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Posted on 11/2/18 at 6:33 am to Joshkdixon
at 3050 sq ft total you are in the 7 ton range- Who spec'd your AC?
As to multiple units- it is best in that size of house to have more than one unit- One unit goes out- you can live in the other side of the house until repair has been made-
As to multiple units- it is best in that size of house to have more than one unit- One unit goes out- you can live in the other side of the house until repair has been made-
Posted on 11/2/18 at 6:38 am to 756
Total Comfort & Heating and Bell Mechanical (both builder's preferred contractors) both came up with a 5 ton system, not counting the mini-split for the bonus room later on.
I spoke with the owner of Total and specifically asked if he did manual j calcs, and he said yes. I did not speak with Bell.
My builder just built a personal home with 2600 sf and he went with 2 separates...a multi speed 5 ton and a 1 ton. Says his bills never went above $80 this summer...
I spoke with the owner of Total and specifically asked if he did manual j calcs, and he said yes. I did not speak with Bell.
My builder just built a personal home with 2600 sf and he went with 2 separates...a multi speed 5 ton and a 1 ton. Says his bills never went above $80 this summer...
Posted on 11/2/18 at 6:50 am to Cosmo
quote:York
Trane or Carrier or
Posted on 11/2/18 at 7:05 am to Joshkdixon
quote:
My builder just built a personal home with 2600 sf and he went with 2 separates...a multi speed 5 ton and a 1 ton. Says his bills never went above $80 this summer...
LOL. In the south? Where are you? Did he keep it at 82? Did he have solar panels to help compensate some of the bill?
You will be extremely lucky to have it under $200 if you keep it at 72-74 at night and are at home much at all during the week with a wife and kids.
This post was edited on 11/2/18 at 7:08 am
Posted on 11/2/18 at 7:08 am to baldona
He probably has foam insulation and gas water heater.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 7:10 am to Chuker
Yes, he did build his personal house as energy efficient as possible. I was only using that example to say I don't think the house needs 7 tons.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 7:17 am to Joshkdixon
I have roughly the same size house with a 3 ton for the majority of the house and another 3 ton for 3 of the bedrooms. If I had to do it over again I would keep this exact set up. One of my units went out a few years ago and we still were able to keep the house comfortable with the other. I also like it to be around 68 when I sleep, so I don't have to cool the entire house down to that level.
2 units is much better IMO.
ETA: I leave my thermostats on 70 all day and one drops to 68 at night. I don't think I've ever had an electric bill over $200 and this is in an 18 year old home
2 units is much better IMO.
ETA: I leave my thermostats on 70 all day and one drops to 68 at night. I don't think I've ever had an electric bill over $200 and this is in an 18 year old home
This post was edited on 11/2/18 at 7:24 am
Posted on 11/2/18 at 8:08 am to baldona
quote:
LOL. In the south? Where are you? Did he keep it at 82? Did he have solar panels to help compensate some of the bill?
You will be extremely lucky to have it under $200 if you keep it at 72-74 at night and are at home much at all during the week with a wife and kids.
I own a 1978 contemporary home with 2300 sq feet. My bill is always under $200. I keep the temp at 73 during the day...67 at night. Brick, double pane windows, etc....I replaced my electrical panel this past summer on a 100 degree day. House never got above 74 degrees the entire day with no a/c running. Tight house. I also have a pool pump running 8 hours a day.
This post was edited on 11/2/18 at 8:14 am
Posted on 11/2/18 at 8:19 am to MardiGrasCajun
quote:
I own a 1978 contemporary home with 2300 sq feet. My bill is always under $200. I keep the temp at 73 during the day...67 at night. Brick, d
No such thing as 1978 and contemporary. But all jokes aside I said extremely lucky not impossible.
I’m in property management I know power bills. For everyone that shows a bill under $200 I can show you one over $350 for similar houses. I’ve got 2200 sq ft condos that hit $425.
My bill hit $230 for a 1980s house of similar size and not tight at all.
My point is simply that $80-150 during the summer is not a realistic expectation. Im all gas in the winter and my bill is still $80.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 9:04 am to TigerstuckinMS
quote:
An AC's job isn't really to lower air temperature; Its job is to remove humidity and ventilate the conditioned space.
I am a contractor and have seen major issues with people oversizing their HVAC tonnage.
Poor insulation or improper HVAC is a major problem that can damage your home and make you sick.
You want the AC to run for a while to remove the moisture in the house.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 9:08 am to TheEnglishman
3 ton unit for living area
2 ton unit for bedrooms
Go with American Standard
2 ton unit for bedrooms
Go with American Standard
Posted on 11/2/18 at 9:09 am to moock blackjack
I'm doing the same thing right now. Installing 2 of my bonus rooms upstairs. It's 450 sq ft and I'm putting in a Rheem 2 ton just so I'll never have to worry about it struggling.
Is Rheem good? Just want feedback.
Is Rheem good? Just want feedback.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 9:21 am to Joshkdixon
I am about to swap a 5 ton unit out for a new inverter unit / variable speed unit from Either Tempstar or Comfortmaker (Same Parent as Carrier).
The biggest piece of advice I can give is make sure the HVAC contractor right sizes the return air. Seems like every house has about 50% of what is really needed on the return air. This makes a huge difference in the house.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is make sure the HVAC contractor right sizes the return air. Seems like every house has about 50% of what is really needed on the return air. This makes a huge difference in the house.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 9:25 am to TheEnglishman
quote:
I am a contractor and have seen major issues with people oversizing their HVAC tonnage.
Poor insulation or improper HVAC is a major problem that can damage your home and make you sick.
You want the AC to run for a while to remove the moisture in the house.
