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We have multiple a/c units in 1 story home and were wondering what the pros/cons of running just the 1 unit supplying air to the part of the house we are in vs running all 3 units at same time?
Builders/hvac guys have said to use all 3 units but nobody has given a good explanation why you can't run just the unit supplying air to the master at night for example.
While you absolutely CAN run just one unit the idea is that the system was DESIGNED for all three units to handle the airflow / needed temperature drop and doing so will cool the place with the best overall speed and efficiency.
Should decide to run only one (or two) of the unit the heat load on that unit will be much higher and it will work harder / run longer, ultimately costing MORE than running all the units.
To minimize the "mixing" of un-conditioned air you MIGHT try shutting doors between the areas that are not being used but rarely can you segregate air in a normal home -- kitchen space leads to dining space or family room and there are never really any "air-tight" barriers even if there are doors...
Well an obvious pro would be saving money. At night when your sleeping, you could have the other units temperature set higher in the living room your not using. And during the day when your mainly in the living room, The bedroom units temperature could be set higher.
The main Con I see is maintenance and replacement costs. You now have to replace 3 filters every 3 months, instead of one. And in 10 or 15 years you have 3 systems you have to replace instead of just one. While it's true a larger unit would cost more to replace then a smaller unit, the equipment cost is minimal, labor is what's going to kill you. The cost difference between a 2 ton Goodman A/C ($1,347) and a 5 ton Goodman A/C ($1,987) is about $600, but to have someone replace 3 units as opposed to one big unit is going to cost you three times as much in labor.
We have multiple a/c units in 1 story home and were wondering what the pros/cons of running just the 1 unit supplying air to the part of the house we are in vs running all 3 units at same time?
Builders/hvac guys have said to use all 3 units but nobody has given a good explanation why you can't run just the unit supplying air to the master at night for example.
Three separate units? Use just the one at night, unless the cooling on the others during the day isn't enough to cool the place down.
There will be more humidity build-up in the rest of the house overnight, but that is not generally an issue.
Let's clarify-
Are we talking window units; or 3 central air systems, or what?
That would help- but yes, using all three to control the overall temperature puts less strain on any one unit. Turning on and off to suit demand can over burden a unit if the temperature indifference is greater than 8-10*.
There are 3 separate central air systems and we mainly use a/c at night to sleep and have been using the 1 unit that cools part of house with master bedroom.
Big house? or just big, spread out footprint? At any rate, it depends on if there are people in the other zones that need the a/c on.
You know better than any of us how the systems work cooling your house and controlling the humidity (if a factor). Common sense says to run the least number of systems to retain the comfort level desired. If you can do that with one unit - then run just one unit. If you have to run two part time, then run two part time.
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