Newly built house... A/C running all the time to keep cool??
Michael Little
6 years ago
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Michael Little
6 years agosofikbr
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Keep cool, all you northerners!
Comments (11)Hot. I'm mowing a very overgrown lawn and just came in to take a break. Thunderstorms with heavy rain are supposedly on their way this weekend and will be very welcome. dcarch, I'm shaking my head at your story. Option 1: Try to get a cop with a slim jim to open your car. Not great odds because they don't like to be bothered, and even if they are willing to try, newer cars tend to be made to protect against this. But the price is right so it's worth a shot. Option 2: Call a locksmith. Costs approx $80. Option 3: Break a cheaper window. $350 or so in a higher end car, less in a regular car. Option 4: Call a friend to go to your house, search for keys, then drive at least 4 hours round trip because you were a knucklehead. These are NY prices, verified over a few phone calls as I procrastinate because I really don't feel like going outside and finishing the lawn in this heat....See MoreA/C runs alot - concrete block walls heating up
Comments (5)aside from a/c running a lot..are there other issues? comfort issues? high relative humidity? high utility costs? it isn't a bad thing for the unit to run a lot, esp in a hot humid climate. long runtimes will allow the unit to dehumidify which doesn't happen when unit runs for short times off and on (short cycling) long runtimes actually cost you less utility wise running is cheap, it is start up that spikes elec usage. are your bills high? even with foam inside of concrete block..there is still a sizeable amount of the block that is just masonary. concrete block has little R-value. so if the block is 18" long then only 14-15" of it has foam insulation. the concrete that isn't insulated allows the heat to transfer through the block. this de-rates the R-value of the foam. the concrete block doesn't have a thermal barrier to stop heat/cold absorption. ideally between concrete block & stucco/plaster there would have been 1" foam sheathing. this is probably not the case in your wall structure. low-e windows should be reflecting heat back out.. but what type of frame do the windows have? metal will conduct heat, vinyl doesn't. if the low e glass is surrounded by a metal frame..it is the same as the walls..heat gain is through frames & it de-rates the performance of the low e glass. suggestions to block the heat?? plantation shutters for windows (if frames are metal) free standing shading...think of antibellum homes with shutters on porch..pergolas..awnings for west side of house.. you say that a/c has been checked out & all is fine..but did this include checking ducts for leakage? you could be losing 30% of conditioned air into attic via duct leakage. the lighter the roof...the cooler the attic. but what insulation do you have in the attic & are ducts in the attic (although I assume they are)?? is this your first summer in the house? what if any comfort issues do you have? size of house? size of hvac system? thats my 20 questions. post back & we will go from there. best of luck....See MoreNew A/C not cooling well
Comments (14)Nope he didn't check anything other than a couple of quick temperature readings. I'd say he was in and out in about 15 minutes. I set the CFM myself before he came over. They had left it at factory setting (400CFM/ton/3 ton/1200CFM total) at the initial install, and as i was correcting wiring (hooking up 2nd stage heat, humidifier, dehumidify) I checked the dip switches and set it for 800CFM. I couldn't get comfortable on this setting so I set it back to 1200 for a while, but humidity was too high so now its back to 800CFM. I'm finding out that these guys cut a LOT of corners. When they came for the initial quote the guy spent about 10 minutes in the basement and outside looking at the furnace, then took a rough measurement of the foundation and went to his truck for about 5-10 additional minutes. I reviewed the quote and he had checked a box "yes" that asked if the ductwork was sized for 400CFM, and had written in some figures for Manual J heat/cooling loads. I understand that it is impossible for him to have calculated these figures in the time he spent in my home. He did not look in the attic and didn't ask about the windows, etc. Also did not measure ductwork or count number of vents. After the visit a few days ago temps have been slightly better, however yesterday with a peak temp of 100 measured by my IAQ's outdoor sensor the best the system could do was 77 degrees. I'm going to see how everything does over the weekend where temps should be in the high 80s and if it can't hold a reasonable temperature im going to stop being so polite with these guys. Also, I went through Lowes, and the guy from Lowes was present when the quote was written so he had to have known corners were being cut. Overall I'd say this is by far the worst $6k I have ever spent, and I really wish i could just get my old system back....See MoreHow long does it take for new A/C to cool a hot house?
Comments (20)I've got the installer coming out early next week. He only appeared in the morning and left installation to his underlings (he tells me all are on the payroll though!). He said the condenser or coil--I am not sure which--gives off some air. If anyone is interested in seeing a pic of the unit with the air leaks, I could send a pic that I took with the leaks circled in red. Now he also says something about the possibility of the ducts having leaks......See MoreAustin Air Companie
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