What You Should Know about New Construction

What You Should Know about New Construction

When it comes to a new home or new place of business, comfort is every bit as important as beauty. Because your air conditioning and heating systems are essentially "hidden" features, they are an easy place for your builder to cut corners. Sometimes a builder will select the lowest bid on a cooling and heating system to increase his profit margin. Some builders will have a name brand condenser unit installed outside, where it is visible to the homeowner, but will have the contractor install a bottom of the line evaporator coil in the attic. Ask your builder what type of furnace, evaporator coil, and condenser he is installing. Money the builder saves up front by skimping on equipment will come out of your pocket later in the form of higher energy bills and repairs.

For details on selecting the right equipment, visit our New Systems Page.

Potential Problems that Can Accompany a Poorly Done Installation

High noise levels from inferior equipment. Mismatched or improperly sized equipment which can affect your comfort, not to mention your utility bills. Improperly sized duct work resulting in inadequate or noisy airflow. Undersize return air duct(s) which can impeded efficiency and overwork your compressor. Duct work which has not been properly secured and which may eventually pull free resulting in your heating and cooling your attic instead of your home or place of business. Condensate drains which have not been placed and installed according to the mechanical code. Registers which are not adjustable or which are incorrectly sized resulting in inadequate air flow to individual rooms. Improperly installed drain lines resulting in water leaks in your ceiling and/or walls. Improper sealing of ducts, registers, plenums and equipment which can cost you money throughout the year.

Selecting a Contractor

If you are building your own home or are having a home custom built, you may have some say in the selection of the contractor who installs your heating and air conditioning system. For the protection of you and your home or place of business, make sure that the person or company installing your heating and cooling systems is state licensed and is fully insured. You may have a friend or relative who knows how to install heating and air conditioning equipment, but if he does not hold a state license or does not perform the installation under the auspices of a licensed contractor, the manufacturer may not honor any warranty on the equipment.

Please contact us if you have any Questions

Things You or Your Builder Should Insist On

Before selecting cooling and heating equipment, the contractor should perform a load calculation on your structure. Ask the contractor to show you the calculation and its results.
Equipment should be sized according to the load calculation.

Undersize equipment will not be able to provide sufficient cooling or heating to keep you comfortable. It will run more than necessary, which means higher energy bills and possibly a shorter life span for its overworked compressor. Cooling equipment which is too large will successfully cool the air, but it will not operate long enough to dehumidify the air. Excess humidity can result in a damp environment conducive to mold.
Ducting should be sized based on the load calculation of the individual rooms.

Each room will need a different amount of air flow to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Likewise, the supply registers (the vents through which air conditioned and heated air flow) should be correctly sized and placed in each room.

The size and placement is determined by the load calculation and the design of the room. The use of the same size register in each room is usually a sign of improper design.
Registers should be adjustable: should include dampers you can open and close to control the amount of air flow to individual rooms. (For example, you can close or partially close a damper to a guest room when it is not in use). Some contractors install cheap fixed flow registers, which are not adjustable.
Each home should have a main duct (or trunk) that extends from the plenum of the unit (the sealed chamber of the air handler) through most of the length of the house. Some homes may require more than one trunk. Some contractors save money by doing an "octopus run" with the duct work, rather than using main trunk ducting. This means that all the duct is connected to a large box and allows you very little control over airflow.
The size, placement, and number of return air (grills and ducts) should be efficiently designed. If there is not a sufficient flow of return air, your system may become starved for air and your compressor will cycle on and off more frequently. This may damage or destroy your compressor. Replacing a compressor is not cheap.
The drainage system should include an emergency drain pan. If the primary drain pan becomes clogged, the emergency pan will help protect your ceilings and walls from water damage.
The entire cooling and heating system should be sealed properly to prevent any leaks that could cost you money. Properly sealing the system costs a little more in time and in materials initially, but it can save you a great deal of money in the long run.