GE makes very quiet stuff. I had one of those heat pump under window unit in a room in Vegas. You could NOT hear the compressor come on. My Goodman 2.5 ton works like a charm on my 1K sq. foot house with basement. The variable speed blower fan is a MUST. My compressor is quiet but they also make a quieter one with more insulation around the compressor.
That's what I don't understand. With the right controls, you can set the central AC so it isn't cooling, but rather heating & dehumidifying the air? How does that work? The condenser is outside, and somehow you run the inside air over it? Or you have a heat exchanger? Or you just run the gas furnace as well as the AC?
with what controls? You would have to have a humidistat, certainly.
I've seen ads for whole house dehumidifiers online that say they're supposed to work with central AC, you use the dehumidifier when AC would make the house too cold. So that's why I'm puzzled.
I don't have any kind of AC or dehumidifier now.
When an AC runs it cools and dehumidifys, VSDC motors that can be set at very low speed dehumidify 50% more than regular AC with AC motors at the lowest speed, Carrier , Bryant and maybe Lennox offer this option, but get the 10 yr warranty. To dehumidify most you need a load calculation done and you dont want to oversize the AC, oversize it and it runs and cools but wont run long enough to remove humidity, its common for lazy installers to oversize units as they make more money and never have a complaint that customers are not cool, but they are left humid. Best is an AC that runs 100% on the hottest day. Maybe 2 speed condensors will do even better. Space Pack removes moisture first and more than regular AC except for maybe VSDC motors. You can also run a small dehumidifier all the time as they produse heat which the AC can offset for continual low humidity. I think some VSDC units you can get a humidistat control, Look at Carrier , Lennoxs best and space pack, but if you have ductwork now forget spacepack
A *competent* HVAC tech would listen to the customer, and know tiny details like.... the original poster doesn't have an AC system. How old are you, Noon? And you been working retail for how long?
The OP isn't Steve's client... or likely anyone else's here. At least Steve knows how to diagnose equipment correctly and how to correctly repair it in a timely manner. I don't care how polite you are, you'll never be a technician that I would want anywhere near my unit! You're a clueless twit that will never know anything but, how to post dibble and rant about Mormons.
I don't believe a central AC could keep the humidity below 50% in the spring and fall, without me having to run the AC and heater, or maybe the AC and dehumidifier, at the same time.
I don't like having to get separate AC and dehumidifier, but maybe that's the only option ...
I only have 1000 sq ft, about 660 sq ft upstairs, which gets hot, and half a floor of living space downstairs, which is partly buried in the ground and stays cool except on the hottest days.
Can I even get a central AC that is just barely adequate, for that small of a space?
Possibly I could get by with no AC just a whole house dehumidifier if I did things like installing a white reflective metal roof. The only thing I don't like about a metal roof is that it's harder to walk on than an asphalt shingle roof. A white metal roof might pay for itself in time if it meant I don't need AC.
I dont think so, as of I few years ago I know so. I bet only a few offer the real low speed and watt option of Direct Current motors and controls. Im talking about blowers that can run using only near 90-100 watts for real low speed, vs the near-400 watts that are standard on Alternating Current motors. These units do remove 50% more moisture at very low speed.
I dont think so, as of I few years ago I know so. I bet only a few offer the real low speed and watt option of Direct Current motors and controls. Im talking about blowers that can run using only near 90-100 watts for real low speed, vs the near-400 watts that are standard on Alternating Current motors. These units do remove 50% more moisture at very low speed.
Ummm.... what do you think ECM motors are?? If you care to check previous posts, the Rheem(and others) 75,000btu gas furnace with the ECM blower motor is only 113 watts according to GAMA.
It will if the system is correctly sized and properly installed.
THe *BEST* option is to have a correctly sized and properly sized comfort system installed. A 2 stage system will dehumidify as much as 30 times better than a standard system.
ok
Yes you can get one that will be correctly sized for your home
Call a local, *competent*, licensed, insured, professionally trained, HVAC technician to do a complete survey and analysis of your home to see what it actually needs. We can't *SEE* it through the computer screen. Discuss all of your options with the tech and tell him about the "energy saving" improvements you want to do. If you need to find a competent, local, tech, then go to the manufacturers web sites and they will have a page for locating a top contractor in your local area.
That's what I don't understand! What if it's too cold to run the AC, yet warm enough so the heater isn't drying the air much? Say it's
60F, and the humidity without any AC is 70%. I would want to heat at that temperature, not cooling! If you run the AC, won't it have to be cooling things down to 55F?
I looked at an HVAC forum and there were a lot of people who said their AC wasn't dehumidifying very much. I suppose you'd tell me that they don't have systems that are optimized for dehumidifying. But I still don't understand, simply, what about when it's cold enough you'd want to use the *heat*, AND it's damp?
Is the answer to this riddle, perhaps that the water-holding capacity of air increases very quickly with temperature? It does, I looked at a graph. So there might be a rather narrow window of temperatures where it's too cold to use the AC and too warm for the heater to dehumidify well.
There would be such a window, unless you're willing to shiver with the AC or overheat the house for the sake of dehumidifying. But maybe it's a narrow range of temperatures.
If you use a heat pump with the appropriate controls, you won't have a problem. As to the hows and wherefores, may I recommend that you take a couple of physics courses.... thermodynamics comes to mind, then attend the local ASHRAE training, and any of the equipment manufacturers training that you can get.
Thats why I am talking about using a high efficiency heat pump with back up strips and the correct controls. It will use the A/C to remove the humidity, and the strips to keep it from blowing snowballs. I would highly recommend a
2 stage system such as the Rheem RPRL- JEZ Prestige series heat pump with RHPL series air handler and Honeywell TH8321U1006 control with built in humidistat.
Now please call your fav local *competent*, licensed, insured, professionally trained, HVAC technician. You local tech can design a system specifically for your home, that will do what you want it to.
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