Residential Equipment
Mechanical equipment in residential applications should be rigidly attached to the building structure or concrete pad.
The types of equipment used for residential HVAC include:
- Water heater
- Furnace
- Condensing unit with an indoor A-coil attached to a furnace
- Through-the-wall air conditioner
Water Heater
A water heater may be bolted to the residential structure with straps (see Figure 127, page 91). For gas water heaters below 100,000 BTUH, use flexible pipe to attach the water heater to the gas piping.
Furnace
A furnace may be bolted to the residential structure with straps and/or restrained at the bottom with bumpers. Straps may be attached to the residential structure in a manner similar to that of water heaters.
To use bumpers, see Figure 77. To use straps see Figure 127. Bumpers may be constructed using wood studs for furnaces inside a raised closet.
For gas furnaces below 100,000 BTUH, use flexible pipe to attach the furnace to the gas piping.
Condensing unit
A condensing unit may be bolted to a concrete pad outside and next to the residential structure or mounted on the roof of the structure.
- For a condensing unit mounted on the roof, use a sheet metal curb with a wood nailer to attach the unit on the roof. See Figure 86 for instructions on installing the curb. The curb must be firmly attached to the roof structure with lag bolts. Attach the condensing unit to the curb with lag bolts.
For a condensing unit bolted to a concrete pad outside, attach the equipment using angles. See Figure 71, Figure 72, or Figure 75.
A-coil
An A-coil may be attached on top of a furnace with sheet metal screws.
Through-the-wall air conditioner
An air conditioner should be attached to the residential structure. Some air conditioners have brackets used to directly attach the unit to the structure using lag bolts. A bracket support may be provided as shown in Figure 125.