Central Air Problem?

Question

We had a 2.5 ton unit instaled last year, but seems to run constantly. Some one advised us that the contractor shold have used a 3 ton. The thermostat is on the second floor, however the ground floor temperature seems to always reach anywhere from 75-78 degrees if it is only 80 degrees outside. Will a larger unit make a difference? Does anyone have any other recomendations?

Answer 1

First rule of thumb is 1 ton of A/C for every 500 sq ft of living space. Sometimes a larger A/C will cool faster but leave you with mold problems due to being unable to wick humidity from the air. You could move the T-stat downstairs and install some balancing dampers to increase/decrease air flow to hot spots in your house.

Answer 2

You should probably have 2 separate units. One servicing the upstairs and one for the downstairs. This is usually the most efficient. It's a little costlier in the beginning but pays for itself over time. Even with a larger unit you are going to have the same problems. Heat rises so the upstairs will always gather the heat, causing the unit to constantly monitor the temperature upstairs since the thermostat is up there. All the cool air is going to stay up there unless you have a very open "loft" plan where there aren't many walls and the cool air is allowed to circulate more freely. You can also "zone" your air-conditioning system so that you can set different areas to different temperatures. You should call a reputable air-conditioning service and have them evaluate the sizing of the unit, the layout and sizing of the duct work, and the number and size of supply air registers in your home. They can tell you what you need to do to get the air in your home balanced.

Answer 3

First of all, I would have someone check and see if installed properly. If the thermostat is on the second floor, it will run more, as heat goes up and cold goes down! I think your thermostat is not working properly and perhaps placed in the wrong place. They are normally placed within a certain distant from the cold air return. Check that out. It could just be a bad thermostat, or it could be set wrong.

Answer 4

Hi, I am a HVAC Teck. A sure fix is to have zoning installed.
Size of the unit is determaned by the size of the house. It is actually better to under size than over size. It actually sounds like the unit is not cooling right in the first place. Lower floors should be cooler than the upper floors.

Answer 5

This contractor needs $4700 restore something that he would not additionally be conscious of what the concern is interior the 1st place finished rip-off! call yet another contractor for common provider call, he can locate and evaluate the concern. If the AHU has no longer been messed with likelihood is it extremely is no longer the concern, maximum probable the line contraptions linked to the condenser unit are improperly soldered. wager you will locate that they did no longer use silver solder only conventional plumbing solder, thats a great funds saver for the contractor and powerful for a provider call after warranties are up. a very good provider tech can pressurize the unit and become conscious of the leaks in a brief time, dont spend the massive greenbacks yet, and in case you may desire to, get 3 or 4 bids.outlining an identical scope of artwork.Heck it'd additionally be in basic terms a nasty capacitor

Answer 6

Unfortunatesly.. you did not say how large the place is that you want to cool/heat

Just off the top of my head.. as I have had similar decision problems and am going thru another one..... a 2.5 ton might be a bit small. You also did not mention the seer rating. You should have at least a 13 seer rating a/c.... I am surprised that your a/c man did not get with you on that.

Answer 7

u need to check the filters (inside) and make sure the condenser coil is clean (out side unit) ac are design for a 20 degree temp drop if you check the temp coming out of the vent then u need to call and have the system charge checked size of unit is based on square ft

Answer 8

Open all upstairs vents and close downstairs. cold air falls warm rises. at night close the bedroom doors. the temp will depend on how hot is it outside. if its 99 then your unit will run more. if its your house check the roof vents or get an attic fan to cool the attic.

Answer 9

You need about 1 ton per 700 SF of living area, its best that they run often, oversizing, will cool the house Rapidly, and leave you with Humidity- its designed that way. (to run)