A rental property can have a great location, plenty of character and attractive apartments—but if the units do not have air conditioning, they can still be difficult to rent.
That was the challenge at a three-unit apartment building in Kimberton, just outside Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
The property was recently purchased by a real estate investor who already uses Rapid Air HVAC at several of his other properties. The apartments had many features that renters look for, but the building did not have a complete air-conditioning solution.
The third-floor apartment was the biggest challenge.
Why Third-Floor Apartments Can Be Difficult to Cool
Anyone who has lived on the top floor of an older building knows how hot it can get during a Pennsylvania summer. Warm air moves upward through the building, and heat from the roof can make the highest apartment even warmer.
Window air conditioners were an option, but they were not a good long-term solution for this property. Window units are heavy, can block natural light and may take away from the appearance and character of an older apartment.
They can also be inconvenient for a landlord or tenant to install, remove and store every year.
The property owner wanted a permanent heating and cooling solution that would make the apartment more comfortable without taking away from what made the building special.
Building on the Property’s Existing HVAC Plan
Rapid Air HVAC was already familiar with the property.
The first-floor apartment is served by a basement upflow HVAC system with central air conditioning. In 2025, Rapid Air installed a ductless mini-split system for the second-floor apartment.
The next step was finding the right solution for the third floor.
Installing a conventional central-air system would have required major changes to the building. There was no easy way to add a large amount of ductwork without opening walls, taking away living space or affecting the apartment’s original character.
A ductless mini-split system offered a much better fit.
The Challenge: Reaching the Third Floor
Choosing a mini-split was only part of the solution. The installation still required careful planning.
Because the apartment was on the third floor, the refrigerant line set needed to travel a long distance between the outdoor equipment and the indoor system. Rapid Air also needed to find a way to protect and conceal those lines on the outside of the building.
Leaving the lines exposed would not have provided the finished appearance the owner wanted.
Our team planned the line-set route and enclosed the exterior lines in SlimDuct line-hide material. This protected the piping while giving the installation a much cleaner and more professional appearance.
The goal was simple: provide modern comfort while respecting the look of the existing building.
An 18,000 BTU Heating and Cooling Solution
After reviewing the third-floor apartment and discussing the options with the owner, Rapid Air recommended an 18,000 BTU ductless mini-split system.
The system was selected to provide enough capacity to make a noticeable difference in the apartment. It provides efficient air conditioning during the summer and heat during cooler weather.
Unlike a window air conditioner, the mini-split is a permanent part of the apartment. The tenant does not have to lift a heavy unit into a window, give up the use of that window or depend on a temporary cooling solution.
Once the new system was running, the improvement was dramatic. The third-floor apartment became much more comfortable, even though it was located at the top of an older building.
A Better Apartment and a Better Investment
For the owner, this project was about more than adding air conditioning.
Providing dependable heating and cooling can make an apartment more attractive to potential tenants. It can also help a multifamily property compete with newer rental communities that already offer modern comfort.
All three apartments now have a practical air-conditioning solution designed for their location in the building. Just as importantly, the work was completed without removing the features and character that made the property appealing in the first place.
That is often the value of ductless mini-splits in older multifamily buildings. They allow property owners to improve comfort without undertaking a major ductwork renovation.
Multifamily HVAC Solutions in Phoenixville and Chester County
Every apartment building is different. Older construction, limited mechanical space, tenant schedules and long line-set runs can all make multifamily HVAC work more complicated.
Rapid Air HVAC works with landlords, real estate investors and property managers to develop practical heating and cooling solutions for apartments and multifamily properties. For multifamily property owners, HVAC improvements should solve more than a comfort problem. They should make apartments easier to market, reduce tenant complaints and protect the long-term value of the property. In this case, one carefully planned installation helped turn a difficult-to-cool third-floor unit into a more comfortable and competitive rental.
Every building has a unit like this one. The apartment over the garage, the finished attic, the back bedroom that never quite catches up. Usually the reason it’s hard to condition is the same reason it’s hard to run ductwork to it.
If you own a property with a unit like that, contact Rapid Air HVAC and we’ll take a look at what’s actually possible in that space.
