Table of Contents
Condensing Unit Too Close to House - This condensing unit was too close to the house to effectively reject heat. It was a bad HVAC condensing unit installation job by the HVAC installers. A mechanical inspector rejected the final permit until the condensing unit was correctly installed.
It is recommended that condensing units have at least 2 feet of space so that they can effectively reject heat. It needs space to breathe and pull air into the coils so that there is a proper heat exchange taking place when it is running. On this air conditioner condensing unit there are four sides to the unit.
By installing the air conditioner condenser too close to the house the installer effectively reduced the capacity of this unit by nearly one-fourth which will cause problems with the unit in the way of higher head pressures and that will cost the homeowner more money in the long run.
Condensing Unit Too Close to House
Bad air conditioner installation jobs such as this one prove that it is in the best interest of the homeowner to hire competent HVAC air conditioner and heating installers so that the job is done correctly. Additionally, it is also a good practice that the contractor gets a permit for the job. Many mechanical code inspectors have many years of experience while some contractors don’t have well-trained installers or installers with many years of experience.
A mechanical (and electrical inspector in electrical installations) will spot bad installations of HVAC and electrical equipment and reject the job if it was not installed according to code or the manufacturer’s instructions. This is insurance to the homeowner or business owner against bad installation jobs of some contractors and is why getting a permit for the installation of HVAC and electrical equipment is a very good practice.
Condensing Unit Too Close to House
This problem could have been avoided by simply reading the installation instructions in the installation manual. Every new air conditioner and heat pump comes with an installation manual. To follow the basic mechanical code, every HVAC appliance should be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This installation tells me two things: 1) the person who installed the system did not obtain a permit because this would not pass a code inspection. 2) the person who installed it was very green and di not really know what they were doing. That would lead to other problems because if they made this simple mistake surely they made other basic mistakes. This would also void the warranty and shorten the life of the equipment. It is a great example of why the lowest bidder is not always the best.
Condensing Unit Too Close to House
Technical Resource: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology
