdoor unit matters so much

A split aircon has two halves. The indoor unit is what you see in the room. The outdoor unit, often called the condenser, contains the compressor and a large coil with a fan. Its job is to dump the heat taken out of your room into the outside air. If it cannot do that efficiently, everything suffers: the room cools more slowly, the electricity bill goes up and the compressor runs hotter and wears out sooner.

In most inland towns, the main concern is giving the outdoor unit shade and airflow. In Gqeberha, two more factors come in: strong wind and salt. Both can be managed with good placement.

How Gqeberha's wind affects an aircon

Gqeberha is famously windy. The prevailing south-westerly and easterly winds blow strongly across the city for much of the year. When strong wind blows straight into the front of the outdoor unit, it pushes against the fan's airflow. The fan has to work harder, airflow across the coil becomes uneven and the unit can lose efficiency. In very strong gusts, the fan can even be spun the wrong way while the unit is off, which places extra strain on the motor at start-up.

Wind also drives salt and sand into the coil and carries debris like leaves and plastic bags that can block the unit.

What to do about wind

• Choose a wall that is sheltered from the prevailing wind where possible. In many homes this is the side or back of the house rather than the seaward side.
• Use existing structures as windbreaks: garden walls, boundary walls, carports or the corner of an L-shaped house.
• Do not box the unit in. A windbreak should be a short distance away, not hard up against the unit, or the hot air it blows out has nowhere to go.
• Make sure brackets are solid and well anchored, with rubber mounts to reduce vibration.

How salt air damages outdoor units

Salt is carried inland by the wind and settles as a fine film on everything. On an aircon, it collects on the thin aluminium fins of the coil, on copper pipe joints and on the steel casing and brackets. Combined with humidity, the salt starts a slow corrosion process. Over time the fins crumble, joints develop pinhole leaks and the refrigerant escapes. A unit that has lost its gas will not cool, and repairing corroded coils is often not worth it.

The closer you are to the beach, the faster this happens. Homes in Summerstrand, Humewood, South End, Schoenmakerskop and the beachfront parts of Bluewater Bay see the heaviest salt load. Walmer, Mill Park and Newton Park get less, but still more than inland towns.

What to do about salt

• Shelter. A position out of direct spray, such as the leeward side of the house or behind a wall, collects much less salt.
• Coated coils. Many brands offer outdoor units with protective coatings on the condenser coil, often marketed as blue fin or gold fin. They cost a little more and last much longer near the sea.
• Stainless or galvanised fixings. Ordinary steel brackets and bolts can rust through before the unit itself fails.
• Rinse it. A gentle rinse of the outdoor coil with fresh water from a garden hose every month or two washes off salt deposits. Switch the unit off first and never use a high-pressure washer, which bends the fins.
• Service regularly. Beachfront units benefit from a professional service every six months, including a coil clean and a check for early corrosion.

Airflow and clearance

Whatever the conditions, an outdoor unit needs space to breathe. As a rule of thumb:

• At least 30 cm clear behind the unit, between the coil and the wall
• At least a metre clear in front, where the fan blows out
• Space at the sides for air to be drawn in
• No plants, creepers or hedges growing over or into it

Units squeezed into narrow passages, under low decks or behind dense hedges often recirculate their own hot air, which makes them work much harder.

Sun and shade

Some shade helps, especially from the hot afternoon sun. A unit on a north- or west-facing wall in full sun runs warmer than one in the shade. But shade structures must not block airflow. A simple roof-style shade cover a good distance above the unit is fine. A box or cage around it is not.

Sand and ground level

In sandy areas near the beach, and on properties with open sandy ground, wind-blown sand piles up at ground level. Units mounted on low bases can end up with sand drifting into the coil. Wall brackets that raise the unit off the ground, or a raised concrete plinth, help keep sand out.

Noise and neighbours

Outdoor units make some noise, especially older fixed-speed models. In closely built suburbs and complexes, think about where that noise goes. Avoid placing the unit right outside a neighbour's bedroom window or next to your own patio. Inverter units are much quieter at low speeds, which helps at night.

Access for servicing

Finally, the technician has to be able to reach the unit. Units mounted high on double-storey walls without safe access, or squeezed behind fixed structures, cost more to service and are often neglected as a result. A position that can be reached safely with a standard ladder, or from a balcony, makes regular servicing quick and affordable.

Apartments and complexes

In apartment blocks and sectional title complexes in Summerstrand, Humewood and Central, the choice of position is often limited by body corporate rules. Balconies, service ducts and designated plant areas are common options. Ask your body corporate for the rules before you buy, and ask your installer to send photos of the proposed position for approval.