Real Protek Project · April 2025
5-Ton Attic Heat Pump Replacement in New Tampa, FL
Heat Pump Replacement for Ginger L. in New Tampa
Location
New Tampa, FL
Project type
Split heat pump replacement
Capacity
5 ton (60,000 BTU), 14.3 SEER2
Air handler
Horizontal, attic, 8 kW heat strip
Safety
Emergency pan with primary and secondary float switches
Permit
City of Tampa
Completed
April 2025
Crew
Chandler, Ernesto and Brandon
This New Tampa home's 5-ton system lives in the attic, and the old system's compressor was damaged. The attic access was too small for a new air handler to go up in one piece, so our crew broke the unit down, carried it up in sections and reassembled it on a new emergency drain pan with primary and secondary float switches. Because of the compressor damage we flushed the existing line set before connecting the new outdoor unit on a new hurricane pad with a new electrical whip. We also added a 16-inch return to a new 18x18 filter-back grille to give the bigger system the return air it needs.
Installed in one day by one Protek crew, permitted with the City of Tampa.
The brief
- →Replace a system whose compressor had been damaged
- →Get a full-size air handler through a small attic opening
- →Protect the ceilings below from condensate overflow
- →Give the system enough return air to run the way it is designed to
What we built
- ✓Broke the new air handler down to fit through the attic opening and reassembled it in place, leveled on its platform
- ✓A new emergency drain pan with primary and secondary float switches that shut the system off before water can overflow
- ✓Flushed the existing line set to clear contaminants left by the compressor damage
- ✓A new outdoor unit on a new hurricane pad with a new electrical whip
- ✓Added a 16-inch return run to a new 18x18 filter-back grille
- ✓Charged and tested the system, including refrigerant pressures and amp draw
Before
The home as we found it
During
The install in progress
The Finished Install
Set, charged, tested and cleaned up
Need work like this at your home?
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