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Sizing a central AC system here starts from a question most installers rarely face: whether the house genuinely needs mechanical cooling at all. Homes in Tillamook County, OR have essentially no cooling season — no month of the year is warm enough to call for it. A compressor that almost never starts accumulates almost no cycling wear, but it also spends most of its life sitting dormant, and dormancy carries its own failure modes, seized contactors and dried seals among them. A contractor quoting in this county has to build that reality into the equipment selection and the commissioning check, because the first hot day a system is called on is also the day any latent fault announces itself.
Existing ductwork is what drives the scope of a central AC installation in much of this county, not the unit itself. Half the homes in Tillamook County, Oregon were built in 1980 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). Ducts put in for a heating-only system were sized for different airflow than cooling demands, and a contractor installing central AC has to assess whether what is already in the walls can carry the new load. Where it cannot, the duct work becomes the larger part of the job. Electrical service in houses of that vintage also gets checked, since the panel has to handle what a new unit draws.
What a Central AC System Includes and Where Each Piece Goes
The outdoor condenser unit sits on a pad beside the house and holds the compressor and condenser coil. The indoor air handler or furnace-mounted evaporator coil lives inside, usually in a utility room, basement, or attic. Together those two units are the physical core of a central AC installation.
A refrigerant line set runs between the outdoor and indoor units, carrying refrigerant back and forth through insulated copper tubing. A condensate drain line runs from the indoor coil to a floor drain or outside, removing the moisture the coil pulls from the air. The thermostat mounts on an interior wall and gives the homeowner control over the whole system.
The drawing here shows a typical layout, and a licensed contractor will determine exactly how each piece fits the configuration of your house.
Get matched in Tillamook CountyTillamook County, by the numbers
10 severe weather events were recorded in Tillamook County, Oregon between 2015 and 2024.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31.Half the homes in Tillamook County, Oregon were built in 1980 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesTillamook County, Oregon holds 19,213 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 74.3% of the occupied homes in Tillamook County, Oregon (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesCodes & Standards Governing Central AC Installation in Tillamook County, Oregon10 sourced rules and standards
What the installation actually looks like
Split-system central air conditioners rated below 45,000 Btu/h manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Split-system central air conditioners rated at or above 45,000 Btu/h manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Split-system central air conditioners manufactured between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2022 had to meet 13 SEER, the metric that preceded SEER2.
Single-package central air conditioners manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Space-constrained central air conditioners manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 11.7 SEER2.
Federal efficiency standards for split-system central air conditioners and heat pumps are set on each certified combination of outdoor unit and indoor coil rather than on the outdoor unit alone.
Residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems assembled in the field, including mini-splits and unitary systems, may not be installed on or after January 1, 2025 using a refrigerant with a global warming potential above 700.
A field-assembled system whose specified components were all manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025 carries no installation compliance date under the refrigerant restrictions and may still be installed.
Licensing and Legal Requirements in Tillamook County, Oregon
Oregon’s contractor licence does not reach casual, minor or inconsequential work on one structure where the person’s contracts total less than $1,000 — and the exemption is unavailable to anyone who advertises or signs themselves as a contractor, at any price.
Oregon requires a current Construction Contractors Board licence, with the right endorsement, to undertake, offer to undertake or bid construction work.