Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>Sal Paradise wrote:
>>Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>> >Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> >
>> >> 89.5º outside/70º inside... ain't AC wonderful?
>> >
>> > Yes, it is. This house didn't have central air when we moved in.
>> > One summer with a window air conditioner was enough; next year we
>> > installed central air (mostly did it ourselves, but got a friend
>> > who has an HVAC license to advise and to do the coolant line hookup).
>> > We saved a ton of money by DIY. I definitely married the right guy.
>> > Of course, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty (or get a few
>> > sheet-metal cuts), so I work right along side.
>> >
>> > Cindy Hamilton
>>
>> You must have bought a place with existing ductwork (forced air gas) but
>> even at that you'd need return air vents. That had to be a chore.
>
>The return air vents were already in place for the forced-air furnace.
>Returns under the windows; supply vents on an interior wall. All of
>the duct work runs through the basement, as it typical here.
>
>Cindy Hamilton

When I bought this house it didn't have A/C... what rural NY people
consider A/C is to have humongous trees hanging over the roof for
shade. Right after closing I had central air installed. All ductwork
is in the attic and the unit includes an Aprilair filtration system. I
also had UV treatment installed, it kills 99% of bacteria, viruses,
and mold spores. This system moniters air quality and adds fresh
outside air as needed. Air purification functions even in winter as
when the system doesn't call for cool the blower motor switches to low
speed, so it filters 24/7/365. This system works very well, I never
open windows, in fact I removed all the screens, I hate looking out
through screens anyway, especially when they get filthy with dust and
especially pollen and there is lots of pollen here from trees and hay
fields. Maintaining this system is inexpensive and requires no work
on my part. The service tech checks everything once a year, adds
coolant as needed, and changes the Aprilair filtration element and the
UV lamp every two years. The filtration element is a huge thing but
only costs $40... the UV lamp is pricier, about $100. I had lots of
extra insulation added to the attic, which cut my AC and heating bills
by about 40%, well worth the $600, more than paid for itself twice the
first year.... most houses in the US are pitifully insulated. Next
thing I did was call someone to remove those dangerous trees, and
there was a monster spruce tree in front of each window, looking out
all I saw was a wall of green needles. With this filtration system
and windows always closed dusting and vacuuming is minimal, about once
a month. I think for health reaons it's foolish not to have central
air, even in cooler areas where it's not considered necessary... the
main purpose of air conditioning is to *condition* the air one
breathes, keeping air clean, germ free, and properly humidified is
actually more important than cooling. A swamp cooler adds way too
much humidity, won't be long all the voids in the walls will fill with
black mold.