opinions on a/c condenser brands upgrading

[94yj]

what brands are good and what brands do i need to stay away from i am upgrading my ac unit on my house and it now has a 1.5 ton unit and i was thinking of moving up to a 3 or 4 ton unit my home has 1100 sf i want something that is trouble free as much as possible thanks

 

[rickairmedic]

YJ you dont have your location in your profile but I will say 4 tons is way to big for an 1100sf house . You should have a 2-2&1/2 ton max most likely . I willl also add your ductwork and furnace may not be able to support a larger unit so that is also something to look at. I prefer Goodman products myself I have had little trouble with them over the years and have had plenty of trouble with Trane and Carrier . Depending on where you live you may be better off with a high efficiency furnace and a Heat pump . The furnace acts as backup heat for the heatpump when it gets to cold outside for the heatpump to properly heat the home .


Rick

 

[rlitman]

First, your compressor size must match your air handler.
Second, if you install too large a system (say, moving from 1.5 to 4 tons), you will not get enough dehumidification. You need to size your system properly. Talk to a professional, or find some software that can do a heat load calculation for your house. This is NOT something to guess at.

 

[Random Guy]

As much as I hate paying other people to work on my house, this is one thing that you really should hire a trained contractor for. If your house currently has a 1.5 ton unit, and that keeps up as it should, putting a 3 or 4 ton unit on the house will make it MUCH LESS comfortable, and use A LOT MORE energy. Bigger is not better. To find out how big of a unit you need, you need to have someone perform a Manual J heat loss calculation. A place with a lot of good information is hvac-talk.com, but be advised that that site does not offer DIY advice. However, it has a wealth of information for what to look for in both a unit and a contractor.

 

[94yj]

i am in Texas and the unit i have now is running all day and does not cycle off till after dark and the air handler is new and can accommodate up to a 5 ton a coil also the air handler is a Coleman 23 kw system i will have the system installed by an ac person i know i just dont want to invest in a system i am going to be having problems with

 

[5lima30]

I've had a Goodman heatpump in my home since it was built 3 years ago. We have been very pleased with it so far! Our electric bill was $71.00 last month with the thermostat set at 77F. In the really cold months it is marginal when it drops well below freezing, which is why we have supplemental gas log heating stove and gas log fireplace. (I understand the limitations of heating with a heat pump in really cold weather.) YMMV.

 

[rickairmedic]

i am in Texas and the unit i have now is running all day and does not cycle off till after dark and the air handler is new and can accommodate up to a 5 ton a coil also the air handler is a Coleman 23 kw system i will have the system installed by an ac person i know i just dont want to invest in a system i am going to be having problems with

YJ before you go spending money on a new larger AC unit call your local utility provider and ask them if they have an Energy Audit program . My local utility does and I recomend it to all of my customers . My house was built in 1964 and is a standard Brick Ranch for my area . I had no zero zilch insulation in my walls and very little in my attic. This will make a major differance in how your system works and cools. I tell customers all the time in houses like mine when they ask if the new AC unit is going to cool better than the old one that it may be slightly better but if their house is not at least somewhat insulated that they wont see much differance.


Rick