I am interested in replacing my Rheem Condensing unit model #CFF-0250- RFVC. I have a Goodman A30-10 air handler. Does anyone know what condensing units would be compatible with my Goodman air handler. I was thinking that the outside unit is a 2.5 ton unit and my house is
1,500 sq/ft. I would like to jump up at least 1/2 a ton if at all possible on the condensing unit. What do ya'll think?Thanks
E
I think you are about to make a clusterfuck into a bigger one.
1500 sq/ft means absolutely NOTHING.WHY not do a load calculation and install a PROPERLY sized unit???
Tight budget and I don't want to replace the air handler if I don't have to. I have A/C resources but am not a contractor. Are you telling me the system is already screwed?? What is the PROPER unit size? 1 ton = 500sq/ft?? Am I wrong? I know there are other factors that can effect that calc but saying there are no other factors what do ya think?
YEP
DON'T KNOW, I HAVEN'T DONE A LOAD CALCULATION ON YOUR HOME.
DEPENDS, DO YOU WANT IT DONE PROPERLY?
YES
My thinking HAS NOT changed any...
Do a "load calculation", or settle for the quality that you pay for.
Low cost will equal a screwed up system. One that will not only affect your comfort, but will cost you more in operational cost. You'll NEVER be happy with it's performance, as you will be having it serviced constantly.
You have a choice, do it *right* now or do it twice. Doing it properly the first time is a WHOLE lot cheaper.
As far as 1 ton per 500 sq/ft... do you think someone in NY, SD, or CANADA will need as much cooling as someone in FL, TX or AR? What if one has 2 x 4 construction vers 2 x 6? What if one has R13 walls & R19 ceiling insulation vers R19 walls & R30 Ceiling? What if one has a basement and the other is on a concrete slab? What if one has twice as many windows? What if one has sky lights? What if one has an attached garage? What if one has a lot of shade? What if one likes it 68 and the other likes it 78?
The list just keeps going...
First step,
GET A LOAD CALCULATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
excellent answer.
I think since you "Have A/C resources" you should go ask your resource. He should know that with your Goodman A30-10 you can go all the way up to 7-1/2 ton with that unit. Just use a .08687549 piston. Make sure you drain and flush system the new condenser oil and recharge with a good 5W40 SAE oil. Then surface spray the new unit with a Boric acid water mixture and belt sand the new outdoor coil till its nice and shiney. Bubba
I think that you need to trash the 35+ year old Rheem condenser *AND* that POS Goodman air handler you got now, call a *competent*, licensed, insured, professionally trained, HVAC techinician do do a complete room-by-room Manual J heat load/loss calculation, along with a Manual D duct calculation to correctly size, design, and install your new comfort system. This is a long term investment that when done correctly, will give you many years of energy efficient, trouble free operation. OTOH, you can get the cheapest POS, installed by some stupid f*ck that doesn't have a clue, have your warranty voided from the start, have higher utility bills that what you have now, have lots of very high repair bills, etc. Its your money...you can do what you want.
Goodman has all their specs on their web site. You should be able to find out if it is big enough to go to a 3 ton. Obviously a goodman ac condenser will connect to your airhandler. But just about any other would as well, you may just need some sheet metal between the two.
You do not want to oversize your ac. If you do it will run for shorter periods and will not remove enough humidity. The result is cold damp air. Keep that in mind as your consider upping by a 1/2 ton.
Guess again..... its got a 10 SEER coil, and all you can get now are 13+SEER condensing units. Yes it will work, but then so will putting a 426 HEMI in a Pinto.... the question is....How long will it last before it craps out. You might also want to check the most recent warranty disclaimers on whatever brand of condenser you decide to hack in. Rheem for one has just come out with a new equipment mismatch warranty change......With mismatched(size, brand, etc) equipment, the condenser/heat pump warranty is reduced to 1 yr on the compressor and 2 years on the rest of the parts.
in todays market place the only thing compatible with your goodman air handler is a 10 seer condenser. get the cheapest one you can find on e bay or the web. install it yourself. you'll save thousands. bank the savings, because you will need it......with 1500 sq ft, you'll need at least 3.5 tons. Go for 4, for that extra margin of 'coolness' for those really hot 100+ days coming up this summer. global warming ya know....
a PROPERLY sized unit?
I read the posts all the way down to gofish & must say there is a lot of detrimental advice in some of the posts. The first thing to do is everything you can to reduce the heat-gain heat-loss of your home. Then have a manual J calc done to determine the load or sizing the new equipment.
Forget the 500-sq/ft per ton nonsense! I cool over 900-sq/ft first floor with a half-ton 6,000-btu/hr in a 1930's home with leaky windows. This is in SW WI with up to 104 Heat Indexes. It does a perfect job with no cooling upstairs; the moment you go up the stairs ou enter the hot air. When I turn the other small room a/c on it cools th small bedroom, hallway & bathroom. I use floor fans to circulate the air.
There is nothing wrong with Goodman equipment however I would go NO higher than a 14-Seer unless you live in Florida or southern most Texas. The 14-SEER has the Scroll compressor the standard 13-SEER does not, I would not buy a condenser that did not have a scroll compressor.
Have every aspect of the entire ductwork system thoroughly checked.
- udarrell Darrell
buff your buffer...
Thanks for your post and for acknowleding that I'm not a complete idiot. I never stated I was an expert or know it all, that is why I am here asking these questions. With that being said let me clarify my situation, I live in Houston, TX....I have a 1 floor house......I have single pane windows.......my duct work seems fine (no damage nor leaks),,,,the unit currently pushes out 60F on 80F days....my electric bill has been 190 at the most durring the summer......I run my unit at
75 and that's good enough for us to sleep at nite..........yes it is hot as hell down here........I'm not too concerned it the unit runs and turns off too quick.....the unit I have now currently runs it's ass off......especially on 95F days...literally runs and runs can't keep up with the "air loss" in the home.....I have a "low pitch" roof which heats up very quick....the attic acess door is above the return air........and the thermostat is across from the return airThanks, E
Suggest replace all those single pane windows before even considering making any changes to your ac system.
No shit.
With the POS here (that's in the design stage), it's not going to matter much. :-)
Ya well--does kinda sound like it's "designed" for max of 80 deg oa.....
Hmm...maybe should just add a few window units...
I was assuming that all he is keeping is the ar handler. The question was "what size ac is compatible with my air handler". I (perhaps unwisely) assumed that he meant the air handler, not the inside coil, because he said air handler. I agree, the inside coil needs to match the outside unit. As long as the air handler has enough cfm for a 3 ton ac then he does not need to replace the air handler. But he should buy a complete ac set, outside unit and inside coil.
Since he didn't respond to my prior post & doesn't listen to advice, I figure he will end up screwing up big-time! Houston,TX, huh. Summer Design is 95-Dry Bulb. 77-Wet Bulb or 18 degree drop, around 44% Relative Humidity. I thought there should be a higher humidity down there, - Stated ARI Figures.
Go back & read the advice I gave you in my prior post, or throw you money to the wind.
Then he should say that.
the point that is lost to so many contractors is the fact that the customers money is his to spend how he sees fit.
conventional wisdom would say upgrade the glazing & insulation prior to upgrading the ac system, but sometimes the budget doesnt allow for all of that, and the bottom line is when its hotter than hell outside, we want our damned ac, period. Do we really care how much the electricity costs us when the choice is stay cool or roast thru the night trying to get a few hours sleep?
We all know his existing duct system is marginal at best, and when connected to 13 seer equipment, he's going to have problems. So now factor in a new air distribution system as well, crammed into that low pitched roof. Now what's the budget?
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