What you should know about DIY air conditioning installations

There are many companies that now offer DIY air conditioning, also known as ‘easy install air con’, ‘easy fit air con’, ‘quick fit A/C’ as a ‘cheap alternative’ to having a professional air conditioning installation.

This page is a warning to those looking to go down the DIY route.
…Would you hire an A/C engineer to build your extension?!

Easy-fit air conditioning units are pre-gassed, so by following a step by step guide anyone can ‘install their own’ air conditioning unit whether for many different uses. Examples of where these types of units have been installed are into bedrooms, classrooms, conservatories, home gyms, living rooms, loft conversions, lounges, offices, server rooms and even boats. They are advertised as a convenience option with ‘no special tools required to install the air con units’.

However, serious caution must be taken before opting for this type of install. We have been to many jobs where this type of installation has already been undertaken and frankly they are often more hassle than they are worth. We’ve found that the copper pipework can often be of very poor quality. During installation moisture and air needs to be removed from pipework by a vacuum pump that costs around £500. How can a builder or DIY’er do this?

These types of install often only guarantee their labour and don’t have guaranteed units or materials. Even if they do guarantee the unit, it will be guaranteed for one year, but because it has not been installed professionally this will void most guarantees. So if there is a problem, do you or your builder have the tools or know-how to fix it or even know what to do with a system live with refrigerant when it doesn’t work? Ask the supplier of your unit what to do when this happens and he will say “Call an F gas qualified engineer“!

The refrigerant in the system boils at around -25 degrees centigrade, so while this is totally safe when handled by an F-gas qualified engineer it can cause severe burns if misused.

Why would you opt for this when you could have an air conditioning/heat pump unit professionally installed and fully guaranteed for not much more than buying the unit alone:

• A branded, quality unit.
• Professionally installed (not DIY, or installed by a builder) -Would you hire an A/C engineer to build your extension?!
• Branded copper pipework and installation (not sub standard copper, insulation, wiring).
• Fully guaranteed installation, unit, materials and labour up to 3 years.
• F-gas qualified engineer.
• Units put where you want them, not only where the (included) pipework reaches because its too short.
• Units put where you want them, not curling pipework up in an untidy manner because its too long.

Contact Simply Air Conditioning today to have an assured, professional air conditioning installation to save you time and money in the long run whilst leaving you at ease that you have the best system in place.