Factors To Consider Before You Hire An Air Conditioner Installation Technician To Relocate Your AC Unit | Dallas, TX
Relocate my air conditioning system? Yes, you read that right. Although you might have thought that your air conditioning unit is permanently set, that is necessarily not the case. The air conditioner will not move independently, but times arise when relocating the unit is necessary and the only option. Take, for instance, a change in the municipal building codes. If your unit isn’t compliant, you have no option other than upgrading or relocating it. So, if you are planning a home renovation or remodel but your unit is standing in the way, worry not. You can always call a reliable air conditioner installation technician to relocate your unit to a more suitable place. Then, you can continue with your home improvement project, whether installing a patio, deck, fence, or swimming pool. No matter what the reason for the relocation is, you cannot just wake up one day and decide to move the AC from its present location to another without considering several factors. Some of the factors that you must consider include the following:
How Difficult Is Relocating Your Unit?
Can you relocate the air conditioner yourself? How difficult is moving it to another location? Who can help me move the air conditioner? When planning to move your unit, these are some of the questions that might be running through your mind. To begin with, you can only relocate the unit yourself if you are trained in air conditioner installation. Having cleared that up, one of the main challenges you’ll face when relocating your air conditioning system is the refrigerant lines. They don’t bend at whatever angle. If the coolant lines bend, they might crack, creating a leakage in the line. The coolant will start leaking from this point. This issue could result in other serious repairs later in the future.
You should hire an air conditioner installation professional to help relocate the unit. When they come for the job, they will determine the unit type and how it is configured. The technician will then pump out all the coolant in the system and then weld or repair the copper lines to whatever length accommodates the position where the unit will be moved to. After the relocation, the professional will reconnect the lines to the air conditioning system and pump the coolant back in.
The air conditioner installation technician will ensure that no dirt or moisture enters the refrigerant. This is because they can inhibit the refrigerant circulation in your system. Remember, the refrigerant flows from the compressor to evaporator coils, then to the condenser, and in reverse. Generally, only two things should be in the compressor; the coolant and compressor oil. Other things like dust, air, and moisture might damage the compressor, resulting in a more serious problem. Fortunately, the professional understands this and takes every precaution to prevent this from happening.
When running the new refrigerant lines, the professional knows not to extend them past the air conditioning system’s capability of effectively pumping the refrigerant. They will tape the necessary precautions to ensure no incline is too steep. When moving the air conditioner, it also is imperative to ensure the thermostat wiring is firmly and safely secured to the outdoor unit. The new wiring should run to the unit’s disconnect box.
Further, the copper lines should be coated with a protective, insulating cover over the line set. The air conditioner installation technician will also level the new position of your heating and air conditioning system. Restarting the unit is required to ensure the new installation works all right.
Location
Where are you moving the unit to? Is the position safe and hidden? Will the unit be affected by the external environment, like the leaves? All these are considerations when choosing the new location where the air conditioner installation technician will install the unit. The air conditioner cannot be located over a few feet from your home. Unfortunately, this means that you will already be starting with limited space to work with.
Sometimes, the air conditioner is installed in the most awkward of places. As mentioned above, the unit may be interfering with your plans to build a pool or patio, or it may be a place that has experienced lots of soil erosion over the years. This could have compromised the stability of your unit. Calling an air conditioner installation technician to relocate the unit can ensure all your landscaping plans are actualized. Relocating the unit could make it easier for the professionals to effect repairs and maintenance. Below are four main location considerations to ensure you choose a point best suited for your relocation.
The New Location Should Have Firm Soils
To complicate matters more, the unit should be installed on firm ground. You might be asking yourself, why is this needed, and will my unit be installed over some concrete slab? Loose soils tend to be washed away by heavy downpours. Even if you elect a kind of concrete, the runoff will weaken and carry the water below this slab, and at worse, it might make it sink. Remember that refrigerant lines cannot be bent. Unfortunately, the sinking of the outdoor unit will bend the coolant lines, resulting in leaks. That is why the new position should have firm soils. Thus, seek the air conditioner installation technician’s views before you choose the relocation point.
Choose a Hidden Location Behind Your Home
The air conditioner is designed with the view of performance over aesthetics. Hence, it is not the most beautiful component in your yard. You probably want the air conditioner installation technician to help you replace the unit. Therefore, it is recommended that you relocate to a hidden place where it will not be an eyesore to the guests and friends visiting your home. However, aesthetics is not the only concern in this case. Relocating your unit into a hidden place keeps it off the burglars’ eyes. Remember, not every passerby has a genuine reason for throwing an eye on your unit when passing your home. Some are out there doing reconnaissance on which units are vulnerable so that they can steal the copper pipes when you aren’t at home.
