i got two estimates for a heat pump. the square footage of the house
is about 2100 square feet. the location is rochester, NY. before
someone jumps all over me as far as having a heat pump in the
northeast, keep in mind that we are on a municipal electric with the
rate about 3.5-4.0 cents/KWH. in fact, my highest electric bill (air
handler has electric coils for when needed) has been about $220.
anyway, one contractor said the house size was borderline for 2.5 ton
or 3 ton. the current unit is a 2.5 ton.
what i'm confused about is the other contractors sizing. he sized the
heat pump at 2.5 tons but the air handler evaporator coils is 3 ton.
is there a reason why he may have done this? i will be getting a
variable speed blower if that matters.
thanks!
How old is the house? And has it colded and heated properly with the 2.5 ton
unit? Location, Location and more Location is very important as to sizing
any piece of HVAC equipment. And do another half ton is now big deal.
house is 18 years old. the cooling has been excellent over the
years. the
heating has been good as well except for the fact that the air feels
"cool"
as compared to coming from a gas furnace years ago. the heat pump
is able to maintain heat even into the mid-teens at which point the
emergency
heat starts to cycle on/off (which i know is normal).
Hopefully he did it to give you a rated ARI match. The combination of Coil,
Blower, and ODU combine to give your capacity, SHR, and efficiency (SEER
and HSPF). He should have provided you with his load clacualtions, and the
ARI sheet to back it up.
No, Heat pumps are different than they were 30 years ago, you'll be fine
using one.
Good rate too.
Not a problem IF they do a proper CFM check and tune the VS Blower into the
proper CFM according to AIR
I would suggest however that you look into a two speed unit. Possibly a 4
ton two stage unit with a VS, this will allwo a much lower balance point on
heating before back up/AUX heating starts. It WILL Cost more, but it may be
well worth it.
Also, if you have the room go Geo Two Stage and pay about $100 a month year
round for electricity and use a desuperheater for hot water heating. Yep,
costs more but well worth it if your staying there and think you that energy
will go up in costs.
Rich
i was hoping that the tonnage difference between the heat pump and air
handler
would not matter (in this case). one of the bullets on the
installation contract
says that the the "system would be air balanced". the contractor has
been in business
for 20 years and previously worked for another outfit for 20 years.
based on that,
i'm confident that he knows what he is doing (no outstanding
complaints in the
BBB). besides, the company is in our small village "so i know where
he lives,
er i mean works).
one thing that i did not mention is that it is not just the heat pump
but also the
whole air handler system inside that i am replacing. the whole system
is from
the same company so i'm guessing that the size difference between the
outside
heat pump and indoors evaporator coils is allowed within the
manufacturer
specifications.
based on comments from contractors and others that have had
replacement
heat pumps installed in our area higher SEER units, higher tonnage,
etc. would
take too longer to recover. as i said the highest bill we have ever
had was
around $220 (that's heat and electric). subtract out our $60 bill
where we are
not heating the house or using AC and you can figure that the maximum
heating
bill is around $160. during that time the AUX heat coils were on for
maybe 1/4
of the time for the month.
besides i'm going from a 9-10 SEER unit to a 13. again, i have to
trust (please,
no disparaging remarks) the contractor based on his reputation.
point
may
Re-read Geoman's post... specifically this quote...
"I would suggest however that you look into a two speed unit. Possibly a 4
ton two stage unit with a VS, this will allwo a much lower balance point on
heating before back up/AUX heating starts. It WILL Cost more, but it may be
well worth it."
The SEER has nothing to do with the balance point or COP, while in the
heating mode. Which is what you'd be using MOST of the time. Would you
rather run a 2 stage heat pump or electric backup? Don't tell me that your
utility rates/heating cost are cheap, as the difference does add up in 15-20
years!
Using a 2 stage HP to lower your balance point is common sense.
except for the fact that in response to my question of:
"what i'm confused about is the other contractors sizing. he sized
the
heat pump at 2.5 tons but the air handler evaporator coils is 3 ton.
is there a reason why he may have done this? i will be getting a
variable speed blower if that matters."
