You’ve made the choice to have an ailing older air conditioning system replaced with a new, energy-saving unit. Or you’re arranging to have the first AC system installed for a new home. Either way, to ensure that you have the best possible installation, it’s important to hire experienced professional HVAC contractors for this service.
We understand that it’s tempting to try to save money by having an amateur who makes big promises handle the installation. But there is so much that can go wrong with non-professionals that it’s hard even to know where to start. Below are just a few of the more common errors that amateurs can commit when they try to replace or install a new air conditioning system:
- Overcharged refrigerant: Each AC system has a set amount of refrigerant that it uses for heat exchange, known as its charge. Too much refrigerant in the system can be as destructive as too little, and unfortunately people unfamiliar with how air conditioners operate are very likely to “top off” the system—leading to serious problems.
- Poorly sized unit: Part of professional air conditioning system installation is performing a heat load calculation to determine how powerful an AC is necessary. Amateurs rarely know how to do a heat load calculation—or do it correctly—and will end up installing a cooling system that’s too large or too small. This will lead to poor comfort, energy waste, and an overworked AC that will soon need to be replaced.
- Overlong refrigerant lines: Refrigerant travels between the indoor and outdoor unit of an air conditioning system through copper pipes. If these are too long (an easy mistake to make) it will cause the compressor to continue to run without cycling off.
There’s plenty more that might go wrong with an amateur installation. You won’t end up saving money if you go this route, and you almost certainly won’t receive the cooling power your house needs. When you call on professionals with experience, training, and the best equipment, you can expect an installation/replacement that’s both fast and completely effective.
Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning serves Clovis and Fresno, CA with excellent air conditioning system installation and replacement. We are registered contractors with the HERO Program, helping people find new ways to upgrade their homes with HVAC equipment.