Hi all,
I tried a Google search on this unit, but came up with nothing helpful. Does anybody know the tonnage/capacity of this unit? Thank you.
best,
doug
'72 BSA B50SS '74 Triumph TR6 '01 Harley XLH883 '03 GMC Cargo Van
If it's a fairly large unit, the "060" in the model number could indicate 60,000btu which is 5ton capacity. If the copper tubing connected to the condensing unit measures 3/8" and 3/4", that would be a good indication. Another thing you could check is the nameplate on the top of the compressor. A counterman at your local HVAC supply house could look up the specs on it for you.
[8~{} Uncle Monster60,000 Btu which is a 5-ton unit.
Why do you ask?
I never had central AC before -- I bought this house and this unit was installed.We just got into weather where we needed to use it and I am very impressed how quickly it cools the house, it does not run as long as the neighbors unit and is not too noisy. The guy who built this house went heavy duty on most of the systems (1 1/2" copper plumbing, steel i-beams, 10' high garage doors, etc.), and I was just curious about the tonnage required to do the job. Just idle curiosity, I suppose. It seems like a good unit.
Thanks for the info.
doug
Yeah, well I wouldn't be too impressed with a unit that can quickly cool the house down. Especially close to the design temperature!
All that's doing is cooling the air and not running long enough to remove the humidity. That can not only lead to comfort issues, but to mold problems!
Short cycles also raise your operational cost, as the unit is more efficient when running longer cycles. Think of it as a car that has an increased fuel efficiency when you're on the highway vs. short runs to town.
This is one area that you don't want to oversize. I sure hope the ducting will allow for proper airflow, or the unit is costing you even more than it should to operate!
Bigger is not always better!
Makes perfect sense, thank you. About how long should a run cycle be? I timed a few run cycles and on average it runs for 17 minutes and then cycles off for 18 minutes, about a 50% run-time at 2:30 p.m. with an ambient outdoor temperature of 87 degrees F. The inside humidity hovers around 48%..
The house is a 3,300 sq. ft.ranch style located in the Los Angeles area near the coast. It was built in 2000 so it is fully insulated (floors, walls, attic), has dual glazed windows, good weather stripping, etc. The ducts are wrapped in insulation but appear to be 12" and 10" diameter. It has a Space Gard 2400 filter box.
Does it sound like the unit is too large for the house? Maybe you need more information to make that determination. I guess it is moot now as I probably would not change it out. I have a photovoltaic system that produces a surplus most days, so the electricity consumed really does not really matter.
I was making a comparison to my neighbor's run time -- once his condensing unit starts running, it seems to run continually until the end of the day. I was thinking it probably is being over-worked, but I do understand how starting cycles will use a lot more power than steady running. Also, every time it starts, it has to blow the hot air out of the ducts again. I guess the optimally sized unit would not cycle at all -- just run continually to hold the temperature constant. Tough to do, though depending on the varying outside temperatures (e.g., need capacity to keep it cool on a 95 degree day), but it seems like my neighbor's unit probably is better sized than mine. His unit has a very busy/annoying buzz to it,though, like it is straining to keep up -- that is why I noticed it to begin with.
Thanks for the info,
doug
Los Angeles, CA summer design is 89 Dry Bulb & 70 Wet Bulb, a low 38% RH; the humidity could be a little higher near the ocean. A 48% RH in the conditioned space is okay; so the unit's size is not hurting you in respect to humidity levels! Since you produce your own electric by adjusting fan speeds you should be able to get a little better runtime & comfort. I always recommend using fans to circulate air in the conditioned space. The "WindMachine 'Vertically Adjustable' 3spd 20" fan" is great!
I don't know what you are talking about 12 & 10 inch ducts (?) for a
5-Ton System. Adding those two ducts together does NOT equal a 21" duct's capacity! At Proper Residential Static Pressures & Duct Velocities: A 10" duct = 327-CFM; 12" duct = 628-CFM or Both a Total of only 865-CFM; a 21" = 1745-CFM; a 22" = 2111-CFM. That duct design might be way off base! Check it out with my Duct Sizing Charts in the linked page below!It is not easy to get the ductwork large enough along with the rated Airflow. For somewhat longer cycles, with an oversized AC you could go for
350-CFM per Ton of Cooling or 1750-CFM; or 400-CFM-perTon = 2000-CFM. If the ductwork is properly sized, you can set a blower speed to get close to the above air deliveries.A manual J should have been done to figure the heatload & a manual S to reveal the proper AC unit size. A manual D should always be done for sizing the ductwork. - udarrell
if it is a R-410a, 1 1/8" for the suction.
messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@q75g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
Oops! I stand corrected, I just changed out a 5 ton compressor and I should have caught my mistake. Carrying a 5 ton 3phase compressor up a 24 foot ladder on my shoulder must have caused drain bamage.
[8~{} Uncle Monster
My thermostat has an option to run the fan continuously (higher speed when the compressor is running, slower speed when it is off). Would this be a good option? It would filter the air more, if nothing else.
Perhaps I could just have it run on the slower speed even when the condenser is running. That should extend the run cycle, but perhaps it would over-chill the air or cause icing or something. As you can tell, I know very little about AC.
Oh, I understand. No it has a large "plenum" with a couple of very large diameter ducts (probably around 20") but then with 10" and 12" ducts branching off and running to the individual registers. I think it probably is OK here.
Thanks again for all your help.
best,
doug
This is a 5-ton system. (060)stands for 60,000 BTU's, - 12,000 BTU's equals
1-ton of cooling Hope this helpsHomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.