TooHotToday
@sbcglobal.net
|  3 year old house will not stay cool
Hi! I have a 3 year old house and C/A unit.
Our house has never felt like it has really stayed cool. This year we found out that the unit in the attic didnt match the unit outside. We found the original contractor and he came out and replaced the unit upstairs. I believe they are both now r410 systems.
Yesterday it was 110 outside and 83 inside. We have the AC set to stay at 75. I know that 83 isnt that much higher, but it feels really hot inside!
I don't know if it would be better to set the system to a lower temp like 70 and then maybe it will get to 75?
The house is 1800 s/f, 3 bd 2 bath with a living room, dining room and kitchen that are all open to each other.
The unit outside is a r410A puron system by Carrier.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks so much! |
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nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
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join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
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| You could set the thermostat to 50 and it wouldn't make a difference. If it can't keep up, it cant' keep up. Since it's only three years old, it sounds like a call to the original installer is in order.
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TheMG
join:2007-09-04
Edmonton, AB
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1 edit | reply to TooHotToday
said by TooHotToday :
Yesterday it was 110 outside and 83 inside. We have the AC set to stay at 75. I know that 83 isnt that much higher, but it feels really hot inside!
I don't know if it would be better to set the system to a lower temp like 70 and then maybe it will get to 75?
No it won't. If the system can't get the temperature lower than 83, setting the thermostat any lower will do absolutely nothing.
There's a few possibilities here:
1- system could be undersized for the house
2- house could be poorly insulated, or attic space may need better ventilation
3- something still wrong with the system |
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shezams
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Hyattsville, MD
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1 edit | reply to TooHotToday
If it was really 110 outside, and you could maintain 83 inside it may be a case of the unit doing all it was designed to do. Where I live the cooling design temp is around 72 at 97 degrees outside. You do not want to oversize an AC or else it will not run long enough to dehumidify most days. 25 degrees or so is about all you usually get between indoor and outdoor temp for home comfort cooling. For those with a technical bent »www.proctoreng.com/articles/bigger.html will explain a little of the how to size an AC. The short of it is you don't size for the worst case scenario.
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FenglerF1
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1 edit | reply to TooHotToday
Not a long term fix by any means but spraying down the radiator with a garden hose provided some temporary relief during Florida summers.
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Sly
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Johnson City, TN
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| Please do not do this. Spraying the condenser does work... but as the sprayed on water evaporates, it leaves behind calcium and mineral deposits on the coils. These build up on the condenser and act as an insulator which severely reduces the unit's efficiency. Then as the condenser can't remove enough heat, the head pressure rises in the compressor which makes it run hotter. Then your compressor fails...
If you want to cool the condenser, then look for a unit called a desuperheater. This is a heat exchanger which hooks up to the condenser side and circulates cold water through it and then runs it to a water heater tank for pre-heat water. A desuperheater cools down the condenser which makes the heat pump run more efficiently and it uses that heat to heat your home's water... making your water heater more efficient as well.
Repeat... do NOT simply spray water onto the condenser.
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marti
Color outside the lines
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join:2001-12-14
Houston, TX
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| reply to TooHotToday
As said above, the unit will only cool maybe 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature. That seems to be the case here in Houston, Texas. Do get the unit checked out, but if it's OK, keep the window coverings closed, don't turn on lights unless you have to, don't turn on the oven, and don't do laundry if your machines are in the house (mine are in the garage), run the dishwasher late at night, turn on ceiling fans, get floor or table top fans, and try to stay inside and don't go in and out of the house.
I was in and out of the door between the garage and the house today, as I was doing some house cleaning and some supplies were in the garage. My thermostat was set to 77 and it got up to 81 in the house. I know it was close if not at, 100 degrees out there.
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Mannus
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Fort Wayne, IN
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| reply to TooHotToday
Take this Central Air energy quiz/tutorial and see if that might help you find some answers or least get you going in the right direction.
