proper size central ac unit

What size central air conditioning systemis recommended for 1200 square feet? A 1200 square foot home needs a 23,000 BTU central air conditioning system. It is very important to choose the correct capacity air conditioning system for a home. How can you estimate the cost of installing central air conditioning? What is an air conditioning condenser? How does central heating work? Air conditioners are designed to remove both heat and humidity from the air. Many people buy an air conditioner that is much too large, thinking it will cool their house faster and therefore use less energy; however, this is not the case. An air conditioner that is too large will use more energy, and although it may cool the room more quickly, it will not remove all of the humidity in the room. If the proper size air conditioner is selected for a home, the energy bill will be lower and a house will be more comfortable. A 4-ton Carrier air conditioning unit is a split system residential air conditioner that can remove 4 tons of heat from a home in one hour.

Where are the costs associated with installing a home air conditioning system?This includes expenses such as labor costs... An air handler system is part of a building or home's central heating, ventilating and air conditioning system and manages the circulation of air inside an... Forced air systems provide heating and air conditioning to a home using a system of ducts with air as the transfer medium. These systems have a blower that... Where can you find the top-rated furnaces? Does Duke Energy offer rebates on HVAC installations? Where can you download a maintenance manual for a Williams furnace? How do you get manuals for Bryant furnaces? Where can you purchase a home hot water boiler? Do air purifiers work? I am getting ready to hang drywall in my basement but before I do that, I need to run wire from the main panel upstairs to the future location of the central AC furnace through the basement ceiling joists. I do not know yet who will be installing my AC but I will probably outsource it.

At this point I just need to know what the electrical requirements for AC are so that I can bring the cable and hang the drywall. The house has three bedrooms and two living rooms, 1800 sq ft, two floors. What amperage/AWG am I looking at? The wire distance from the panel to the furnace is only about 20' +/- and then I plan to sit the condenser on the roof (it is a low pitched mod bit roof so I can do this, many of my neighbors with similar homes do) directly above the furnace, two floors above (so another 16-20' total).
portable ac units near meIt also may be worth mentioning that I plan to use this for just AC and not heat -- I have already a radiator system in place and I love radiant heat.
air conditioning unit installation electrical wiring hvac furnace
how to make air handling unit

It's going to completely depend on the unit that's being installed, but commonly it'll be 30-60 amp with 10-4 AWG wire. You're probably looking at a 3.5 ton unit, so you'll be in the 30-40A (10-8 AWG) range. It might be worth it to get a few quotes from local HVAC companies, and see what they want to install. The companies may have a preferred breaker and wire size, so they may want to redo any work you do anyway. Don't forget you'll also need high and low pressure tubing, and control wires between the indoor and the outdoor units. You should either sort out what the AC is going to be, so you can get specific power supply and cabling needs sorted out now, or line up your joist holes nicely and follow the excellent suggestion from @longneck to run conduit, leaving the wiring for later. Use flexible conduit, if needed to get it in place. Run at least two - there may well be low voltage control circuits that need to be run separated from the power supply. Alternatively, leave a section of the drywall open for now, allowing for both cabling and refrigeration tubing to be run before you close it up.

Browse other questions tagged electrical wiring hvac furnace or ask your own question. Yesterday's high was 106.0F, low of 79.2F, full sun all day. AC set at 78F, indoor temperature reached about 85F. Today's high was 105.4F, low of 81.1F, full sun all day, now about 102 at 7pm. AC set at 78F all day, temperature climbed steadily through the day, and is now 89F. Is it reasonable to expect an AC unit to maintain 78F in this weather? A properly functioning and properly sized central air conditioning unit should be able to maintain the temperature of your house at any reasonable temperature you select. The amount of cooling available is related to the size of the system, insulation in the house, and finally outside air temperature. From your description I would guess either you don't have a big enough compressor, or you don't have enough airflow through the house. It's also possible the cooling element in the system has become dirty and no longer transfers enough heat from the air into the element.

The first thing to check is the return air filters. If they're dirty, your system won't be able to keep up. Also, if the coils are dirty or the refrigerant is low, you will not get efficient cooling. You can clean your condenser coils (the outside unit) yourself using a jet of water from a hose. Contact a service company to clean your evaporator coils, do a system check, replace refrigerant and do repairs. The amount of in and out traffic you have, shade trees, insulation, type of windows, etc., all play a part in how well your system works. It's been about 100 degrees F here the last couple of days and the thermostat is set at 78 and has had no problem maintaining that. We had the same problem in our house, and we've simply lived with it - having had HVAC companies come out and inspect or evaluate it. They all said the system was in good working order, and was appropriately sized for our house. This year we replaced 3 windows and a doorwall in the first floor of the house, and suddenly we can not only maintain a temperature, but go lower if we want.

The air conditioning is doing fine, even though we've still got three old aluminum frame windows upstairs. It was about 80 square feet of window surface that was cheap double glazed aluminum frame, and is now cheap composite framed, double glazed with low-e coating. So if you've checked the interior coils, the exterior coils, and the system performance and it is still not cooling your house to your satisfaction, it is likely that you need a bigger air conditioner, or you need to better insulate your house - windows might be a big part of that loss. As others have said, if the unit is properly sized for the house, and the insulation is good enough to keep the heat out, and there is enough airflow in the house, the A/C should be able to handle almost any temperature you set it to. There is a point where it gets so hot outside that air conditioners simply can't do anything to get rid of the heat (the outdoor coil temp equals the outdoor air temp). This is extreme though, >110 deg F.

You're getting pretty hot, but shouldn't be at that point yet. (Most A/C units will have specs on this. You can try looking up some specs for it online.) You indicated the system is turning on and off, so I don't think it's your thermostat. How cold is the air coming out of your vents? If the system is working properly, it should be as cold as your fridge. If it isn't cold (not cool, cold), you have a problem. Look at the lines on the outdoor unit. Are they frosting up at all? Is there excessive dripping from your indoor air handler? If your lines are freezing up, turn the system off and call a service company. That means you are probably low on coolant, and running the system without will burn up the compressor. Other problems that would prevent cold air would be crud on the coil, or the fan on the outdoor unit not working properly. If the airflow is weak, then you have an airflow problem. Check the air filters in the system. Make sure your ducts aren't plugged somehow.