DIY Central Air Install for $3300 (Including Tools!)

My Mother-In-Law has never had central air conditioning in her life. After living in her house for 37 years, we installed central air but didn't tell her until the end that it was totally free. #diy #hvac #airconditioner
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DAVE (DIY HVAC GUY)'S Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/thediyhva...
• 18/5 Thermostat Wire: $22.79, geni.us/QJ2A
• 3 TON AC Unit with Line set: $2201, hvacdirect.com/3-ton-14-3-see...
• Deburring Tool: $15, geni.us/2eM8g2
• Emery Cloth (sandpaper): $4, geni.us/T4GwF
• Stay-Clean Flux + Stay-Brite 8 Solder: $96, geni.us/CACTNcB
• Utility Propane Torch: $24, geni.us/JjPS
• PVC Fittings, Pipe, Glue: $30
• 3’ x 3’ Condenser Unit Pad: $96, geni.us/ojIGfGg
• 30 Amp 2 Pole Breaker: $18
• 6’ 1/2” Whip: $17, geni.us/OwaJog
• Fast-Stat 5000: $123, geni.us/happ7nS
• Pipe Bending Tool: $115, geni.us/Zl26ASa
• Valve Core Remover Tool: $19, geni.us/3D38MR
• Vacuum Pump / Manifold Gauge: $124, geni.us/B49USF
• Micron Gauge: $166, geni.us/BZOLodv
• Gauge Adapter: $23, geni.us/DzB1B8
• Scale: $85, geni.us/70xFG1
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[@bobberndt9744]

I NEVER would have considered this a DIY project, but I can easily see doing 85-90% of this work to save a lot of money for a similar installation.

[@planesandbikes7353]

It is intimidating. I'd be keen to do it at my main home (but I did a Mini Split, which is easier). At my vacation house 1500 miles away I don;t have my workshop full of tools and the 3 ton central AC is going to need replacement in the next few years. But saving $6k is a huge lump of money justifying rebuying all the tools and even vacuum pump, guages valves etc needed to do this absolutely by the book.

[@rickbarnett9729]

If you just buy the unit itself and whatever you mite need like line set if you don’t have any yes you can reuse line set if it’s ok you can hire ac person to hook it up for you and still save lot of money

[@---ny4ys]

@@planesandbikes7353 buy the tools from a pawn shop. youll save at least another 500 to 1000 in the end. gauges can be had for 20 bucks or so. torch and pump will be a bit more but you can probably get each for 100 or 150 ish

[@chadmarkley]

Heck yeah you can do it!!! Love that channels like this are encouraging DIYers like us to take on bigger and bigger projects.

[@davidsanders6957]

Go ahead, then pay ME even more MONEY to come & correct mistakes . 😅😅😅😂😂😂😊😊😊

[@fredvanderwerff973]

Thanks for this Nils. I know what it meant to my mother to get this done. I think we’re all happy we don’t have to worry about (deal with) her swamp cooler anymore. 😅 I hope this gets 50 million+ views. You guys are great.

[@LRN2DIY]

Glad to do it. I only wish we could have gotten to it sooner.

[@fredvanderwerff973]

@@LRN2DIY True...but now it's done. So that's all that matters.

[@BrittCHelmsSr]

So sweet to see her reaction when you told her the cost. Love her Baby Boomer attitude of wanting to do her part. Your mother-in-law seems like a great lady who deserves your best.

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Yup. She's family whether she likes it or not.🤣 This is a great part of what made this worth watching and a totally professional job too.

[@goingagainstthegrain]

It's unfortunate that there are contractors that take advantage of people by either overcharging or not doing the job properly. We watch you two, independently, when we have the time. You two knocked this out of the park! The look on her face said it all. ❤ 👍

[@MetalDetectingwithCZkidd]

I’ve been in the business over 30+ years. Never once did I consider taking advantage, overcharging people or installing a system improperly. I didn’t learn the trade to do those things.

[@sichen2631]

In my area, contractor charge the customers based on 1:1.5 ratio for the system installation. What that mean is if the system is $10k, the total would be $25k. While some system is like $5k, they will charge 13k only. Like WTF, the labor cost is fixed, they are just being so greedy to charge customer more because they choose better systems. I hate HVAC in states.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

You are mentioning overcharging and they are spending $3,300 for a diy??? I just installed a 4 ton for $3,200. Installed..

