Services
Central AC installation and replacement
Replacing an air conditioner that is past repairing, without the theatre that usually comes with it.
When replacing makes more sense than repairing
Three things push a system over the line. Age, because parts for a fifteen-year-old unit get scarce and expensive. A refrigerant leak in a coil that cannot be repaired reliably, which is common on microchannel condensers. And a repair bill that is a large fraction of a new system, on equipment that will need the next repair soon.
None of those is a reason on its own, and we will tell you when it is only one of them.
What the work looks like
Vacuum, charge, and a start-up that is measured
The part nobody photographs is the part that decides whether the system lasts. The line set gets pulled down to a proper vacuum before any refrigerant goes in, the charge is set by measurement rather than by feel, and the pad is level so the compressor is not running at an angle for the next decade.
The old unit leaves with us.
Consider a heat pump instead
If you are replacing the outdoor unit anyway, a cold-climate heat pump does the same cooling and also heats, and it can sit in front of the gas furnace you already have as a dual-fuel pair. It is not right for every house and it is not always cheaper to run, but it is worth twenty minutes of conversation before you buy a plain air conditioner.
What customers wrote about installations
Our old air conditioner stopped working, and Alex helped us with a complete AC replacement. The installation was neat, the communication was excellent, and the new system runs much more efficiently. Great HVAC company to work with.
Alex explained all the options, provided a fair estimate, and completed the work professionally.
Towns we cover
Northwest
- Wheeling 1 job
- Buffalo Grove 1 job
- Prospect Heights
- Lincolnshire
- Arlington Heights 1 job
- Long Grove
- Mount Prospect
- Palatine
- Barrington
North Shore
- Deerfield
- Northbrook 2 jobs
- Highland Park
- Highwood
- Lake Forest
- Glenview 1 job
- Winnetka
- Wilmette 1 job
Near north
- Park Ridge
- Skokie
- Chicago 2 jobs
Replacement questions
How long does a changeout take?
A straight replacement of an outdoor unit and an indoor coil is usually one day. Adding a new line set, moving the equipment or reworking the plenum adds to it, and we will tell you which one yours is before we start.
Do I have to replace the indoor part as well?
Usually yes, and not for the reason you would expect. A new outdoor unit and an old coil are rarely a matched pair, and a mismatched pair is less efficient than either of them was.
Do you take the old system away?
Yes, and we recover the refrigerant properly rather than venting it.
Is a permit needed?
It depends on the village, and several of the ones we work in do require one for a changeout. We will tell you what yours asks for.
Request an estimate
Tell us the age of the system and what it is doing now.