Need quick advice please - does 4 ton sound right for my house?
User
8 years ago
Hi. I need some quick advice/insight please. Last night my husband
signed a contract on a new a/c and furnace. We signed a contract so we’re using
the guy/company no matter what, but I’m wondering if we got the right size
unit.
Our house:
90s builder grade, around 2000 sq ft (main level and upstairs).
The original unit is 3 ton and about 18 years old. Last summer when it got
super hot I would come home to a house that was 83 degrees and the ac ran all
day. We are in Missouri – so lots of heat and humidity. Our house has vaulted
ceilings in the entry way, living room, and master bedroom. The windows are all
original/builder grade and our living room windows face the sun during the
hottest time of the day. The people before us finished the basement and ran all
new ductwork in the basement– as a result, I don’t think the original ac can cool our entire
house. We don’t go upstairs but it never gets cool up there. With the basement,
we're probably looking at 2600 sq ft if I had to guess.
Our contract shows we’re getting a 4 ton Goodman (410), 13 seer
condenser, and Goodman 100k 80% furnace… Does 4 ton sound right? I was thinking
3.5 ton. I don’t want to oversize it and get the cave effect or have humidity
issues. We were going to stick with r22 but the guy said just go with what’s
new since it has a better warranty.
I include some pics so you can get an idea of the
ceiling heights/space.
Thank you so much!
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Need some advice QUICK please...
Comments (20)"... Her house build demonstrates that. She described the floor and stair riser issues in her first post ..." She does not go into detail on why the condition of the construction is the way it is. You are assuming it was all the gc's fault. While I am certainly not going to defend the GC she fired, I will say part of that condition might have been from the house being open to the elements for a period of time. ANother part was that she never gave the original GC the opportunity to make the work that was done ready to be installed over. The GC did not complete the project and was removed from the job before he could finish his work, so of course it was not ready to be installed over, because the work was not completed and the original GC did not have the opportunity to make sure the stair system or any other part was in a ready state to be installed over. She very well may have had just cause to remove the CG, but nevertheless she took on the GC responsibility on herself to ensure it was ready for finish trades. I believe it is apparent that this house was not ready to have finished trades in it performing finish work, and it was her responsibility as GC to make sure it was unless soneone else accepted that responsibility by contract. "...A person does not require a GC to have a floor put down. ..." The problem with this is that it was not as simple as getting a floor put down in a home that was ready to have finish trade present. Again, we do not know what caused the stair issues, which could have been: Framing problems caused by the GC's incompetance, or being open to the elements, which flooring installer holds no responsibility for because its a hidden condition, unless it was a tile contractor who must check for build stability, and deflection and rigidity requirements. You might not be aware that carpet, wood, and resilient installers are noit trained for, nor do they hold any responsibility or liability for framing issues. All of which she holds responsibility for as the project GC. The only way the flooring installers would hold liability and responsibility for framing (hidden conditions) issues is if it was addressed on their bids that they agreed to do the work. Any flooring installer would address this in their bids if they elected to take on the added responsibility and liability from stair framing condition and height requirements she may ahve had which could only ahve been taken care of with additional prep they should have addressed in their bids if they wanted to take on the additional responsibility and liability for an added fee. Additionally, she admitted she has no local building codes for such things as stair height. Could they have done better...sure. But it begins and ends with who is liable and responsible. She took that on by electing to be her own project GC. "... While it might have been possible for her to have stepped in earlier to babysit the install where she would have seen that they weren't able to handle the job, stopping it sooner than what happened, that doesn't relieve that company of their total responsibility for having installed a floor over an (obviously) unsound substrate. You can't remove prep from the flooring equation. The flooring company is the professional here and in charge of their own work. It's their job. Once they start putting the floor down, they have accepted the substrate as sound and taken ownership of the results. They did not act responsibly or professionally. Period. Doesn't matter who did the hiring. They and they alone are responsible for their own incompetent work ..." Again, (and again, and again, and again) an installer absolutely is responsible and liable for the surface they install over. However, I will disagree that prep cant be removed. It very well can, and often is removed. While most professional flooring installers do much surface prep, others do not, and FEW, if any, will concern themselves with framing issues AT ALL. I do, but most do not. It all boils down to what was included in the bid. Flooring installers have no responsibility to do added prep work unless they agree to be contracted to do it. They ahve every right to stop work, tell the GC this or that prep needs done before continuing, and tell them to give them a call when its ready to be installed. Lastly, you seem to be taking everything she says as gospel. I dont. I have alot of experience with customers, and customers lie alot... and often. Mostly to save face, save a buck, and/or to shirk their responsibility. The customer is not always right. Thats a falicy. I find it hard to believe that she had issues with the GC, then issues with all the trades. Everyone was wrong in every aspect of this project ... except her. I dont believe that for a moment, but I am not saying its impossible. What I see as possible is someone who bit off more than they could chew, and is blaming everyone else. I am not stating no one else holds any blame though. Could be a little of each. Bottom line its mostly her responsibility unless she has a piece of paper saying different ...except the subfloor issues which the installers absolutely are responsible for if they elect to do the prep and/or install over it....See More4 Ton vs 5 Ton; 2 stage vs 1 stage condenser
Comments (53)The furnace model number with the XR16 is an XC80. Very similar to the XV80 but communicating. Must be a mistake. TCONT803 is a fine thermostat to use with the XR16 air conditioner and furnace. Overall, I do not agree with the equipment matchups proposed with the furnaces and air conditioners. Oversized furnace on both systems, and oversized coil to achieve marginal efficiency gains on the XR16 system. I realize you may not understand all the implications of oversized equipment, but it is a big deal for comfort, efficiency and reliability. All things considered I still recommend the heat pump system. This post was edited by ryanhughes on Wed, Apr 24, 13 at 13:54...See MoreDoes This Sound Right?
Comments (5)Now that you had the Manual J calculation done, you need to use Manual S to size and select the equipment. The systems are rated at 80* indoor dry bulb, so each degree lower you set your thermostat, you derate your system's sensible capacity through various calculations. It's possible that your 2.5-ton heat load may require a 3-ton system. What particular heat gain values did you obtain? Your contractor may not know how to do this, but it's important to have a properly-sized system. 4.5 tons sounds oversized... 3 tons or 2.5 tons sounds more in line....See MoreBreadmakers, does this sound right to you?
Comments (32)Linda asked, "Why is home milled wheat sweet?". It's not the milling, it's the tannins in the bran that determine whether the grain is sweet or bitter. There are three genes that determine the bran color in wheat. Most red wheat varieties these days only have one or two of those genes, so they are not as bitter as they were a couple decades ago. The granddaddy of all hard red wheat, Turkey Red, has all three genes and is dark and somewhat bitter. White wheat varieties lack the genes that determine the bran color, leaving the taste of white wheat to be sweeter due to the lack of tannins in the bran. This is a selling point in the market for some commercial food products. It's why some brands of commercial "whole wheat bread" have a mild, sweeter, flavor than those made with red wheat varieties, as well as a very light color. Hard wheat keeps for decades without going rancid due to the bran coating the grain. Once the bran is broken (in the milling process), then the oil located in the germ of the wheat is exposed to oxygen and that's when it oxidizes and begins to go rancid. Other whole grains that are considered "soft grains", or oily grains, can go rancid while whole. In home food storage, we only keep those grains for a few years, at most. Honey in bread is also beneficial if you freeze your bread - helping to keep it moist; and it also aids in preventing mold growth if you aren't going to freeze it. -Grainlady...See More
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