[@havespacesuitwilltravel9607]

I had a contractor come out to work on my ac unit and he told me I would have to replace the entire thing. I asked if there was any explanation or reason and he said no you just have to replace it for thousands of dollars. I got a few other opinions and eventually someone just replaced a capacitor and fixed some wiring that was done backwards (lol) and the thing is still running two years later. I still get mad about that first guy.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

@@havespacesuitwilltravel9607 we've got a very popular company in our town that was recently bought out, keeping the same name. They condemned a mobile home furnace recently, said everything inside was burnt up. Price just the airhandler and evaporator coil for $4,400. The landlord called me for a second opinion and estimate, I replaced the blower relay and it works perfectly. I called the landlord and told him it's fixed. He was very surprised. He was getting an estimate mainly.

[@rlwoodlief]

You're a good son in law. This world needs more men of character like yourself and the AC guy! God bless you both.

[@LOGDOG5375]

Awesome job guys..... It's a great thing to give to, and take care of the elderly and not expect something in return. While I'm here, I have to give a big thank you to The DIY HVAC GUY and his channel, for his free advice and help here on KZbin. I have fixed my 25 year old A/C system myself .... over and over.... after multiple HVAC guys came out and said it needed to be replaced and couldn't be fixed. My wife and I chuckle and high five each other when our A/C comes on during our 90-100 degree days and this old A/C unit keeps cranking out that beautiful, cool air. >;-D I appreciate both of you, your channels, and content!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

What an awesome collab! Nice work boys 👊

[@jprich7]

KZbin needs more of these videos. Great job.

[@davidwelty9763]

In many parts of the southern US and desert southwest a/c is actually a life support system.

[@tedbell4416]

Absolutely

[@user-sj9ru3et2z]

You two experts are pretty cool yourselves

[@jeff4749]

You got my "like". What you and Dave did to her was just 😢. Great job! The society needs more people like you both

[@liqianghua]

Sweet collaboration. Only makes sense that you both got together here in Utah. Thanks to you both.

[@greggcoulter6008]

Great video and a wonderful, generous gift for a lovely woman. It’s nice to see you guys doing something nice for the joy it brings when helping others. Your MIL will be mentioning just how cool it gets in her house constantly now. She’ll be covered in blankets watching TV with the thermostat set to 78 lol.

[@fidgetshouse]

Wow, Nils and Dave. Your generosity is amazing. Your gift goes beyond mom, but also to your audience who may need to DYI to afford the upgrade. For me, it was fascinating to learn how this works, even though I have air conditioning. Terrific video.

[@dc-wp8oc]

Love it when a DIYer demonstrates how straightforward and easy an condenser install can be. Some of the (I'm an EXPERT) hater comments below are laughable. The HVAC industry as a whole are doing everything they can everyday to increase the cost for house occupants. Nice to see there are still folks who will do something for somebody just because they can. Rare.

[@WhiteVaille]

Hell yeah, big thanks to Dave for the collab! Love both of your channels. Though I'm not an HVAC tech or pro sparky, there were two or three small details I'd change, but overall really fantastic insight. Huge confidence boost that I could figure this all out, though my specialty is general automotive. To be fair, at the very start, I was worried we'd have to install duct work, which I imagine is another big hassle in its own regard, but I was quickly relieved to realize that these homes still usually have central heating, lol. Thanks again guys! Really appreciate the detailed journey! I hope you're both able to recoup costs from the video monetization!

[@WhiteVaille]

(Of course, if I had to do something I was particularly uncomfortable with, such as duct work, or worse with old boiler systems or something, I'd certainly call on the right industry professionals to make sure things are done right!)

[@killer5846]

You guys are absolutely awesome, make me tear up a little! It's not so unusual to have an older person with no AC. I remember my partners grandmother in Oklahoma living in a house with an AC and she never used it because they were raised without AC and she didn't like the electric bill!

[@Bunkysworkshop]

The gift of LOVE goes a long way. Keep up the good quality work. It will pay off in the long run. I promise.

[@dudeh9702]

Bravo you two. This was fun to watch. Still a big DIY job. Glad she can enjoy her new A/C!

[@GreyRockOne]

Thanks Gentlemen! What a good gesture! Real easy, I'm no stranger to sweating pipes or plumbing in general, this is the way to go. You just need to posses some common sense, patience, a decent electrical and mechanical aptitude and above all good safety. I've been doing my own car AC work for decades, this isn't much different, just the PROPER tools! Thanks again.

