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A contractor sizing central AC in Florence County has to get the load calculation right the first time. Homes in Florence County, SC run cooling about five months a year, from May through September. A compressor cycling through that many months accumulates wear on the contactor and condenser fan at a pace that punishes an undersized or poorly charged system faster than the equipment's rated life would suggest. Rushed installs that pass a mild first season fail when the compressor has nowhere to hide.
Ductwork sized and routed for older equipment is what a contractor has to assess before anything else on a central AC installation here. Half the homes in Florence County, South Carolina were built in 1986 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). That history shows up in the duct runs: what was adequate for a previous system often falls short of what a new one needs to move air through the house. If the ductwork cannot carry the load, the equipment choice becomes secondary to fixing that first.
What Gets Installed With a New Central AC
The outdoor condenser unit sits on a pad beside the house and holds the compressor and condenser coil, the two components that do the heaviest work in the refrigeration cycle. Inside, the air handler or furnace-based coil cabinet stands in a utility room, basement, or closet and connects to the supply and return ducts that carry air through the home.
The refrigerant line set runs between those two units, typically through a wall or crawl space, and the thermostat goes on an interior wall where it reads the home's temperature and tells the system when to run. A condensate drain line also runs from the indoor coil to a floor drain or outside to carry away the moisture the coil pulls from the air.
The drawing shows the general layout of a central AC system, and a licensed contractor determines exactly what applies to this house.
Get matched in Florence CountyFlorence County, by the numbers
120 severe weather events were recorded in Florence County, South Carolina between 2015 and 2024.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31.Half the homes in Florence County, South Carolina were built in 1986 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesFlorence County, South Carolina holds 62,090 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 64.5% of the occupied homes in Florence County, South Carolina (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesRules & Standards Governing Central AC Installation in Florence County, South Carolina9 sourced rules and standards
What the Installation Actually Looks Like
Split-system central air conditioners rated below 45,000 Btu/h manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Split-system central air conditioners rated at or above 45,000 Btu/h manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Split-system central air conditioners manufactured between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2022 had to meet 13 SEER, the metric that preceded SEER2.
Single-package central air conditioners manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Space-constrained central air conditioners manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 11.7 SEER2.
Federal efficiency standards for split-system central air conditioners and heat pumps are set on each certified combination of outdoor unit and indoor coil rather than on the outdoor unit alone.
Residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems assembled in the field, including mini-splits and unitary systems, may not be installed on or after January 1, 2025 using a refrigerant with a global warming potential above 700.
A field-assembled system whose specified components were all manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025 carries no installation compliance date under the refrigerant restrictions and may still be installed.
Licensing and Legal Requirements in Florence County, South Carolina
South Carolina requires a mechanical contractor license for contracting work whose total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars.
Severe Weather Events in Florence County
Weather puts a measurable load on cooling equipment, and that load is local. What Florence County sees year over year shapes how hard a central AC system has to work and what it needs to handle for the long run.
120 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.