Need advice on new A/C unit. (installation, light, costs)
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A couple of weeks ago I replaced my A/C system. My old one was rusted out on the inside of the interior unit. I knew nothing about these units at the time, and I ended up buying the system recommended by the company who came to check on my old unit (the company had gotten very good reviews on Angie's List). I noticed right after the installation that the new unit was noisier than the system I had before. The company sent someone out to check the system and make sure it was properly installed. While he was here he said for the size system they installed, I really needed an additional air intake in my house for it to work properly (my new system is a 5 ton But I'm not sure what my old one was). He adjusted the blower on the system (I think he said the blower is now operating comparable to a 4 ton system) and this did make the unit more quiet. My question is, does this mean that they should have just installed a 4 ton system in my house in the first place? And if the 5 ton system is the correct size for my house, shouldn't they have evaluated my duct work and air intakes when they recommended the 5 ton system to me and installed a new air intake when the installed the A/C system?
They should have done a Manual J sizing and given that information to you. This would tell them and you what the requirements are for ducting, tonnage, return air, etc. for your system.
When we replaced our system, 5 contractors came out.
2 wanted to upsize the unit. NO!!!!
1 just wanted to replace with same size (which turned out to be correct), and 2 actually gave me the Manual J calcs and showed me the correct unit for my place, which was the same size that originally was installed.
I also upgraded the system to use a 2 stage blower as well, increasing my costs, but will decrease my costs over the life of the equipment.
The first stage blower you can barely tell it is on. Light breeze, whisper quiet. Second stage is a blaster!
Of course with 95+ degrees and 90%+ humidity in FL, the second stage comes on during PM.
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