Relocate the Unit Accessible Location
Finally, your chosen location for relocating your air conditioner should be accessible. Remember, your air conditioner requires regular maintenance; if faulty, it also needs repairs. Choosing an inaccessible location means the air conditioner installation professional will need help completing the job. Additionally, the AC repair technician will charge you higher for repairs and maintenance because of inaccessibility. Relocating the unit to inaccessible locations means the refrigerant lines might be bent or stretched. Hence, you should consider all the above location considerations before selling on a specific point. Contact your reliable air conditioner installation technician for advice if you cannot choose.
A Location Where the Unit Is Protected from Weather and Other Elements
Because the outdoor unit, if your AC is installed outdoors, is under constant exposure to elements such as leaves, twigs, branches, rodents, and harsh weather conditions like snow, strong winds, and hailstorms. The new location for your unit should be away from such. Remember, all these elements affect the efficiency of the air conditioner. The rodents and birds may build nests on the outdoor unit, reducing their effectiveness in dissipating heat. As a result, the refrigerant leaves the condenser in a vapor state rather than a saturated high-pressure liquid. This is a huge problem for the evaporator coils, compressor, and overall cooling of your home. So, although you want to protect the unit from direct sunlight, ensure that the point you want the air conditioner installation professional to install is free from these elements.
Piping and Wiring Configuration
Whenever planning to relocate the air conditioning system, you should know that any existing copper pipes might need a replacement. The replacements must be spliced and welded to match the line set properly. The air conditioner installation technician might also insulate the copper line set and cover them. After changing the location of the air conditioner, the professional will also run your new thermostat to ensure that everything is working as it should.
Proper Leveling
The other thing you should consider before calling the air conditioner installation technician to help you relocate the unit is the leveling. Is the chosen point level? Although your professional will tell you when the leveling on your chosen location needs work, it is important to consider it earlier. It can help you think deeply about why it isn’t level, and if you determine the reason for erosion, you should choose another point. If your chosen location is at a slope, the compressor will not work.
You Need a Professional Technician
As mentioned above, relocating an air conditioner is not a DIY job. Moreover, you shouldn’t just hire any handyperson you come across. This is a task for experienced, licensed air conditioner installation technicians. Hiring a handyperson to relocate the unit because they call them technicians will result in more harm than good. Hence, it is recommended that you read the reviews, seek recommendations, and ask to see the licensing before you hire a company. They also should offer you a work quality guarantee. It is expensive to pay for the replacement as it is; you don’t need to call them the next day for repairs.
You Should Be Careful When Moving the Unit
Unfortunately, moving the unit won’t be easy. Preliminary steps should be taken to ensure the relocation is completed without damaging your unit. The air conditioner installation technician knows that the air conditioner is not a cheap appliance, and the last thing you want is for the unit to break down. Hence, they ensure that the coolant lines don’t stretch or bend during the relocation. As mentioned above, bending the lines could break them. Breaking the refrigerant lines could cause an expensive leak, so it is drained before the unit is moved. The technician then recharges the unit after the relocation. With their experience, the professionals know the right levels to refill the refrigerant with and have the right tools and equipment for determining this.
How Much Will It Cost to Relocate The Unit
Air conditioner relocation cost depends on several factors. However, it largely depends on the amount of work involved. More work means the cost will increase, while a simple job will cost you less. However, this can be worth it if your unit must be moved. Municipal building codes can occasionally change over time. This means you must have an air conditioner installation pro relocate your unit to remain compliant. In particular, this is true for old houses. In the long run, it might be more expensive to relocate the AC unit to a better site than to receive a fine for a non-compliant unit or, worse, to suffer a fire or flood because of its location.
Consider Noise Reduction
The air conditioning unit is designed to run silently. Even then, some units still produce some noises that you can hear. If the previous air conditioner installation pro was installed too close to your bedroom, it could interfere with your sleep. On the other hand, if your unit is installed near your neighbor’s home, they might complain to your HOA. Hence, you should consider relocating the unit where its noises don’t cause inconveniences. It is worth noting that the AC noises exacerbate when the unit has an underlying problem. Hence, maybe you need an air conditioning service rather than a relocation to determine and fix the underlying issue. Nonetheless, if you decide to move it, you should let an air conditioner installation technician do the job.
Hire Professionals
Are you planning to replace your air conditioner? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas. Our licensed, seasoned technicians will complete the relocation professionally.
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