New AC Unit in Camas, WA — Why the Ductwork Made All the Difference

Most homeowners think replacing an old air conditioner will automatically solve their comfort problems. But sometimes the unit itself is only half the story — as one family in Camas, Washington discovered when they called us for a bid on a new AC system.

The Problem: 22-Year-Old AC and Sweating Through Summer Nights

Our customer had a 22-year-old air conditioning unit that had finally given out. He was getting multiple bids from local HVAC companies and we were the last ones to come out. Like we do on every estimate, we asked to walk through the entire home before quoting anything — and that walk-through changed the entire scope of the project.

He told us his upstairs bedroom and bonus room had terrible airflow. During summer months he literally could not sleep at night without sweating, even when the old AC was still running. No other contractor he'd spoken with had offered an explanation or a solution for this.

What We Found in the Attic

We went up into the attic and inspected the full ductwork system. What we found was a mess — the original installation had several serious problems:

• Undersized ducts: The supply runs feeding the upstairs rooms were too small to deliver the volume of air those spaces needed.
• Poor routing: Ductwork was run inefficiently with excessive lengths and sharp bends that restricted airflow even further.
• No balancing: There were no dampers installed anywhere, meaning there was no way to direct more air to the rooms that needed it most.
• Not enough registers: The upstairs bedroom and bonus room each had only one supply register — nowhere near enough for the square footage.

In short, no AC unit — no matter how powerful or efficient — could have delivered comfortable temperatures upstairs through that ductwork. The airflow was physically choked off before it ever reached those rooms.

Our Solution: Whole-Home Comfort, Not Just a Box Swap

We put together a plan that addressed the entire system, not just the outdoor condenser:

• New Trane AC unit: We installed a brand-new high-efficiency Trane system to replace the failed 22-year-old unit.
• Dampers on all attic ductwork: We installed zone dampers throughout the attic system so airflow can be balanced and directed where it's needed — more air to the upstairs, less to areas that were already comfortable.
• Additional supply registers: We added new registers in multiple rooms, especially the upstairs bedroom and bonus room, so conditioned air actually reaches every corner of the home.
• Properly sized duct runs: We corrected the undersized sections so the entire system breathes the way it was supposed to from day one.

The Result: A Home That Actually Feels Right

After the installation, the difference was immediate and dramatic. The homeowner now has proper, even airflow throughout his entire house — including the upstairs bedroom and bonus room that used to be unbearable during summer. He can finally sleep comfortably at night.

This is exactly why we insist on evaluating the whole home before quoting a job. A new AC unit alone would have left him with the same hot upstairs and sleepless nights. The real fix was in the details — the ductwork sizing, the dampers, the register placement. That's where true comfort lives.

Serving Camas and All of Clark County

If you're in Camas, Vancouver, Washougal, Battle Ground, or anywhere in Clark County and your home has rooms that never seem to reach the right temperature, don't just replace the equipment and hope for the best. Let us take a look at the full picture — the ductwork, the airflow, the whole system. That's the Sub Zero Temp Control difference.