HVAC question for those in the biz and in the know.

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  • Sigblaster

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    Suppose you have a house that without A/C. Presume that is is ducted properly for heat, and maintains proper temperature in every room.

    Could you install a new and properly sized air handler and heat pump, and have effective A/C with the existing ducting? If the ducting is correct for heat, will it function just as well for A/C?

    It seems to me that it logically should, but am I missing anything?
     

    Brandon

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    Suppose you have a house that without A/C. Presume that is is ducted properly for heat, and maintains proper temperature in every room.

    Could you install a new and properly sized air handler and heat pump, and have effective A/C with the existing ducting? If the ducting is correct for heat, will it function just as well for A/C?

    It seems to me that it logically should, but am I missing anything?
    So you already have a furnace or air handler?

    If you have that and the ductwork is capable of moving the air then yes.

    A 220v wire from the panel to where said ac or heat pump would go. Copper lineset and low voltage wirefrom ac/hp to coil that goes with the furnace or air handler.... a drain line...

    Do it often enough. Not very much different from most installs.

    Also may not need to replace the furnace or air handler. Depending on your system setup although it may be better to or at the least look better. And yes, you can have a brand "x" ac coil and a brand "h" furnace.

    Edit to add sometimes when ac or hp has not been installed before a new wire to the thermostat may be required. This and the 220v line can be the hardest part... depending.
     
    Last edited:

    ChristianPatriot

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    Echoing was Brandon said…

    A duct system sized to properly heat a house “should” be able to handle the cooling of the house.

    As with most things, trust but verify.
     

    Sigblaster

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    Thanks, that's what I was hoping to be true.

    This is not for my current house, which is at 67 degrees right now. :cool:

    I'm still house hunting, and I'm finding some houses without central air, but they have a furnace and proper ducting. Just making sure that adding AC would be an option. I'd replace the air handler just to make sure everything is updated and efficient, unless the air handler was pretty new already.
     

    Sigblaster

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    Thanks! We've been searching for over a year now, and we're getting pickier after looking at several houses. This will be the last house we buy, so It has to be just right. No AC is a deal killer for us (among several other criteria). If we can easily get AC, then it's not as big of a problem.

    Houses are moving very quickly right now, and some have had multiple offers before we can even get in to see them. We were very, very close to bidding on one that actually stayed on the market for a couple weeks, but after much deliberation, decided it was just not right.

    It's a tough market for buyers, but we're not in a hurry, so we're willing to wait to get that one house that just fits.
     

    Sigblaster

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    metal non insulated ac ducts in a damp crawl space or basement could be a moisture problem
    Oh yeah, I'm definitely aware of that. I've crawled it crawlspaces. I do a lot of things my realtor doesn't expect when I'm looking at houses.

    My wife focuses on things like "ooh look at this cool old milk delivery door", and then I say "did you see that puddle on the basement floor?"

    Or, "these bedrooms are so big!" then, "yeah but there's no return vents. that's why it's so damn hot up here. You wanna try to sleep in this room?"
     

    Sigblaster

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    Oh, and here's another one. "this house is beautiful! look at all the 150 year old woodwork!, All the rooms, fireplaces and stuff!"

    Then I throw the cold water of " do you know how much it costs per month to heat and cool a 4500 square foot house?"
     
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