Air Conditioners
Air conditioners are very important in most parts of America, most of us could not live without one. Unfortunately, air conditioners can break down and it can be expensive to replace them. You will usually need a professional to replace it for you because of all the detailed work that must be done. If you have experience in remodeling with some electrical work and ductwork, you might be able to do it yourself, but that is not recommended.
There are many companies that can replace you air conditioner, usually as part of the HVAC work that they do. There are also ways to go about home air conditioner replacement that you could research so that you could do more on your own. You could always talk to a professional and get their opinion on how to go about doing it on your own.
Considerations
If you feel that you are capable of replacing your own air conditioner, there are some things that you need to take into consideration.
Manual Labor – if you do replace your own air conditioner, you will have to do the manual labor yourself. This would include going through your attic space and crawl space and getting into other small spaces on your own. Things could get tight in the small spaces and make things difficult to work on.
Paperwork – many states require that you have a permit when replacing your AC unit. This means that you will have to run around town to get the permit and file it where it needs to be filed. It takes a little while to get one, as well, so you need to think about this in advance. You can’t just buy an AC unit and install it the same day without a permit. You can see here what paperwork that is required before you install your unit. This site will tell you about most of the paperwork.
Upkeep – if you do the work on your own, you will not have a professional to do all the maintenance that needs to be done to keep it up and running. You will have to do it all on your own, even though you might not know exactly how to do it the right way.
Cost – it will be substantially less expensive to do the job yourself. The professional will charge what they are worth and for their expertise. If you do it on your own, you will be getting what you pay for – you would only have to pay for the parts and not the professional expertise. You can save a lot of money by doing it yourself, but you could run into issues that you don’t know how to fix, as well.
Reputation – it is hard to find a reputable business that won’t try and take advantage of you. If you do it on your own, you won’t have to worry about it.
Learning Something New – You could learn a lot about installation by watching videos and listening to those who know all about it. This is a good skill to have, and it can save you money over time – especially if you also learn to do all the maintenance on the unit.
Choice – if you go through a professional to install your AC unit, you will have to choose from their inventory, you won’t get to choose any unit that you want. If you do the work yourself, you can choose any unit that you want without any restrictions. Here is a list of the top HVAC units that you can install: https://www.usnews.com/360-reviews/services/hvac. You can choose one from this list or do some more research to find one of your own.
Job Length – if you have never replaced your AC unit before, it is going to take some time. You will have to figure it all out before you start and then work through the problems as you get to them. A professional would be able to do the job quicker because they know about all the potential problems and have the correct tools to do the job.
Certification Requirements – if you are removing an old AC unit and it has the old coolant in it, you will need to be certified in order for you to remove it. Only certified technicians can do it because of the danger to the atmosphere. You could get certified, but it requires money and a test.
Conclusion
You could replace your air conditioner all on your own – there are videos that will show you just what to do and how to do it. The videos will often even tell you all the tools that you will need to do the job right. You could save a little money doing it on your own, as well.
You could run into problems that you don’t know how to fix and then have to call a professional anyway. A professional would finish the job in a shorter amount of time because of their professional tools and their expertise.
