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Davis & Salt Lake County

(385) 865-6749
CMB HVAC — Utah's Local HVAC

AC Installation & Replacement

Right-Sized Central Air Conditioning Installation

A new air conditioner should be selected for the home, the duct system, and the homeowner's comfort goals — not from square footage alone. CMB HVAC evaluates the load, equipment match, airflow, controls, and installation conditions before presenting options.

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Right-Sized Central Air Conditioning Installation

Replacement starts with confirming it beats repair, and sizing starts with a Manual J load calculation on your actual home — window orientation, insulation, infiltration, ducts — because an oversized air conditioner is worse than an undersized one: it cools fast, shuts off damp, and short-cycles itself into an early grave.

Then the equipment has to match: indoor coil to outdoor unit to furnace or air handler to thermostat, verified as a listed combination. You get flat-rate equipment options in writing with the trade-offs explained, permits pulled, and the commissioning numbers — charge, airflow, temperatures — documented and left with you when the truck pulls away.

The Numbers a Quality Install Leaves Behind

Ask any installer for these; we hand them over without being asked.

  • Load calculation first

    A Manual J on your home sets the size. The number travels with the quote so you can see why we specified what we did.

  • AHRI-matched equipment

    Indoor and outdoor units specified as a rated, listed combination — where the efficiency number on the box actually comes from.

  • Permits & inspection

    Mechanical permit pulled, work inspected — the paper trail that protects warranty claims and future appraisals.

  • Commissioning sheet

    Refrigerant charge, airflow, and temperature measurements recorded at startup and left with the homeowner.

When a Replacement Quote Makes Sense

None of these is an automatic verdict — each one just means the numbers are worth comparing on the same page.

  • Repairs are stacking up

    A second significant repair inside a couple of years is the system describing its trajectory. Compare that curve against a replacement quote.

  • It can't hold hot afternoons

    When the system runs all afternoon and never satisfies, sizing, coil condition, and charge all get measured — the fix isn't always replacement, but sometimes it is.

  • Phased-out refrigerant

    Systems running older refrigerant types get expensive to recharge with every leak. One significant sealed-system repair usually tips the math.

  • The home is changing

    Additions, finished basements, new windows, or insulation work change the load the original system was sized for — worth re-measuring, not assuming.

What a CMB Replacement Includes

  • Manual J load calculation on your home, shared with the quote
  • AHRI-matched equipment options at different tiers, flat-rate and in writing
  • All mechanical permitting and inspection scheduling
  • Floor and landscaping protection, old equipment removal and haul-away
  • New line set where conditions call for it, brazed with nitrogen
  • System evacuated to spec and charged by measured weight and pressures
  • Airflow set up and verified across the new coil
  • Thermostat setup and controls walkthrough
  • Manufacturer warranty registration and the commissioning sheet in your hand

How We Size and Specify the System

  1. Load calculation

    A Manual J on the actual house — orientation, windows, envelope, infiltration. The size comes out of the math, not the price sheet.

  2. Duct & airflow survey

    The existing ductwork has to deliver what the new coil needs. We measure, and we'll tell you honestly if duct work belongs in the scope.

  3. Site conditions

    Electrical capacity, condensate routing, line-set path, pad condition, and clearances — the unglamorous details that decide install quality.

  4. Matched options

    Indoor and outdoor units selected as a listed combination, presented at two or three tiers with the real differences explained.

  5. Written flat-rate quote

    Every scope item and every dollar on one page. No order is placed and no deposit taken until you've had time to compare.

Single-Stage, Two-Stage, or Variable

The ratings differ, but the felt difference is in how the system runs between thermostat calls. Here's the honest translation.

  • Single-stage

    One speed: on full or off. Dependable, straightforward to service, and the right value for many homes — it simply doesn't modulate, so temperature sits in a slightly wider band.

    Best for: budgets that prioritize reliability and simplicity

  • Two-stage

    Runs low most of the time and steps up for the brutal afternoons. Longer, quieter cycles even out hot rooms and take the edge off peak-time noise.

    Best for: two-story homes and rooms that have never quite agreed

  • Variable capacity

    Continuously matches output to the house — the quietest, steadiest option, with the highest efficiency ratings and the most sophisticated controls.

    Best for: long-ownership horizons and noise-sensitive spaces

Technician installing HVAC ductwork in industrial setting.
Line sets, drains, and electrical — the installation conditions around the equipment matter as much as the equipment.

What Drives the Price of a New AC

No two homes quote the same, and a price shouted over a fence is worthless. Here's what moves the number.

Your written quote already prices all of this — the list explains why two neighbors' quotes can differ by thousands and both be right.

