Northern A/C units vs. Florida A/C Units

[Schaumburger]

Some summers (I live in the Chicago area) I have only used my A/C unit a handful of times. This summer is not one of them. I have had the A/C running 24/7 for the past 5 days, and this will be continuing until at least Saturday as Chicago will be 100 degrees for the next 3 days. I think this may be the first summer that I have run the A/C 24/7 for more than 4 consecutive days.

In FL many people I know run their A/C non-stop from early/mid-May until maybe sometime in October. This is probably a dumb question, but I have been wondering -- are the residential A/C units sold in FL designed for more heavy duty, longer term use than residential A/C units sold in the midwest/northern states?

[ducati1974]

Nope, they're the same ones. Only difference is that when you plan an installation in Florida and run a heat loss/gain load on the computer you are using different parameters there than perhaps Mass. Example:expected high temp, expected humidity level, etc. A furnace in Florida might be sized for a low temp of 20 degrees, one up north might be for a low of minus 5. Similar idea for A/C. Its also wiser to spend more money for a higher efficiency A/C unit in FL where you might have a 11-12 month season than in MA where we have about a 3-4 month A/C season.

[CaptJohn]

The northern ones last longer! :laugh:

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Nope, they're the same ones. Only difference is that when you plan an installation in Florida and run a heat loss/gain load on the computer you are using different parameters there than perhaps Mass. Example:expected high temp, expected humidity level, etc. A furnace in Florida might be sized for a low temp of 20 degrees, one up north might be for a low of minus 5. Similar idea for A/C. Its also wiser to spend more money for a higher efficiency A/C unit in FL where you might have a 11-12 month season than in MA where we have about a 3-4 month A/C season.

It's easy to pick the HVAC guys out of a crowd! :wave:

Bill :)

[rubicon]

The northern ones last longer! :laugh:

Yup.

[Schaumburger]

Ducati, thank you for the answer. That makes sense. And to think the first new car I bought on my own in the early 1980's had no a/c. All to save the $400 a/c option.

[CarGuys]

Ducati, thank you for the answer. That makes sense. And to think the first new car I bought on my own in the early 1980's had no a/c. All to save the $400 a/c option.

Eeeeeeeeeee manual AC. Roll the window down. Or leave it up sweat like heck but fake it and act cool at the stop sigh.

[tommy steam]

Eeeeeeeeeee manual AC. Roll the window down. Or leave it up sweat like heck but fake it and act cool at the stop sigh.

where I come from its call, two, sixty, air...:pepper2:

[Schaumburger]

Eeeeeeeeeee manual AC. Roll the window down. Or leave it up sweat like heck but fake it and act cool at the stop sigh.

I bought this Chevette in December thinking (foolishly) how much do I use the a/c in the summer and I can save $400. When the next summer rolled around I realized my mistake, but I kept that car for about 7 sweaty summers until it would no longer pass the emissions test required in Illinois. chilout

[Bill-n-Brillo]

where I come from its call, two, sixty, air...:pepper2:

Two windows rolled down doing 60 mph............... :1rotfl:

Bill :)

[784caroline]

About 5-6 years ago I was still driving a 1982 ole 240D and when I was taking a bunch of kids to a tennis match....the one kid hit the other kid.....look at that its a crank.........they never saw crank up windows!!!!! I was amazed!

AC didnt work either!!

[batman911]

I have only recently started to use my vehicle AC. I never liked to use the car AC because I wanted to hear the pipes on my GTO. The car came new with AC but I drove it for 26 years without using it. I also believe it is safer to drive with the windows open cuz you can hear other cars near you even when they are in a blind spot.

[justjim]

Air Cond. are rated by SERS-----12 SER is not as efficient as a 15 SER etc. etc. If I remember right, TV was putting in 14 SER as of a couple years ago. Of course, up north we had gas furnace and Air Cond.-----TV we have a heat pump which is both heat and Air. Some places in TV they also have gas but generally not in the newer areas.

[hdh1470]

About 5-6 years ago I was still driving a 1982 ole 240D and when I was taking a bunch of kids to a tennis match....the one kid hit the other kid.....look at that its a crank.........they never saw crank up windows!!!!! I was amazed!

AC didnt work either!!

Best car I ever had,After yrs and yrs of use my wife wanted something new.Wish I still had.