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Do you want to install central AC in your home? Read this guide to learn more about installing central air, from installation costs to choosing the best unit.
Air Conditioning Installation Contractor
Whether the summers get really hot or we’ve lost heat tolerance as we age, many of us are tempted to pull out the noisy, dripping window air conditioners and replace them with quiet, efficient whole-house central air conditioners. .
Air Conditioning Contractor Articles
But we will not take the idea further. Those with forced air furnace ducts worry that changing the heating system will be expensive and lead to inefficiency. And if you don’t have ducts, you can’t imagine how to add them without destroying the house and costing a bundle. But adding central air is easier and cheaper than you think.
When added to an existing forced-air heating system, central air for a 2,000-square-foot home costs $3,500 to $4,000 and can be done by two technicians in two to three days, often with little or no modifications. to the channel.
A house that needs ducting has doubled the cost and labor time. But an experienced remodeling contractor can cleverly hide ducts behind walls, behind cupboards and in the ceiling, so that there are minimal cuts in walls and ceilings and very little mess.
The first task – and perhaps the most important decision when installing central air conditioning in your home – is choosing the right units.
Asked: How Do I Choose A Reputable Air Conditioning Contractor?
All refrigeration contractors should begin evaluating your house by calculating the J-load in the American HVAC Contractors Handbook. This determines the heat gain in your home. The calculation is relatively easy to do and it will tell you which unit of measurement you need. Move on to another contractor if the one you are considering wants to find the right unit for your house based on experience alone. Although heavily influenced by where you live, a number of factors influence the required unit size, including the amount of wall and ceiling insulation; types and placement of windows and doors; and the direction of your home towards the sun. The calculation can also make you aware of the potential benefits of upgrading your house’s insulation. By making your home more energy efficient, you may be able to reduce the amount of air conditioning you need.
Follow these steps when deciding how large a central air unit is needed for the size of your home.
Using a heat gain calculation, your contractor will recommend the dimensioning of the air conditioning system, expressed in tonnage or Btu per hour (Btu/h). One ton corresponds to 12,000 Btu per hour. Why is choosing the right size device so important?
An undersized unit cannot fully cool rooms on the hottest days and costs more to run because it has to run longer than the right sized unit. It also costs more to run a large compressor because it simply requires more power to run a larger unit. And a device that is too large will not effectively reduce humidity. This is because it cools the air so quickly that it shuts down before it has a chance to circulate enough air through the coils to draw out the necessary moisture. The result is a room that does not feel as cool as the temperature indicates. In fact, the room may feel damp and humid.
Joyce Refrigeration Heating & Air Inc.
After sizing the unit, your contractor should talk to you about efficiency, as expressed by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER). SEER estimates how many Btu’s an air conditioner removes for every watt of electricity consumed. The higher the SEER, the less it costs to run.
Federal law requires new air conditioners to have a SEER of at least 13. These units have lower operating costs, are typically of higher quality, have more safety features, better sound insulation, and lower voltage requirements. In general, the higher the SEER, the higher the original price of the device.
Next, you need to decide what type of system to buy. There are two types of them. A package system combines a condenser that cools the refrigerant and discharges hot air with a fan and coil system that cools and blows air. The channel connects directly to the device. It is essentially an air conditioner with a large wall duct. But packaging systems are rare.
In a “split system” the condenser is outside the housing and the fan and coil system is inside; they are connected to each other through pipes that carry the refrigerant. If you have a forced air furnace, the refrigerant pipes are connected to a cooling coil system installed in the furnace’s air handler.
Air Conditioner Contractor Abilene, Tx
Sometimes it goes directly into the existing plenum. If this does not work due to lack of space, the contractor will manufacture a separate plate chamber. If you don’t have forced air, the fan and coil system is usually located in the attic, where it releases cool air through ducts. The 20- to 30-foot pipes that carry the refrigerant are disguised to look like downspouts.
Even the quietest condensers make noise, so work with your contractor to find a location that isn’t near a bedroom or home office window. Do not place the condenser under a blanket or close it completely, as this will draw hot air from the top. Any restriction of airflow will reduce the unit’s efficiency. However, the condenser can be hidden in the landscape if the air can circulate freely around it.
Most central air conditioners are split systems: the condenser is outside and the fan and coil system is inside, connected to the condenser through pipes that run up the outside of the house. Pipes can be disguised as part of a gutter and downspout system. Duct work in the rooms on the second floor through the ceiling registers. The ducts run through the cupboards on the way to the rooms on the 1st floor.
You should have checked your channels. In many cases, modifications are required to accommodate the increased air volume produced by air conditioners. Ironically, older duct systems, which tend to be larger, work best for central air conditioning retrofits. (As the heating industry has learned more about airflow dynamics and the sizing of furnaces and delivery systems, ductwork has become smaller.)
Things To Know About Air Conditioning Installation In Palm Harbor
Since most retrofit air conditioners have the fan and coil unit installed in the ceiling, the challenge is getting the supply and return ducts to the ceiling registers in the first and second floor rooms below.
The ducts that supply the rooms on the second floor usually run above the attic floor and dip down between the joists of the attic floor where they are connected to the ceiling registers. Ducts feeding rooms on the first floor run through closets on the second floor where possible.
The first step your contractor will take to determine the location of the ducts is to draw a second floor plan and place it on top of the first floor plan. “In 99 percent of homes,” says Frank Scarangello of Staten Island, New York-based Scaran Heating and Air Conditioning, “second-floor heaters give you access to first-floor attic register locations.”
Ducts that run in cabinets take up less space than you might think. Since most channels are 12×6 inches or 10×8 inches, they occupy only 4 of the 64 available cubic feet, even in a relatively small 2×4 foot enclosure. Some refrigeration contractors may recommend using flexible duct (small, inexpensive flexible tubing) instead of rigid square ducts. But avoid flexible duct in active cabinet spaces – it holds poorly and punctures easily.
Air Conditioning Contractor
What kind of mess can you expect when installing ducts? In most cases, the wall and ceiling surfaces remain largely intact. Holes will have to be cut in the ceilings of the first and second floors for the registers, and some of the wardrobe floors on the second floor will have to be operated to accommodate the new ductwork. But these holes are relatively small and the mess is easily contained.
Even if your home does not have ducts, if air conditioning will make your house more comfortable during the summer months, contact HVAC contractors to review the cost of adding air conditioning and the methods they would use. Choosing the right professional and the right equipment will give you years of comfort, and it’s often cheaper and less intrusive than you might imagine.
Looking for help renovating your home? A housing guarantee can help. Check out these in-depth guides from the Old House Reviews team:
Get the latest This Old House news, trusted tips, tricks and DIY Smarts projects from our experts – straight to your inbox. When your air conditioner becomes inefficient or simply stops working, the last thing you want is to waste time and money on a bad one. service from a low quality repair company. When choosing a reputable air conditioner repair company, keep these 5 important things in mind:
Hvac Service Or Replacement These Are Facts To Consider
The California State Licensing Board requires all licensed contractors to provide prospective clients with a written cost estimate before performing any work
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