How small can the manufactures go?

[ek]

Over the last few years it seems that the more efficient the equipment the less cooling btu's and smaller the compressor.

Does anyone know if there is a government limit on just how small of a compressor you can put into a condenser before it changes tonnage.

Example: New 14 SEER 4-ton condenser has a 3.25-ton compressor. At which point does that 3.25-ton compressor become a 3 or 3.5-ton.

Just seems useless to have any type of efficiency scale when in order to properly cool a home you have to upsize the equipment to the next ton or 1/2-ton?

"Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered"

[BaldLoonie]

Gotta forget the ton rating and look at the real capacity. Been that way for some time now. If your manual J says 35,000 BTU, don't pick a unit with a 36 in the model #, you may be a few bricks shy! I don't know that it is any big deal, if you need almost exactly 3 ton you might want a "3.5 ton" which probably will be around 40K just for a little cushion. SEER is SEER.

[ek]

I understand to add a little more capacity but this is about principle. If we don't step in and question the manufactures and those who mandate efficiency, then ten years down the road we might be putting in a so called 6-ton unit to cool 2-tons of space.

[Irishmist]

hey ek, just curious, have you hammered the auto manufacturers because their 350 cu in. engine was only 339 cu. in.? You're getting way too caught up in the realtivity here. IF down the road it takes a 6 ton unit to cool what you use a 2 ton unit for today, so what!? It's all relative. Oh by the way, have you checked to see if you REALLY get 24 mpg highway and 18 mpg city? Oh yeah, did you know that 0 calories doesn't really mean zero calorie? the product can have up to 5 calories per serving and call still call itself "0 calories per serving." I agree with bald: seer is seer, and efficiency has NOTHING to do with capacity.

A customer was once told, lady if you use a high efficiency unit in place of that standard unit, I can drop the size 1/2 ton. LMAO (sad but true story)

[Carnak]

Originally posted by ek
Over the last few years it seems that the more efficient the equipment the less cooling btu's and smaller the compressor.

Does anyone know if there is a government limit on just how small of a compressor you can put into a condenser before it changes tonnage.

Example: New 14 SEER 4-ton condenser has a 3.25-ton compressor. At which point does that 3.25-ton compressor become a 3 or 3.5-ton.

Just seems useless to have any type of efficiency scale when in order to properly cool a home you have to upsize the equipment to the next ton or 1/2-ton?

"Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered"

It all comes down to how a compressor, a condensing coil and an evaporating coil all balance out.

[Furnace_dude]

my car mpg for city and highway are 29 and 31 respectivly

i get about 28 in the winter and 32 in the summer, uh oh! they arent exact!!!!! must be something wrong!

the equipment cant operate as rated if its not cared for, ie filter changes, cleanings, checkouts, etc.

[turtle]

This is Turtle.

there is no limit as to how small a compressor can be to put out a certain amount of BTU's .

You can have 1/8 ton compressor on a 5 ton condenser and it will be rated a 5 ton by one reason. the equipment it rated on out put and not what is inside the condenser.

TURTLE

[dan sw fl]

Originally posted by ek
If we don't step in and question the manufactures and those who mandate efficiency, then ten years down the road we might be putting in a so called 6-ton unit to cool 2-tons of space.

See ARI ratings.

[backbeatkeeper]

Originally posted by ek
Over the last few years it seems that the more efficient the equipment the less cooling btu's and smaller the compressor.



Even thought compressors get smaller the coils are bigger allowing for more subcooling of the refrigerant, old units had small coils, the efficiency comes from that change and using smaller compressors(less energy) It's all about the heat asorbing capacity of those little btus that were subcooled