A/C New Installs
New air-conditioning systems, installed by a state-certified Class B air-conditioning contractor: load calculation first, then equipment selection, duct design, permit and inspection. New installations only, of Rheem, Goodman, GrandAire, Carrier, Trane, Lennox and Daikin equipment.
The order is the whole job. A load calculation comes first — the building's actual gains, not the tonnage that was there before — and the equipment is chosen from the number the calculation produced. Oversized equipment short-cycles, never pulls the humidity down, and costs more to buy and to run.
Then duct design sized to that calculation, the permit, the installation, and the county inspection. New installations only: this line covers new systems and system replacements, and nothing else.
- A load calculation before any equipment is chosen
- Ducts sized to the calculation, not copied from what was there
- Permit pulled and the county inspection attended
- New installations only
The equipment lines we install
We install seven equipment lines. The load calculation picks the size; the house and the budget pick the line.
Rheem
Rheem's residential line runs from single-stage air conditioners to inverter-driven, variable-speed systems, and Rheem's own product pages rate the top of the line up to 20 SEER2. Its longer limited warranties depend on registering the equipment after installation.
Goodman
Goodman makes everything from single-stage systems to inverter-driven, variable-speed units, with inverter models rated at 19 SEER2 and above on Goodman's published specifications. Select higher-efficiency Goodman air conditioners carry a lifetime compressor limited warranty for the original homeowner; the terms are Goodman's and differ by model.
GrandAire
GrandAire is a line sold to contractors through HVAC distributors and built around value. Its Advantage Series heat pumps include an inverter-driven, variable-speed model rated up to 19 SEER2 in the distributor's published figures. Warranty terms differ by series and depend on registration and on a matched indoor and outdoor system, so ask for the certificate for the exact model before you sign.
Carrier
Carrier's residential line runs from single-stage air conditioners through two-stage to variable-speed systems, and Carrier's own product page rates its variable-speed model up to 21 SEER2. Its longer limited warranty depends on registering the equipment within 90 days of installation.
Trane
Trane's range runs from single-stage to two-stage, multi-speed and variable-speed systems, and Trane's own product page rates its variable-speed air conditioner at 21.5 SEER2. Its longer parts limited warranty depends on registering each component within 60 days.
Lennox
Lennox's range runs up to variable-speed systems, and Lennox's own pages rate the top of its air-conditioner line above 25 SEER2. Lennox's warranty pages name Florida among the places where the extended limited warranty on select units applies without registration.
Daikin
Daikin builds around inverter technology: Daikin's own product page rates its variable-speed, inverter-driven air conditioner up to 22.5 SEER2, and the range also includes single-stage equipment. Its longest limited warranties depend on registering online within 60 days, and the unit-replacement cover also on annual maintenance.
Which system for which house
In South Florida an air conditioner's second job is the humidity. A variable-speed system runs longer at low speed, and a long, slow run pulls more water out of the air than a single-stage unit that cools the room quickly and shuts off. That is the case for inverter equipment here, before the efficiency rating is even counted.
Single-stage systems cost less to buy and are simple; variable-speed systems cost more, run quieter and hold the temperature steadier. A higher SEER2 rating means less electricity for the same cooling, and the difference is largest in a climate that runs the system most of the year.
We size it on site. The size comes from a load calculation for this house (its walls, windows, insulation and the way it faces the sun), never from what was there before and never from a rule of thumb.
Rheem, Goodman, GrandAire, Carrier, Trane, Lennox and Daikin are their makers' names and trademarks. The descriptions here are ours, written from each maker's published specifications; no logo, photograph or sentence is taken from their sites.