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#19696 01/01/03 01:52 PM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 110
W
wocolt Offline OP
Member
A family member is having there house sized for air-conditioning, and the HVAC guy is telling them they need a 7-ton unit.
the house is 2800 sq.ft.
This comes out to about 24500 VA just for the A/C.
Does this sound high to anyone else ???????

TIA
WColt

#19697 01/01/03 02:28 PM
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 210
S
Member
I am not an HVAC specialist, but 7 tons sounds like alot, but like anything else there are a lot of variables..such as high ceilings..etc...

#19698 01/01/03 02:44 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
W
Member
Had an hvac specialist size up my home which was built in 95 for central AC. He said 3 tons would be plenty. It's a colonial with 1450 sq ft. this was not including the basement, stays cool enough down stairs. Duct work is insulated. We have 2 returns one on 1st and 2nd fl., which I understand is ok for heat, but a/c should really have a return in each room. There's thermal pane windows, an a high r value of insulation. They told me I can save $300 on installation if I do the wiring, the price was $2400., that's the condensor, A-coil and AC lines.
They told me a house like mine is basically 1 ton per 500 sq ft of floor space.



[This message has been edited by Wirenuttt (edited 01-01-2003).]

#19699 01/01/03 03:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 42
G
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#19700 01/01/03 09:12 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 135
W
Member
Rules of thumb are riddled with qualifiers.

Here in Dallas,Texas residential a/c is going to be 400- 500 ft² per ton.

How well insulated,how much glass, the exposures, the outside design temp. all figure in.

The link given above offers a heat/cool load calculation software package for homeowners at a very reasonable price and Don supports it well.

If in doubt, run the numbers and see what comes up. Too much a/c can be worse than too little.

[This message has been edited by wolfdog (edited 01-01-2003).]

#19701 01/02/03 10:47 AM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 110
W
wocolt Offline OP
Member
Thanks to everyone who replied. It is my sisters house and she and her husband are doing some remodelling, and the HVAC guys are installing the A/C 7 tons of it. and that comes out to 24500 VA or 102 amps of load since its A/C it has to be taken at 100 %, and the EC wants to put in a 300 amp service, and ironically enough they do live in Texas.
In light of that it looks correct. I understand that there are variables, and just wanted a ballpark to see if she was getting what she needed or getting ripped off.
So thanks again.
WOC

#19702 01/02/03 06:23 PM
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 176
W
Member
I wonder if she considered other types of Heat/cooling? Such as geothermal? It has a lot of advantages and saves a lot of money in the long haul of things.


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