AC replacement · Package units
The compressor, both coils and the blower all live in one cabinet outdoors. The replacement is mostly about the connections, the access and the anchoring.
A package unit puts the whole air conditioner in one cabinet: the compressor, the outdoor coil, the indoor coil, the blower and the controls. It sits outside on a concrete pad, a wall stand or the roof, and the supply and return ducts run from the cabinet into the house or building.
You'll find them where there's no good place for an indoor air handler: older homes built without an equipment closet, manufactured homes, additions, and many small commercial buildings with flat roofs. Some package units are cooling-only with electric heat strips; others are heat pumps.
The upside is simplicity. Nothing about the system lives inside, so there's no closet drain pan to overflow into a hallway and every component can be reached without entering the house. The trade-off is exposure. The entire system, including the parts a split system keeps indoors, sits in the sun, rain and wind, and near the coast it takes salt air too. That's one reason package units tend to need replacement sooner than the indoor half of a split system.
Most of a package-unit replacement is about connections. The new cabinet rarely matches the old one's footprint or duct openings exactly, so the transitions to the existing supply and return need to be built and sealed properly; a leaky transition outdoors pulls in hot, humid air and wastes the efficiency you just paid for. On a roof, the curb and flashing are part of the job. Everywhere in Broward, the unit has to be anchored to an approved tie-down detail, because the county sits in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone.
Can a package unit be swapped for a split system instead? Sometimes, if there's a place for an air handler indoors and the ducts can be re-routed to it. It's worth asking about when the existing ductwork is in poor shape anyway, but it's a bigger project than a like-for-like replacement, and it doesn't make sense just for the sake of change. If the ducts themselves are the problem, start with duct replacement.
| Consideration | Package unit | Split system |
|---|---|---|
| Where the equipment lives | One cabinet outside, on a pad, a wall stand or the roof | An outdoor condenser plus an indoor air handler in a closet, garage or attic |
| Indoor space needed | None for equipment, only the duct connections | A closet or attic space with service clearance |
| How the ducts connect | Supply and return run through an exterior wall, under the floor, or down through a roof curb | At the indoor air handler |
| Weather exposure | The whole system faces sun, rain, wind and salt air | Only the condenser is outside |
| Where you see them in Broward | Homes without an indoor equipment space, manufactured homes, small commercial roofs | Most single-family homes and condos |
Measure the connections
Supply and return openings, curb or stand dimensions and the electrical service are measured first, because a new cabinet rarely lines up exactly with the old one.
Plan the access
Ground units need a clear path; rooftop units may need a crane and coordination with the building's roofing.
Recover, disconnect and remove
Refrigerant is recovered from the old unit before it is disconnected and lifted out.
Set, adapt and anchor
The new unit is set with transitions to the existing ducts, sealed, and fastened to an approved hurricane tie-down detail.
Drain, power, startup, inspection
The condensate drain and electrical are connected to code, startup readings are recorded, and the city inspects the work.
Hurricane-zone anchoring
Broward County is in the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. A package unit is fastened to its pad, stand or curb with an approved tie-down detail.
Pricing a package unit replacement?
Answer a few easy questions, including where the unit sits, and see Premium, Enhanced and Basic ranges. It's a planning number, not a quote.
The on-site evaluation for a new system is free.
Sometimes. It needs an indoor place for an air handler, such as a closet, garage or attic, and ductwork that can be connected to it. It's a bigger project than a like-for-like swap, so it mostly makes sense when the existing ducts need major work anyway.
Broward County is in the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so outdoor equipment has to be fastened to its pad, stand or roof curb with an approved tie-down detail. The anchoring is checked when the city inspects the replacement.
Tell us where it sits (ground, wall or roof) and roughly how old it is. That shapes the estimate visit.
The on-site evaluation for a new system is free.
Florida license CAC1821225
