Ok, I just bought my first home. It was built in 1926, it is an amazing old house that is about 1650SF, a week after I got the house I called in to my home warrenty company to have them call someone out because the AC was not getting cold. After the HVAC technician came out to my house he told me that the AC unit on the inside is brand new and it is a 4 ton(don't understand), but he said the unit outside is a very old 3 ton unit and it is a mismatch! I was upset after hearing this becuase the home inspector should have noticed something like that. Should I try to get it replaced with the right 4 ton unit or just leave it alone? I dont want to have outrageous electric bills, if that is what it might cause. Any suggestions wil be most appreciated. Thanks
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The only way to determine tonage is via the model numbers of both the A-coil and the condenser. This is experessed in BTU's. Your average home inspector is not going to know to look for this nor do many people other than Tech's know this. I would consider upgrading to the 4 ton unit outside. There are ways to 'retro' the coil by installing different pistons, or captubes. And by sometimes adjusting the expansion valve. These are not recommended practices, but they can get you out of a jam if practiced by a very experinced person. As always get a second opinion and/or estimate before hand.
I would agree with leaving the size of the air conditioning unit. Isn't 48,000 a little high for a house that size? Just pondering . . .there are a lot of articles out there right now about oversizing . . .
I would have a tech do a traverse or calculation on the CFM you are putting into the house. Make sure your duct is sized correctly for current conditions. If you can move enough air with the duct you have under normal static, than we can go to the next step with the equipment.
[This message has been edited by CIWS (edited June 05, 2003).]
