Heating and air conditioning in East Point
Much of East Point was built in the 1960s and 70s. In Frog Hollow, Jefferson Park and Semmes Park that means furnaces on their second or third replacement, patched ductwork and equipment tucked into crawlspaces.
Old East Point furnace?
What goes wrong most in houses this age?
Old ducting and equipment that needs replacing. The median East Point home was built in 1969, the oldest housing in our area. This means the furnace/heat pump in your home is unlikely to be original. The ducting will often have been patched, extended or rerouted. Heating is split 52.4% electric and 45.1% gas. The equipment will be in the basement/crawlspace as often as the attic. Access and drain routing become part of the job. The power is from East Point Power meaning there aren't any rebates from Georgia Power. The humid summers mean the old coils and drain lines will be working hard.
Notes on older homes and their systems
Mid-century houses, a little over half rented, many changed over the decades. What was added and patched matters as much as the equipment itself.
- Median year built: 1969
- A house this age has been through several systems, and each swap can leave a mismatch: a new outdoor unit on an old coil, a bigger furnace on the same small ducts. A good replacement checks the whole chain, not just the box.
- Long humid summers, older drain setups
- Older condensate lines were often run wherever they fit. Months of humid run time push algae and sludge through them, and a basement or crawlspace unit may rely on a small pump to lift the water out. When it fails, water pools.
- Basements and crawlspaces, not just attics
- Crawlspace equipment means tight, damp access and ducts that are easy to crush or knock loose. A replacement may need a new platform, drain or duct connections. East Point is its own city, so permits come from its own building office, not South Fulton.
Heating and cooling work in older houses
Every service links to its own page. Here is how each one tends to show up in houses this age.
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AC RepairWorn condenser fan motors and capacitors on outdoor units that have seen many summers.
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Emergency AC RepairNo cooling in a July heat wave, or a crawlspace pump that quit and left standing water.
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AC Installation & ReplacementA new system that has to fit old ducts, a tight closet or a crawlspace opening.
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Furnace Repair & ReplacementOlder gas furnaces: worn igniters, dirty flame sensors, tired blowers and heat exchanger checks.
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Heat Pump Repair & InstallationElectric homes, just over half: old electric furnaces giving way to heat pumps, and icing outdoor units.
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HVAC Maintenance & Tune-UpsFall checks on gas furnaces before the first cold snap, spring checks on the AC.
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Air Duct CleaningDucts with years of dust, rodent damage or old construction debris, where cleaning can be warranted.
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Ductless Mini-SplitsRooms added long after the house was built, with no duct run reaching them.
What homeowners in older neighborhoods ask
Questions that come up from Colonial Hills, Center Park and the streets around them.
Older houses
Is a 40 year old furnace bad in an older East Point house?
Bad isn't quite the word, but it's well past its expected life. Forty winters wear on the heat exchanger, the part that keeps combustion gases out of your air. Have it inspected before each heating season, keep a carbon monoxide alarm working, and plan the replacement before the furnace plans it for you.
Is it common for an AC in an older East Point home to leak water?
Common. Usually it will be the condensate drain. Older homes often have long or odd drain lines. If the unit is in the basement or crawlspace there may be a small pump. If there is a blockage or dead pump water will leak onto the floor. A rusted drain tray is the other usual suspect.
Getting to the equipment
Where is the furnace in an older East Point home?
Check the basement/crawlspace first. Then the hallway closet. Then the attic. Homes from the 60s/70s put it wherever made sense at the time. Some have been moved during renovations. If you are stuck follow the metal flue pipe or thermostat wiring. If it is in the crawlspace let us do the crawling.
What happens if the ducts in an older East Point house are never cleaned?
Usually not as much as advertised. Dust builds up on the ducting. However the EPA recommend cleaning if there is visible mold, vermin or lots of debris. Old crawlspace ducting will have more of these issues. Leaks and squashed ducting often cause more issues.
Nearby towns on the same line
One number reaches us from any of these towns. Each linked town has its own page, and here's one thing about each.
| Town | Neighborhoods | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Union City | Shannon Glen, Wellington, Brandon Hill, Christian Corners, The Woods | 2000s homes where electric heat clearly leads |
| Fairburn | Fireside, Rosegate Manor, Shannon Chase, Durham Lakes | Gas and electric heat split almost evenly |
| College Park | College Park Historic District, Cooks Crossing, Lakeview Heights, Pleasant Valley, Brandy Chase | City-run power and a big National Register district |
Old furnace or AC acting up?
Call with your street or neighborhood, what the system is doing, and where it sits if you know. Or send the form.
(470) 912-2502Open every day, 7am to 7pm
Before you call, check
- The thermostat. Set to Cool and a few degrees below the room, or to Heat and above it. Fresh batteries if it takes them.
- The breakers. The one for the furnace or air handler, and the one for the outdoor unit.
- The filter. At a return grille or in the furnace. If light will not pass through it, change it.
Smell gas? Leave the house without touching light switches or phones, then call 911 or the gas company once you are outside. If a breaker trips again after one reset, leave it off and call us.