For a Successful AC Installation, Steer Clear of These Common Mistakes

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Life can be full of mistakes, but some mistakes can easily be avoided with the right amount of research and due diligence. Take your air conditioner, for example. A few simple mistakes can easily turn an otherwise simple A/C installation into an expensive and time-consuming mess.

The following offers an in-depth explanation of the common mistakes that can happen during an AC installation. You'll also learn how you and your contractor can avoid these mistakes.

Relying on Rule of Thumb

One of the first things that many homeowners and even some contractors get wrong is the size of the air conditioning unit itself. Every home has its own unique cooling needs based on its size, location, insulation and a broad range of other crucial factors. For this reason, you'd be hard-pressed to find a one-size-fits-all solution that could adequately tackle your home's cooling needs.

Instead of performing a proper load calculation, which could easily help determine how much cooling capacity is actually necessary, some contractors prefer to go by rule of thumb. While this is sometimes easier and faster than a proper load calculation, it's nowhere near as accurate. As a result, contractors who rely on rule of thumb often end up choosing A/C systems that are larger than what's actually needed.

Choosing the Wrong Location for the Condenser Cabinet

As far as aesthetics go, outdoor condenser cabinets tend to stick out like a sore thumb. They aren't exactly pleasant to look at despite being an indispensable part of your central A/C system. You might even be tempted to stash your condenser cabinet somewhere where it can't be easily seen. It's not unusual to see homeowners hide their condenser cabinets within shrubbery, behind fences, underneath patio decks and even inside custom-made enclosures.

Hiding the outdoor half of your central A/C system might solve the aesthetics problem, but it may eventually create a performance problem later on. Sticking your condenser cabinet in tight spaces could leave it constantly starved for adequate airflow, which could cause numerous performance issues and even shorten your AC system's lifespan.

This doesn't mean you have to leave your condenser cabinet out in the open. In fact, it's usually a good idea to keep the cabinet out of direct sunlight. Here are a few good tips to follow if you want to keep your condenser cabinet out of sight without risking it being out of service later on in life:

• Make sure there's at least two to three feet of open space between your fencing, enclosure or shrubbery and the condenser cabinet.
• If you're using an enclosure, make sure it's well-ventilated and large enough to accommodate your condenser cabinet. Don't forget to make sure it's easy for technicians to access.
• Don't install your condenser cabinet underneath patio decks or stairways.

Bad Thermostat Placement

Another common mistake that many people make when it comes to their air conditioning installation is choosing the wrong spot to install the thermostat. A thermostat isn't something that can be installed just anywhere - it has to be installed in a location where it can properly read the average temperature of the room it's in without having its readings skewed by external influences. For instance, installing a thermostat in a location that's commonly exposed to direct sunlight can result in its readings being thrown off by several degrees.

There are plenty of other bad places to install a thermostat:

• Near doors or windows - Doors are common places for drafts to form and windows can let sunlight shine on the thermostat.
• Near supply or return air vents - The drafts created by these vents can throw off thermostat readings.
• Exterior walls - Exterior walls are usually several degrees cooler than interior walls.
• Hallways and unused rooms - These areas can give inaccurate temperature readings that leave your home less comfortable.

The best place to install a thermostat is in the central-most part of your home, preferably along a central interior wall and at eye level. If you happen to have a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat, you should also make sure it's installed within range of your Wi-Fi router so it can remain connected to your home network.

For more information, contact a business such as Nova Air Conditioning & Heating.

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3 July 2017