Should You Buy the HVAC Unit or the System?

Your HVAC system is comprised of several components, units and parts that work together to keep your home comfortable. When one unit fails, it affects the efficiency of the other parts, or shuts down the system entirely. If you are faced with a failed unit, read on to learn why buying an HVAC system as a whole is the best decision.

HVAC Installation Principles

To better understand the difference between replacing your entire HVAC system or replacing a single unit, you should have a basic grasp of HVAC installation principles and practices.

The size of your new cooling or heating unit will affect comfort, energy bills, performance and first cost. Your new HVAC cooling unit (e.g. A/C or heat pump) or heating unit (e.g. heat pump or furnace) should be sized to new load calculations of your home — not matched to the size of the old unit. Correct sizing may actually reduce the size and cost.

After you have correctly sized your new HVAC unit, the ductwork system must be sized accordingly, too. After all, your new cooling or heating system will only operate as efficiently as the ductwork that carries conditioned airflow.

Mismatched Components

Palm Beach County residents enjoy plentiful sunshine, but you also must endure prolonged periods of days with high temperatures and humidity. That means your A/C or heat pump endures exceptional wear for the better part of the year.

Two of the components that may fail in A/Cs and heat pumps are the compressor and condenser. These are not cheap fixes or replacements, and you may be tempted to replace only the unit rather than the entire HVAC system.

In addition to the preceding reasons, unit replacement is ill advised due to incompatibility issues. New A/Cs and heat pumps use a high-efficiency refrigerant that operates under greater pressure than the older refrigerant. This new refrigerant is also ozone friendly. Moreover, the manufacturer warranty may not be in place unless you install a complete HVAC system.

To learn more about buying an HVAC system for your Palm Beach area home, contact NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating today!