The Air Conditioning Installation Process: What to Expect

Stage one: the survey

We visit, measure the rooms, look at glazing and orientation, find a route for pipework and condensate, check the consumer unit and agree where the outdoor unit can go. This is where the design decisions are made and where problems get found before they cost money.

You get a written specification listing the equipment, capacities, routes, electrical works, VAT treatment and price.

Stage two: preparation

We agree a date, order equipment and confirm anything that needs your action first — clearing access to the loft, moving furniture away from walls, or arranging permissions in a leasehold flat.

Dust sheets and floor protection come with us. We ask for parking near the property where possible, because there is heavy kit to carry.

Stage three: first fix

Core drilling through the external wall, running refrigerant pipework and condensate, and pulling in the interconnecting cable. This is the noisiest and dustiest part, and it is usually done within the first few hours.

Pipework is run inside voids, ceilings or neat external trunking depending on what we agreed at survey.

Stage four: units, vacuum and commissioning

Indoor units go onto their backplates, the outdoor unit is mounted on brackets or a ground stand, and the system is pressure tested and evacuated to remove moisture and air before refrigerant is released.

We then run the system in both cooling and heating, take commissioning readings, check condensate drainage and hand over the controls with a demonstration.

• Pressure test and vacuum before charging — never skipped
• Electrical work certified
• Commissioning readings recorded
• Warranty registered on your behalf

After handover

You get the manuals, the commissioning record and the electrical certificate. We explain filter cleaning and set a reminder for the first annual service.

If anything is not right in the first weeks, we come back. Snagging is part of the job, not an argument.