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Originally Posted by jrref
Thanks for all the good information. From what you are saying, further supports getting, if you can afford it, one of the variable speed inverter systems since it will adjust and only use the amount of cooling "power" it needs all the time. Also, you are correct, a manual J should have been done on every home when it was built but nevertheless, we still found systems 1/2 ton to 1 ton undersized. One was a 2600 sqft Begonia model with a 3 ton heat pump system. Nothing special just undersized with smaller ductwork. The homeowner just thought the system was supposed to run a long time and never cool to his desired set temperature during very hot weather.
Here in the Villages, Trane and Carrier are mostly installed so the local HVAC companies have the most parts, trained techs and manufacturer support with these brands. Both companies are excellent but I think once your system gets to about 15+ years, it's probably time to start doing some research on a new unit when you are ready since although your system may run to 20+ years, here in Florida where we run our systems all year long if we have a heat pump, your system probably isn't running as efficient as it could and there may be more efficient systems that will save you money. You just need to investigate. For example, I had a neighbor who ran his 13 SEER and 75% efficient furnace until it stopped for 25 years when maybe he should have replaced it sooner with a 15 or 16 SEER 95% unit and saved money in the long run. This was in NY.
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Yes, definitely an inverter heat pump will save energy and have enough juice to get you through peak July. You pay a premium for those but ultimately they are a much higher seer rating, so it'll pay off after some period.
A 3 ton unit in a 2600sq home is definitely wrong. Someone was trying to pocket a few dollars.
I know my 2.5 ton struggles in my home but we added 12 feet across the back of the entire home. Half of that width is an enclosed lanai(now 24x15), but even with that door closed, the AC still can't keep up during the hottest days.
We ended up putting in a 1.5 ton mini in the Lanai and now we just let that run and the extra cold it makes spills into the house and the main system cycles normally.
One final note, I installed a heat pump water heater in my garage. It helps bring the heat level in the garage from parking oven to just warm
. It also costs about $1 a month to run. lol. The old water heater was adding heat to the garage and cost about $13. It'll take a couple years to break even on that one, but after that it's essentially free.