Replacing your home’s air conditioning system is a major project and a significant investment in your comfort and your property’s value. Once you’ve chosen the perfect new high-efficiency unit for your home, the final step is the installation itself. The quality of the installation is just as important as the quality of the equipment you’ve chosen. A proper, professional installation is the key to ensuring your new system runs efficiently, reliably, and has a long, trouble-free lifespan. Knowing what to expect on installation day can help to demystify the process and give you confidence that the job is being done right.
Before Installation Day: The Preparation
A professional installation process begins long before the new unit arrives. A reputable HVAC contractor will have already performed a thorough assessment of your home. This includes:
- A Manual J Load Calculation: This is an industry-standard calculation that determines the precise cooling “load” of your home based on its size, layout, window orientation, insulation levels, and other factors. This ensures that the new system is perfectly sized for your home.
- Ductwork Inspection: The contractor will have inspected your existing ductwork to ensure it is in good condition and properly sized to support the new system.
- Homeowner Prep: You can help the process go smoothly by ensuring the technicians have a clear and unobstructed path to both your indoor air handler unit (which is often in a closet, attic, or garage) and your outdoor condenser unit.
On Installation Day: A Meticulous Process
A typical AC installation is a full-day job performed by a team of certified technicians.
- Protecting Your Home: The first thing a professional crew will do is protect your home. They will lay down drop cloths on your floors and take care to protect your walls and furniture from any potential damage during the process.
- Removing the Old Equipment: The team will begin by safely decommissioning and removing your old equipment. This involves recovering any remaining refrigerant from the old system in an environmentally safe manner, as required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They will then remove the old outdoor condenser unit and the indoor air handler/evaporator coil.
- Installing the New Indoor and Outdoor Units: The new indoor air handler will be carefully set in place, and the new outdoor condenser unit will be set on a new, level pad to ensure proper operation.
- Connecting the Refrigerant Lines: The technicians will expertly run and connect the copper refrigerant lines between the indoor and outdoor units. They will use a special brazing technique to create leak-proof joints.
- The Commissioning Process: This is one of the most critical parts of the installation. Once everything is connected, the technician will perform a series of crucial tests to “commission” the system. This includes pulling a deep vacuum on the refrigerant lines to remove all moisture and contaminants, and then charging the system with the precise amount of refrigerant specified by the manufacturer. An improper refrigerant charge is a leading cause of inefficiency and premature system failure.
- Testing and Calibration: The technicians will start up the new system and let it run, measuring airflow, testing the temperature drop across the coil, and calibrating the new thermostat to ensure every part of the system is operating perfectly according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Cleanup and Homeowner Walkthrough: The crew will clean up the entire work area, removing all the old equipment and any installation debris. Finally, they will walk you through the operation of your new system and thermostat and answer any questions you may have.
As the government’s ENERGY STAR program, a leader in efficiency, emphasizes, a quality installation is just as important as the equipment itself for achieving rated performance.
Your Southern Florida Air Conditioning Installation Experts
A new air conditioner is a major upgrade for your home’s comfort and value. A professional installation is the key to protecting that investment. For homeowners in Southern Florida, the team at Best Air Solutions is committed to providing meticulous, high-quality air conditioning installation. Contact us today for a free estimate on a new system.