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What does a "start up" mean
for installing my air conditioner?
A "start up" is the term used to doing the final connections
on your air conditioner so you
can use the product. This is where you
have to be licensed because you are handling the Freon.
Here is what is
involved in doing a start up on an air conditioner..
First thing that needs to be done is to solder the lineset together at the outside condenser and at the inside a-coil/air handler. You will want to make sure that whoever is doing this for you, uses silver solder (can be purchased at DJ'S) and also that they are using a high temperature torch. The torch needs to be very hot. If you are installing a ductless air conditioner, you will have to use a flair fitting tool because with the ductless units, the linesets have flair fittings on them.
Second part of the start up is to pressurize the unit with nitrogen to check for leaks after the soldering. You do not want to get the job completely done and have leaks at your connections. By pressurizing the unit, you will able to determine if you have any leaks and will be able to fix the leaks right away.
Third part of the start up would be to hook a vacuum pump to the unit and blow out the nitrogen that is in the lineset. This is highly recommended to do and can increase your air conditioning performance.
The last part of the start up is to release the Freon from the pre-charged ac condenser and check the pressures with air conditioning gauges. If the pressures are low, the experienced installer will then add Freon to the system until the pressures are correct. Common procedure especially is you are running more then 25' of lineset.
As you can tell, you need a lot of unique tools to do the final connection. These are tools that your average homeowner does not have. These tools are expensive as well, so it is worth contacting a person or a HVAC company that has the experience to do this type of work. What is the average cost a company or person will charge to do a start up? Well that depends on where you live. DJ'S Heating & Air Conditioning charges start at $225.00 for a start up in our service area.
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Last modified:
October 06, 2008
