HVAC central air in particular

[abcomatic]

Frigidaire Central furnace and air conditioning. The outside unit is fine. All of this was installed in 2005. Inside, mmmmm? It is either the blower or the blower motor that is on the fritz. The repairman is due tomorrow. Not so bad right now, but it is supposed to get up to 91 on Sat.
It heats well in the winter. Be Cool! Gary

 

[gusherb]

Yes Jim

But maybe not for the reason I stated before that portion you quoted. Window units are more efficient then they used to be but not nearly as efficient as the super high efficiency central systems of which my statement was directed towards. Many models still run with a pretty high delta T. I had a 12,000 BTU R410A GE that was compliant to modern efficiency standards that would pull in air at 75 degrees and push it out at 29 degrees. I've tested a 10,000 BTU LG as well and that pushed out around 45 degree air. So both of those units are very good at removing moisture.

With the window unit I have three possible ideas that someone might think the older one worked better, first of all its 2,000 BTU's larger, so that would mean shorter on cycles resulting in less moisture removed from the air. Second reason, it could be the newer digital control is more finicky and cycles the unit on and off more frequently vs a different brand, or older mechanical dial unit (also resulting in less moisture removed, and perhaps not feeling as cold). I've found a lot of window AC's with less then desirable built in controls. Third reason could be the old unit was dirty, slowing airflow down and therefore running colder which would pull more moisture out and also run longer, again removing more moisture.

 

[askolover]

I remember

something similar to this when I was a kid, but it had electric controls for the water.  I wouldn't want hard water to be depositing minerals on my AC coil...my outside faucets are not softened.

Cool-N-Save | AC Mister

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[gusherb]

If you look that up on an HVAC forum you should find all kinds of pictures of coils that got full of deposits and/or rotted out from being sprayed with water for prolonged periods. Seems good on paper but in reality it just causes more harm then good.

 

[thomasortega]

Carrier outside, no idea about the internal unit that is buld in the wall next to the kitchen behing a huge sheet of metal., the thermostat is Honeywell
No idea about the age or the capacity, but it's a little overdimensioned for the apartment i'm living.
It coolds down the whole apartment within 5 minutes and if i set the thermostat too low it will freeze my bones.
the fan i quite exaggerated because i can hear the air passing through the registers and under the door and that noise is quite annoying at night.
No matter where i am in the apartment, i feel like if i were in front of a desk fan.

Maybe i'm being picky because i'm still not used to the american way of building but why would someone put ac even in the bathrooms, closets and laundry room?

 

[askolover]

Well, I don't want it in the closets or laundry area but if I had my way, I'd put a huge one in my bathroom!  I hate taking a nice hot shower and then sweating when I get out from all the heat and steam in the bathroom itself (a better vent fan would help).  Growing up I was known to open the bathroom window in the winter while I was taking a shower!

 

[toploader55]

A/C in the closets are there to prevent pockets of trapped heat and humidity that will encourage mildew on clothes and shoes etc.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>Maybe i'm being picky because i'm still not used to the american way of building but why would someone put ac even in the bathrooms, closets and laundry room?</blockquote> Humidity control ... you're in TX now.

Not unusual nowadays that homes, particularly custom-built, have HUGE master bedroom closets and bathrooms, and sometimes comparatively large walk-in pantries.

 

[twintubdexter]

Very little humidity here in the desert, but I have a very large master bedroom (wasted space), a large master bath and a big walk-in closet. There's air conditioning vents in the bath and closet, even in one the small separate "toilet room." One in the laundry room too. I guess that's typical here.

 

[delaneymeegan]

 

 

 

I used to swear by Central Air and forced air heat.   Not any more.  It's such a money pit.  

I'm floored at how much installers are getting for these installed.  

$5000 for a gas furnace installed with AC?   NO WAY.

 

And the energy these draw is one thing pushing global climate change.

 

I've been using the smallest window ACs 5000 btu and drawing a petty 500 watts.  Last year I discovered how much better they are with electronic controls and a remote control.  So nice. Gradual fan build ramping up, or down, the fan motor.   And quieter than Central air.  One small fan and compressor.  No ducts that are polluted with dust and lord knows what else.  

 

Plus, When I'm hot, I want the cold NOW.  Installing the AC across from the desk I can push a button and get cold air.  Push the button again and I'm not left with a freezing cold house.

 

And, it's easy enough to power a 500 watt AC unit off a solar arrangement.  

 

Cost about $120 new.  

 

 

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[artcurus]

@gusherb,

There is a difference in the way that these units cool, even the smell of air coming out of the vents is different.

