November 20, 2011

Adding Central Heat and Air to an Existing Home

Many older homes were built pre-central heat and air. This is a luxury that many of us have to enjoy and when curious into an older we find that this luxury is also a necessity. We tend to lose tolerance for heat as we grow older and those old window air conditioning units just look tacky. However, the whole idea of having to add ducts to a home can sound difficult and expensive, but it is easier than you might think.

Central heat and air uses a original heating appliance such as a furnace that is often settled in an area such as a small closet, basement or garage. These systems deliver heat throughout the house through pumped warm air through a law of air ducts or by sending hot water or steam through pipes to room radiators. In newer homes, the law is regularly built in with the home. The duct law may be set up with an air conditioner, heat pump, or furnace. There are also two types of systems along with a forced air law and a gravity system. Gravity systems, however, do not provide air conditioning and can only provide heat. If your law includes an air conditioner, then the law is a forced-air system.

Air Conditioning Repair

Air conditioners and heat pumps are forced air systems that share ductwork. The air conditioner runs on electricity and removes heat from air through refrigeration. The heat pump is capable of providing both heating and cooling. In the winter, the heat pump extracts the heat from surface air and delivers it into the home. In the summer it does the opposite. It extracts the cool air and pumps it into the home. These systems tend to be very thrifty and use only one duct system.

Many central air conditioners are split systems with a condenser surface and the fan and coil unit mounted in the attic. This means that the ducts will originate in the attics. The challenge here is if the home is two stories. It can be difficult to get the provide and return ducts to the first floor. The second floor will generally have ducts that run through the attic floor, while the first floor will need to have ducts run through closets. This takes up less space than some may think and the mess can be minimal. The undertaker of a package deal will need to cut holes in the first and second floor ceilings and some second floor closets will need to be used for running ducts.

This work will be well worth it in the long run when your home is kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you have an older home, especially one with two stories, it can be difficult to spend anytime upstairs while the summer. The upstairs rooms will hold a large amount of heat and will absolutely advantage from central heat and air. In the winter it is often difficult to keep first floors warm because the heat rises. Central heat will make your first floor rooms much more comfortable.

Adding Central Heat and Air to an Existing Home

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