Trusted Family-Owned Air Conditioning Contractor, delivering expert HVAC Services in San Antonio.
What’s Covered on This Page
What to Expect Before We Install a New AC System
When a homeowner calls or messages about replacing an AC system, we give pricing over the phone first. That’s a starting point, not a final number. A technician still needs to come out and look at the details that change the cost: system type and size, the condition of your ductwork, the line set running to the outdoor unit, your electrical panel, the square footage of your home, and how well it’s insulated.
We see homes across San Antonio, from older houses near downtown with narrow attic access to newer builds out past Loop 1604, and the ductwork alone can swing the job a lot. Undersized or leaky duct runs are common in homes built before stricter energy codes, and that’s something a technician has to check by hand, not something we can size over the phone.
After the technician gathers that information, we run a heat load calculation, also called Manual J, along with CFM airflow numbers for the ductwork. This is the step that decides whether you need a 3-ton unit or a 4-ton unit, since guessing tonnage based on your old system’s size can leave a home running hot in July or cycling too much in mild months.
- Phone or chat conversation with starting pricing information
- In-home visit to verify installation details, system type, and size
- Check of ductwork, line set, electrical, home size, and insulation
- Heat load and Manual J calculation plus CFM ductwork numbers
- Written estimate built from that specific information for your review
One thing worth knowing going in: the estimate you get is built around your home’s numbers, not a flat rate. That’s why we don’t quote a firm price until after the visit. If you want to see what typical installations run before that visit, our AC installation pricing guide breaks down real cost ranges by unit size.
Once you approve the estimate, we ask for a 50% deposit or set up financing before scheduling the install. We offer a 0% financing option for homeowners who’d rather spread out the cost. From there, the installation itself, the city inspection, and equipment registration all happen as part of the same job, which we cover in the next section.
How We Size Your New AC Unit
We don’t size your new AC by matching the tonnage of the unit you’re replacing. That’s a shortcut, and it’s one of the most common reasons a system runs longer than it should or leaves rooms feeling clammy. Instead, a technician comes out to your house before we build your estimate.
During that visit, we check the ductwork, the line set, your electrical setup, the size of your home, and how well it’s insulated. Then we run the heat load calculation and CFM numbers described above for your ductwork. This tells us how much cooling your specific house needs room by room, not just a rough guess based on square footage.
In a lot of older San Antonio homes, especially ones built before the 1990s, we find ductwork that was sized for a smaller system decades ago. Attic insulation is often thinner than what current homes get, too, since insulation standards have changed a good deal since these houses were built. Both of those things change what size unit makes sense, even if the house next door has the same square footage.
- Square footage and layout of the home
- Attic and wall insulation levels
- Condition and sizing of existing ductwork
- Line set length and condition
- Electrical capacity for the new system
- Window count, orientation, and shading
Get any of this wrong and you end up with a unit that’s too big or too small. Oversized units cool the air fast but shut off before they pull enough moisture out, so the house feels cold and damp at the same time. Undersized units run almost non-stop and still can’t keep up on the hottest San Antonio afternoons in July and August.
Once we have those numbers, we build your estimate around that data rather than a guess. If you want to see what goes into our full installation process from that first estimate through the final inspection, our AC Installation page walks through each step.
What Happens to Your Existing Ductwork and Line Set
Most homes we visit in San Antonio still have the ductwork and line set that came with the house, sometimes 15 or 20 years old. A new outdoor unit and indoor coil do not automatically fix problems hiding in that older ductwork or line set, so we look at both before we build a quote.
During the in-home visit, our technician checks the line set, ductwork, electrical, home size, and insulation before any pricing gets finalized. This is not a quick glance. We are looking for line set length, insulation condition, and whether the ductwork was sized right for the home in the first place. A lot of San Antonio attics have ductwork runs that were never adjusted after a room addition or a garage conversion, and that shows up in this check.
On the refrigerant line set, our process is to acid-flush the existing line rather than replace it outright when the line itself is in workable shape. Acid-flushing removes contaminants left behind by the old system, which protects the new compressor and coil. If the line set has damage, wrong sizing for the new equipment, or insulation that has broken down from heat and UV exposure in a hot attic, that gets addressed as part of the installation rather than left for later.
