More homeowners are ditching their old evaporative cooling systems for refrigerated ducted air conditioning. Makes sense – refrigerated systems can heat and cool, work better in humid weather, and don’t need windows left open. But there’s one thing most people don’t think about until after the installation: what happens to all those old ducts in your ceiling.
The problem is that evaporative and refrigerated systems work completely differently. Evaporative systems push large volumes of air through big ducts to create that cooling effect. Refrigerated systems use smaller ducts and recirculate air differently. The old ductwork usually can’t be reused, which means it all has to come out.
When those old ducts get removed, you’re left with holes in your ceiling. Not just small holes either – evaporative system ducts are substantial, so you’re looking at proper patching work and repainting to get the ceiling looking normal again.
This is where things get expensive if you’re not prepared for it. The aircon installer handles the new system, but ceiling repairs and painting? That’s a separate job that homeowners often don’t budget for.
The patching work needs to be done properly or you’ll see the repair lines through the paint. It’s not just a matter of slapping some filler over the holes. Depending on the ceiling texture, you might need to recreate stipple patterns or smooth finishes to match the existing surface.
Most refrigerated system installations go smoothly, but the ductwork placement for the new system rarely lines up with where the old evaporative ducts were. This means more ceiling penetrations in new locations, plus patching all the old ones.
A good aircon installer will assess your existing ductwork before installation and advise whether any of it can be reused for the new system. This assessment can save you significant patching and painting work if some ducts can stay. For example, an aircon installer might be able to retain certain duct runs depending on the layout, which reduces the ceiling repair work needed afterwards.
The smart approach is to factor ceiling repairs into your aircon upgrade budget from the start. It’s always cheaper to do the patching and painting work while the installers are already making a mess than to bring painters back later.
