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We've got a 2,500 sq foot high ranch home (no vaulted ceilings). It's the same high ranch home that's copied and pasted all over the place.
We're replacing our entire central AC (ductwork as well) and am trying to decide between a 4 ton and 5 ton unit. The contractor says 4 should be sufficient, but we can go up to 5 tons if we want extra overhead. The cost difference between the two is not significant.
Usually I'd just go with the bigger unit and call it a day, but I'm reading that may not be the best. If you get a unit that's overpowered for your home, it will cool it down too quickly and won't run long enough to remove the humidity from the air.
It’s probably not worth it for LI summers but you might want to consider getting a 2 stage vs single. Most of the time it will run at the lower stage, doing a better job of removing humidity, instead of 100%. Would probably give you an extra point or two of SEER.
Current house is a 1400 sq ft ranch, no cooling of garage or basement; took a 3-ton, 2-stage Carrier.
This is the fifth house since the first one in the early 1970s and all have had a two-stage except the first one which was a 3500 sq ft high ranch. Even for a small house I do think the two-stage is worth it. This current unit has a digital thermostat that can display what stage the system is using, in real time, and except for the initial ramp-up at start (I don't keep it on 24/7; it's usually turned off overnight) it spends more time in the Low stage than High.
IMHO a 5-ton unit is overkill for a 2500 sq ft house, even a two story (it's be way overkill for a ranch). During the 1970s we had a 3400 sq ft high ranch with a 4-ton Carrier and that was more than fine even for then-husband who liked the house to be cold enough to double as a meatlocker.
That said... If I were cooling a typical high ranch nowadays I would opt for a mini-split unit in the lower level and keep the CAC for the upstairs only. Typical meaning that you have only a single large room and possibly a smaller one, plus a bathroom and the utility/laundry room, down there. If the smaller room was opened up to the large one I'd definitely go the mini-split route for that part of the house.
Also as a side note: Although I've had Carriers for the past three decades I would not opt for that brand today because the quality is just not what it was. The Carrier systems we had installed in the early 1970s, mid 1980s, mid 1990s, and early 2000s all ran like champs: efficient, quiet, no problems. But this circa 2013 system (Infinity) has been a royal PITA. If I had it to do again I'd go with a Trane instead.
And I'd add an AprilAire filter to the system regardless of unit size or brand; just my two cents. Especially if anyone in your family has allergies, or if you have pets, or if anyone in the family is a smoker. We had one in the last two houses and it was totally worth it. That first circa 1970s high ranch system had an electrostatic filter because the AprilAire wasn't on the market at the time. But the electrostatic ones are a pain, frankly, because they need to be removed and cleaned regularly. The AprilAire gets an $80 filter swapout yearly (if needed) along with the annual tuneup.
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 07-26-2019 at 07:59 AM..
your hvac guy sucks oversizing the system is a bad idea. You should get a manual J it will calculate the effect windows, insulation, sun etc have on the unit. I guarantee you the vents are not in the optimal spots. We had a mechanical engineer do this. You can get them online for a few hundred bucks.
The correct way to do it is use 2 different units. One for 1st fl zone and one for 2nd floor zone. But it’s a lot of coin and many don’t do it. Based on your square footage I would probably go 5 ton but with multi stage. And make sure you have multiple return grilles with filters.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Febtober
1) I'm not sure actually. I just know all the documents when we purchased the house list 2,498sq feet. The same value is on Zillow.
Current house is a 1400 sq ft ranch, no cooling of garage or basement; took a 3-ton, 2-stage Carrier.
This is the fifth house since the first one in the early 1970s and all have had a two-stage except the first one which was a 3500 sq ft high ranch. Even for a small house I do think the two-stage is worth it. This current unit has a digital thermostat that can display what stage the system is using, in real time, and except for the initial ramp-up at start (I don't keep it on 24/7; it's usually turned off overnight) it spends more time in the Low stage than High.
IMHO a 5-ton unit is overkill for a 2500 sq ft house, even a two story (it's be way overkill for a ranch). During the 1970s we had a 3400 sq ft high ranch with a 4-ton Carrier and that was more than fine even for then-husband who liked the house to be cold enough to double as a meatlocker.
That said... If I were cooling a typical high ranch nowadays I would opt for a mini-split unit in the lower level and keep the CAC for the upstairs only. Typical meaning that you have only a single large room and possibly a smaller one, plus a bathroom and the utility/laundry room, down there. If the smaller room was opened up to the large one I'd definitely go the mini-split route for that part of the house.
Also as a side note: Although I've had Carriers for the past three decades I would not opt for that brand today because the quality is just not what it was. The Carrier systems we had installed in the early 1970s, mid 1980s, mid 1990s, and early 2000s all ran like champs: efficient, quiet, no problems. But this circa 2013 system (Infinity) has been a royal PITA. If I had it to do again I'd go with a Trane instead.
And I'd add an AprilAire filter to the system regardless of unit size or brand; just my two cents. Especially if anyone in your family has allergies, or if you have pets, or if anyone in the family is a smoker. We had one in the last two houses and it was totally worth it. That first circa 1970s high ranch system had an electrostatic filter because the AprilAire wasn't on the market at the time. But the electrostatic ones are a pain, frankly, because they need to be removed and cleaned regularly. The AprilAire gets an $80 filter swapout yearly (if needed) along with the annual tuneup.
I replaced my central air last year and the installer said the same thing about Cariier and Trane. My new unit is a Trane and I am not happy with it. It sounds like a F15. It literally gives me a headache.
Try setting the fan speed to low. I believe they come from the factory on medium.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coney
I replaced my central air last year and the installer said the same thing about Cariier and Trane. My new unit is a Trane and I am not happy with it. It sounds like a F15. It literally gives me a headache.
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