HVAC Installation in Sumter, SC
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Sumter County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Ten months a year, your system is working
Sumter needs heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. That is ten months of the year a new system has to perform, not just a few weeks at either end. Winter nights average 36°F, so the furnace side of the job is mild here. Summer afternoons average 90°F, and the cooling side has to hold up through five straight months of that heat.
Most homes in Sumter heat with electricity, so the outdoor unit and the electric heat both need to be sized for the load, not just matched to whatever was there before. Storms are common enough here, with 182 damaging wind events recorded over the last ten years, that a new system should be installed with that in mind.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 36°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Once it's breaking down more than once a season, or a repair bill comes close to what a new system would cost, replacing it makes more sense than keeping it going. Older units also lose efficiency year over year, so you end up paying more to run something that works less well. With 10 months of the year here needing either heat or cooling, a system that's struggling doesn't get much time to recover between seasons. A contractor can tell you whether what you're seeing is normal wear or the start of the end.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, yes, it's worth doing together. A furnace and air conditioner installed at the same time are matched to work with each other, which isn't true when you pair a new unit with one that's much older. If only one has failed and the other is still holding up, a contractor can look at both and tell you whether it makes sense to wait or replace them together now.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, sets the new unit in place, and connects it to the ductwork, electrical, and in the case of a furnace, the gas line or venting. For an air conditioner or heat pump, they check the refrigerant lines, then run the system through a full cycle before calling the job done. Afterward they should walk through the thermostat and anything specific to the new equipment. The exact steps depend on whether it's a straight swap or the ductwork and layout need changes too.