What size central air conditioner is required for a 1700 square ft. foot single-story house?

Question

Currently have a very old 3-ton a/c. Which seems to work ok on those occasions where the temp gets above 90-100 in Southern Cal. I'm being encouraged by a/c reps to go for the 4-ton which would require additional $$ for electrical work.

Answer 1

first you need to get a heat gain loss calculation done on your home...get 3 or 4 estimates and go for the best midrange price...a four ton would be to large and would not run long enough to dehumidify your home....but basically it will work out like this new home with lots of insulation and good windows and doors will get by with one ton for every 650 to 700 sq ft...old homes with bad windows and little insulation ..one ton for every 500 sq ft....so basically all you will need is either a 3 ton or 3 1/2 ton unit....depending on you home analysis

Answer 2

Central Air Conditioner Size Calculator

Answer 3

The "rule of thumb" is 400 SQ ft per ton, but to size it properly, have your HVAC contractor do a proper load calculation. MAKE HIM SHOW YOU THE CALCULATIONS! If he does not use manual "J" for the calculations, then it was done wrong. Most contractors oversize the units if they do not do the calculation. They do this because most consumers percieve that an oversize unit is not bad, and they should be "on the safe side". The trouble with this thinking is that the purpose of the air conditioner is to both cool AND dry the air. If it is oversized, it will not run long enough to dry the air, leaving the consumer with a cold, wet house. In order to feel comfortable, you will wind up lowering the temperature setting. This wastes energy, and still results in an uncomfortable house. If the unit is right sized, it will keep you cool and dry- very comfortable. Oversize it, it will shorten the life of the A/C (through constant short cycling) give you wide swings in the house temperature, and no have the house at the best combination of dry and cool. Oversizing will also cause you to pay more money in the initial cost of the unit, and also in energy.

Answer 4

A general rule of thumb is that one ton of air conditioning can handle 500 sq. ft. of conditioned space. This translates to 3.4 tons for 1700 sq. ft. of course there are all kinds of variables that change this figure.. Get another acessment by another rep they may think 3.5 tons is adequate. The acessment should include insulation in walls and attic and your comfort zone in degrees temp. I got the 500 sq ft. per ton on the net, also an oversized unit is not a good deal it costs more to install initially and more to run because of the constant cycling. A unit that runs constantly does a better job of dehumidification and is cheaper to run. Alsofrom the net. Give "wwwstat"the ten points he got it right so did I.

Answer 5

There is a lot more to it than just square feet of the house. You need to have a load calculation done. This will save you a lot in the long run. For more info check out the load calculation page at my source.

Answer 6

24000 btu unit.

Air coolers NEVER WORK, Get an air conditioner. Dont' waste money.

Go to the following site to know what you must know before buying air conditioners:

tinyurl@com/airconknowledge (Replace @com with .com)

For any questions, contact the staff.

Answer 7

What Size Central Air Conditioner

Answer 8

3 tons

Answer 9

yeh. the four ton would be ideal. we have a 2 ton for 890 sq. feet.

my bills are less than before with a new unit and better insulation. it cost me more money twenty five years ago then it does now because it's so efficient.

Answer 10

You need to have a proper load calculation done, not just square footage.