Bigger is Not Always Better

How Many Tons of Air Conditioning Does Your Home Really Need?

One of the most common mistakes made by air conditioning contractors is the oversizing of equipment. When it comes to cooling your home, bigger is not always better. While it is essential that your air conditioning unit be large enough to cool down your living space, equipment which is oversized will cycle on and off more often, resulting in uncomfortable temperature swings and increasing the risk of breakdowns. An oversize unit will cool your home to the desired temperature more quickly, which sounds good until you discover that the unit shuts off before it has adequately dehumidified the air. Your home will be cool, but the air may feel clammy. The excess humidity also increases the risk of mold.

You might expect an oversize unit to reduce your electric bill, since it will cycle off sooner than correctly sized equipment. However, this is not necessarily the case as the larger equipment pulls more amps (uses more power when it is running) than does smaller equipment.

Homeowners should also be wary of ac contractors who do not match a new evaporator coil or condenser (when only one unit needs to be replaced) to the piece of equipment that is not being changed out. As a general rule, the evaporator coil and condenser should be the same tonnage or there should be no more than a half-ton (0.5 tons) difference between them. Some unscrupulous contractors will sell and install a mismatched piece of equipment because they have a unit in their warehouse that they want to unload.

If you are thinking about replacing your air conditioning equipment, make sure that the contractor who gives you a quote is knowledgeable when it comes to sizing air conditioning equipment. The industry transition from R22 to R410A has altered the formula for sizing equipment and your contractor should be familiar with these changes. Many contractors rely strictly on sizing charts supplied by manufacturers, but these charts do not provide all the information required. Likewise industry heatload formulas do not always render the tonnage which would most efficiently and effectively cool your living space. The contractor needs to take into consideration other variables such as insulation, the size, number, and direction of windows, attic ventilation, and ceiling heights to properly size the equipment. This skill can be learned but not truly mastered in the classroom. It can only be acquired through years of field experience.

If you live in our service area and are considering the purchase of new air conditioning equipment, give us a call and we will send a seasoned ac technician to analyze your needs, advise you on the correct equipment size, and give you a free quote. Should you purchase your new equipment from ACU Air, this same technician will be on hand for the installation. We do not farm out installations to sub-contractors.