Air ConditionerInstallation

Clear a working path and the rest is on us. A few specifics make the day faster and protect your home:

• Clear the indoor equipment area. Give the technicians roughly three to four feet of open space around the furnace or air handler, and move stored items away from the path between the door and that space.
• Clear the outdoor unit area. Trim back plants and move anything within a couple feet of the condenser pad.
• Plan for pets. Doors are open repeatedly during an install, so pets are safest in a closed room or off site.
• Plan for the power. Electrical to the equipment is off for part of the day, and the house will be warm during the changeover.
• Be reachable. You do not have to hover, but we want to reach you if a decision comes up.

Your technician lays down floor protection, cleans the work area before leaving, and finishes with a walkthrough of the new system and thermostat.

Peak removes and disposes of your old equipment as part of every installation, at no additional charge. Nothing is left in your yard, driveway, or basement for you to deal with.

Refrigerant is handled first. Federal law requires that refrigerant be recovered by certified technicians using recovery equipment before a unit can be scrapped. Venting refrigerant to the atmosphere is illegal, and it is one of the clearest differences between a licensed installation and an unlicensed one. Our technicians recover the charge, document it, and remove the unit intact.

From there the condenser, coil, and any replaced metal duct or line set go to a recycling facility. The copper, aluminum, and steel in a typical residential system are all recoverable materials.

If you want the old equipment left on site for any reason, such as a warranty dispute or an insurance claim, tell your installer before the day of the job and we will set it aside instead.

Spring and fall are the easiest times to install a new air conditioner. Demand is lower in the shoulder seasons, scheduling is more flexible, and you are not waiting for cooling in the middle of a heat wave. Installing before the first hot stretch also means the system gets commissioned and tested under mild conditions, which is the right time to catch anything that needs adjusting.

That said, we install year round. If your air conditioner fails in July, waiting until October is not a reasonable plan, and a failing system that is limping through the summer often costs more in energy and emergency repairs than replacing it sooner.

One practical note: we can install and fully commission an air conditioner in cold weather, but final refrigerant charge verification sometimes needs a warmer day. When that applies, we schedule a return visit at no charge to confirm the charge under real cooling load.

In most jurisdictions, yes. Replacing or installing a central air conditioner is mechanical and electrical work that local building departments regulate, and a permit with a follow up inspection is standard practice. Peak pulls the permit, schedules the inspection, and manages the paperwork as part of the installation.

Why it matters beyond compliance:

• Unpermitted work can complicate a home sale, since inspectors and buyers often ask for records
• Some insurance claims and manufacturer warranty claims ask whether the install was permitted and code compliant
• Utility rebate and tax credit programs frequently require proof of a properly permitted, licensed installation

Requirements vary by state, county, and city, so the specific permit type and inspection schedule depends on where you live. Your comfort advisor confirms what applies at your address before the install is booked, and there are no surprise fees added after the fact.

Not usually, but your ducts do need to be evaluated. New high efficiency equipment moves air differently than a twenty year old system, and undersized or leaky ducts will cap the performance of even the best air conditioner. During your estimate we inspect the duct system for sizing, return air capacity, disconnected or crushed runs, and leakage at the joints.

What we typically recommend:

• Sealing and repairing existing ducts when the layout is sound
• Adding or enlarging return air where the system is starved for airflow
• Replacing specific runs rather than the entire system when only a section is undersized

A full duct replacement is uncommon and we will tell you plainly if your home does not need one. Every Peak installation also includes a full duct cleaning, so the new system starts on a clean distribution path.

The only reliable way to size an air conditioner is a Manual J load calculation, and Peak performs one on every installation before equipment is ordered. It measures the actual heat gain of your home using square footage, ceiling heights, window count and orientation, insulation levels, air leakage, and your local climate design temperature.

Why not just match the old unit? A large share of existing systems were sized by rule of thumb and are oversized. An oversized air conditioner cools the air quickly, satisfies the thermostat, and shuts off before it has run long enough to pull humidity out of the house. The result is a home that feels cold and clammy, plus extra wear from short cycling.

Residential systems are measured in tons, and most homes land somewhere between two and five tons. The load calculation tells us which one, and we walk you through the result rather than simply handing you a number.

Most central air conditioner installations take one day, typically six to eight hours from arrival to walkthrough. A straight swap where the new equipment matches the existing footprint sits at the short end of that range. Jobs that add time usually involve one of the following:

• Ductwork repairs, resizing, or a new return that the load calculation calls for
• Upgrading the electrical circuit or disconnect to carry the new unit
• Relocating the outdoor unit or building a new pad
• Installing a full system where the furnace or air handler is replaced at the same time
• Adding zoning, a humidifier, or an air purifier during the same visit

Full system replacements generally run one to two days. Your comfort advisor confirms the expected timeline in writing before the install date, and if anything on site changes the scope, we tell you before the work continues rather than after.

A Peak air conditioner installation includes the outdoor condensing unit, a matched indoor evaporator coil, the refrigerant line set connections, a new pad or mounting base, electrical disconnect, condensate management, and the Aura smart thermostat at no extra charge. Every installation also includes a Manual J load calculation before we order equipment, a full duct cleaning, and a post install walkthrough where your technician shows you how the system runs.

Why the coil match matters: an outdoor unit is only rated at its published efficiency when it is paired with the indoor coil it was designed for. Replacing the condenser alone is one of the most common reasons a new system underperforms, so a matched pairing is standard on every Peak Series package.

We also handle permits and inspection where your jurisdiction requires them, remove and dispose of the old equipment, and register the manufacturer warranty on your behalf so coverage starts the day the system does.