  • Capacity & tier

    The load calculation sets the size; you choose the tier. Bigger is not better — oversized systems cost more and dehumidify and cycle worse.

  • Furnace or air handler pairing

    The indoor coil lives with the furnace or air handler. Mismatched pairing forfeits rated efficiency, so sometimes the right scope includes both.

  • Installation conditions

    Line-set length and routing, electrical service, condensate path, pad and clearance work — accessibility is a real cost driver on older homes.

  • Duct readiness

    If the ducts can't feed the new coil, duct corrections join the scope. We measure first and quote it plainly rather than discovering it mid-install.

We don't publish price ranges because the honest range is enormous — a like-for-like swap and a system-plus-ducts project are different jobs. Utility rebates and manufacturer incentives change by season and program; when one applies to your project it's itemized on the quote, not folded into a vague 'discount.'

How a CMB Installation Runs

  1. Quote visit

    Load calc, duct survey, site conditions, options in writing. The quote is flat-rate and stays flat — the number we write is the number you pay.

  2. Install day

    Protection down, old system out and hauled away, new equipment set, line sets brazed under nitrogen, permit-planned work to spec.

  3. Commissioning

    Evacuation to spec, charge by weight and verified pressures, airflow set up, temperatures and amp draws measured and recorded.

  4. Walkthrough & paperwork

    Thermostat taught, filter sizes confirmed, warranty registered, commissioning sheet and permit records handed over. Then the cleanup check.

What Utah Homes Need From a New AC

Along the Wasatch Front, the sizing conversation matters more than the brochure. Big daytime-to-nighttime swings mean a system spends its afternoons at full load and its evenings recovering; a right-sized unit rides those swings comfortably, while an oversized one slams on and off all afternoon and never dries the air properly. The altitude and dry air are easy on equipment — the dust and cottonwood are not, so pad placement and coil access get real attention in our quotes.

  • Manual J isn't optional here: 1970s ramblers and new builds ten streets apart can differ by tons of load
  • South- and west-facing glass drives afternoon load more than floor area does
  • Condenser placement that avoids cottonwood drop and landscape rock saves coils for years

Related Services & Pages

The Questions Every Homeowner Asks

How is a new AC sized?
With a Manual J load calculation on your actual home — orientation, window area and glazing, insulation levels, air leakage, and the duct system — not by square footage alone and not by matching the old unit's label. The old system's size is a data point, not an answer: it may have been wrong from the start, or the house may have changed since. The calculation is shared with your quote, so you can see why we specified the capacity we did.
Should I replace the furnace and AC together?
Sometimes. The indoor coil sits on top of (or inside) the furnace, and the pair is rated as a matched combination — a new high-efficiency condenser bolted to a fifteen-year-old furnace and coil can't deliver its rated efficiency and may not be a listed pair at all. If the furnace is younger and healthy, we'll build the quote around keeping it. If it's the same age as the AC, replacing both at once usually costs less than two separate projects and one set of permits.
What does SEER2 mean?
SEER2 is the seasonal energy-efficiency ratio measured under the newer, stricter test procedure that replaced SEER — it rates how much cooling a system delivers per unit of electricity across a whole season. Higher numbers mean less electricity for the same cooling, but the rating assumes matched equipment and proper airflow, which is why the installation matters as much as the number on the box. We'll show you the ratings for each tier side by side and what the difference actually means for your house.
How long does installation take?
A straightforward like-for-like replacement is most of one day: protection down in the morning, old equipment out, new system set and connected, evacuated, charged, commissioned, and walked through by dinner. Jobs that add scope — a new line set, duct corrections, a furnace going at the same time, or a crane for difficult placement — run longer, and we'll tell you which kind of job yours is when we quote it. The permit inspection is scheduled around the work, not on your clock.
Will my ductwork work with the new system?
That's exactly what the duct survey answers before anything is ordered. We measure whether the existing ducts can deliver the airflow the new coil needs; many can, some need corrections at specific runs, and a few honestly can't — undersized returns and crushed flex duct are the usual findings in older Wasatch Front homes. If duct work belongs in the scope, it's in the quote with its own line items, not discovered as a surprise on install day.
What warranties apply?
Two layers: the manufacturer's parts warranty on the equipment, which we register for you at startup so the clock starts correctly, and our workmanship on the installation itself. The commissioning sheet left with you documents the starting condition — charge, airflow, temperatures — which is what a warranty claim stands on. Permit records complete the paper trail. We'll walk you through what's covered by whom before the final walkthrough ends.

Connect With Us For Your Free In-home Consultation!

Get a Replacement Quote Worth Comparing

A load calculation, matched options at two or three tiers, and every scope item priced on one page. Free to quote, no obligation to order.

Schedule a Quote VisitCall (385) 865-6749