As part of basement renovation, I am moving the HVAC indoor unit for about 30 feet, which means the refrigerant line has to be extended by same length concealed within basement ceiling.
Now, I have the option of moving the outdoor unit as well to place it closer to the indoor unit's new location. But, this involves additional cost. Am trying to find out if this additional cost is worth moving the outdoor unit.
Would having a lengthy refrigerant line affect AC performance? Would I incur higher utility bill compared to keeping the outdoor unit closer to indoor unit?
My guess is since the coolant travels longer distance, there could be more energy loss, resulting in less cooling in the house causing the AC unit to work harder.
Best Answer
Each manufacturer has installation recommendations for their equipment, including distance, vertical height difference, size of line, etc. I’d follow their directions.
30’ does not seem unreasonable for total length, including distance plus height. See Trane’s installation guide starting on page 18-21.
https://www.trane.com/content/dam/Trane/Commercial/global/products-systems/equipment/unitary/split-systems/odyssey-6-to-25-tons/SSP-SVX14J-EN_07112018.pdf
Obviously when you push the limits of their recommendations, the efficiency will go down.