Contractor Updates Heat, AC at Classic CA Home

A recent renovation to a 50-year-old, 10,000 sq.ft. California home designed by architect Welton Becket includes 12 York Affinity 15+ SEER high efficiency air-conditioning units and 12 York +92% high efficiency Affinity furnaces.
Michael Mangan, president of Cool-Flo Air Conditioning Heating, a 25-year-old family-owned business in Palm Desert, CA, says he faced many challenges in delivering updated air conditioning and heating systems to the expansive home.
When work on the project began, the majority of mechanical equipment designed to provide heating and cooling to the home was located in the basement. However, after construction began, the owner decided to convert the basement into a media room.
“That meant a major shifting of gears for us,” recalls Mangan. “We had to get all of our equipment out of the basement and relocate it throughout the rest of the house. At the same time, we were working with an architect who wanted to feel the conditioned air, but didn’t want to hear it or see any signs of the system that supplies the air. His design called for large, open, vaulted ceilings that challenged us to find ways to hide our ductwork.”
The design for the HVAC system was made even more difficult, because the house does not have an attic.
“The ceiling is the roof,” explained Mangan. “In other words, the house has a pitched ceiling that matches the roof line. The same piece of timber that is angled to create the roof is also the ceiling. So, there is no extra space above the ceiling to run ductwork.” As a result, the contractor ran underground ductwork throughout the house, having to first cut through the original dual slab beneath the house.
To limit the length of the ducts, the house was divided into 11 different zones, each with its own control. At least one air conditioner and one furnace were assigned to each zone. In the case of the living room and the master bedroom, two units were installed and a larger packaged unit, also ducted underground and located on the ground, to serve the guest suite.
“In the master bedroom,” says Mangan, “we installed a three-ton unit and a five-ton unit. Depending upon cooling demands on any particular day, the more appropriately sized unit will work to provide efficient cooling to the space.”
Affinity air conditioners feature the unique York QuietDrive™ System that utilizes a swept-wing fan design, an isolated compressor compartment, composition base pan and high-efficiency scroll compressor technology to provide quiet, energy-efficient operation that delivers precise temperature and humidity control. The system’s forward swept-wing fan design is adapted from the aerospace and defense industry. Air flows smoothly off the fan blade, reducing air turbulence and raising comfort levels by significantly reducing sound.
For more information, visit www.yorkupg.com/affinity.