Air Conditioning - ...(Home) A/C (Installation)-need help/advise

Hi,

I have a cape code style house and I'm looking to install cental air in my house. I have radiator heat, and no vents. I also have an unfinished attic which I would like to finish, so now is the time to do the air since I can drop vents in through the ceilings in each room on the first floor. I do not plan on running any vents to the basement. Now, i dont really know anything about installing and a/c system, but i'm good with my hands and can follow instructions/figure things out well. I do not want to hire a pro to do the job. I know I will need an air handler to put in the attic, and I was planning on using the flexible insulated plastic venting. Does it sound like i'm on the right track? Are there any good books out there that help with the install? I will be having an electrician freind help me with the wiring. Thanks in adance

Jeff in NJ

Well first you need to find out if your local government will allow you to install a/c in your house. Then it took me about 6-8 months to learn about air flow and the properties of de humidification you may learn faster if you find the time and a instructor willing to spend the time or have the time on your own to read and understand physics. Or you could have a guy in the business come in and tell you what you need and how to put it in. As far as books Carrier has a very good book on air properities. I can't remember the full title but it is something like that and manual J, and manual D, and manual S, manual T, this would be a great start. Then you would need to get everybody in the trade to work with you not against you and sell you equipment at a good price so you won't be spending the same price of having a pro do it. Like I said it took me 6-8 months to go through this process and to understand everything needed to do this. Then there are permit fees and inspection fees and then if needed when something goes wrong down the line to have someone straighten out and figure out what has been done because it is usually out of the norm for your area.

By the way here is a link to a place where you can purchase the manuals.
http://www.bookmarki.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=106

You might need to have an inspector follow you through this process. Some will help the home owner through the process and some won't.

I will be having an electrician freind help me with the wiring.
And who is EPA to charge it up and fire it off for you. I dont think you will save that much $$$ in the long run.
get 3 bids for the job and see.

ED ;)

I was going to put mine in too, after the Ac company wanted 16,500 dollars I figuered I could do it myself. I got the contractor to give me a full list of everything it was going to take, like the size and layout of ducts and so on. I was going to just get everything he was going to use and simply install it. However when I went to price some units it was going to cost me about 2,000 for two units a 2 and 3 ton with no elec. wires or plumbing. The guy at the place that sold the units gave me the name of a guy that put units in for them he only charged me 6200 for the entire job. So you can see getting several est. is important there is alot of difference fro 16500 to 6200. If you put the Ac in yourself a a part goes out then the place you bought it from is not going to work with you very well if you were not an "expert" in installing. They even told me that up front. Put yourself in the shoes of someone selling AC units, how well would back up your warrenty? With a guy who was licenced and done instalations forever or someone who was just going to read up on it and tackle it. granted alot of people can do that with out any problem but ............Any way if you want to save money simply work with the guy doing your install/ find out what if anything you can do do help Ie;let your friend run the electrical and you get the frame ups for were the handler and unit will go and or You run the plumbing for the drain and so on let him be responsable for getting unit and hooking up.