There are many great buyer’s guides out there for what to consider when installing or replacing your HVAC system, such as the Forbes Buyer’s Guide. With mobile homes, however, there are fewer options and slightly different considerations.
What is different about mobile Homes?
With mobile home air conditioners, the biggest limiting factor is the ductwork. The ductwork on a mobile home is installed at the factory. There are two configurations commonly used for the ductwork: upflow and downflow
Upflow vs downflow
Upflow: An upflow configuration means that the return for the system, where the filter is located, is at the bottom of the air handler and the supply is at the top. You will see that your vents are in the ceiling if you have an upflow air handler. This means the ductwork for your home is in the attic. Unfortunately, getting access to the ductwork usually requires removing part of the roof, as most homes don’t have attic access.
Downflow: A downflow configuration means that the return for the system is at the top of the air handler and the supply is at the bottom. You will see that your vents are in the floor if you have a downlow air handler. This means the ductwork for your home is in the belly of your home, underneath the floor. Accessing the ductwork underneath the home involves opening up the belly, and is very time consuming if it must be worked on or altered.
In both cases, there is usually not much room for the ductwork itself. This means that the ducts are usually smaller in size than you would see on a typical residential system. This can cause some issues by making the static pressure run higher than many A/C manufacturers like for their equipment.
While all of this may sound confusing, the important thing to understand is that it’s not a good idea to just slap any equipment you can find on a mobile home and hope for the best. There are air handlers and equipment that has specifically been designed and tested for use in mobile homes.
When Should I replace my system?
The best time to replace your system is actually before it goes out completely. If your system is old and you’ve had to spend time and money repairing it, it might be time to be proactive with your comfort. If you approach an HVAC service company about replacing your system while it’s still working, it can actually be easier for the company to help you find weaknesses in your system, gives you more time to make the decision that’s best for you, and also tells the companies you’re speaking with that you’re not desperate.
Which factors should I consider when replacing my system?
There are a few things you consider when looking to replace your HVAC system. Of course you want your system to cool your home when it’s hot and heat your home when it’s cold, but if you only think of the temperature, you will miss some important considerations.
Comfort
There are three main ways your HVAC system can improve your home comfort: managing the temperature, regulating humidity and improving IAQ, or indoor air quality.
Temperature: This is the most obvious one. When it’s 105 degrees outside in the Austin heat, you need your A/C system to cool the house down.
Humidity: Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air in a given space. When the humidity is too low, it can dry out your skin and hair. When the humidity is too high, it can make you feel uncomfortable, even if it’s 70 degrees in your home. It can also provide a breeding ground for mold. While all A/C systems remove moisture as they cool, in some cases adding additional dehumidification could be worth the investment.
Indoor Air Quality: This aspect of your home comfort is something that has been overlooked for a long time, however it is incredibly important. According to the EPA, Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.
With that in mind, there are some things you can do to improve the indoor air quality of your home. UV-C lights can destroy bacteria on contact, and are often installed in the airstream of the HVAC system. Media air cleaners can help catch more dust and smaller particles that most filters will not.
When you are deciding what type of system you want to have installed in your home, you want to consider each of these factors. You want to work with a company that can give you options so you can decide for yourself what is most important to you.
Efficiency
SEER2, which stands for “Seasonal Efficiency Energy Ratio 2”, is the new standard that came into effect at the beginning of 2023.
SEER2 is just a measurement of how much energy your A/C system uses as it operates. The higher the SEER2 rating, the less electricity you have to use to run it. This translates to a lower power bill each month.
Sounds great, right? Not so fast. While a higher SEER2 rating will save you money each month on your power bill, you also have to consider that a higher SEER2 rated system will be more expensive. You should weigh the estimated savings from a higher SEER2 system against the higher cost of the system itself.
Are you replacing the system while you’re preparing to sell your home because it broke down, or are you planning on staying in your home for the foreseeable future? Your particular circumstance will help you determine which is the better option for you.
Capacity
Capacity refers to how big the system is. How quickly can it remove heat if the A/C is on and how quickly can it add head if the heater is on. It’s common to hear people say “bigger is better”, thinking that a larger A/C will be able to cool more air more quickly than a smaller system. While that is true, there is an important downside to oversizing a system.
As we mentioned earlier, another primary function of an air conditioner is to remove humidity from the air. The problem is that it takes much longer to remove humidity from the air than it does to lower the temperature. This means if you put in an A/C that is too large for your home, the A/C will cool the house too quickly to remove the humidity from the air. This is how you can get 70 degrees in the house with 70% humidity.
Getting load calculations done for your home is the only way to properly size the system for the space. Load calculations take into account numerous factors, such as how well insulated the house is, how many windows there are, and how much conditioned space there actually is. The load calculations will give you a scientific answer to the question “what size HVAC system should be installed in my home?”.
Thermostat
When you’re considering what type of system you want installed in your home, you should also consider upgrading your thermostat. Thermostats have made significant upgrades in recent years. From WiFi capabilities, which allow you to adjust the temperature of your home with your phone even if you’re not there, to smart settings that can even reduce your average electric bill, there are many reasons to upgrade the primary way you communicate with your HVAC system.
Maintenance
With any brand of equipment you purchase, there’s going to be required maintenance to maintain the warranty of the system. Just like you have to change your oil and air filter in your vehicles, your A/C needs attention too.
It’s important to understand up front what requirements there are for maintenance. If you purchase a brand new system and never change the filters for 3 years and you have a system failure, it’s unlikely that you will be able to get it covered under warranty.
Most manufacturers require that you get the system serviced at least once per year to maintain the warranty, but you want to get the information up front so you can protect your investment.
Warranties & Guarantees
What type of guarantees do you have that the installer will execute on their part? You want to know that the installer isn’t going to walk away from you after they are done with the job.
Additionally, you want to understand how the warranty works up front. Most manufacturers have moved away from offering long term warranties that include labor, which in many cases is the bulk of the cost of working on your system.
It’s not uncommon to see 5-10 years on the parts warranty, with 0-2 years on the labor warranty. This means in some cases, even if your system fails after 1 year, you’re still going to be on the hook for labor for the repairs.
You should ask any business you work with what extended service agreements they offer. An extended service agreement, or labor warranty, is an additional agreement that puts you in the driver seat should you need to have your system repaired during the term of the agreement.
Price
With all of these factors in mind, we finally come to the price of the installed system. As you can see, there are many factors that influence the price of replacing your system. Do you want the heat pump system with a Nest thermostat, a 4 inch media air cleaner and an extended service agreement? Or are you simply looking to get your home cooling again so coming home feels like your safe haven again?
Another important thing to consider is that while there certainly are companies that seek to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners, you usually get what you pay for. What is cheaper at the moment may not be cheaper in the long run, when your A/C breaks down a year after install and the company that did the work is nowhere to be found.
The Company
Replacing the HVAC system in an investment, and you want to know that the company handling the work is both capable and trustworthy.
Additionally, you want to know that they are actually willing to work on mobile home systems before you call them out. There are companies that will refuse to work on mobile homes and won’t even look at the system for you.
Conclusion
With all of this in mind, the most important thing is that you find a company that is honest with you that you can trust. They should be helping guide you into making the right decision for your home, not trying to convince you of anything.
The decision is ultimately up to you.