Preparing Your Basement For Air Conditioning Installation? Why And How
No, you are not putting air conditioning in your basement. To clarify, if you have a basement, and that is where your furnace is located, then you will be connecting your new air conditioning system through your basement. Typically, that is how most new A/C systems, specifically central air systems, are installed. (It is quite a different process for other types of A/C units and for homes that lack a basement.) Here is how you can prepare for this process, and why you will want to prepare ahead of the contractor's visit.
Clear a Path from Stairs to Furnace
You will want to make sure there is a clear path from the basement steps to the furnace. The contractor/technician has to be able to get to the furnace so that he/she is able to open up the furnace and install the air conditioning components needed to deliver cooled air to the interior of your home. You will also want to clear a path so that the time the contractor/technician uses to install your new A/C is just for your A/C and not for clearing a path to the furnace.
Clear a Path from Furnace to Electrical Box
If your home's electrical fuse box is not right next to the furnace, but is in fact farther away in the basement, then clear a path to that as well. Several wires need to run from your furnace and the A/C unit to the fuse box, and you do not want your contractor to be tripping over boxes while he/she is attempting to complete this process. The wires and cables are run along the sides or tops of your ventilation system so that they are not exposed and do not hang around from the ceiling.
Remove Water and Moisture with a Dehumidifier
Well, it goes without saying that you do not want to electrocute your HVAC contractor in the midst of an installation. Of course, you would not do it intentionally, any more than the contractor would accidentally handle live wires and step into a puddle on the basement floor. However, you should still want to make the basement as safe a work zone as possible for your contractor. That said, plug a dehumidifier in at least a day or two prior to when your new A/C installation will occur. The drier basement prevents all kinds of accidents, from slips and falls to accidental electrocution.
For more information, contact a company like Extreme Climates.
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