I once walked into a gameroom (separate from the main house) that was cooled by an extremely rare 2 ton Friedrich central a/c, probably late 70's, early 80's. The outside condensing unit about the size of a very large window unit. The interior furnace/blower was the size of a mid size refrigerator box. The air felt unbelievable, with just the right amount of humidity, and smelled so fresh and clean. I find the new ones to be too sterile and sometimes too dry.

The owner was keeping it up religiously, even though he said it cost a fortune to run. He also did HVAC for a living.

 

[washman]

twintubdexter are those

units still featuring the spiny fin construction on the outdoor coils?

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Long may this "Old Faithful" Last!!!!

Weather King Central Air Unit:

Only one repair needed & that was to fix the fuse block...  Yes, our house goes from sweltering to a meat packing plant...  This must be a fairly new A/C & we will someday have to replace our nearing-50-year-old furnace w/ something as efficient...

 

My dad complained that our house was hot when he visited (or really wondered 'why') and yes, our temperature was 80-degrees & we had the thermostat set at 78, because my wife complains about being  cold all the time, (even when we were in Arizona a couple of months ago) & me, I'm hot-blooded 'n' sweaty a lot...

 

[passatdoc]

Carrier 3 ton unit, installed September 2015 in a 27 year old home that was built as "AC ready" (all ducting, cabling, 220V outlet in place and ready to hook up). Not only does it do a great job of keeping the house cool, but it's amazingly efficient. I am a customer of San Diego Gas & Electric, with rates of about 15 cents/KWH (one of the highest in the country). Last year, it was used every day in September and the bill rose only by $90 (from $40 in a noncooling month to $130), despite the consumption pushing me into Tier 3 (of 4) rates. I had expected to see bills in the $200+ range. Given our relatively mild climate, I only expect to use it 30-45 days/year, and I keep the thermostat at 78. I have a salt water aquarium which isn't supposed to go over about 80F, so I keep the AC at 78-79. I'll use a fan if 78-79 is a bit toasty for me. I never set it in the low 70s.

 

[twintubdexter]

washman...yes, they have those spine-fin condensers...

...which I find to work very well. They're easy to keep clean too. As I mentioned on here before, I ruined both of the original Payne units by bending the condenser fins flat with the a garden hose nozzle. I thought they looked so clean and shiny until I put my glasses on. By then it was too late. It was a very costly mistake. I'm more careful now.

[this post was last edited: 6/18/2016-19:55]

 

[cfz2882]

MrSlim pulling the freight.

12,000 BTU Mitsubishi getting the job done nicely in 95+ heat last couple days-installed the unit last summer and ran the condensate pipe through floor into basement where a 5 gal.bucket hangs-this has just about been filling up every day lately,so a proper condensate pan with pump is now under construction Unit made in 2011 and runs R410A.

 

[gusherb]

Our Trane units are SpineFin too. Very hard to get the cottonwoods out of them so I wrap nylon screen material around them each season until the cottonwoods stop. As a result I haven't had to clean the older one since 2012 and the newer one ever. They just stay clean.

American Standard and Trane units still come with SpineFin except the very base models to my understanding. (The base models have Chinese compressors too I think)

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Thanks, Gusherb.

 

I've always followed what I call my 5 for 8 rule whenever I make the choice for window units. If an area "needs" an 8,000 unit, I buy a 5,000. I haven't had any complaints yet.

 

I should note that this has always been in the northeast where the humidity is just as bad as the heat.

 

Jim

 

 

 

[gusherb]

I was able to cool roughly half of a 1,200 sqft apartment to 72 degrees up to about 90 outside with just a 6,500 BTU window unit and a strategically placed pedestal fan one summer. Sometimes a little can really go a long way. Another instance, my brother was able to keep his apartment in southern Indiana cool with just a cheapy 5,000 BTU Haier with no fan assistance. I think it was about 600 sqft. It would have to run all day long but it got the job done (and kept the humidity down real well).

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Yup, in areas where humidity tends to soar with the heat, a few well placed fans can keep you comfortable with half the btu's supposedly necessary. A friend lives in a 1500 sq ft 2 BR, SE facing railroad apartment. LR,DR,&Kit have an additional shotgun set-up. 5K units in each BR and 8K in DR. The 2 5K's plus several fans in the hall blowing toward LR and ceiling fan in LR keep the whole apartment comfortable below 90F outside temp. Need to turn on DR unit above that. Even at 100F outside this set-up has worked out just fine.