YOU said:
"Not a problem IF they do a proper CFM check and tune the VS Blower
into the proper CFM according to AIR "
based on the THAT response along with "Stormin's" whom some people
seem to diminish WITHOUT providing ANY sort of USEFUL information
themselves ("Uh, he said he was from Rochester") i felt comfortable
that the contractor knows what he is doing. after all, he lives in
the area, knows the weather, has seen the house, knows what our
village electric rates are, has a good reputation, been in the
business for 35+ years, had his own business for 20+ years, is a
member of the BBB, no outstanding complaints against him, etc.
coupled with the fact that different contractors have sized my house
at between 2.5 and 3 tons i find it amazing that you would suggest a 4
ton unit based on my electric rates. jeez, a guy down the street has
something like a 3000 sq. ft. house and he only has a 4 ton unit.
granted, a higher tonnage and SEER (from what i learned) will result
in cost savings but i also need to estimate the payback based on the
additional cost and the life expectancy of the equipment.
Yep, Chris is right, listen to him. He knows all there is about V. S units.
Kjpro, don't give this original poster any more info, let him loose
thousands over the next 20 years, what do we care.
Hey Chris, why not explain to him WHY the 3 Ton V.S is better than a regular
2.5 ton air handler.
AND EXPLAIN why I mentioned the 4 ton two stage verses the 2.5 single stage.
CHRIS, HERES YOUR CHANCE BUDDY, TELL HIM HOW TO KNOW IF THE CONTRACTOR IS
TUNING IN THE HEAT PUMP!!! I want to see if you know your stuff buddy.
Explain to him the 47 degree listing in ARI, then tell him HOW to check for
proper CFM and enthalpy. We really want to know about this.
Oh, BTW original poster, I said the 3 ton was the correct size with VS. As a
matter of fact, you could go to a 3.5 single speed and its still listed in
ARI.
Hey Chris, another Question, what does ARI stand for and who owns them and
what do they do? If it takes you more than a day to answer then I know you
have to Google everything.
Chris, you continue to amaze me, every time I start to stand up for you shit
on me and everyone else. Kiss my ass Chris and don't reply to any of my
posts, I've gotten to the point that if I met you personally you would be on
your way to your little deserted planet.
Rich
Now you can take your HP questions and shove them straight up your ass!
That wasn't my only post and I *DID* post USEFUL information!
You're a fucking moron, you come in here thinking you know something, when
all you want to do is take the advice from the biggest hack in the country
(Chris AKA Stormin Moron). Some of us have been in the business and have
posted here for years. We ALL know what kind of hack Stormin is and whether
you're smart enough to figure that out isn't our problem.
Now, as Noon-Air would say, go piss up a rope!
no, i know very little hence the reason i came to this newsgroup
seeking some objective and professional information regarding my
question. yet i see Geoman and KJ make accusations about
incompetence, that if i don't listen to THEIR advice that i'm an
idiot, etc. i'd be curious if you guys own your own business and if
so could you tell me what YOUR credentials are. in fact, if you are
so good tell me the name of your business. i would love to see if you
have any complaints registered in the BBB.
and even if you are the best HVAC guys in the world i can't imagine
you actually dealing with people with the attitude that you both
have. with the way you deal with questions in a newsgroup, i would
guess any complaints that your customers (if you have any) may have
you would just tell them "that they are fucking morons and that they
should go piss up a rope".
so... tell me the price difference between the 2.5 ton heat pump with
a 3 ton evaporator and a 2 stage / 4 ton unit if you were the
contractor?
but most importantly, enlighten me with your credentials, experience,
and the name of your business. i would love to Google it.
On Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:47:55 -0000, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:
...and you got the advice free which is exactly what you expected to
pay for it so shut the fuck up and quit your bitchin, whinnin and
complainin'.
So you're saying the truth hurts being an idiot? Boo Hoo for you.
yes, lots of us in here own our own business and we carry all the
insurance, licenses and everything else needed. Remember that when you
see your next bill from one of us and you want to whine so more
because of how costly it is to send a service man and truck to your
door.
Absolutely a spotless record here with the BBB although they are no
real prize to judge against. My business name? Screw you. You are
exactly the type I try to avoid.
Maybe, in fact, its really just you? Stick that in your pipe and smoke
it. While you're at it, you can also go suck on the bitter end of that
rope.
Why in the hell do you think anyone would give you anything now? Hold
on, let me go get Stormys boulder for you.
Ive got something you can google till your hearts delight. Open wide
you dipshit.
Bubba
Read my first post, there was nothing derogatory in it, just 100% facts.
Darn, EVERY time I help a homegrowner it comes back to bite me. EVERY TIME.
I agree 100% Bubba, Hey, I have an Idea, lets see if Stormy even has a
licence! LOL
I can't imagine all the customers out there can be like yourself! You say
you 'TRUST' your local dealer THEN COME HERE AND ASK ABOUT THEIR ADVICE!!
Are you Bi-polar or just and idiot?
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