VERY small condo - Portable units vs finishing Central AC?


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Old 07-04-06, 11:03 AM
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VERY small condo - Portable units vs finishing Central AC?

Hello all - new user here...

Currently having a dilemma - the 20-year-old 800 sq. ft. condo I recently purchased in Southern CA (near the coast, not as hot as inland) does not have central air, but it does have the lineset pre-installed.

I really would like to install a matched condenser and coil, but I feel as though with such a small place, I wouldn't need anything but the smallest of units - but contractors don't seem to want to sell 1.5 or 2-ton units.

I have recently looked at portable units as an alternative, but it seems that if I were to buy two nice 10-12k BTU units I'd be spending $900-1000... The more I think about it, the more I think I should just bite the bullet and go for the central unit. What should I expect to pay for a condenser/coil install on a pre-plumbed house of this size? I wouldn't mind paying some down and financing the rest, but I don't want to get taken to the cleaners...

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
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Old 07-04-06, 12:03 PM
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I would go central air myself. I think in CA the contractor must do a Manual J calculation on your home to properly size the equipment. If they don't have to make sure you have them do it.

Hard to tell what the cost would be there. Here you'de pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $3K-$4K. But that is assuming the electric is where it needs to be for the outdoor unit, and that the linesets they ran are the proper size.
 
 

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