- Home
- Change-outs
What actually drives a rooftop change-out
The equipment is rarely the hard part. Answer six questions about your building and see which factors will decide the programme, the cost and the disruption.
The planner
This is preparation for a survey, not a substitute for one — nothing is priced here, and a roof always has something the questions did not ask about. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
What this looks like
Nothing here changes the shape of the job. A survey confirms the curb and the connections, the unit is ordered, and the change-out happens in a single planned day.
There are two or three factors here that need settling before a date is fixed. None of them is unusual, but each adds lead time, and the programme is what needs attention rather than the equipment.
Several factors here interact, and a price given before a survey would be a guess. The honest sequence is a survey, a written scope, then a date — and possibly temporary equipment in between.
What drives it on your building
Four questions for any change-out quote
- What does it exclude?Electrical work, permits, curb adapters, temporary equipment and crane standing time are the usual omissions.
- Who supplies the crane?And who carries the cost if the lift is delayed by weather or by access on the day.
- What happens to the old unit?Removal, refrigerant recovery and disposal are part of the job and should be stated.
- What commissioning figures will I get?Airflow, temperature rise or split, gas pressures and control settings, written down at handover.