[@cefgil3905]

Love her! It’s always good to give back.

[@johnknox5692]

very nice of you guys, make old lady cry for all the right reasons

[@kevinritchie9227]

What a great thing you both did!

[@ItsKarenReyes]

Great video the explanation is great but the best is helping your mother in law. Honestly we need more people who would help our elders from not getting scammed and honoring their life's work!

[@Pxsdaemon]

Her reaction was icing on the cake the cake. Well done guys!!!

[@KTPDAILY]

WE NEED MORE PEOPLE LIKE THIS IN OUR LIVES -- WHAT SWEETNESS!!!!

[@lolkzmk3548]

the final part make me cry. you guys are the sprit of usa .

[@jrpritchard1622]

HEy guys my hat is off to both of yall you two have big hearts very nice thing yall did for the home owner keep sharing videos be safe have a great week

[@jasonelizanigel9381]

Amazing video. This was a great watch and I commend yall on all the hard work.

[@AR-up4xe]

The end of the video was the best :) Shout out to you and Dave, Nice Job!

[@diyhvacguy]

Thanks brother!

[@markdenney3903]

That was very god of you. I am so happy for all of you. It is as good to be the giver as the receiver. You will get your reward in the end.

[@mrxclusive]

I think its amazing that you provided MIL free of charge! its nice to help those who deserve it. This is a DIY but definitely not beginner level! there were so many steps and I'm afraid of what happens when i misstep or solder incorrectly!

[@MrNightpwner]

You think that man is gonna go home to his wife after taking $13k from her mother? Hell no! Lol Great video

[@mengchhornchhun2783]

I follow your instructions on installing mini split and already did two installation so far, this really make me want to change my house ac system as it going in its 20+ years of using now.

[@user-js3gs7du3h]

Wow, 2 of the guys who make a lot of the videos I watch doing a joint video. Pretty awesome! It's weird cause I'm a CNC machinist who make parts for aerospace and have nothing to do with HVAC at all other than owning a house but for some reason I love HVAC videos. I think it's just that I appreciate seeing true craftsmen do their work and offer their knowledge to others.

[@russmartin4189]

I never lived in a house or apartment with air until I was 43 and I installed a through the wall air conditioner myself. Well, three places I lived in said there was air, but it came out about the temperature as the outside air and they wouldn't fix it. My parent's houses never had air. In the 50's and 60's only the rich people had it. We used to ride around in the car to get some breeze, but at night you had to sleep in the heat and humidity. It was all just a part of life and people lived with it.

[@dennissmithjr.5370]

Nice job guys, God Bless you for doing that for free.

[@scottandsher]

Nothing but love ❤

[@UDoIt2]

Awesome - just started watching this now. I've been watching Dave for some time. - John

[@saftbrain]

Wholesome!

[@SivaFolsom]

Amazing! Great job both of you!

[@geoffap0]

I feel much more confident to do my own install seeing DIV HVAC Guy’s videos. Awesome Collaboration Video! Thank you as always, for making these great videos!

[@knowone2185]

Bless you guys

[@gilbertopatino2616]

Wow, awesome guys. May God bless you, another awesome video.🙇🙏👏

[@emoneyblue]

Beautiful guys this was such a special video and what a blessing for your mother in law.

[@joegonzalez1778]

Thanks, you guys! Great info!!!

[@yannkitson116]

You're great guys, well done!

[@ahmedsabah787]

Guys that is the best gift. Really proud of both of you. Money comes and goes.

[@jpindahaus]

Dang it. You made me cry. What a nice gift.

[@ben99873]

Cool collaboration between two great channels

[@macsterguy]

DIY HVAC GUY is my Hero!

[@diyhvacguy]

Haha thanks brother! 🙏🏻

[@raywagner8075]

Fantastic job guys! I hope this video gets a ton of views!

[@dogglebird4430]

What a lovely thing to do. Thanks for sharing, Nils. Here in the UK - if you ever come to visit my country - don't be surprised if you visit a home and discover there is no AC system. Very few people have air conditioning here, including wealthy people. Maybe that's because you can count in the fingers of one hand how many really hot days we have here in any year.

[@illbetherejk3212]

There are many places on the US where A/C is not common place. I'm in western Washington state and maybe 1 in 100 have AC. Meanwhile in Arizona nearly every home has AC.

