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Heating & Air Conditioning

HVAC System for new home

12 years ago

I just purchased a sloped lot in NE Ohio and I'm in the initial planning stages of working with an architect in designing an approximately 5,100 sq ft home.

- Lower floor w/windows on 3 sides (~1,000 finished sq ft)

- Main floor w/master bdrm (~2,900 finished sq ft)

- 2nd floor (~1,200 finished sq ft)

Am I better off with one system for the second floor and another system for the main and lower floors? Or should I design one system for the entire home with dampers and a sophisticated zoning system. Other ideas? I'm at the stage where I can design the system from scratch and I want some ideas and advice as to how to proceed before I start talking to contractors and working through plans with my architect.

Your ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

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Comments (4)

mike_home
12 years ago
You are much better off in terms of comfort and efficiency having two systems versus one. You may want to put in dampers to control the lower and main floors. The area is large enough to warrant it.
david_cary
12 years ago
Around here, that house would get 3 systems. I am not sure that is necessary or the most cost effective solution.

But there are lots of options and you have to give a better idea of your priorities. It is install cost, ongoing costs, comfort etc? Is this forced air throughout? Do you have NG?

The number of systems is not necessarily the first choice. FWIW - I have 2 systems in a similar house. So far it is working well but I just finished the walkout.

Going to 1 system allows that system to be the best - 96% furnace with heat pump. The only problem in your setting is that the top floor is so much smaller than the second that short cycling of your a/c at night might be an issue with some systems. Even with Infinity running at low stage, that upstairs will get cold really fast and not dehumidify well. But if the design was really good, it might all work. What you would want is do dump some onto the first floor even though the Infinity technically doesn't allow that.

All-in-all, you would need a really slick installer to get 1 system to work well. Most around here would put 3 basic systems in. Often a basic system costs less than the upgrade to a good zoned system (ie 2 basic systems cost less that 1 zoned system). At 3 floors, while the zone system would seem to get cheaper (vs 3 units), the complexity of design goes up significantly.

Get 2 systems. A basic one for the upstairs (that might not be used all the time?), and a really good zoned system for the 1st 2 floors.
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clockwork you will always get more comfort and control from multiple systems over a single system with zoning controls. however, a zoned system like you have listed is certainly a viable second choice and not overkill. dealer must do his load calcs for equipment and Man D for ductwork sizing/design. Ductwork should be insulated probably R8. I would want metal trunk lines for both supply and return. what did dealer propose? I think your biggest challenge is verifying your dealer's experience/expertise with a sgl system using zoning controls. I recommend going to visit a newly constructed home similar to yours where zoning controls were used and discuss with homeowner. Zoning is not for the inexperienced. how much is this system? IMO Good Luck!
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Yes Natural Gas Furnace for Heating along with the AC condenser. I have read up a lot on zoning, it seems to me like there are not a lot of installers in the industry that really know how to set them up properly. There also is a lot of negative information on zoning as it relates to the troubles a by-pass can cause to your systems efficiency. That is why I was leaning towards the two unit system, however need to figure out the proper size for each level. I know the best thing to run is a Manual J on the place however as a starting point what is the general rule based on square footage in determining the tonnage and BTU for a heating and cooling system? That along with how does the rising of hot air and the dropping of cool air determine the size you would go with? Any help would be appreciated.
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You've got your prerequisites down pretty well. The basement adds little to the cooling load, but as far as heating goes, do you plan on spending considerable time down there? When do you plan on finishing it? Your contractor may want to take it into consideration when doing his load calculation (which I hope he does). You can zone the basement off either with electronic or manual dampers. Some homes have vents on the floor, but I would prefer them on the ceiling (mine are mostly on the floor by the way). I would go for R-410a refrigerant as well. As far as systems go, I like what Trane has to offer. A new 3-ton XL15i was just installed down the street from where I live. They make some quality products (but then again so does Rheem, Carrier, etc...)
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ionized - thanks for the comment and I will definitely look into adding a humidifier later on vs at the beginning. I moved from a house in the North Hills that was your typical 1950's Pittsburgh Cape Cod and in the winter we had a big problem with static which I would like to dry to avoid in my new home. I realize I might be off the mark for my reason on humidity control but in general, I just want to do this system right because I have that option. to all - can anybody give me a range that I should be paying for a new high efficiency system (as spec'd above) from either Trane, Carrier, Amana/Goodman, or York for my size house? Quotes as mentioned before are on top of each other so thats what makes me comfortable with them but it would be nice to hear from someone on here as a sounding board. Thanks to all the previous comments and suggestions.
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hendrxx
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the good feedback,

It will be a natural gas system, forced air throughout. My objectives are comfort, quiet, efficiency and ease of maintenance in the future. I'm willing to spend the dollars up front, but I want to make sure that I do everything right.
mike_home
12 years ago
If you want to do it right, then you need to find a good HVAC contractor who will do Manual J calculation and proper duct sizing. You want a system which will provide even temperture distribution thoughout all rooms.

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