Licensed Maryland HVACR contractor · 41 years in Montgomery County 24/7 emergency service
Poteete HVAC · since 1985

Maryland · Whole system

HVAC Installers in Maryland

Complete heating and cooling system installation by a crew that has been replacing systems in Montgomery County since 1985.

When both halves of a system are due, replacing them together is nearly always the better project: the coil and the blower are matched, the refrigerant circuit is new end to end, the ductwork gets corrected once, and you get one warranty and one commissioning report rather than a hybrid of old and new. This is the work we do most — full system replacement in homes between forty and a hundred years old, where nothing is quite standard and the existing installation was done by three different contractors across three decades.

Our installation standard does not change with the price of the equipment. Load calculation before selection. Static pressure measured before the quote. Nitrogen purge during brazing. A 500-micron vacuum held and verified. Refrigerant weighed in. Airflow set to the manufacturer's target. Permit filed, inspection attended, commissioning sheet left with the equipment. Most system failures we are called to repair in year three trace back to one of those steps being skipped in year one.

Where we work
How a split system works An indoor air handler and evaporator coil connected by an insulated line set to an outdoor condensing unit, with supply and return ductwork inside the house. Conditioned space Supply Return Air handler + coil Condensing unit Suction Liquid
Heat is absorbed indoors at the evaporator coil, carried outdoors through the insulated suction line, and rejected at the condenser. The two halves are a matched pair — replacing one and keeping the other is what invalidates the efficiency rating on the label.

Scope

What the job actually includes

  • Whole-home Manual J load calculation and duct system evaluation
  • Matched AHRI-certified equipment selection with written options at two or three price points
  • Furnace or air handler, condenser or heat pump, coil, line set, pad, disconnect and thermostat
  • Duct sealing and return-side corrections quoted transparently as separate line items
  • Condensate management with safety switches on any equipment above finished space
  • Full commissioning: superheat, subcooling, static pressure, temperature rise, combustion analysis
  • Permit filing, inspection attendance, warranty registration and rebate paperwork
  • Old equipment and refrigerant recovered and disposed of legally

Maryland specifics

Code, permits and rebates

All equipment we install meets or exceeds the current federal minimums for the southeastern region — 14.3 SEER2 for split air conditioners and 95% AFUE for most gas furnaces — and Maryland has adopted the 2021 IECC, which governs duct insulation and sealing on new distribution. Montgomery County DPS issues the mechanical permit; electrical work is permitted and inspected separately. Between the federal 25C credit, EmPOWER Maryland utility rebates through Pepco and Washington Gas, and manufacturer promotions, a qualifying high-efficiency system often carries several thousand dollars of combined incentive. We prepare the documentation.

Licensing

MD HVACR Contractor License #01-XXXXX. All refrigerant handling is performed by EPA Section 608 certified technicians, and equipment replacement is permitted and inspected through the county.

Process

How we run a hvac installation job

  1. Assessment visit

    We measure the house, read the existing system, look at the duct layout, check the electrical service and ask how you actually live in the house — which rooms are uncomfortable, when, and how long the problem has existed.

  2. Written proposal with options

    Two or three configurations with model numbers, AHRI match certificates, efficiency ratings, sound ratings, warranty terms and the full scope of ancillary work. No verbal quotes and no line items that appear on installation day.

  3. Permit and pre-installation planning

    Permit filed, equipment ordered and staged, and a walkthrough of where crews will work, where materials will stage and how the house will be protected.

  4. Installation

    Floor protection down, old equipment recovered and removed, new equipment set, connected, sealed and evacuated. Most single-system changeouts complete in one day; full retrofits take longer and are staged so the house stays livable.

  5. Commissioning and follow-up

    Full measured commissioning, thermostat setup and a walkthrough of the system. We schedule a seasonal follow-up so the system is verified in the opposite mode before you need it.

Pricing

What moves the price

We do not publish a single number, because a number without your house attached to it is marketing rather than information. These are the variables that actually decide what a job costs, and we itemise all of them in writing before any work begins.

Scope: changeout versus retrofit

Swapping equipment in place is the baseline. Relocating an air handler, rebuilding a plenum, adding returns or zoning the house are separate scopes with real value, and we price them so you can choose.

Equipment tier

Single-stage, two-stage and variable-speed inverter systems span a wide range. In Maryland's humid summers, the comfort difference between single-stage and variable-speed is larger than the efficiency difference.

Home age and access

A 1990s Germantown colonial with a basement air handler is a straightforward day. A 1925 Takoma Park home with an attic air handler, knob-and-tube-era wiring nearby and a historic district review is a different project.

Questions

HVAC Installers questions

How do I know if I should repair or replace my system?
The practical test: age over 15 years, a repair over about a third of replacement cost, R-22 refrigerant, or a second significant failure within two years. Any two of those together generally point to replacement. We give you both numbers and let you decide.
What happens if the equipment does not fit or the ducts are wrong?
That is what the assessment visit exists to catch. We measure clearances, plenum transitions, attic access and electrical capacity before ordering. Discovering a problem on installation day is a planning failure, not a surprise, and it should not become your change order.
Do you offer financing?
Yes, we offer financing options on system replacement, and we will also tell you which incentives you qualify for so the financed amount reflects the real net cost rather than the sticker price.
What warranty comes with a new system?
Manufacturer parts warranties are typically ten years with registration, which we handle at commissioning. We back our installation labor separately. Warranty claims are also where permitted, correctly commissioned installations matter — manufacturers do deny claims on improperly installed equipment.

Talk to a technician

Tell us what the house is doing.

Describe the problem and we will tell you what it usually means, what it typically costs to diagnose, and when we can be there. No obligation, no scripted sales call.

Call (301) 555-0182 Request a quote

Mon–Fri 7:00am–6:00pm · Saturday 8:00am–2:00pm · 24/7 emergency service