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Older homes in Bethlehem, PA, have a unique charm and historical preservation. At the same time, they put some challenges for HVAC. The main issue is with their ductwork, which is either missing altogether or is of the old infrastructure. But this doesn’t mean the older homes are left without comfort at all. With careful planning and strategy, you can keep those historical homes at their best temperature and air quality control.
If your older home in Bethlehem lacks precise ductwork or there is no duct network, the best HVAC solution we would recommend is a mini-split installation. These systems are energy-efficient, don’t rely on the ductwork, and have the capability to heat or cool each zone in the home separately. This zonal control allows the homeowners to separately control the temperature of any room or any building part, according to its requirements.
Helpful Resource:
Benefits of Ductless Mini-Splits for Older PA Homes
Older homes pose certain challenges for installing standard heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units. Here is a brief glimpse of some of those.
Older homes are built on traditional architectural styles and building symmetry. They often possess a limited space where a complete ductwork installation is not possible. If forcefully installed, it won’t ensure optimized airflow or damage the historical charm of the house.
If some houses do possess ductwork, it is according to the traditional styles and code compliance rules. At Lehigh HVAC, we have noticed most of the older ductwork wrapped around with a piece of cloth or paper. This is not what modern HVAC systems work with. If a modern, high-efficiency HVAC system is connected with such old-fashioned ductwork, a lot of conditioned air would find its escape route and be lost.
Older ductwork is not the only hurdle for HVAC. Older ductwork is often associated with traditional-style electrical systems, which are not quite compatible with modern HVAC solutions. They either don’t ensure a stable current supply to the unit or don’t provide enough safety to the expensive unit. If you take the courage to connect your modern HVAC with those older electrical systems, you might end up losing your whole HVAC or getting serious damage to some costly components, such as compressor failure or heat exchanger problems.
Here is what you can consider installing without devastating the infrastructure of your historical home.
These systems are the premium solutions for older homes. They contain a small, 2-inch supply tubing that can easily be installed in the traditional walls, ceilings, and floorings. The system must use high pressure to ensure an efficient supply of the processed air inside every portion of the home.
The full form is variable refrigerant flow systems. Their primary attributes include zonal technology and smaller, less intrusive tubing that makes them suitable for historical homes without losing their charm. We have installed such systems in many older homes in Bethlehem before this and have collected positive customer experiences so far.
If your older Bethlehem home contains functional ductwork but the efficiency is compromised, the ideal step is to replace central air conditioners and furnaces with modern, more efficient heat pump units. It ensures you get efficient cooling and heating without replacing your complete ductwork.
Lehigh HVAC has been serving Bethlehem with reliable HVAC services for over 11 years. We have worked with multiple older homes experiencing unique challenges related to ductwork. Thanks to our dedicated and experienced team, who tackled every challenge professionally and delivered what the clients hoped for. If you are also worried about your older home, we would be happy to help. Connect with us at 484-961-7044 for further discussion.
