Moreleta Park is one of the biggest suburbs in Pretoria East: about 10 km² and more than 27,000 residents at the 2011 census, roughly 12 km south-east of the city centre. The land was once part of an early farm owned by Daniel Erasmus. The stream that ran through it is now the Moreleta Spruit, and the suburb also has its own nature reserve, Moreleta Kloof. Freestanding houses and townhouse complexes sit side by side here, and a complex brings its own rules.
Installing in a townhouse or complex
- Get approval first. Many sectional-title schemes have conduct rules about outdoor units, holes in outside walls and visible pipes. Ask the managing agent for the rules and any approved positions before you get a quote.
- Think about the neighbours. On a small erf, the outdoor unit may end up near a neighbour's bedroom window. A wall bracket higher up, or a position on your own side of the garden, avoids the complaint.
- Plan the drain. Water from the indoor unit has to go into a drain or a garden bed, not onto shared paving or a neighbour's wall.
- Keep it tidy. Pipe covers painted or chosen to match the wall usually satisfy trustees and look better.
Upstairs rooms need more
In a double-storey townhouse, the bedrooms directly under the roof heat up far more than a ground-floor room of the same size. Where 9,000 BTU might be enough downstairs, 12,000 BTU is often the better choice upstairs. Mention which floor the room is on when you ask for a quote.
Bought a place with an aircon already in?
If the unit came with the house, you probably don't know when it was last serviced. A service is a sensible first step: it cleans the filters and coil, clears the drain and shows whether the unit is worth keeping. If it's already showing an error code or not cooling, see aircon repairs.
Heating in winter
A reverse-cycle split heats as well as it cools. For a townhouse without a fireplace, it's often the simplest way to warm a living area on a cold Highveld morning. Set it to about 20°C rather than its highest setting: the room warms up just as quickly, and the unit uses less electricity holding a sensible temperature.
Questions from Moreleta Park
What should I ask the body corporate for?
Ask for the conduct rules on external alterations, any approved positions for outdoor units, the required colour or type of pipe covers, and whether contractors must sign in. Get the approval in writing before the installation is booked.
Can the outdoor unit go on the roof?
Sometimes, on a flat roof or a high wall bracket, but many schemes don't allow it, and the unit must stay reachable for servicing. Any roof penetration also needs to be sealed properly so it doesn't leak.
Services in Moreleta Park
Aircon installations, aircon repairs and aircon servicing are all available in Moreleta Park. The same services cover Garsfontein, Faerie Glen, Elarduspark and Woodhill, and the rest of Pretoria East.