AC service in Brandon, Florida

Homes from the 1970s to the 1990s

Brandon had 12,749 residents in 1970, 41,826 in 1980 and 57,985 in 1990. Growth took off during the 1980s, and Interstate 75 opened through the area on September 27, 1986.

A home built in the 1970s, 1980s or early 1990s is now 30 to 55 years old. A house that old has usually had its air conditioner replaced, and the ducts may be the original ones. The result is a newer outdoor unit attached to old ductwork, which limits what the new equipment can do.

Duct leakage

A typical house loses 20 to 30 percent of the air moving through its ducts. The loss of cooling and heating energy in a typical duct system runs 25 to 40 percent, and a duct that leaks 20 percent of its air makes the system work 50 percent harder.

Ductwork typically lasts 10 to 20 years. In a Brandon house that dates from the 1980s, the original ducts are well past that. Signs of leaky ducts include rooms that stay warm, a high summer bill and ducts in the attic or the garage.

Ask for a duct check at the tune-up. If the ducts leak, the fix is sealing with mastic or metal tape, which holds up better than ordinary duct tape. A new, bigger air conditioner does not fix a leaking duct system.

Older split systems

A split system has an outdoor unit and an indoor coil connected by refrigerant lines. In older Brandon homes you will often find the indoor coil is original even if the outdoor unit was replaced, or the other way around. An old coil and a new outdoor unit can be a poor match.

Under DOE's 2023 standards, in the Southeast a replacement outdoor unit paired with an older indoor unit is compliant for installation only if the outdoor unit was certified as compliant for that use. Ask your tech how the pairing meets the standard.

R-22 refrigerant is one of the reasons to consider replacing a system instead of repairing it. If your system uses R-22, ask what the recharge would cost and what a replacement would involve. The replacement page covers the refrigerant change.

Permits in unincorporated Hillsborough

Brandon is an unincorporated community, so permits come from Hillsborough County. The county's exempt-work list does not name A/C replacement. Your tech pulls the permit, so just ask whether the permit fee is in your quote.

Insulation and the attic

Most ductwork is in non-conditioned space such as attics, and fallen duct insulation is a common problem. Insulation that has slid off a duct leaves a cold surface in a hot attic, and the system works harder to deliver the cooling you paid for.

A look at the attic ducts takes only a few minutes at a tune-up. Ask your tech to point out loose connections, crushed ducts or missing insulation, and what repairing them would involve.

A tune-up in an older house

An older house tends to turn up more at a tune-up. The coil may be dirtier, the drain line may have been partly blocked for years, and a connection or two may be worn. None of this means the system is finished. It means the first visit in several years is worth doing thoroughly.

Ask your tech to list what they found in writing, with the age and condition of each major part. Then you can decide which repairs to do now and which to watch. The maintenance page covers what a thorough visit includes.

What to ask your tech

• Can you check the ducts for leaks and tell me where they are?
• Is the indoor coil original, and does it match the outdoor unit?
• What refrigerant does my system use?
• If you replace the unit, will you test or seal the ducts at the same time?
• Who pulls the Hillsborough County permit?
• Ask for their state license number.