Manual J Calc. Question/Decision Confirmation

[thinkxingu]

Hey All,
Here is a summary of my contractor's Manual J calculation--he had thought 2 ton, which he is sticking by, because we are only conditioning the top floor of a raised ranch, and he feels the extra half ton will allow cool air to drop without short cycling. Do y'all agree? Some basic house info is below. If so, we'll be going with the Trane XB13 (same warranty as XR, but a bit louder--not an issue based on placement) and TAM7 (better dehumidification, quieter, bumps to 14 SEER).

Gain BTU Loss BTU Gain CMF Loss CFM Base Board Tonnage
17731 30320 592 574 56 1.5

Home is in Southern NH
2x4 walls
20" blown-in insulation
All new windows, doors, siding with 1/2" foam insulation
Raised ranch, 46 x 26
Basement half underground

Anything else needed to confirm our decision, please let me know. Thoughts welcome!

Thanks,

S

[BaldLoonie]

Sounds good to me.

[teddy bear]

Hey All,
Here is a summary of my contractor's Manual J calculation--he had thought 2 ton, which he is sticking by, because we are only conditioning the top floor of a raised ranch, and he feels the extra half ton will allow cool air to drop without short cycling. Do y'all agree? Some basic house info is below. If so, we'll be going with the Trane XB13 (same warranty as XR, but a bit louder--not an issue based on placement) and TAM7 (better dehumidification, quieter, bumps to 14 SEER).

Gain BTU Loss BTU Gain CMF Loss CFM Base Board Tonnage
17731 30320 592 574 56 1.5

Home is in Southern NH
2x4 walls
20" blown-in insulation
All new windows, doors, siding with 1/2" foam insulation
Raised ranch, 46 x 26
Basement half underground

Anything else needed to confirm our decision, please let me know. Thoughts welcome!

Thanks,

S

Looks like it will be an air tight home. Any thoughts on fresh air ventilation and supplemental humidity control both winter and summer?
A healthy home needs an air change every 4-5 hours when occupied. Some of the these homes only get an air change in 10-24 hours. Fresh air is needed to purge indoor pollutants and renew oxygen. During calm warm weather, most homes stop ventilating naturally. Without mechanical fresh air ventilation, these home are unhealthy during calm weather.
Regards TB

[motoguy128]

How do you know it's air tite. Sounds like it's not new construction and has have insulation retrofitted. Loose fill in the attic that does little to stop air movement and foam board, that may or may not be taped and no mention if the sill plate was sealed. IF air movement in the wall wasn't stopped, the insulation imrpovement of the wall will be far less than expected.

I'd rather take a look at the heating bills for a couple months with the average daily temperature and what indoor temp they use. Mainly a comparison of previous bills ot current.

[thinkxingu]

I wouldn't say the house is airtight, it was built in 1971 and has been updated. I'm not sure about the air cycling thing, but we (hopefully) won't be using the system straight through but rather on those weeks when temps become less than comfortable.

S