Wow. First off, you don't run your AC primarily to remove moisture and humidity. You would be better off running ceiling fans and a dehumidifier financially. Hell of a lot cheaper.
If someone is having issues with circulation that's a whole different issue. Could be poor ducting for one. There's a multitude of reasons outside of simply too big of AC. I've seen mold issues from poor circulation in houses with too small of an AC too.
Again, 2550 is by no means too small for a 6 ton system. 400-500 sq ft is the recommended sq footage per ton. OP is very much on the border of needing a 6 ton. 5 ton will be fine, but its a new build so why would you not spend a little more on a slightly larger unit to give you some room for error?
ETA: Yeah there are programs that determine your need, in a perfect condition. You have a wife and kids at home going in and out through the doors all day? Imperfect. You install a doggy door that seeps warm air from the outside and you don't know it? Imperfect.
Outside of car salesman, HVAC industry is about as slimy as it gets. They will quote you and sell you on all kinds of BS you don't need or want just because it makes them money.
This post was edited on 11/2/18 at 9:33 am
Posted on 11/2/18 at 10:04 am to baldona
Replaced 1 2 Stage Lennox 4 ton, 1 2 Stage Lennox 2 ton, 1 2 Stage Lennox 3 ton three years ago all at the same time. The original units were 30 years old, narry an issue for all 30 years besides one cap.
Since the replacement, metering valve on the 4 ton coils had to be replaced, then the compressor bit the dust, and most recently the coils sprang a leak and were replaced. All under warranty, but didn't include labor and Freon. The 2 ton has a leak in the coils and will be worked on next. The 3 ton is upstairs and doesn't get used that often so it may or may not have an issue.
The remaining "old" unit is a RUUD 3 ton single state we replaced in 2003. Not a single issue from it from day one.
The only advice I have is brand. Lennox is not what is used to be!
Since the replacement, metering valve on the 4 ton coils had to be replaced, then the compressor bit the dust, and most recently the coils sprang a leak and were replaced. All under warranty, but didn't include labor and Freon. The 2 ton has a leak in the coils and will be worked on next. The 3 ton is upstairs and doesn't get used that often so it may or may not have an issue.
The remaining "old" unit is a RUUD 3 ton single state we replaced in 2003. Not a single issue from it from day one.
The only advice I have is brand. Lennox is not what is used to be!
Posted on 11/2/18 at 1:13 pm to td1
Its been stated numerous times but cant stress enough to stay away from Lennox. Any company that recommends Lennox is suspect.
Trane is tops by a large margin. American Standard is good too. Carrier and Ruud are solid. Goodman is solid as well for first 5-6 years then you will have issues.
Yorks are basically a cheap repackaged Coleman unit. Bottom of the barrel. The old York commercial units are very good, the old york residential units on R-22 were very good. Still many of the those 26 yr old dinosaurs around. However the newer Yorks made in past 8-9 years are terrible.
A couple years ago my house was 2,450 sq ft with 3 16x20 returns. I had a 5 ton 14 Seer Trane installed, all new ductwork, electronic dampers for zone heating and cooling, new disconnect box, surge protector, new gas lines, 2 new nest Thermostats and total came to $7,600.
That baby ran like a champ. Could be 102 degrees outside and would keep the house ice cold at 60 degrees if desired.
Having enough returns is critical though. We moved to a new house with two 6 yr old Yorks. Upstairs had leaky evaporator coil, fixed that, but still wasn't cooling properly. Had 58 degrees out of vents, so we added another 12x24 return and temp dropped to 54 degree out of vents then outside unit is 3 ton and evap coil is 4 ton but they put wrong expansion valve in when building house. But correct one in and temp was 50 degrees coming out of vents.
Trane is tops by a large margin. American Standard is good too. Carrier and Ruud are solid. Goodman is solid as well for first 5-6 years then you will have issues.
Yorks are basically a cheap repackaged Coleman unit. Bottom of the barrel. The old York commercial units are very good, the old york residential units on R-22 were very good. Still many of the those 26 yr old dinosaurs around. However the newer Yorks made in past 8-9 years are terrible.
A couple years ago my house was 2,450 sq ft with 3 16x20 returns. I had a 5 ton 14 Seer Trane installed, all new ductwork, electronic dampers for zone heating and cooling, new disconnect box, surge protector, new gas lines, 2 new nest Thermostats and total came to $7,600.
That baby ran like a champ. Could be 102 degrees outside and would keep the house ice cold at 60 degrees if desired.
Having enough returns is critical though. We moved to a new house with two 6 yr old Yorks. Upstairs had leaky evaporator coil, fixed that, but still wasn't cooling properly. Had 58 degrees out of vents, so we added another 12x24 return and temp dropped to 54 degree out of vents then outside unit is 3 ton and evap coil is 4 ton but they put wrong expansion valve in when building house. But correct one in and temp was 50 degrees coming out of vents.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 8:53 pm to baldona
quote:
400-500 sq ft is the recommended sq footage per ton.
This is true when talking about replacements, but a modern home with quality insulation, radiant barrier, high quality windows and good weather sealing should not be anywhere near 400 sq ft per ton.
Posted on 11/2/18 at 9:13 pm to tes fou
quote:
This is true when talking about replacements, but a modern home with quality insulation, radiant barrier, high quality windows and good weather sealing should not be anywhere near 400 sq ft per ton.
My house was built to be highly energy efficient, and the original owner that built it put a 5 ton AC unit on a 2500SQft house. The system hardly ran, the house was always damp, shower walls, and hanging towels would never dry. After two years we had someone who knew what they were doing evaluate the heat load of the house. They recommended going to a smaller 4 ton unit. We got the new unit, the bills stayed about the same, but the house is comfortable and dry.
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