AC installation
New AC installation for Boca Raton houses
Installation is for a house that is getting equipment it did not have, or a renovation that changed the load. A straight swap of a tired condenser is a replacement. The two jobs should not share a script.
What we’d tell you first
Plain notes, the way a tech would say them on the phone. Then call or book if you want someone at the house.
- 1
No cool
Look outside. If the condenser is silent, check the breaker and the disconnect next to the unit. If the fan is running and the air at the vent is warm, or the breaker trips again, stop resetting it and call. That is a part, a coil, or a safety switch — not another thermostat click.
- 2
Humidity
A house can hit 74 and still feel wet. Dropping it to 68 just makes it run longer. Note which rooms feel clammy and whether it short-cycles. Airflow, runtime, and the drain come before a dehumidifier or a new system.
- 3
Clogged drain
Water in the air-handler closet, or a system that starts and then dies, is often the condensate line. Shut it off if water is on the floor. A simple clog sometimes clears from the outside pipe. If it comes back this week, the trap or the slope needs a look.
When this is an install, not a swap
Additions in West Boca, a closed porch near downtown Boca, a garage apartment, a remodel that splits one system into two. Those are installs. The ducts, the drain, the electrical, and the permit path are designed, not reused from a dead unit.
We size from the house that exists now: glass, ceiling height, west sun, and how many people live there. Copying a neighbor’s tonnage is how South Florida homes end up cold and clammy.
Process from walkthrough to startup
Walk the rooms and the pad. Confirm returns, attic access, and where condensate can leave. Check panel capacity for the new outdoor load — older Boca homes often need that conversation before equipment is ordered.
Permit path for the City of Boca Raton or Palm Beach County when the job requires it. Install day covers pad, disconnect, line set, drain, airflow verification, and a startup that proves the house can get dry — not only cold.
- Load and layout review for the rooms you actually use
- Duct and return plan — or a mini-split when ducts cannot reach
- Electrical circuit and disconnect sized for the equipment
- Permit and inspection coordination when required
- Startup, thermostat briefing, and maintenance notes
What this climate adds to a new system
Near Highland Beach, the Intracoastal, or eastern Delray, the outdoor unit needs a coil and a cabinet that can live with salt air. Inland Boca, Mission Bay, and Broken Sound usually fight attic heat, duct length, and humidity more than marine spray.
HOA and gated-community rules decide where outdoor equipment can sit and how loud it may be. Say the association when you book so placement is planned, not argued on install day.
Equipment and application choices
Whole-home heat pumps are the usual path for Boca’s long cooling season and short winter. Mini-splits cover additions and rooms the ducts never served. Dual systems make sense on larger club-community floor plans — not as a default upsell.
Questions we’d answer on the phone
The short version before anyone is standing in the yard.
Is a new heat pump an installation or a replacement?
If we are removing a full system and setting another in its place, that is a replacement. If the space never had equipment, or the renovation needs a new zone, that is an installation.
Do you handle permits?
Jobs that require a permit get one for the City of Boca Raton or Palm Beach County, depending on the address. Ask which office applies if you are near a city line.
What if my panel cannot support the new equipment?
We say so before equipment is ordered. A panel upgrade or dedicated circuit may belong on the same plan — see our electrical services.