»www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fus···howIntro |
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bryanviper
join:2002-10-12
Toronto, CAN | reply to TooHotToday
Call somebody out to check it. Might need a cleaning or changing the filter or something simple. |
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CatSnak
RIP Splashy - We miss you
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join:2001-05-06
Lakeside, CA | reply to TooHotToday
The first thing I would do is chaeck the filter and change if needed then have a profesional clean the condenser and check the system for proper operation. |
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cork1958
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Fruitport, MI
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2 edits | reply to TooHotToday
Running a dehumidifier will help the comfort level out quite a bit more and make it easier on the air conditioning unit too.
Maybe the blower in your furnace is the thing that is undersized also.
I just had my central air unit changed a couple years ago and a new furnace put in last year. New furnace is what REALLY made the difference.\
Sounds like our houses are about exactly the same size also. Mine is 1800 sq. ft with a bath and a half and 4 bedrooms.
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shezams
My Other Car Is A Zamboni
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Hyattsville, MD
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| reply to TooHotToday
You don't say, but 110 degrees means you are probably in the desert SW. Sizing for some parts of Arizona looks like they try for 75 degrees at 105 outdoor - so your AC is likely working as it was designed. You can give it a little help by closing sun ward drapes, and minimizing indoor heat loads by turning off heat generating appliances you don't need. Fans will offer additional comfort too. You can call the AC guy, if he can come anytime soon he will be happy to show up and collect a service fee and check over the system, but if the unit has gotten regular service lately you probably shouldn't bother. AC units are not sized for worst case scenarios if they are sized properly. They are sized for more average scenarios.
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Simple rules - no offsides, no intent to maim, everything else is all good! |
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nursemike
join:2001-10-14
Palm Bay, FL
| reply to TooHotToday
I purchased an older (1980) home. I changed the filter every three months, but was unhappy with the air flow and the cooling ability. I removed a small plate to gain access to the A coil. Someone, in times past, had run the unit with NO filter. The A coil was covered with junk. I had to use a toilet brush, and got rid of most of the offending junk. The unit worked MUCH better! |
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haroldo
join:2004-01-16
united state
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| reply to TooHotToday
Do you have an attic ventilator? Is it set properly or working?
Is this a modern ventilation system (where the air comes from the ceiling or high up on the wall) or is it an older system (using the existing heat vents near the floor, which is very inefficient)? |
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IcePirate123
join:2003-01-12
Columbus, OH
| reply to TooHotToday
First we need more information. Start with registering. Then we need your city/state of residence. This will tell us the weather in the area. But on the easy side of life, if your house is only 3 years old, why even ask. Call the warranty department on the house, not the contractor. He will jump much quicker if it goes through the people that pay him money to put in the systems than if you just call. It will also leave a paper trail with the warranty people on the problem you are having in case he does not fix it correctly. |
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void_of_light
@parker.com
| reply to TooHotToday
I was visiting my cousin this weekend and he had the same problem. We traced it down to a non insulated skylight in the upstairs. For a temporary fix I cut a sheet of foil backed foam insulation and put it in the skylight. The next day the upstairs was at least 10 degrees cooler and the rest of the house was noticeably cooler. His Ac unit actually cycles and doesn't run all day like before. His whole house was built with single pane windows and minimum insulation. |
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avd706
insert annoying animated gif here
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Union, NJ
| reply to Sly
said by Sly  :Please do not do this. Spraying the condenser does work... but as the sprayed on water evaporates, it leaves behind calcium and mineral deposits on the coils. ... Repeat... do NOT simply spray water onto the condenser. And don't let rain get on it either!!!!
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SmackWeasel
join:2008-01-02
| reply to TooHotToday
You have to realize your 83 degree reading is the temperature at the thermostat location. That one area does not reflect the ambient temperature in the entire house. Why not try setting it at 70 or even 65?
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rcabor
join:2007-04-17
Grand Prairie, TX
| said by SmackWeasel :You have to realize your 83 degree reading is the temperature at the thermostat location. That one area does not reflect the ambient temperature in the entire house. Why not try setting it at 70 or even 65? As stated earlier in the thread, setting it lower does nothing. When the unit is on its already working as hard as it can. Setting your oven to 400 when you want 350 doesnt make it heat faster either. But to help the OP, a portable or window unit might be worth the investment for those days the unit wont keep up. |
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rcabor
join:2007-04-17
Grand Prairie, TX | reply to avd706
actually due to the nature of evaporation, rainwater is relativly soft compared to tap or well water. |
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