What to ask about an AC installation

this is not a conventional service call this has turned more into a a call that a a comfort adviser would be on looking at solutions for relocating a system from from its current closet location to to to this attic space and a lot of times these are kind of in in this situation a lot we have to break bad news to a homeowner that they do not have the attic space for converting the system as they wish but in this case I think I see a way to make this happen we've been in the Home Comfort game since 88 in OKC share this with a friend who's in need of some serious Home Service help

make it pretty people this is where the uh the line sets are just cooled up like this and just uh done in a not very professional manner and what it looks like happened on this is whenever you buy a mini split or used to we can do it on air conditioners too when you buy a mini split you can also buy a certain length of refrigerant lines and the refrigerant lines is what connects the indoor unit from the outdoor unit and so they have just taken this and and apparently the guy didn't have a uh a cutting tool and a and a and a torch to be able to make the refrigerant lines the same length but sometimes manufacturers will do this and attempt to try to make it easier to where it's got the connections on it to where you can connect it to the uh the condenser and they just kind of half-hazard put it in and uh tied it together somebody didn't have a whole lot of pride in what they were doing and just stuck it in and said there you go it'll work uh but it's not very pretty it doesn't take much longer to make it pretty

80% of your HVAC systems life is determined on date of installation. So basically what that means is choosing a qualified, reputable company to do the installation. It's going to be the difference in your system lasting 6 to9 years or lasting 15 years or even longer. A good HVAC company is going to properly size the system for your home. They're going to check over all of your duct work, make sure that it's properly sized for that system as well. make sure that any code updates, any duct work updates that need to be done are going to get done. An HVAC system today is different than an HVAC system was 5, 10, 15 years ago. With the difference in air flow requirements for that system, the systems today require you design it with a lower static pressure than what they used to. The new blower motors can't overcome a higher static pressure like the old blower motors could.

We got a message from Joe who asked, "I am looking for a 5-tonon condenser and the company we are dealing with suggested a champion. Is this a good product?" Hey, that is a good question. When it comes to manufacturer, I mean, obviously, there's going to be some manufacturers that are that are more optimal than others. You know, American Standard Linux are generally one of the top rated consumer air conditioners out there. I would really look at the company that's that's installing the system and really being sure that like hey we're installing this correctly that they're a reputable company that they're looking at as far as air flow is concerned that that you've got adequate air flow coming to the system adequate air flow leaving the system. You know generally you want to see about for every ton you know that you've got that you you know so for a 5 ton that what you were saying in your comment you've got 2,000 cubic feet of air that needs to be moved through that system. So, making sure you've got 2,000 cubic feet of air coming in and 2,000 cubic feet of air coming out, that your refrigerant lines are sized correctly, and then also that you're that the company installing it doing all the warranties. You know, you should have a equipment warranty through the manufacturer. Traditionally, those are if they're registered, uh, is a 10-year warranty on compressor, your parts, your heat exchangers. If you've got gas, the heat exchanger should be about 20. I know for from Linux and American Standard, that's the case. and then any labor warranties that that you might want uh through that company. So, you know, I don't know anything about Champion specifically. Um but those would be the things that I would be asking any company doing any sort of installation is what are their processes and procedures. Something that we uh tell our customers is, you know, hey, you know, 80% of a systems life is established on the install. And so, just doing your due diligence on the company that's doing the install is going to account for, you know, 80% of its life. and then making the the decision with the type of system you want whether it's Linux, American Standard, Champion because if air conditioners are stall installed correctly by a company that knows what they're doing should last you a long time. Hope that helps. [Music]

These guys that are coming in on these $7,000 installs, you know, they're not they're not pressure testing the line. Whenever that install is done correctly, the pressure test ensures that there is no leaks in that refrigerant line and you're not just going to be leaking refrigerant. So, that way 6 months down the line when you actually need something, your AC actually kicks on. A lot of these guys that are coming in, they're gassing it up, they're making sure it turns on, and away they go. And you're not seeing them ever again. And so, you don't know you've got a problem until you try to turn on the AC 6 months later and it's not working and you're low on refrigerant. Yours. >> [music]

Hey y'all, it's Stephen here. I'm the service manager. So, I'm the one who signs off when a repair turns into a replacement conversation. I want to tell you about the three situations where I flat out will not let that conversation happen, even if you're ready to sign. One, your system's under 8 years old with an easily fixable fault, a capacitor, a motor, a contactor. I see these tickets every single day, and that system's got good years left. Replacing your equipment would be like lighting your money on fire. We fix it and we go home. Number two, your real problem is an airflow problem wearing the disguise of an equipment issue. And my techs get called out for the AC's not keeping up all the time. And half the time, the equipment's innocent. The ducts are leaking or choked, and a shiny new system on bad ducts, that's going to disappoint you exactly like the old one did. So, we fix the actual problem, and it's usually a fraction of the cost. And number three, the repair is small and the system is healthy. If $500 could buy you three more good years, I'll tell you that. Hand you the honest timeline, and you can plan the replacement on your schedule, not in a panic during a heat wave, which I promise you is when everybody else does it. So, why am I telling you this? Cuz you've probably met the other kind of tech, the one who turns every service call into a sales pitch. That's not how you last 40 years in Oklahoma. Replacement conversation happens when the math says so, not before. And when it does, you'll already know we weren't just selling you something. Love y'all. God bless.

so we're definitely going to want to go back and uh reinsulate this but with it being a 5ton I can reuse the refrigerant lines there's no leak in the line there and so that's something that we can look at doing an opportunity to save the customer a little bit of money especially if the lines are in good shape and they just need to be re reinsulated anytime we're reusing refrigerant lines it's worth saying that before we install the new equipment we always do a nitrogen pressure test of the existing lines to ensure that there are no leaks um and if there is a leak we can catch it on the front end and then have a conversation with the customer that we do indeed need to go and replace those lines um but often times if the lines are in good shape and it matches the tonnage of the system I try to reuse them if at all possible um so that we can one save the customer a little bit of money and uh two we don't have a refrigerant line to run up the side of the house as well we've been serving OKC since 1988 so share this with a friend who needs help with Home Services

we're actually at a new construction home building the HVAC system from the ground up so like I said we planed this out and we designed this for this customer in the end the air quality in this house will be topnotch so we got a few of our installers out here uh great guys they've been for us for a while now and they've they've done a really good job of of putting things together we're obviously in a construction mode right now so there's a quite a bit of a mess but uh we we'd like to Showcase this and and by the end will show you how everything turns out

Install practices matter, and installing a system correctly matters a lot more than than the sticker that's on the outdoor equipment. You could buy the fanciest of the top brand system, but if it's not installed correctly, it's it's going to have problems. You know, like well, how do I how would I know if they have good installation practices? One, they're not cutting corners whenever it comes to duct work. So, if you have a company comes out and uh you know, company A doesn't say anything about duct work, and they're just swapping out the equipment, and then company B tells you that well, we need to address some duct work uh because of static pressure and new equipment, company B is trying to take care of you in the long run. Company A doesn't care. Choose a company that has a good installation practices. Make sure they're not skipping corners whenever it comes to installing the equipment correctly. Your home. >> [singing] [music]