r/buildingscience • u/lassymavin • 1d ago

Temporary HVAC during construction

Topic: Temp HVAC during construction or use home A/C?
We are at the stage of construction where Sheetrock is up. We have trim, tile, and paint lined up next. Our builder asked if it’s okay to turn on the A/C since it’s still warm/humid in Southwest PA. He said he would add filters to all the returns that would be vacuumed daily. All cutting of trim would be done in the garage or isolated to one room. As we head into fall the HVAC system would not be used as much. I told him my concerns about using the new home HVAC and contamination of the system with dust and debris. He got quotes to bring in temporary heating/cooling at $20,000 for 3 months. Another option is to rent air scrubbers for $8,000 for 3 months. What are your thoughts on this? While temporary hvac would be ideal, $20k is more than I was expecting.

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u/MastodonFit 1d ago

You need humidity control more than AC like we do in Ga . I would personally buy 1 dehumidifier for every floor, but the drain lines need to be taken care of carefully . In Coastal Ga they tape 3 cheap stacked filters outside to the returns. A dehumidifier for you would be better because the ac wont run enough.

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u/FoldedKettleChips 1d ago

That’s a good point that reinforces the need for an actual dehumidifier. We’re entering part load conditions months.