When I started showing videos of our installs a few years ago, an alarming number of people
around the world have asked me why there are so many homes with rooftop package units.
That’s coming up today on Fox Family Heating, Air and Solar.
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I understand.
It’s not normal in your section of the country, and you just haven’t seen it before, and
you want to know why someone would want their AC system on the roof.
Because most residential HVAC systems are split systems!
They have a furnace or air handler inside the house and the AC located on the outside
of the house; And a copper lineset runs between the two, as well as low voltage lines.
Two separate high voltage circuits have to be run to power a split system.
That takes up more room in the electrical panel, too!
Some homes installed back then, now have homeowners who want AC in that home, and have a package
unit cut into the rooftop, because there’s no more than two spots in the main electrical
panel available, and that’s only because we’re taking over the 240 spot for the window
AC unit they’ve been using!
So, why would you choose to put it on the roof as opposed to the ground?
In Sacramento, its normal to see entire neighborhoods which were built in the 50’s, 60’s and
70’s to have a package unit on their roof, as their means of central heating and cooling.
Understandably, a home builder is going to spec out the entire neighborhood they are
building to save money, and make a good profit.
To win the bid as the builder, you have to be good contractor, and be the cheapest.
Split systems cost more to install and take up more footprint than package units.
There’s less investment for the builder or homeowner to run one high-voltage electrical
circuit than one.
It’s also a lot cheaper for the builder or homeowner because there is no copper lineset
to run between the two units on a split system.
In a time where landscaping is so popular, and people are building lattice structures
around their unit anyway, space can be precious, so putting it on the roof frees up some space!
It’s also much easier to service a package unit than it is to service a split system
in a hot, cramped, attic.
Maintenance can be performed regularly with greater ease than a split system.
There’s a lot less running back and forth between units when you just have one package
unit on the roof.
Granted there’s the part about needing to use a ladder to access the unit.
And that can have it’s downfalls too.
Ladder work is serious business.
Proper ladder safety is paramount to a successful HVAC career.
Entire neighborhoods were built on slab foundations, so we can’t run ductwork under houses like
a lot of homes in the Sacramento area.
I’ve seen some homeowners put their package unit on the ground, on the side of the house,
and run two large chases up to the attic.
From there, the air gets distributed as usual.
I don’t see it too often.
It’s an industrial look over on the side of the house there, too!
The threat of snow here is light enough to operate the heating side in the winter, without
having to worry about snow drifts piling up and blocking combustion air, or exhaust.
Sacramento and the surrounding areas get flurries occasionally, but nothing really sticks.
So, snow drifts and major accumulations aren’t really a thing here.
Above the 2000 ft level, anything can happen, but down here in the valley, snow isn’t
really a thing.
Can you imagine trying to service a package unit on the roof in the snow?
Please leave a comment down below if you’ve had to service a package unit in the snow.
There’s gotta be some great stories out there.
Commercial techs do this all the time, albeit usually on a flat roof.
Most homes in this area have at least a 3 on 12 pitch or higher on their roof which
would make it pretty slippery!
One of the last advantages to having package units on the roof, is the mechanical aspect
of our central air conditioning system is far away from children’s curious hands.
I don’t hear of it often but there is a really fast-spinning, condenser fan blade
removing heat from the system and if a child or dog got too close, it could get messy.
Speaking of dogs.
Your dog can’t pee on the condenser coils as easy on the roof as it can when its on
the ground.
I’ve seen many a system ruined by dog urine on the copper coils.
And they don’t go together very well.
So what’s the weather like on the roof?
Well here in Sacramento, eight months of the year are pretty darn nice up there.
I gotta tell you, I would much rather be on a rooftop servicing or installing equipment
than in the attic cramped up, where on the same day the temps in the attic vs the temps
on the roof are at least 30 degrees warmer.
But lets get real, the hard work comes during the hottest times of the year when Sacramento
is above 90 and 100 degrees.
As the sun hits us when its coming down and again as it reflects off the rooftop back
up to us, it can be brutal on that rooftop.
Serious health risks are involved when you neglect proper hydration and mix it with hard
work, heat and sunshine.
All technicians have to pay attention to how much water they drink before they decide to
take on the problems of the HVAC world in hot temperatures!
Another concern with having a package unit on the roof for some homeowners is if the
package unit secure up there.
I have two points to cover on this.
Secure in one meaning when we talk about how its mounted to the house so it doesn’t slide
off the roof!
A stand is installed on the roof with lag screws and weatherized to prevent leaks.
An adjustable curb can also be used and flashed into the existing roofing shingles.
I would not try cutting a package unit into a house that has a tile roof or metal roof.
I think you’re just asking for water leaks when it rains.
The package unit sits level on top of that stand or curb and metal straps hold it down,
so it is earthquake proof.
The second point about it being secure is, it’s a lot harder to steal a package unit
when it’s on the roof.
I’m not saying it’s impossible!
We personally have had a customer on one side of town that had their brand new condenser
coils ripped out of the unit on its third month of operation.
He wanted the copper coils to trade in for cash most likely and there is a lot of copper
in these units.
As systems move towards all-aluminum designs, theft will decline with it.
That thief didn’t take the evaporator coil which was made of aluminum micro channel.
Click here to see what I’m talking about https://youtu.be/9iqJ3QRHEYM
But at the same time, I have a story about a traditional AC system and the condenser
on the back side of the house where a thief put a rope or chain around the condenser,
which was 100 feet away from the street and drove off with it attached to the chain.
When we got there, it was pretty impressive to see.
The lineset had been ripped out of the stucco wall on its way up two stories into the attic.
At one point about halfway up the wall the copper was ripped apart.
I don’t have video of that one though…
Efficiencies and SEER ratings of package units only go so high.
On traditional split systems, ratings are going as high as 25 SEER in 2019.
Package units only go to 16 SEER here in our area.
So this might weigh in on a homeowner’s decision to stay with a package unit when
it comes time for replacement.
One negative stigma that comes with owning a package unit on the roof is the noise.
The constant vibration and hum of the unit working on your roof.
Its something that people get use to over time, but new homeowners are not usually happy
when they hear it for the first time.
See, we have a machine strapped to the unit that vibrates when the AC comes on.
The compressor and a couple motors will cause this noise.
Mainly the compressor though, which is why its not as noticeable in the heating season.
The unit sits on the roof joists, the roof joists are attached to the ceiling and walls,
so the noise just reverberates through the house.
Well this has to be one of the most asked questions on my YouTube channel and social
media.
I hope this answer the question as to why there are so many package units on rooftops
in California.
If this is your first time watching our channel, please click subscribe down here on the bottom
right, and if you click that little bell right next to it, you’ll be notified of all our
videos as soon as they come out.
Don’t forget to get your official Fox Family merch available on Teespring.com down below
this video.
If you’ve ever wanted Fox Family swag, here’s your chance to grab the same stuff we wear
on the job out in the field!
Thanks so much for watching everyone.
We’ll see you on the next video!