How Does Proper Installation Work?

Proper HVAC installation begins before you ever select your new heating and air conditioning system. The contractor you hire should come to your home to gather important information to help you determine the right type and size of heating and air conditioning unit you need. Upfront communication is always the key to a proper installation.

Measurement & Design

The HVAC contractor needs to measure your home and gather vital information such as:

• The type of energy savings you’re seeking
• Health issues that might require an indoor air quality component
• The desired temperature you want to keep each area of the house.
• Your home’s square footage
• The materials used to construct your home
• The R value of your home’s insulation
• Where your home is in relation to the sun
• The number, size and location of your windows and doors
• They layout of your house and rooms
• The climate of the region

The HVAC contractor uses this information for the load calculation of your home. The load determines how much heating and cooling capacity your home needs to make you comfortable. This helps the contractor design the proper type of system—including size and efficiency—that is right for your unique needs.

The wrong HVAC system can be years of improper heating or cooling, unnecessarily high energy bills and more.

Removal & Recycling

Once we have your system sized, identified and chosen, our professionals carefully remove your existing equipment so we avoid damage to your home. Because we are environmentally responsible, we recover your refrigerant in compliance with EPA guidelines and send it to the National Recycle Center. We then break down the rest of your equipment and send it to the appropriate recycling centers.

Installation

There is more to proper HVAC installation than just hooking it up to your ducts and plugging it in. Careful, precise installation will result in a comfortable home for years to come. Fast, careless installation will be a continual headache season after season.

There are specific steps your HVAC contractor takes to install your system properly.

Air Conditioner Installation

1. We locate, level and install a new high density composite base for your air conditioner to set on. We set the new A/C on the base, confirming everything is level and square.
2. We replace the existing outdoor electrical disconnect and electrical whip with a new watertight disconnect and whip to ensure tight, clean and dry electrical connections for your system.
3. The copper lines are then flushed or replaced to provide a clean system. The lines are brazed with 15% silver solder while under a constant nitrogen flush to ensure the lines remain clean and dry.
4. A liquid filter dryer is then installed at the indoor coil and those braze connection are completed at that time.
5. A new rigid PVC drain with clear trap is installed to prevent clogged drains in the future.
6. We vacuum the system below 500 microns and then it sits idle for 10 minutes to provide a leak free experience.
7. In order to prevent nuisance breakdowns in the future, the technician installs a new circuit breaker for the air conditioning unit. This is especially important when they AC unit being removed is old, which means the existing breaker has had years of wear and tear from the electrical heat going through it.
8. The unit is then started. The airflow and refrigerant levels are checked and adjusted according to manufacturer’s specifications in order to get the efficiency that was sold upfront.
9. Upon completion LBA installs locking refrigerant caps per code to protect you and your family from any illegal activities.

Furnace Installation

1. We locate and set the new furnace and level it to manufacturer’s specifications. We level the outdoor unit with a ¾ inch pad and rock. This is vital to prevent settling of the ground beneath the unit. Settling could strain the new system’s copper tubing. The rock prevents the ground from eroding away.
2. Custom sheet metal transitions are made to connect the furnace to the existing ductwork system.
3. The installation technician puts an air dampening system on the drop duct where your filter is installed to prevent excess noise so you have a quieter system.
4. The technician uses clear silicone or cork tape to seal the plenum, the box at the top of the furnace, to keep air from leaking out of the system. A filter cover is added so sewer gases or byproducts of a nearby hot water heater cannot be sucked into the system.
5. A new electrical box, electrical safety switch and cover are installed to provide tight, clean electrical connections.
6. Gas lines are reconnected with a mandatory safety shutoff valve with rigid black iron pipe to ensure a leak free situation. (LBA will never use a flexible gas connector to your furnace.)
7. We then reconnect or run a new venting system for the furnace per local code. Upon completion the furnace is fired and temperature rises, gas pressures are adjusted to meet proper manufacturing firing specifications.