Air Conditioning Installation in Elgin & the Fox Valley

Signs You Need a Proper AC Installation

Some of these mean you need a new system. The rest mean the last installation was done wrong, and the next one needs to be done right.

• You’re building or adding on. New construction, a finished basement, a second-floor addition or a converted garage all change the load and need to be sized, not guessed.
• The house has never had central air. Older Fox Valley homes with a furnace and no coil can usually add central AC using the existing ductwork, after we verify it can move the air. Homes without ducts are a fit for ductless mini-splits.
• Your old system is being replaced. Every replacement is an installation. See our AC replacement page for the repair-or-replace side; this page covers how the work itself gets done.
• The current system short cycles and leaves the house humid. The classic sign of an oversized unit, sized from the old label instead of the house.
• Rooms that never cool. Undersized ducts, a blower fighting high static pressure or a system that was never balanced.
• The last install left things undone. No permit, no matched coil, a reused line set that was never flushed, a charge that was ‘about right’. We see these every summer on systems only a few years old.
• Ice on the coil of a new system. Often a charge that was never weighed in or airflow that was never measured.
• The outdoor unit sits in the mud. A sinking, tilted pad strains the line set and the compressor. A good install starts with a level pad on gravel.
• A new furnace is going in. Installing the coil and condenser at the same time gets a matched system and one visit.

What Goes Into a Correct AC Installation

These are the steps that separate a system that lasts 17 years from one that needs a compressor at year six.

How the Installation Day Goes

Most residential AC installations are done in one day. Here’s the sequence.

1. Morning arrival and walkthrough. We confirm the equipment matches the quote, lay down floor protection and review where the new pad, line set and drain will run.
2. Recovery and removal. The old refrigerant is recovered into a tank per EPA Section 608 rules. Owner Jeff Kerley holds EPA 608 Universal certification. The old condenser and coil come out.
3. Indoor coil. The matched coil is set on the furnace or air handler with a sealed, insulated transition. The TXV and drain are installed and the drain is trapped and tested.
4. Outdoor unit. New pad set level, unit placed with clearance for airflow and service, line set routed, brazed with nitrogen flowing and insulated.
5. Electrical. Disconnect, whip, low-voltage control wiring and, if chosen, surge protection and a new thermostat.
6. Pressure test and vacuum. Nitrogen test, then vacuum to 500 microns with a micron gauge, then a decay test to prove it holds.
7. Charge and startup. Charge weighed in for the line length, system started, and full commissioning measurements taken and recorded.
8. Walkthrough and cleanup. We show you the thermostat, filter, disconnect and drain, leave the startup sheet and warranty paperwork, and haul everything away.

A furnace-and-AC changeout, a new line set through finished space or an electrical upgrade can stretch the job into a second day. We’ll tell you at the quote, not on the morning of.

Permits, Inspections and Warranty Registration

The paperwork is part of the installation.

Many Fox Valley municipalities require a mechanical permit for a new or replacement air conditioner, and some require an electrical permit for the disconnect and circuit. We file permits under our own license where required and meet the inspector. We’re municipally licensed in Elgin, Aurora, Bartlett, Huntley and Streamwood, and we’re licensed, insured and bonded everywhere we work. A permit protects you: it puts a second set of eyes on the work, and it matters when you sell the house.

After the installation we register the equipment warranty in your name with the manufacturer. Registration has a deadline and it’s what activates the manufacturer’s full coverage, so we handle it rather than leaving it to you. You get a copy for your records. Keep it with the startup sheet and your annual tune-up reports; together they’re your proof of a correct installation and proper maintenance if you ever need a warranty claim.

What a Bad AC Installation Looks Like

We repair a lot of systems that were installed badly. These are the shortcuts we find most.

• Sized from the old unit. Not sized to the house, so the new system is as oversized as the one it replaced and short cycles just the same.
• Old coil left in place. Saves a few hours. Loses the efficiency rating, the AHRI match and often the warranty.
• Line set never flushed. Old oil and debris from an R-22 system end up in a new compressor.
• No nitrogen while brazing. Black oxide flakes form inside the copper and plug the TXV or metering device a year later.
• No vacuum, or a vacuum measured by time instead of microns. Moisture stays in the system, forms acid and eats the compressor windings.
• Charge by gauge pressure alone. Off by a pound either way, the system runs inefficiently and the coil ices or the compressor floods.
• No commissioning numbers. Nobody measured static pressure or the temperature split, so nobody knows the ductwork is choking the blower until you call about weak airflow.
• No permit. No inspection, no record, and a problem when you sell.

None of this shows up on installation day. It shows up in year two as a frozen coil, in year four as a bad TXV or in year six as a dead compressor. If your system is young and already in trouble, our AC repair team can tell you whether the installation is the cause.

What AC Installation Costs

Quotes are free, written and specific to your home.

We quote in person, because the price depends on the size the house needs, the equipment tier you choose, whether the line set can be reused, the electrical, and whether a furnace or air handler is part of the job. A first-time installation in a home that has never had central air adds a line set run, an electrical circuit and sometimes duct modifications. Every quote is a flat price that includes the matched coil, the pad, the permit, startup and disposal, and any ComEd discount is already subtracted if you choose a heat pump.

You can prequalify for financing in about 2 minutes with no impact to your credit score, and on-bill financing is available on qualifying equipment. Request a free quote and we’ll schedule a visit.

Installed by a NATE-Certified Team

Credentials that apply to this exact job.

An Amana central air conditioner installed by our team, with the line set insulated, the pad level and the disconnect within reach.

• Owner Jeff Kerley holds NATE certification in Air Conditioning Installation and Gas Heating Installation
• EPA 608 Universal certified for refrigerant handling
• NCI airflow trained, so ductwork and static pressure are measured, not assumed
• Daikin and Amana factory training, including S-Series inverter systems
• Amana Champions Club 2024 and 2025, Daikin Inverter Champion 2024
• BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois Complaint Free Award 2024 and 2025
• Municipally licensed in Elgin, Aurora, Bartlett, Huntley and Streamwood

Want the same care on an older system? See AC maintenance. Installing a heat pump instead? See heat pump installation.

Air Conditioning Installation Across the Fox Valley

Based in Elgin, we serve homes throughout Kane, McHenry, DuPage and DeKalb counties.

• Elgin
• South Elgin
• St. Charles
• Aurora
• Bartlett
• Streamwood
• Huntley
• Plato Center
• Sycamore
• Carpentersville
• West Dundee
• East Dundee
• Algonquin
• Gilberts
• Hampshire
• Pingree Grove
• Campton Hills
• Geneva
• Batavia
• Barrington
• Hoffman Estates
• Schaumburg
• Burlington
• Marengo
• Wayne
• Sleepy Hollow

Don’t see your town? Call (847) 224-2420. View all service areas.