Designing a new home HVAC system can be surprisingly complex, so most homeowners would benefit from leaving this job to the professionals. However, understanding why your HVAC installers make the choices they do can help you better understand the costs and complications involved in installing your home's new HVAC equipment.
While most people have a reasonable understanding of topics such as their home's insulation or the size of their HVAC equipment, these aren't the only factors to consider. Instead, a professional HVAC installation service may also need to consider these three surprisingly technical and important design issues.
1. Make-Up Air
Make-up air is a concept that may be unfamiliar to many homeowners. Modern building codes typically require fairly tight building envelopes. A tight envelope helps keep conditioned air in, increasing home efficiency and reducing utility bills. However, a well-sealed home provides few opportunities to replace air lost through exhaust systems.
A typical home's most common exhaust systems are bathroom fans and range hoods that move air outside. While bathrooms fan may not move enough air to make a difference, range hoods are more powerful. A make-up air unit serves a critical role in your home's HVAC system by balancing lost air and preventing your exhaust fans from drawing in unconditioned outside air.
2. Ductwork Sizing
The size of the ductwork in your home depends directly on the size of your HVAC equipment. Larger air conditioners and more powerful furnaces need to disperse more cooled and heated air throughout your home, requiring more powerful blowers. As a result, these systems need larger ductwork to accommodate the greater airflow.
Ductwork that's too large will be ineffective at keeping your home comfortable, while ductwork that's too small can create airflow restrictions or unacceptable air velocity. If installing a new system in an existing home, your ductwork size may limit your options. On the other hand, new homes require carefully-sized ductwork to meet the heating and cooling equipment specifications.
3. Maintenance Access
Maintenance access is an easy-to-overlook issue that will quickly become important if you plan to live in your home for the foreseeable future. HVAC systems require frequent maintenance, including air filter changes as often as once per month and annual professional visits. Repairs are also not uncommon for aging systems.
If your HVAC equipment is hard to access, routine jobs such as air filter changes can become frustrating and difficult. Even worse, professional maintenance and repairs may be more costly if your furnace or air conditioner is relatively inaccessible. While you may not have many options for where to place your equipment, you should keep future maintenance access in mind.
Contact a local residential HVAC installation service to learn more.
Share8 May 2023
Have you ever stopped to think about the general health of your air conditioner? Although it might seem like a silly thing to worry about, air conditioners need a little tender loving care just like any other home appliance. Unfortunately, it can be hard to detect issues until your system sputters to a halt one day. My blog is all about improving your HVAC experience by learning how to keep it on point. On my blog, you will learn how to check for air conditioning problems, troubleshoot your system, and even find the perfect replacement--should you need to upgrade your system.