Central air in home with no basement?

Question

What is involved with installing central air in a home with no basement? I currently have a forced air furnace with the vents on the floor. What might cost be? House is approx 1100 sq/ft.

Answer 1

you will need a outdoor condensor coil, a indoor evaperator coil, indoor and outdoor fans, (all sized at 2 ton capacity or so), a compressor, refrigerant tubing, and miscelaneous hardware. they may be able to use the existing duct work, but you know, cool air on the ground isnt very efficient.

depending on where you live, i would consider scrapping the existing air handler/furnace and going with a heat pump/ac system, OR a totaly new system. you dont have to go heat pump but a high efficiency furnace and ac all sized correctly.

Answer 2

Where is the furnace installed?

You will have to install the AC in a closet, or more commonly in the attic. Maybe in the garage if there is one. Many new homes in the south built on slabs have the HVAC in the attic. Cost in mid summer is going to be several thousand dollars. They are going to need to put it when they can pick up on the existing duct work and return system. They will still need to add some duct work, run a 220 line from the service panel, and provide for drainage, plus the cost of the system itself.

Answer 3

HVAC Tech.:  You will need to change out the blower for one with multiple speeds. Need to figure cu.ft. to know which air handler needed. A 2 1/2 ton unit should serve your needs. Dependent on present configuration you could need a "down draft" an "up-draft" or even a horizontal system. Price will depend on which. May I suggest you get a couple of quotes from different a/c companies.

Answer 4

I've been in the HVAC field for 18 years and Kevin is probably the closest you can get in terms of price. It doesn't matter if you don't have a basement because all the person needs to do is install an evaporator coil in your supply plenum and run refrigerant lines from it to the condensor coil on the outside of your home. It is quite a bit more complicated than that, but that is the basic idea for a regular home A/C system. There are other methods of installing A/C in your existing system, but that is the best way to get the best efficiency out of your system.

Answer 5

If you are saying that you already have the ductwork and forced air furnace, then you are looking at $1500 to $2000.