AC installation, mini-splits and repair in Homewood, AL 35209
Homewood's cottages and bungalows are small, solid houses, and plenty of them have gained a room or two since they were built. When that new space outgrows the system, we size the fix to the house as it stands today.
Edgewood, Rosedale and Hollywood are full of 1920s through 1950s homes with a kitchen addition, a bonus room or a finished attic. Those projects add heat load the original system was never sized for. Zeltman Heating & Air runs a load calculation, then recommends a resized system, a mini-split or duct changes. We cover all of 35209 and answer 24/7.
Small older homes, bigger rooms, the same old system
Picture a 1940s Homewood cottage with a kitchen pushed out the back and an attic turned into a bedroom. The square footage went up, the windows multiplied, and the attic bedroom now sits under a roof that heats all afternoon. The air conditioner in the side yard is the same size it was before any of it happened, or it was replaced like for like.
In a small house, that mismatch shows up fast. The system runs nonstop on summer afternoons, the new room stays warm and the original rooms get colder than you want. Ducts in these homes are often small to begin with, tucked into tight attics or crawlspaces. Adding a supply run off an existing line steals air from the rooms already on it.
We start with a Manual J load calculation that counts the addition, the windows and the insulation as they are now. Sometimes the answer is a modest step up in system size with duct changes to carry the extra air. Often a ductless mini-split is simpler for an attic bedroom or a converted porch. When the old system is an R-22 unit or near the end of its life, a correctly sized replacement covers the whole house in one move.
Problems that follow an addition in Homewood
A system that runs all afternoon
Extra square footage and glass push the old system past its capacity on 95 degree days. Long run times without reaching the set point are the giveaway.
Attic bedrooms that bake
Finished attics sit right under the roof deck. Without a dedicated supply and return, they are often the warmest rooms in the house.
Small ducts asked to do more
Original duct sizes were picked for a smaller home. Tapping new runs off them weakens airflow everywhere else.
Kitchens that overheat at dinnertime
A larger kitchen with more appliances and windows adds heat in the evening, when the system is already working hard.
Like-for-like replacements
Swapping in the same size unit after an addition repeats the original problem. Sizing should follow the house as it is now.
Homewood services that come up again and again
Ductless Mini-Split Installation
Separate comfort for attic bedrooms, porches and bonus rooms.
Learn moreReaching Homewood, and timing an addition project
Homewood sits on the south side of Birmingham. From our base on 15th Avenue North we come in on US-31 or by 18th Street South into downtown Homewood, and Lakeshore Drive takes us toward Samford University and the south side of town. Neighbors in Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills share the same routes.
If you are planning an addition, call us about addition HVAC before the drywall goes up. Ducts and line sets are far easier to run through open framing, and we can size equipment from the plans. For a room that is already finished and uncomfortable, we measure what it needs and give you options with prices. A person answers 24/7 for breakdowns.
Nearby areas we also cover
Questions from Homewood homeowners
It depends on the size of the room, the windows and how much spare capacity the system had. Many Homewood systems were sized for the original cottage. We run a load calculation that includes the new room and tell you whether the current system can carry it.
For a single attic bedroom, a ductless mini-split is often simpler and more effective, since it does not depend on small existing ducts. If the whole house is uncomfortable or the system is old, a correctly sized replacement may make more sense.
Yes. We cover all of Homewood, AL 35209, including Edgewood, Rosedale, Hollywood, downtown Homewood along 18th Street South and the streets around Samford University and Lakeshore Drive. If you are unsure whether a street is in Homewood, call and we will confirm it.
During planning, before the walls are closed. That is when ducts, returns and refrigerant lines are easiest to run. We can size the equipment from your plans and work with your builder on where the new supply and return will go.
When the system runs longer to try to cool the addition, the original rooms near the air handler get more air than they need and drop below the set point. Balancing the airflow or giving the addition its own system usually evens it out.
Heating or cooling trouble in Homewood?
Call any hour. A person answers, and we will tell you when a technician can be there.