[@dogglebird4430]

@@illbetherejk3212 Interesting. We are always told that all US homes have AC. Obviously it depends where you happen to live. Thanks for the information.

[@dave56ize]

awesome guys !!!

[@rolig3518]

Beautiful!

[@testtesting2868]

I learned a trick many years ago that a soldiered line-set fitting only needs the equivalent soldier of the size of the fitting. For example, 7/8" line-set would use 7/8" of 1/8" diameter soldier. I bend the length needed, which makes it easy to know when I have sufficient soldier in a joint. Too much soldier and you risk potential "ball bearings" in your line-set that can move to the compressor. This has never failed me. As well, I use a trap on the condensate line to avoid negative pressure at the coil outlet. The negative pressure will pull / trap condensate back into the coil, while running. A trap will avoid this negative pressure and the condensate will properly flow down stream. This reduces humidity from being reintroduced into the air stream. VERY important in humid environments!

[@Dixdog9229]

Awesome 👏🏾

[@Donkey550]

Great job guys.

[@marcaustin]

Great video, very interesting. Quite a bit above my level of DIY but i did learn a few things

[@fatLPfan]

Great video! love the ending, as son to lovely mother I think more and more of us need to step up and more for our parents! god bless your good heart

[@MrTaylorfenoglio]

whats crazy is ive followed you for years and i just starting watching diy hvac guy last week and was telling the father inlaw about him

[@shonhaines1995]

That was awesome! I just kept thinking, as the cost was being updated throughout the video, there is no way the guy with nearly 1M KZbin subs was going to charge his mother-in-law, of all people, for a simple AC install. Very nice ending.

[@jfinaz99]

A great gift! Well done...🙂

[@mtnest1226]

Dave is a wonderful person and a fatherly friend

[@diyhvacguy]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻

[@0num4]

I won't use wire nuts, if possible, after watching an old video of yours, probably a couple of years ago. Once you showed off those Wagos, I was instantly a believer! Thanks again for the excellent DIY tips. If I need to replace my condenser (it's over 30 years old!), I'll consider doing it myself.

[@9to5techs]

❤ nice to know their are good people still on this planet.

[@SixTwoHemi]

13:05 SUPER NO DIDDY 😂😂 Jokes aside this was a great install

[@kat5008]

So nice. There ae good people.

[@Justmegd]

Thank you for this.

[@monohydrate2]

Where's your wife? Would love to see her reaction as well. Such a wonderful gift, especially with these heat waves!

[@reneelemos765]

No not by myself! I need a diy guy like this... 👍

[@Scat.original]

Great job and Awesome gift to her. I rate this as 5 star *****

[@johnbryant4410]

Be careful using the ACIQ stuff. It's absolute garbage. I found it IMPOSSIBLE to get parts when I had an issue with the system I bought, and couldn't get them to help me from a warranty standpoint since I DIY'd it as well. I replaced it with a Bosch system which has been killing it ever sense.

[@jpmccue7]

Good job guys

[@mannyvelez4437]

Good bless you guys!!!! Btw you are golden!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@samtx5518]

She needs a new sprinkler guy! Geesh her expression was priceless

[@TxRealtorSA]

Bless you gentlemen. It will return to you in other ways.

[@johnmay371]

Super nice You guys are Excellent video

[@joshrosenbloom9726]

I love how he doesn’t put the cost for the indoor evaporation coil to make it look like this actually saves you money

[@kaplunk1548]

i love how this ac is branded iq even when it is possibly one of the simplest ones ever

[@MichaelSmith-os1pp]

good job!!!

[@_panglima2149]

teruskan usaha anda semoga anda sentiasa berjaya dalam kehidupan harian

[@Aviation2016]

There are definitely some small details especially if people are re using line sets or of they encounter problems. But it was straight forward. Every house and situation is different

[@Thomas63r2]

If you have ever wondered why so many HVAC contractors (and roofing contractors, etc.) are all driving custom $100,000 beast 4x4 crew cab Super Duty trucks (and they have all the toys, big 5th wheel campers, off road vehicles) - its because there are high margins in their work. Nothing wrong with that, but that is why DIY major projects usually cost just 1/3 the contractor quote.

[@douglasgarcia8577]

God bless you guys and her!!!

[@jovannilim457]

God bless you guys!!

