How many BTU for a 20x20 bedroom?
- Thread starter RGVBadBoy
- Start date
fordsteel
Well-known member
Depends on insulation in the room number of windows. also the inside temp you want to maintain and the area you live in. this is for an exact answer of corse
Its got blown in insulation, its one of the higher R ratings, but not sure which one, I have to standard sized windows, 36x48 I think, 10ft ceilings and I'm in deep south Texas where it gets HOT!!! I would like to maintain about 70degrees
thanks.
thanks.What kind of power is in the room? If all you have is 115V, I think the biggest protable AC unit using 115v is 15,000 BTU's. If you have 220v, you could go bigger.
Also, do you want the unit to heat and cool? if your heating BTU requirement isn't very high, you can save money on a electric heat/AC instead of a heat pump style.
Typically, 1 ton of AC will take care of 400 square feet. Rule of thumb, of course. So the space you want to cool ( 20x20=400) should be doable wih a 1 ton (12,000 BTUH) unit. But I'd bump it up to a 15,000 - 16,000 BTUH to handle the hot, humid summer heat of your area.
Also, do you want the unit to heat and cool? if your heating BTU requirement isn't very high, you can save money on a electric heat/AC instead of a heat pump style.
Typically, 1 ton of AC will take care of 400 square feet. Rule of thumb, of course. So the space you want to cool ( 20x20=400) should be doable wih a 1 ton (12,000 BTUH) unit. But I'd bump it up to a 15,000 - 16,000 BTUH to handle the hot, humid summer heat of your area.
Thanks I appreciate your help, the room is actually about 18x19, so I guess I'm gonna do the 12,000BTU, there is a 14,000BTU from the same maker that I may look into aswell. As for heating, I built the house 2yrs ago, I have yet to turn on the heater, I have used space heaters when it gets nippy, but in STX, we don't get very cold.
Alright.... The unit wasnt cooling like I thought it would, but then I figured it out... I routed the exhaust/intake pipes the right way, but stupid me, didnt acount for my thick solar screen on the window which were preventing the hot air to exit and inturn forcing the intake to bring in the hot air.... DAMMIT!!! I will fine a solution by tomorrow...
sberry
Banned
A 12000 will cool that room well, even a 10 would likely be sufficient, maybe not to 70 when its 110 out.
njfl
Well-known member
12000 is good. I have an 11000 Delonghi in the same sized room and it works great.
sberry
Banned
I put a 5k in my office, about the same size and not insulated as well as a house and it makes it bearable. I had apt above it and had a 12 in it, found that if i started the 5 in the office early in the day it even did ok with that, not fridge temps but quite helpful. Took the 12 from apt and put in living room of a mobile home, makes that livable on really hot days.
Here's a useful and quick-and-dirty calculator to figure out BTU: Air Conditioner BTU Calculator
787B
Well-known member
You don't want too much A/C because it will cool too quickly, short-cycle and not remove humidity making the room feel damp and clammy. I would have said 10,000 BTU max for 400 sq-ft.
BTW, "portable" A/Cs are rated differently than window A/Cs. It's a dirty marketing trick. Somewhere on the box or in the manual for your 12,000 BTU unit there is (in tiny print, no doubt) a statement saying something like "Equivalent to 10,000 BTU window unit". So the bad news is marketing scum lie about capacity, but the good news is you go just the right size.
BTW, "portable" A/Cs are rated differently than window A/Cs. It's a dirty marketing trick. Somewhere on the box or in the manual for your 12,000 BTU unit there is (in tiny print, no doubt) a statement saying something like "Equivalent to 10,000 BTU window unit". So the bad news is marketing scum lie about capacity, but the good news is you go just the right size.
VWandDodge
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 20, 2011
- Messages
- 951
Where do you live? Sometimes, just running a ceiling fan and a dehumidifier will make all the difference in keeping a room cool. I tried using a dehumidifier here, in Oklahoma, but it didn't work out that well. Where I grew up, in Illinois, we ran two in the house and one in the basement, no central A/C, and they kept the house very cool.
787B
Well-known member
Guys, we resurrected a long-dead thread. :tard: 
The OP hasn't been back on the forum since he posted this in 2010...
The OP hasn't been back on the forum since he posted this in 2010...
HVAC Phil
Well-known member
Oh and it is 800 square feet per ton, 1000 square feet per ton on a tight, well insulated structure. With what the guy above said, 400 per ton, my house is 2400 square feet, means i need 6 tons of cooling??? I wonder how my 3 ton system works so well????
HotShoe
Active member
Is that 800 square feet per ton based on 8' ceilings? If so I would assume that I could just double that rough figure for 16' ceilings.
James-W
Well-known member
This thread is VERY old. Not much point in continuing it.