4 Ways Amateur Air Conditioning Installation Can Go Wrong
If you want something done right… don’t do it yourself! At least, not if it’s something involving your home’s air conditioning system. But you shouldn’t trust it to just anyone else either. When it comes to installing a new AC in your home, turn to licensed contractors with the right experience and tools to get this job done correctly on the first try.
We’ll give you some specifics to explain why turning to non-professionals for this work can end up as a disaster. Below are four different ways that an amateur can make mistakes with AC installation. And these aren’t uncommon issues either: they happen all the time!
- Oversized/undersized system: An air conditioner must obey the “Goldilocks and the Three Bears Rule”: not too big, not too small, but just right. Professionals have special steps they take to determine how powerful a home’s AC needs to be to avoid underperforming or short-cycling. Inexperienced technicians will likely get this wrong, meaning you’ll need to have the system replaced.
- Overcharged refrigerant: An air conditioner runs on a set “charge” of refrigerant that it uses for its whole service life. Putting in too much refrigerant, something amateurs are often tempted to do, will lead to severe damage to the system and a broken compressor.
- Extended refrigerant pipes: The copper pipes that make up the refrigerant lines need to remain under 50 feet in length. Any longer and the system will have trouble completing its cycle, and the compressor won’t shut off.
- Poor outside unit placement: The outdoor cabinet of a split-system AC needs to have about 2 feet of clearance on all side to allow proper air circulation for the fan and heat exhaust. A cramped cabinet will make the air conditioner run inefficiently.
If you’re looking for a great company to install or replace an air conditioning system for your home, give us a call! We’re a 5-time Angie’s List Super Service Award-Winner and National Contractor of the Year Award-Winner. We’ll make sure that you have the best possible experience with your new AC installation.
Magic Touch Mechanical serves Glendale, AZ and the rest of the Phoenix area.