[@aaron74]

Two great Utahns! I will visit your great state someday soon hopefully.

[@user-tx4ts5vk5f]

NICE!!!!!

[@Scuba_Bro]

It’s kind of interesting that there was already duct work throughout the house and never had AC… usually I find that the reason people don’t add centralized AC is because of having no duct work in the house.

[@narutobroken]

How would it be heated with no duct work?

[@wrenchdoozer]

No duct work? I guess that would be older houses that use radiators for heat.

[@fredvanderwerff973]

That’s because it was cheaper to put a swamp cooler on top of the house when it was built. Mom and Dad tried to save where they could to make the house big enough for 6 kids.

[@ggrimm79]

This looks like an "AC-ready" house: evap. coil on the furnace but no condenser or lineset. When people just have a furnace, they still sometimes have to change ductwork, as some heating ducts are not suitable for the colder, denser air of AC.

[@CedroCron]

Look at the hackery the previous HVAC contractor did with the flexible exhaust on the furnace and the fleible gas lines... Like "take the quick and cheap/easy way out" or what... Also great job giving this lady A/C after 37 years... Not sure how anyone lives without that any more. It's gross in the summers without it.

[@planesandbikes7353]

yep. At my clinic the landlord had HAVC company put in a new AC system a couple years ago. Then last summer the first heat wave hit and here we were trying to do dentistry sweating onto patients at 85F inside. Fudging HVAC pro who charged $12k did not adequately seal the connections and all the refrigerant was lost. Glad I installed my own ductless heat pump at home - 3 years of flawless heating and cooling for my house and the unit was $1,500cdn, plus about $1000 for electrical etc, coming fro oil heat it paid for itself fully in 2 years. Neighbour paid HVAC $10k for the same and it would take 12 years to pay for itself. LOL

[@CedroCron]

@@planesandbikes7353 I’m due for furnace and A/C replacement in the next 5 years or so as my units are getting up there in age. I think I’m going to go replace the furnace myself (had a gas fitter license in the past so I’m well versed in it), but I think this time I’m going to do a couple of Mini-Split heat pumps because my house is really old and has no insulation in the walls. The high efficiency 96% furnace we have does really well up here in Canada with our cold winters and then in the summer just cool the section of house we are in rather than the whole house which isn’t very efficient because of our homes insulation issues and because electricity in my area is really expensive so running the condensing unit all day long is expensive cooling the whole house when we use the bed rooms upstairs for sleeping only a part of the time and the living room/kitchen the other part of the day. (I’m home all day as I’m disabled with a chronic health issue).

[@SmitHVAC.]

Why would someone install a cased evap coil on top of that furnace if they weren't having AC installed? That's an extra $400-$600 that should have been added to the total cost.

[@russmartin4189]

When soldering, wipe the excess with an old rag. The finished joint looks perfect and you do not need to sand.

[@trappleye]

Am I the only one that heard the loud fart at 19:19? Great work though, and so nice to help her out!

[@klchu]

Great video but it stretches the concept of DIY quite a bit.

[@bigap5954]

I agree 100%. It's not as easy at they make it seem for the everyday person. I've done HVACR for 22 years.

[@DagrtOne]

You should have told her to take a cruise 🎉 “The price is for you to take a long cruise!”🚢

[@craiginswflorida9324]

I wish You guys were in my area.

[@tommywilkinson33]

This is cool and I don’t know if maybe I missed it but I think it would be good just to point out if you are doing DIY HVAC to be aware of permits where ever you live. I know I’ve been looking at options too and where I live you NEED a permit for ANY change or addition because of important Heating is. So they blanket it to include cooling too and all HVAC work on a home requires a permit. Then some places require that HVAC work only be done by a certified HVAC contractor or company. I’ve also heard the penalties for not following through can be anywhere from paying for the cost to remove the installation to paying a percentage of the average retail estimated price for all the work done… So do a quick google search before your big DIY!

[@RockinM72]

As per electrical code, unit needs to be 36” clearance to the side of a meter/and or panel. 30” clearance in front of disconnect

[@FROG2000]

On the placement of the condenser. Wouldn't the dryer vent right next to it blow lint into the coils pretty quickly?

[@modernneanderthal6970]

My house currently only furnace heater. Is there a way to add in a evaporator so I can add AC? If so how do you properly size the condenser and evaporator unit?