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Started By
Message
Central air vs 5 window units. Cost advantage?
Posted on 8/6/23 at 2:21 pm
Posted on 8/6/23 at 2:21 pm
HVAC experts feel free to reply....So my central ac shite the bed. Switch it on by dropping the temp as usual I hear a faint click but the system doesnt switch on as it used to. Side question: can this possibly be resolved by resetting the breaker by the condenser unit? Haven't tried.
We have five window units which serve as a backup that work relatively well were not sweating our junk off anyway.. My question is should we notice any substantial drop in kwh used to save on the bill? My thought was yes since central hvac is the top power consumer in any household from what I understand and since that's not running.. Well you see where this is headed.
Ill hang up and listen. Thanks in advance.
ETA dont know the exact sq footage its just your average four bedroom house in the sherwood forest area
We have five window units which serve as a backup that work relatively well were not sweating our junk off anyway.. My question is should we notice any substantial drop in kwh used to save on the bill? My thought was yes since central hvac is the top power consumer in any household from what I understand and since that's not running.. Well you see where this is headed.
Ill hang up and listen. Thanks in advance.
ETA dont know the exact sq footage its just your average four bedroom house in the sherwood forest area
This post was edited on 8/6/23 at 2:23 pm
11
Posted on 8/6/23 at 2:35 pm to The Cool No 9
quote:
My question is should we notice any substantial drop in kwh used
If you have Entergy, the app will tell you your daily usage. Check it out and this will answer your question about power usage
Posted on 8/6/23 at 2:55 pm to The Cool No 9
Sounds like it may just be a capacitor or contactor, both are really easy to change
If all of your window units add up to the tonnage of your central AC then you will use more electricity to achieve same coolness, as a central AC is more efficient than a comparable window unit
Have you been using the window units in addition to your central all along?
5 window units in a house, guess there is no HOA?
If all of your window units add up to the tonnage of your central AC then you will use more electricity to achieve same coolness, as a central AC is more efficient than a comparable window unit
Have you been using the window units in addition to your central all along?
5 window units in a house, guess there is no HOA?
This post was edited on 8/6/23 at 2:56 pm
Posted on 8/6/23 at 3:36 pm to The Cool No 9
If you turn the window units off in the rooms you are not in, then they can save you money.
Posted on 8/6/23 at 5:02 pm to The Cool No 9
quote:
So my central ac shite the bed. Switch it on by dropping the temp as usual I hear a faint click but the system doesnt switch on as it used to
Sounds like your capacitor. $20 part and 30 minutes
Posted on 8/6/23 at 5:06 pm to The Cool No 9
We ran 3 120v window units for several weeks during peak summer a couple years ago during covid and it kept our house cool and the usage was WAY down from the 5 ton unit. Parts shortage, took weeks to get whatever board or controller they needed... 2200sft but only about 1500sft was being cooled by the window units.
Posted on 8/6/23 at 5:11 pm to bee Rye
Tigerpaw123 is correct. The Kw-Hr consumed per ton of refrigeration is higher for window units than central A/C systems.
Posted on 8/6/23 at 7:36 pm to bee Rye
quote:
Sounds like your capacitor. $20 part and 30 minutes
A couple of these sitting around from Amazon is a life saver
Posted on 8/6/23 at 9:15 pm to jmarto1
^ Im all about it if thats what it is.
Yeah def no HOA poking around here where im at..
Well we havent ran the central in quite a while I dont know if its the fan speed or what but there is like no air blowing out of half the ducts in the house I think the ducts need to be cleaned but I just havent had the money to pay for something that isnt going to fix it. Other half of the house the ducts blow air fine.
This place is like the bermuda triangle of hvac. The western sun just bakes the front of the house with its lack of shade weve gone from window units to central and back over the last 30 years and still cant seem to find a sensible efficient situation. The other half of the house is an addition that was built on and the air does fine there.
Yeah def no HOA poking around here where im at..
Well we havent ran the central in quite a while I dont know if its the fan speed or what but there is like no air blowing out of half the ducts in the house I think the ducts need to be cleaned but I just havent had the money to pay for something that isnt going to fix it. Other half of the house the ducts blow air fine.
This place is like the bermuda triangle of hvac. The western sun just bakes the front of the house with its lack of shade weve gone from window units to central and back over the last 30 years and still cant seem to find a sensible efficient situation. The other half of the house is an addition that was built on and the air does fine there.
