This is a big issue for many Floridian business owners and residential homeowners.
Living in tropic South Florida conditions – where do you think is the best location for the air handler?
The argument that there may be some physical advantages to putting the air handler in the attic as opposed to taking up living space may be valid, nonetheless, one must understand that cooling systems have fixed limits of cooling capability.
If the outside air is 100 degrees the system can only cool a difference of +/- 20 degrees (system in perfect condition) resulting in 80 degrees inside.
If I have the air handler put in the attic which is at least 30 degrees warmer than the living space, in South Florida, this is not the best solution, unless you have it very well sealed and insulated.
Attics are small, cumbersome spaces that can reach temperatures of 130 degrees in South Florida summers.
It is perfectly understandable that an AC Repair technician is not at his best when working in an attic. Spending too much time in those extreme temperatures creates concentration issues at the very least. Anyone that has ever done it knows it is a significant health risk, just one small one example is that the technician’s perspiration rolls down his arms to his fingers when doing electrical testing — this creates a path for current to flow.
The air handler is both poorly insulated with the greatest temperature difference (the evaporator) of any location of the cooling system.
“The air handler also has the greatest negative pressures so that some leakage into the unit is inevitable. Evidence for this influence is contained in an informal study of air conditioning energy in 48 Central Florida homes conducted by Advanced Cooling and Heating in 2012 which found that homes with the air handlers located in the attic used 30 to 37 % more space cooling energy than those with the air handlers located in garages or elsewhere.” Erik Bryson – Co Owner of Advanced Cooling and Heating Inc.
High temperature differentials in attics as opposed to the cooling temperatures of the units also cause the unit to “sweat”. This condensation is inevitable and only prevented with a perfect insulation process that is often costly.
No one wants condensation issues in their homes, especially above their head where this could mean possible ceiling damage inside the home.
In summation, less efficiency equals higher electric bills, condensation issues, difficult access, and dangerous work environment for technicians.
At Advanced Cooling and Heating Inc., we have re-located so many air handlers to the extreme satisfaction and comfort of our customers that we consider ourselves “experts” in the field.
Let us help you find the perfect, most efficient place for your system.
