Phoenix Gold Phorum

I live in calgary alberta canada
we live a 4 year old 2 storey house 1380 sqft
I want to add a Central Air Conditioning
in the summer it is just to hot
I have a large window unit works great for the bedroom but the rest of the house is to hot. we have pet and in 2 years a kid so
I want to find out
what the hell do you need to know when buying one
what brands are good etc
any info is great
thanks again

The size A/C you need is determined by your houses' heat loss index. Usually this requires a professional to figure up for you, there are lots of factors like: # of windows, # of doors, insulation type, where the sun hits the house during the day, ect....

But as far as brands go, a friend who works in the HVAC business says they're all pretty close to the same. Warranty is where it's at.

A buddy of mine just spent $3800 on his in may. I thinks it's a TRAIN but not 100% sure. He said it was worth every penny cus from 90+ degrees, the house would be down to 70 within 20 mins.

I know enough to call a pro because I would end up messing it up so bad it would cost twice the price of new just to clean up my mistakes!

Having spent 7 years working in Plumbing and HVAC wholesale, all I'd suggest is making sure you have it sized professionally based on your present furnace size, and a heat-loss/heat-gain calculation.
Too large of a unit will "freeze up" the coil and over-tax the furnace... too small, and the furnace will run constantly trying to achieve the desired temperature.

Also:

The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit (any typically the more expensive), but also the larger they are physically which can be a concern when you're trying to find where to place it.

A scroll compressor will last longer than a standard one.

And a multi-speed (or 2-speed) fan can increase the efficiency as well.

is there a way to tell what size to use? I know the guy that will come out but calgary is still very busy and I alway get the retard that messes something up I just want to make sure it the right size and I need more info on the 2 speed etc..

FuzzyHoNutz wrote:A buddy of mine just spent $3800 on his in may. I thinks it's a TRAIN but not 100% sure. He said it was worth every penny cus from 90+ degrees, the house would be down to 70 within 20 mins.

TRANE?

I bought a new Lennox and Im happy with it.

I also bought a humidifier and in the winter it is AWSOME, was only like a $300 opetion and worth every penny

I'd suggest checking out:

http://www.keeprite.com/index.htm

Not necessarily to say "buy their product", but their site offers some decent info and hopefully will answer some of your questions.

I'm actually in Institutional/Commercial/Industrial Construction now, so I'm a bit rusty when it comes to Residential product.

You can guess on sizing, but it'll only ever be a guess at best.

I've heard that your average 1 story 1500 square foot house should need about a 2 or 3 ton unit.

Hehe, the other day I had to repossess a 5 ton until out of a trailer.