This post was edited on 8/6/23 at 9:17 pm
Posted on 8/6/23 at 9:45 pm to Nawlens Gator
But, no duct loss or other system design inefficiencies.
Posted on 8/6/23 at 10:05 pm to The Cool No 9
quote:
Switch it on by dropping the temp as usual I hear a faint click
You're probably hearing the 24V relay in the thermostat trying to turn on the 24V coil at the compressor outside. As another has said, if you're capacitor is bad, it's a simple swap.
If you have an electric meter of some sort, it's simple to check the capacitor. Even if your meter can't read nano-farads, if it shows open contacts that mean the capacitor is likely bad. And if it can read nano-farads and doesn't match the rating on the body of the capacitor, it's bad.
Posted on 8/6/23 at 11:24 pm to jmarto1
quote:
Sounds like your capacitor. $20 part and 30 minutes A couple of these sitting around from Amazon is a life saver
How does a complete HVAC dumbass like myself figure out which capacitor I need to order to have on hand for my unit?
Posted on 8/7/23 at 4:06 am to tunechi
quote:
How does a complete HVAC dumbass like myself figure out which capacitor I need to order to have on hand for my unit?
Take the cover off the outside unit...find the capacitor, hopefully you can see the numbers on it...take a picture with your phone...Amazon it.
Grab a contactor while you are at it.
YTube video on capacitor replacement
This post was edited on 8/7/23 at 4:08 am
Posted on 8/7/23 at 5:42 am to tunechi
Let me start by saying I am pretty dumb on these things, so it is that easy. I'll put it in terms my brother put for me. Big metal box that makes noise outside is where it is at. Small metal box on the wall that is connected to it is your disconnect, pull the black thingy out. You're not going to hurt it. I still turn off my thermostat for the hell of it. Big metal box has a panel with about 4 screws on it, take it off. You'll see a small, fat cylinder in there. Read the info on it and do an Amazon search.
This post was edited on 8/7/23 at 5:44 am
Posted on 8/7/23 at 6:23 am to The Cool No 9
The capacitor that usually fails is on the outside unit, if the outside capacitor fails the blower still runs and will run normally you just don’t have cold air and you won’t hear the outside unit run.
OP’s issue sounds different. Window units are NOT as efficient OP.
Spare capacitors are not a bad idea, and honestly I’m not sure why Lowes or HD et all don’t sell them. They are $15-25. But, they don’t fail as often as people think and the capacitor has to match the unit and the fan. I’ve replaced fans before and the new fan requires a different sized capacitor. But outside units will last 10-15 years and yes there’s a good chance you have a cap failure once in that time span.
OP’s issue sounds different. Window units are NOT as efficient OP.
Spare capacitors are not a bad idea, and honestly I’m not sure why Lowes or HD et all don’t sell them. They are $15-25. But, they don’t fail as often as people think and the capacitor has to match the unit and the fan. I’ve replaced fans before and the new fan requires a different sized capacitor. But outside units will last 10-15 years and yes there’s a good chance you have a cap failure once in that time span.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 6:55 am to Nawlens Gator
quote:
Tigerpaw123 is correct. The Kw-Hr consumed per ton of refrigeration is higher for window units than central A/C systems.
I'm not qualified to run the calculations, but there are savings by eliminating losses to ductwork. Some duct systems being better than others obviously, but it's one of the reasons mini-splits are so efficient.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 9:47 am to The Cool No 9
Well, I can't speak for everybody's results, but I helped my brother-in-law install central air and heat and run metal ductwork in his house prior to Katrina.
It was a 4 ton unit that replaced 5 window units and 2 floor furnaces and a couple space heaters. Four A/C units ran on 220 and one on 110 for a small room and the floor furnaces and heaters were gas fueled.
His utility bill dropped by a full 1/3 over what he had been paying running those multiple appliances and his house was uniformly cooled and heated.
It was a 4 ton unit that replaced 5 window units and 2 floor furnaces and a couple space heaters. Four A/C units ran on 220 and one on 110 for a small room and the floor furnaces and heaters were gas fueled.
His utility bill dropped by a full 1/3 over what he had been paying running those multiple appliances and his house was uniformly cooled and heated.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 10:02 am to The Cool No 9
quote:
Central air vs 5 window units. Cost advantage?
Tell me where you see an average home in the South running solely off of window units that is comfortable in both the rooms and wallets.
Posted on 8/7/23 at 10:03 am to The Cool No 9
Posted on 8/7/23 at 11:11 am to poochie
well since y'all went that way....
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