Choosing the Right Size of Air Conditioner
An oversized air conditioner costs you twice, once to buy and again every August. It reaches the thermostat setting within a few minutes, shuts down, and leaves the humidity where it was.
So we measure rather than read the old label. A technician records your rooms, your windows, the shade your trees actually give you and what your ducts can move. A system sized to the rooms runs in long, steady cycles, and it is those long cycles that take the water out of the air, so the house stops feeling sticky by the afternoon.
A larger machine cools the air quickly but removes very little moisture, which is the opposite of what you want in August. So we fit the size the measurements call for and let it run its full cycle. That is why the house that stays clammy with the air conditioner running is a common July call for us.
Choosing Where the Outdoor Unit Goes
The spot the unit stands in decides three things: the length of the pipe run, the labour on your bill, and what you hear when you sit on the patio. We settle all three with you at the quote visit, rather than on installation morning.
The positions the township allows
The township's zoning rules let a ground-mounted unit sit close to a side or rear lot line, and a wall-mounted unit raised above grade can sit closer still. On a narrow lot or a corner, that is the difference between a sensible spot and a long pipe run around the house.
A short pipe run keeps the labour down
The refrigerant lines have to run from the outdoor unit to the coil above your furnace. A run straight out the back is the cheapest, and one around the side of a deep lot costs more. We tell you which your house needs before you sign.
How quiet you want it to be
The by-laws here set no decibel figure for this equipment, so the noise is something we manage rather than a limit we have to meet. If a bedroom window is a few feet away, we will show you the quieter models and explain the difference.
The water the coil takes out of the air
A cooling coil pulls water out of the air all summer. We run that drain to a proper outlet and keep it away from your front step, because in spring and autumn that drip freezes on a walkway.
We settle all four at the quote visit. Woolwich names air conditioning among the work that requires a building permit, so we file it and book the inspection, and any new wiring goes to the Electrical Safety Authority, because the township does not inspect electrical work.
Three Ways to Cool a House in Elmira
Single stage, meaning one speed
It is either running at full output or switched off. On a home whose ducts are in good order that is enough, and it is the least expensive way into cooling.
Two stage, meaning two speeds
It uses the lower speed for most of the summer and steps up only on the hottest days. Those gentler cycles pull far more water out of the air, and the unit is quieter in the garden.
Ductless heads
We fit a wall head in each room that needs cooling, with no ductwork to run, and the same unit heats those rooms in winter. With no ducts upstairs, this is usually the right answer.
Your ducts usually decide this before the budget does, and we will tell you plainly which option suits your house. The Lennox range we fit is listed on our air conditioner installation page, and for a house with no ducts at all, a ductless mini split is where we would begin.
Seven Lines That Move an Air Conditioner Quote
A single figure at the door tells you very little, so we show you the parts that make it up. Your yard and your ducts matter to this price as much as the unit itself does. If the furnace is close to replacement as well, doing both in one visit means one tear-down instead of two, and you can spread the cost with our financing options.
The size the house needs
That figure is often a size away from what is outside now, and you live with the choice for fifteen summers.
The number of speeds
A single speed unit is the cheapest way in. Two speeds costs more and gives you a drier, quieter August.
Which side of the house it stands on
A short, straight run to the indoor coil is the cheapest. A long route around a deep lot costs more, and we settle that at the site visit rather than afterwards.
How quiet you want it
No local rule decides this for you, so the choice is yours. With a bedroom window close by, the quieter unit is worth the extra, and we will say so.
The metal box the coil sits in
If the coil we are fitting will not drop into what is already there, we rebuild the box, and that work takes hours in your basement.
The circuit outside
If the existing circuit and disconnect will carry the new unit, this line stays small. If the panel is full, it will not, and we tell you that at the quote.
Extras while the system is open
A better filter cabinet or a smarter thermostat costs a fraction of the price while we are already working on the system.
Who Will Install Your Air Conditioner
This is Sina's company, and he is the technician on most of these installations. We have more than 10 years of cooling work across the region behind us, an Authorized Lennox Dealer agreement for the training and the parts, and five HomeStars Best of Award wins, each one voted by homeowners. The technician who chose the spot for your condenser is also the one who comes back to look at it.
Sani is professional , on time , shows you what's wrong with ur unit and explains every step of the repairs , great value , great conversation while he worked and dedicated to his craft. I was impressed that he came to look at my air condition unit within an hour on Father's Day. I'll recommend him to friends and family any day
Sean Reynolds, Google review
The Four Steps of an Air Conditioner Installation
We settle where the unit goes on the quote visit, never on installation morning.
You tell us how the summer went
Phone us or fill in the form. We need to know how old the machine outside is, which rooms it never reaches, and anything you have noticed it doing.
We measure, then we settle the spot
Your technician sizes the system from the rooms, checks how much air your ducts can move, and chooses the place for the outdoor unit with you.
You get one page with every line on it
The quote lists the equipment, the capacity, the position of the unit, the electrical and the labour, each with its own price.
We fit it and test it with you there
We take the old unit away under recovery, set the new one on a level pad, pull the lines down to a vacuum and weigh in the charge. A changeout is often finished in a day.
What Elmira Homeowners Ask About Cooling
Can the outdoor unit go in my front yard?
Does an air conditioner need a permit in this township?
What about the noise for the neighbours?
My house has no ductwork. Can I still get air conditioning?
Should we do the furnace on the same visit?
How long does the installation take?
The roads we cover for cooling
Lot widths here run from a narrow village frontage to a farm yard with room almost anywhere, and that decides how much choice you have over the position. Tell us the address when you call and we will book a technician who knows the road.
- Birdland
- Southwood
- Southwood Park
- South Parkwood Boulevard
- Timber Trail Road
- Arthur Street
- Listowel Road
- Floradale
- Conestogo
- Heidelberg
- Bloomingdale
- Winterbourne
- West Montrose
- Maryhill
- Shantz Station
- Breslau
- Crowsfoot Corner
- Mundil
- Weber
- Martin Grove
We also provide heat pump installation and gas furnace installation in Elmira. Our Elmira HVAC page lists every service we offer in the township.
