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This is a test rant for a future video that may or may not happen.

But seriously, I cannot fathom how HVAC stuff in attics (or crawlspaces!) got normalized. Especially in new construction.

You virtually never see that around here (the most common application is old homes with radiators for heat who want to add central air) and for good reason!

@TechConnectify so, as a former Arizonan, it’s for several reasons:

1. No basements
2. Originally the whole unit was on the roof, so this protects the air handler from the sun much better
3. You typically have the air output registers in the ceiling so the cold air can fall through the room anyway, so why not put the ducts up there too
4. It was un-used space, so why not

@LordOphidian The thing about soffiting and running the ducts below the ceiling was to address both points 1 and 3.

As to point 4 - I feel like making servicing the thing such a pain the ass just to save some floorspace is... well, I wouldn't go that route.

And I've seen some of those rooftop package units out West. Another thing that I cannot fathom, frankly, but whatever.

@TechConnectify the roof top units pre-dated the others as far as I’m aware since they could be put in place using the existing swamp cooler ducting.

Problem is, the units would get worn out by the sun and the controller boards would burn out a lot (at least from my experience as a kid with ours needing repair often).

@TechConnectify Service wise, it’s probably hard on the techs, but access isn’t too bad, since only the air handler is put in the attic and they didn’t seem to do too much to it when checking it. The condenser outside is where they would spend most of the time.

Soffits are… not appealing visually and I only ever saw them for houses where they added ducting or some sort of piping after the house was built.

@LordOphidian All I gotta say is I'd hope you give up a bit of visual perfection to gain a ton of efficiency.

I said this elsewhere but I was just at my brother's house near San Diego. The fact that when the A/C kicks on there's a blast of HOT air at first is infuriating to me.

For the record, soffits are uncommon up here. We generally run ducts through the floors and use central wall voids for return ducting. Seems to work just fine for cooling, tbh, but people disagree.

@TechConnectify @LordOphidian there's a house in my neighborhood that would just blow your mind. It's a flat roofed house with the unit and all of the ducting on top of the roof in the open air!

@TechConnectify @LordOphidian found it. Here's *just* the roof.

@asjimene @TechConnectify oh yeah, that’s some classic retrofit.

@LordOphidian @TechConnectify I do NOT want to imagine their summer power bill!