Signup to our monthly Newsletter/Blog/Tips
Add Air Conditioning $2800 to $5000 in Paso Robles, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Nipomo, Santa Maria
7/5/09 Especially during the hot spells, we get calls asking about adding Air Conditioning to an existing central heat system (the type most houses have).
But before I get into that, I want to wish my granddaughter, Kiana, and very Happy Birthday! She lives in Grover Beach, and was born on the 4th of July. At six years old, she stills thinks all the fireworks are for her!
Now, let me explain the basics of Air Conditioning. Air Conditioning does not add cool air to your house. It actually REMOVES hot air from your house. There are two main components to the AC system. One is the Condenser, which is located outside, usually beside the house, but sometimes on the roof. This part of the AC system takes the heat from the house and dumps it outside. If you put your hand over the fan of the Condenser, the air you feel is very warm. The second part of the AC system is the Evaporator (or Coil). This second component is attached to your furnace in a metal case. The two components are connected to each other by copper tubing that carries AC gas. The blower in your furnace sucks in the warm air from the house. That warm air is then absorbed by the evaporator/coil and sent to the outdoor condenser thru the Copper tubing, where the warm air is dumped into the outside air. Then the process continues until enough warm air is dumped outside to make the house cool.
The process of adding Air Conditioning is to install an outdoor Condenser, connected to your electric panel with 240 Volts, on a separate circuit. Next is installing a coil or evaporator at the furnace. The difficulty (and related expense) here is dependent on the physical location and space available on one end of the furnace. The third step is installing the refrigerant tubing (for AC gas) from the Evaporator/coil, to the outdoor Condenser. The ease of routing of this tubing is critical to both the function and the cost of adding Air Conditioning.
If you have any questions about adding Air Conditioning, including the newest “Ductless Split Systems”, please email me at pchvac@msn.com, or call me at 805-543-3337. I am Rich Johnson, one of the owners of Peoples Choice Heating and Air, Inc.