Air Conditioning Installation for Older Homes Without Central HVAC Units

Most homes in the real estate market have no trouble being able to keep cool or stay warm, but over time, the older a house gets, the more likely they are to start losing the ability to do those things. Not only that, but some older homes don’t have the proper ductwork that is necessary in order to get that central air unit installed or running well to keep you from having to have your whole house heated or cooled. Well, there are now affordable solutions that are becoming more widely used and are extremely energy efficient.

What type of duct system can benefit an old home more than most?

In general, we’ve seen many homes have standard ductwork, and even more than that, it will seem like your electric bill does too. With recent technology though, innovations like high-velocity miniature duct systems have been able to be the most minimally invasive to your home’s structure, while still delivering optimal heating and air conditioning from your central unit.

Many people would lose precious space in their home due to dropped ceilings, less space in crawl-spaces, and more. Therefore, these alternatives offer a way to install small ducts that can literally be snaked around through your walls. By being smaller, they push the air through at a faster rate, and can even be more efficient than a regular old wall, floor, or even ceiling vent. Originally, these systems were meant to cool homes that had radiators, but they’re making their way into homes by delivering more optimal heat and cooling to your old house.

What to Know About Air Conditioners?

Most people have the common belief that air conditioners take hot air outside and just generate and blow out cold air. This is a big misconception as to how air conditioners really work. Their main purpose is to draw the heat out of your home at an accelerated rate. Similar to putting a fan in your windows blowing heat out, an air conditioning unit actually draws the warm air out of your home, then while the other part pulls in air, it super-cools it as it passes through the regrigerated, copper tubing, then pushing that cool air back into your home.

Most people recognize the condenser units that are sitting outside more than anything for central air. It’s the giant-shaped box that is often noisier and sits outside your home on a concrete pad.

How a Mini-Duct works

A mini-duct system is a lot different than a standard air duct, as they are smaller, more flexible, and offer a more versatile amount. In order to get the same type of air being cooled, more force has to be able to push the air through the smaller tube, but it does so a lot more efficiently compared to the larger vents. Therefore, things like placement are extremely important as well.

Conclusion

While these mini-duct systems aren’t the only way that you can heat or cool an older home, it’s just one thing that is starting to reach the mainstream. Installation is rather easy for an HVAC contractor like Reliable Standard Heating & Air Conditioning. First, they’ll install the ducts and then go from there. While these ducts are a little more expensive than standard ductwork, they’re more than worth it when they don’t require you to change the entirety of your home in order to install them. Not only that, but they take a lot less to install and have less leakage than standard ductwork.