Posted on 06/21/2012 4:37:32 PM PDT by GRRRRR
It is summer for sure. Colorado is experiencing 90-100 degree F days in the north east plains. Forest fires, high winds and dust complicate the time we can have the windows open as even at 80Deg in the house, the low humidity makes it comfy.
The Carrier AC unit for this house (3,500+sq ft, 4BR, high ceilings) has had issues since I moved in. Refrigerant leaks and an electrical issue. Now, with the heat of the summer coming back, the AC unit can't keep up again.
I've cleaned the unit outside, replaced the inside filter and am still getting some freeze up on the line going into the plenum.
Air temp coming out varies from 60-70 DegF.
I think the unit is under rated. Can't find out what tonnage it is either. Model is 24AB300 which I can't find either.
So, what's the best AC unit out there? Trane, Carrier, Lennox or ??
Pricing on line ranges from $3-$8K as defined by size and install costs...LOL!
Finally, would they have to replace the exchanger in the furnace too?
Thoughts? Tks. G.
I live in Florida, where your A/C is a matter of life and death, and I will only buy Trane.
3500+ sq ft??? Are you the governor of Colorado? :-)
Thanks, naw...I finished of the basement, it’s pretty big...
What exactly do you mean by a freeze-up? And how did you determine that?
Hey ! The coolant line to the furnace has about 8 inches of bare copper pipe and ice freezes on the outside surface.
The outside unit copper pipe was missing some insulation (FIXED) and it had solid ice on it too.
Today, reached 98DegF and the air output temp at the register was running 61-65 DegF. Pretty decent I guess..
G
Make sure the registers are NOT wide open.
Freeze-ups usually indicate it is large of a system. It is cooling too fast, so it runs too little, and this prevents the humidity from being taken out of the air. You could probably add an extra dehumidifier in the house and this could help. I would also run ceiling fans to help circulate the air.
I have a large house like you have and have a 5 ton and a 2 ton. The 5 ton is a Trane (put in in 2006) that takes care of most of the house and the 2 ton is a Carrier that covers the bedrooms at night. Both are good systems, but I might replace the Carrier with a Trane if it ever breaks down. When I put in the Trane I replaced the entire system with new including all of the lines and the condenser because I didn’t want to be dealing with pinhole leaks.
Hubby and I own a HVAC company, but Chattanooga is a little far for us to make a service call :/
Hubby says the inside coil needs to be cleaned, its in a closet or the attic, you need to open the unit and clean them. A slant coil is easy to see / an A frame will have a panel you have to remove to clean. A HVAC parts house like CC Dickson should sell you a bottle of Green coil cleaner. Put some in a pump up sprayer and clean it up. If this still has the lines freezing up, call a service company to check freon levels, and MAKE them leak detect or add a stop leak sealant to the line set... Some service companies make lots of money ripping homeowners off not fixing leaks
The tonnage is is hidden in the model number, its 2 1/2 tons . This unit would work for about half your house. The unit is terribly undersized for 3,500 sq ft. This would not cool your whole home even working at top performance
I will answer anyones AC questions...
Great info, thanks very much from a fellow Zombie Hunter @5.56
G
Sorry... I meant to say that I think you have too large of a system installed now.
Also check your drains. If it is pulling out water, it needs to go outside the house by a drain. If water just sits in the tray inside your house, it causes problems with both comfort and freezups due to excess humidity.
Hey, thank you, but I don’t have such a coil set-up. I can pull off the side panel and will look the plenum coil.
We’ll see how it does now with the clean filter etc. over the weekend we’re targeting 102 or more!!
G
I thought so1 Excellent observation on the water...it is putting out water to the drain located in the dedicated utility room.
G
Checked the coolant pressure? Mine used to freeze up when the freon got low.
~~I meant to say that I think you have too large of a system installed now~~
The unit is undersized for the size of his house...
When you replaced your unit in 06, if the refrigerant type was changed from R-22 to R-410A, the line sets would have to be changed...
OK if you only have 2.5 tons, it is too small and not able to pull out enough humidity. There is an optimum size for a system and if it is too small or too large, you will have humidity issues. You need to find the sweet spot for your space.
I spent $5000 for a complete 5 ton Trane Puron system plus larger ducting in the house and a heating system. I think it is 16 SEER. The price included installation in 2006. I’m not sure what it would cost now.
Actually, that is exactly the opposite of what an HVAC guy will tell you - if you have a sufficient unit to cover your square footage.
In addition to lessening whole-house cooling efficiency, you're at risk of blowing out some of the ductwork, if you go around closing off unused rooms.
One last thing...
~~So, what’s the best AC unit out there? Trane, Carrier, Lennox or ??~~
Overrated... we install Nordyne equipment, made in America, 10 year warranty, and good quality equipment
~~Actually, that is exactly the opposite of what an HVAC guy will tell you - if you have a sufficient unit to cover your square footage.~~
Bingo! This HVAC gal agrees with you
That’s right. I was going to service the old system at first but after I got an estimate, I just told them to replace everything with new.
There are a couple reasons why the line set freezes up. If there is not enough air flow through the coils, the line set will freeze. Check your air return to make there are no blockage.
The other problem is a faulty TXV valve.
Thats all i know. I am on the commercial side so my advice might be skewed.
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