Ductwork works differently. We do not just connect a new system to old ducts and call it done. We run the same heat load and CFM calculations described earlier for the ductwork as part of building the estimate. This tells us if the existing ducts can move enough air for the new unit’s size, or if airflow will be restricted. Undersized returns and crushed flex duct in a hot attic are common findings on inspections around San Antonio, especially in homes built before ductwork sizing standards tightened up.
If the ductwork needs work beyond what the current install covers, that falls under a separate ductwork installation service, and it gets quoted before anything is opened up. We do not add duct work to an AC installation quote without telling the homeowner why it’s needed and what it involves.
For the 4-ton install example, the scope includes the supply and return plenums to the new furnace and sealing those connections airtight, along with a new drain pan and drain line reconnection where needed. That plenum and seal work is part of what keeps a properly sized system performing the way the heat load calculation predicted, instead of losing capacity through leaks at the connection points.
Ready when you are – get in touch today.
Get a Free Estimate. Atlas AC Repair is ready to help.
How Permitting and City Inspection Are Handled
Permitting on a full AC installation isn’t optional paperwork we skip to save time. When a job in San Antonio requires a city permit, we pull it and schedule the city inspection as part of the install, not as an extra step you have to chase down later.
Here’s what that looks like in practice. Once the new system is in and running, the job isn’t marked complete until it clears inspection where one is required. An inspector checks things like electrical disconnects, condensate drain routing, and clearances around the outdoor unit. We’ve had jobs held up over something as small as a disconnect box mounted too close to a fence line, so we build that kind of detail into the install instead of hoping it passes.
After the equipment is in place, we register it in the homeowner’s name. This step protects the manufacturer’s parts warranty tied to the new system. Skipping registration is one of the more common gaps we see when we’re asked to look at a system another contractor installed. It’s a quiet step, but it matters if a part ever needs to be replaced under warranty years down the road.
We also start the paperwork for any local utility rebates that apply to the installed equipment. That paperwork gets handed to the homeowner to review and finalize before it’s turned in to the utility company. We don’t submit it on your behalf without your sign-off, since the rebate is tied to your account and your information.
- City permitting and inspection scheduled as part of the install when required
- Registration of the new equipment in the homeowner’s name to protect the factory parts warranty
- Rebate paperwork started and handed off for the homeowner to finish and submit
None of this changes what shows up on your estimate. If you want to see how permitting and registration fit into the full scope of a job, our AC installation page walks through the whole process step by step.
One thing worth knowing before you compare quotes: if a permit is skipped on a job that needed one, it can come back to bite you at resale or during a future inspection. That’s not a risk we’re willing to take on a customer’s behalf just to shave a day off the schedule.
How Your New Equipment Warranty Is Registered
Once your new outdoor unit and indoor coil are installed, we register the equipment in your name with the manufacturer. This step happens after the install, not before, because the serial numbers and install date have to be confirmed first. Skipping this step is one of the more common problems we find during inspections on systems installed by other companies in San Antonio. A homeowner assumes the warranty is automatic, then finds out years later, when a compressor fails, that the parts warranty was never activated.
On a Carrier system, registration is what turns your standard coverage into the full 10-year manufacturer parts warranty. Without it, Carrier’s default coverage window is shorter. We handle the registration paperwork as part of the installation, so you don’t have to log into a manufacturer portal or track down your model and serial numbers after the fact.
Alongside the 10-year parts warranty, every new AC and heating installation we complete carries a 2-year labor warranty. That labor warranty covers our workmanship on the install itself, separate from the manufacturer’s parts coverage. Some homeowners want more runway than two years, especially if they’re planning to stay in their home long term. We offer an optional 10-year labor warranty for an additional cost, which extends that same labor protection to match the parts coverage.
Here’s a distinction that trips people up during comparison shopping: parts warranty and labor warranty are not the same thing, and a quote that only mentions one isn’t giving you the full picture. Parts coverage means Carrier replaces a defective compressor or coil. Labor coverage means someone pays to pull the old part and install the new one, which on a rooftop or attic unit in a San Antonio summer is not a small job. We register the parts warranty and back our own labor separately, in writing, at the time of install.
If you ever sell the home, the registered warranty is tied to the equipment and serial number, not to you personally, so it’s worth keeping a copy of the registration confirmation with your closing documents. We provide that confirmation once the paperwork clears.
Ready to Get Started?
Get a Free Estimate. Call 2105499550 today.
