FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM SEPTEMBER 2019 49in the wall cavity that was
disturbed. Then hang the
evaporator on the mounting
bracket. Your helper may need
to feed a few more inches of the
line set outside as you do this.
On the outside, insert the two-
piece plastic trim into the hole
to prevent any rough edges
from damaging the line set.6
INSTALL THE
CONDENSER
Set the condenser on a pad on
the ground or mount it on a
wall bracket so that the refriger-
ant lines can reach it easily.
Route the line set so it stays tight
to the building exterior and
doesn’t leapfrog any obstruc-
tions. This makes it easier to
install a cover. Ensure the con-
denser has the recommended
clearance from walls and bushes.
Avoid placement where ice or
packed snow could fall on it or
where other appliances vent.
A location on the east or north
side of the structure maximizes
cooling efficiency.7
CONNECT THE
REFRIGERANT
LINES
This step varies by manufacturer.
With this system, a locking lever
presses the line connections
together. Before powering up,
inspect the refrigerant lines for
kinks and verify the electrical
connections. Then go inside and
set the temperature using the
handheld controller.8
COVER THE
LINE SET
Insulate and seal the hole in the
outside wall, then cover the line
set using sections of plastic or
metal channel cut to length.
Place the back half of the chan-
nel behind the line set, plumb it
and anchor it to the wall with
self-tapping screws. Our line set
travels horizontally to the com-
presser, so when we added the
channel corner (see p. 46), we
drilled a hole in it to allow the
drain line to exit straight down.(^67)
8
Drain line
Line set
cover
Locking
lever