How To Prepare for Your HVAC Installation
If you’re planning to have a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system installed, congratulations! You’re on your way to year-round comfort and climate control in your home. However, you should be ready for a period of dealing with the activity, noise, and general hubbub of the installation process. HVAC installers are professionals, and they’ll be sure to expedite the process with minimum fuss and bother for you and your family. Still, you can take certain steps to help the work go faster and without interruptions. Here’s how to prepare for your HVAC installation so you can start enjoying that warm or cool air in no time!
Clear a Path
Don’t worry about making your home perfectly clean and orderly. You’re having an HVAC unit installed, not entertaining royalty! Still, it helps move the process along if your living space is organized and there are clear paths and spaces for the crew to walk through and set up equipment.
Look for obstacles and messes that may interfere with the placement of indoor and outdoor units, ductwork, and so forth. You don’t need to empty attic and basement spaces, but pushing and stacking any big stuff aside is helpful. Likewise, a quick sweep or vacuum can be very considerate before and after the installation. However, professional installers will be sure to clean up after themselves—so don’t worry about making things sparkle beforehand.
Free Up the Driveway
Your installers will likely show up in one or two trucks or vans, carrying their tools, equipment, and your new HVAC system. Park your car on the street or elsewhere to set aside space for them to park, unload, and reload their vehicles on the driveway or a similar area in front of or behind your home. Naturally, the shortest and widest path to and through the house that runs into the fewest obstacles is ideal. A “trail” up the driveway and through the garage is best, but discuss this with the company’s representative.
Clean Out the Ducts
The company installing your system will probably bring up the topic of cleaning out the ducts. If you’re having an entirely new set of ductwork installed with your HVAC unit, skip ahead. However, if the installer is attaching the HVAC unit to a previously installed set of ducts, the installer may suggest or offer to clean them out first. Years of use means years of debris in the ductwork. You don’t want to flick the switch on your new system, expecting cool air but instead getting clouds of dust from the vents. Consult with the installer first, but know that you may have to clean the ducts before installation day.
Ensure Access to Power
Ensure the installers know where your circuit breaker or fuse box is located and give them clear access to it. Make room for them to work, providing an area to place tools and the like. They’ll respect your space and take care not to damage the surroundings, but it’s still helpful to provide some elbow room, especially in cramped and hard-to-reach spaces.
If gas is involved, know where the shut-off valve is and arrange to have it turned off before the installation. Your installer should have knowledge of how to turn it on and off, but it helps if they know where it is.
Put Away Your Pets
No matter how friendly your cat, dog, iguana, or whatever may be, put them somewhere else during the installation. If they’re nervous around noisy situations or new people, find a place where they can stay to prevent any barking, biting, or other issues. Installations involve a lot of chaos and motion, so if your pets (or for that matter, people) are prone to growing upset in busy situations, find a more pleasant place for them in the meantime.
Additionally, mention pets to your installer. Some technicians have allergies to pet hair and dander, so give them a heads-up! In that same vein, know that children, especially very young ones, are fascinated by workers, tools, and big projects like this. Tell them they need to stay out of the way and not touch anything to stay safe and avoid any accidents or injuries.
Provide Internet Access
If your installers ask for your Wi-Fi password, it’s not so they can read their emails and update their social media. They likely need it to set up an internet-accessible thermostat so you can control your system through your phone. Therefore, keep your Wi-Fi information handy.
Set Aside a Day . . . or More
The amount of time it takes to set up an HVAC system changes from job to job. Window units have an installation time of two hours or less. Similarly, swapping out one HVAC unit for another shouldn’t take more than a day. However, installing an entire system of ducts will likely take several days. A hidden ducted mini split system installation may take just a few hours, but that increases with the number of units installed. Your installer should be able to give you an estimate of how much time they’ll need.
If you can deal with a little noise and ruckus, you can spend the day in another part of the house without bother. However, if you have a smaller place or prefer silence and order, consider running errands or getting some work done at a nearby coffee house or restaurant while the installers work. Whatever the case, professionals will stick to a promised schedule if all goes according to plan because experience gives them a good sense of how long a job will last.
You Don’t Have To Be Present, but Be Available!
Stuff happens. Not always, but when it does, your installer will want to consult with you about the next steps. Try to be nearby. If you can’t or don’t want to be in your house, then be at a neighbor’s house or somewhere else close by. Provide your contact information, including your phone number for calls and texts and your email. If you choose to take a trip to be out of the house during the installation, that’s fine. Just make sure the installation team can contact a responsible adult who can make important decisions should you be unavailable. It’s unlikely to happen, but you never know.
Those are the basics on how to prepare for your HVAC installation. Give us a call for a consultation on outfitting your own home!
