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Case Studies

Dec 16, 2020 10:49:02 AM by Joe Berardi

18th Century Stone Farmhouse Gets High Velocity Cooling in Yardley, PA

ECI Comfort in front of stone farmhouse in Yardley, PA preparing to install high velocity cooling.

PROBLEM: Homeowners were looking to add air conditioning to their stone farmhouse that was built in the 1700s, but were concerned about altering its appearance and nostalgia. 

SOLUTION: ECI Comfort installed a Unico High Velocity air conditioning system without altering the looks of the home. 

High Velocity Benefits an Historic Home

Back in 2016, our homeowners and their eighteenth century stone farmhouse needed a cooling system to keep comfortable in the hot and humid Summer weather. After contacting ECI and voicing their concern of not wanting to alter the home's appearance, we were able to arrive at the perfect solution!

Enter a charming eighteenth century stone farmhouse in Yardley, Pa. So much delicate history resides in this home and is wonderfully enjoyed by its lovely homeowners. However, they were facing a huge problem (or, what they thought was a problem): how to add air conditioning to the property without altering its nostalgic style. Faced with these concerns, a solution must be presented that is both practical and unique. With much thought and preparation, ECI Comfort arrived onsite. 

After touring the property and discussing various options with the homeowners, it was clear that the circumstances truly limited what could be done. Our homeowners had specific needs that required to be met in order to preserve the home's history. Following much thought, they elected to go with a Unico High Velocity air conditioning system.

Why Unico High Velocity is Ideal for Older HomesThis allows for small ducts to be concealed in closets and attic space, maintaining the unique style of the home. A Unico High Velocity system features an air handler in the attic, with thin supply ducts branching off and hiding in and through the walls. These feed into supply outlets which send cold air into the room(s).

Features and Installation

The thin supply ducts feature noise-reducing properties -- a sound attenuator material -- that keep this system quiet while it runs. On top of being quiet, high velocity systems are draft free and provide more balanced cooling throughout rooms so that there are not any hot/cold spots! Click here to check out a video on how well the Unico system suppresses sound!

Below are a few pictures showing its features:

Supply duct for Unico High Velocity in an atticUnico High Velocity air handler mounted inside of an atticUnico High Velocity supply duct in an attic

 

 

 

 

 


These pictures show the air handler (middle) and a few of the supply ducts in the attic (left and right). This unit is supported by a single outdoor unit, which was easy to place on the side of the home, out of sight and out of mind. It is extremely quiet, efficient, and effective to power the Unico High Velocity system!

Amana heat pump on platform outside of stone house

A final and important characteristic of a high velocity system, is that it can be installed without altering the structure of the home. Unlike standard ductwork, this is installed with minimum construction and minimum invasion of all standing walls and ceilings. This was incredibly important to our homeowners as major renovations, opening up walls, or boxing in soffits was not an option.

READ: Using a High-Velocity System to Keep the Trinity Charm

Below are two examples of the slim supply tubes being hidden inside of closets, as well as an example of how the small, circular supply vents look on a wall (right)! The flexibility of a Unico High Velocity system makes its application to an older stone home like this one the perfect match.

Unico High Velocity supply ducts hidden inside closetUnico High Velocity supply ducts hidden inside atticUnico circular supply vents on ceiling in living room

This was a fun, challenging, and exciting project. The  uniqueness of this older stone farmhouse in Yardley gave ECI the ability to problem solve, and served us challenges we love to take on -- like drilling through 24 inch stone walls! We were able to orchestrate a plan to provide comfort to these homeowners, while keeping the integrity of the older home that they desired.


If you are interested in learning more about how a Unico High Velocity system can make your home more comfortable, click below or give us a call at 215 - 245 -3200.

Get the High Velocity Product Guide

Schedule Your Free High Velocity Consultation

This entry was posted in Air Conditioning, Throwback Thursday, Unico High Velocity, Yardley, PA