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Posted by udarrell on July 17, 2006, 1:55 pm
brijesh@gmail.com wrote:
>I have a single story ranch where I am having a central AC installed.
>The house has forced air heating so there is existing ductwork. I had
>an installer here for a quote and he told me that the area is about
>1500 sq. ft and he would put a 2.5 tonne unit. I have a family room
>with no ductwork and a separate heating unit. I would have a window AC
>in that room. The area for that room is not included in the 1500 sq ft
>mentioned above. This family room is connected to the main house
>through the dining area so there is no door.
>
>I want to know if the size of the unit is correct? He said that if he
>puts a 3 tonne unit in, it might have problem pushing the air through
>the existing ductwork which is not top quality. So it might cause more
>problems than a 2.5 tonne unit. Also these parts of northeast don't
>need that much cooling so it should be sufficient.
>
>He offered me a 10 SEER unit (brand new, Rheem) with a 5 year warranty.
> Compared to the 13 SEER unit (also Rheem) with a 10 year warranty (on
>the condenser, for both), this one costs me about $450 less. I think I
>would be ok with a little less efficient unit and lesser warranty but
>is there something else on the 10 SEER unit that I might want to take
>into account now?
>
>Finally, is there any other question I should be asking the installer
>to verify the quality of the install? I have gone through some posts
>in this newsgroup and I understand the quality of the installation is
>as important as the quality of the unit. Thanks in advance for your time.
>
>
Considering the added 5-years of warranty I might go for the 13-SEER for
a mere 450 difference.
The 13-SEER needs to have the Scroll compressor and get the TXV
refrigerant metering system!
The savings between the 10 & 13-SEER at present electric rates in your
climate won't be much, however, rates could go up.
Have a manual J heat-gain heat-loss calc done, and then do all you can
to reduce the load, then refigure the calc to a smaller tonnage and less
heat required during the longer heating season. Have the duct system
thoroughly checked & tested for leaks and correct CFM capacity, and also
unwanted Air infiltration from the attic and other places is a huge
factor to address!
Those are the areas that must be addressed first, then proper equipment
sizing and a quality installation!
Where you live, SEER differential is a minor factor!
- udarrell - Darrell
--
Air Conditioning's Affordable Path to the "Human Comfort Zone Goal"
http://www.udarrell.com/air-conditioning-total-heat-enthalpy-latent-heat.html
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