All Forum Posts by: Chris Gerstner

I'm glad I could help, Tyler. Nice to finally contribute to a forum that has taught me so much! 

Best of luck and let me know if any other questions come up. 

-Chris

Hello Tyler,

I'm almost brand spanking new to REI but am the third generation of my family to be in the HVAC business in the Dallas area.

Here, we have many heat pump units on the ground floor for third story units. Many builders are still building them that way right now actually. 

Typically, you find the condenser on the ground connected to an air handler in the attic above the third floor which supply's heat or cooling to the unit.

Your contractor should know what to look for but we all know what happens sometimes when you just trust your contractor. You'll want to specifically ensure that the exact condensing unit he is going to use will not have an issue with the length of the copper lineset and the rise (height that it will have to pump the freon up). Most manufacturers will work well for that application but there are standards for each model which usually can be found online that will show what the exact recommendations and limitations are. Look up the product data sheet or PDF for the exact model he is going to use. 

Now, you say that there isn't room for a furnace in the third floor area? Was there not an air handler already there somewhere? 

Could you have a roofer build a good platform for it to sit on, on the roof? The cost difference would be about the same whether you build the roof up the right way or relocate it to the ground level here in Dallas. 

I would typically recommend finding a place on the ground to install as it will be easier to maintain and service but I don't know the rest of the details of your particular place. Plus, I'm in Dallas and not sure if there is any other weather related reason to not put it on ground level.