AC Installation in River Falls, WI
Your local AC installation experts
Hurlburt Heating AC and Plumbing has been serving River Falls and its surrounding areas since 1959! With over 60 years in the industry, we can help you choose the perfect HVAC solution for your home. Our AC installation services include cooling load calculations to ensure your new air conditioner is capable of keeping your home cool and comfortable all summer long.
We install:
- Central air conditioners
- Heat pumps
- Ductless mini splits
- Custom ductwork
Whether you are installing an entirely new system or are looking to replace your existing air conditioner, the Hurlburt team can help you make an informed choice. We believe in complete transparency and will present you with all the options.
Central AC installation in River Falls
Most homes in River Falls are equipped with central heating and air. A forced-air furnace is combined with an air conditioner to distribute air evenly throughout your home using a system of ductwork.
While there is some energy loss associated with ductwork, it remains one of the most effective ways of circulating air in a home. Your duct system consists of two parts: the return and the supply. The supply ducts are what brings the cool air into the room. Warm, stagnant air is pulled through the return ducts back to the furnace where the AC coil is able to recool it and send it out again through the supply.
Central air conditioning provides the best circulation in your home. Keeping things moving prevents stuffy, stagnant, humid indoor air.
The downside of central air conditioners is that they must be paired with a furnace or air handler to distribute cool air. They cannot work on their own like a ductless unit can. This means upfront installation costs can be high, especially if you need to install an entire ductwork system in your home. However, there’s a good reason why central HVAC is king in our climate. And that’s because it works.
Heat Pump installation in River Falls
Heat pumps can be a great alternative to traditional air conditioners. Like an AC, they can be paired with a forced-air furnace or air handler. Heat pumps look a lot like traditional air conditioning units but they work a bit differently.
Like a traditional air conditioner, they use the refrigeration cycle to provide cool air in your home. However, these units can use the refrigeration cycle to provide heat as well. To simplify it, they basically run in reverse. The refrigeration cycle allows the heat pump or AC to absorb heat and move it from one area to another. On cooling mode, the unit absorbs the heat from inside your home and releases it outside. On heating mode, it finds heat in the ambient outdoor air and moves it inside to heat your home. While that might not seem like something that can work in our harsh, Wisconsin winters, heat pumps use technology that allow them to work in subzero temperatures.
On heating mode, heat pumps are more efficient than electric and gas-fired furnaces. This is because they don’t have to “create” heat but rather move it from one area to another. Many people who use heat pumps chose them for this reason. Higher energy efficiency means lower operating costs.
Important note for heat pump installations: if you plan to rely on your heat pump for home heating, you must choose a unit that is rated for low temperatures. There are many varieties of heat pumps. The ones that work great in Florida do not work well here. We can use heat pumps efficiently in Wisconsin but you have to have the right one!
Ductless AC installation in River Falls
Ductless mini splits are gaining popularity in the US and it’s no surprise why. These are the most eco-friendly AC options on the market. Mini splits are a type of heat pump so they can provide both heating and cooling on a single system. They have the same benefits of heat pump efficiency but are also integrated with their own smart technology that automatically adjusts the output of the compressor to use the least amount of energy possible to maintain the indoor temperature setting.
Ductless mini splits use wall or ceiling-mounted air handlers to distribute warm and cool air into your rooms. Typically, one air handler is needed per room. In open spaces (like living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens) only one air handler may be used for the combined area. Luckily, one outdoor unit can connect to multiple indoor air handlers. However, if you are needing to heat and cool a large home, you may still need two outdoor condensers.
Ductless mini splits excel at strict temperature control of small spaces and single rooms. This makes them perfect for zoning applications or supplemental HVAC solutions.
Because they do not utilize ductwork, they can be installed in homes with boiler heat (no ductwork system) and areas where it would be difficult or impractical to add to existing ductwork. We often install them in home offices, guest suites, master bedrooms, attic spaces, basements and garage workshops.
Average AC lifespan
Central AC units, heat pumps and ductless mini splits all last between 15 and 20 years if they are well maintained. All of these systems have filters that either need to be replaced regularly or cleaned. That is one of the best things you can do for your AC system to keep it running as long as possible.
How Hurlburt can help you choose the perfect AC system
There’s more to choosing an AC system than simply calculating the square footage of your home. That’s part of it, but the team at Hurlburt knows that each home is unique. We will come out and do a walk through and look at your home’s layout, the number of windows you have, the ceiling height and talk with you about your cooling needs.
We will discuss the pros and cons of each design and let you make the final decision. We are here to provide expert guidance but you have the final say in your choice of AC system. Whatever AC system you decide to go with, we will ensure it is sized and installed correctly to meet your cooling needs.
