Abstract: Manual boom lift apparatus and method involve a base having three support legs, a fulcrum configured to fixedly mount the legs, a boom member detachably mounted on the fulcrum, the boom member including on either end a counterbalance arm configured for detachably mounting one or more counterweights and a lift arm configured for hoisting a load, the lift apparatus enabling lift and placement of the load by pivotal manipulation of the boom member. Assembly of the detachable boom lift apparatus components is performed on the work site (in situ) and involves removably pinning aligned hole pairs to join the components and filling one or more containers with ballast to act as counterweights to the hoisted load. The apparatus is lightweight and durable, is easy to transport through small openings and can be used in rooftop installations of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) equipment.