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Originally Posted by nchvac

Noise wise, how does the Prestige out door unit compare with other units, including the Classic?

I have installed 100's of the value classic and prestige and can tell you that the 15 seer value is one of the quietest quality low cost condensers on the market. That being said i install the prestige 2-1 over the value because the design is way more contractor service friendly and they are even quieter because of the factory comp blanket and because the compressor is on the side of the coil hidden it deadens the sound even more. The classic is ok but has a psc motor and no comp blanket so it is basically the same as the value except for a high pressure switch and shaped rectangle. I feel the 400 or so cost difference between value and prestige is worth it just because of the smart controls, pressure switches, factory start assist and it only takes two screws and 10 seconds to have access to everything. I have heard this system next to some of the high seer american standard running on low and this unit is just as quiet running on high. Plus at the end of the day it is sure nice to walk up to a machine like this push one button and know exactly what is wrong with it.

The outdoor video would have been more effective if you could hear the neighbors unit cycle on, HUGE difference in noise level.

Here's another video from the indoors:

Finally had a warm day, took some video showing how quiet the unit is.

LMAO !!

Oh I told him his next step is to insulate the crawl space. I had been after him for years to install a vapor barrier in the crawl space (spread plastic). I told him he had to put down a vapor barrier before I would install this unit. He told me the other night that he would recommend a vapor barrier to anyone because he saw a big difference in the humidity. WELL GO FIGURE. Good idea-I'll pass that on bro. Family!

I think fixing the house makes a LOT more sense than upsizing the HVAC unit Not sure about VS compensating for crappy ductwork, it just burns out the control modules that much faster The reduction in AUX heat use would be partially offset by increase AC energy use...

That is interesting info on the EER. I usually don't pay attention to that number to much.
One place that I have seen a need for larger capacity on the heat pump side is when installing a heat pump in an older home or one without proper windows/doors. I installed a unit for my brother last summer. I told him it was going to be like this, and he said he was more concerned with summer than winter operation. Basically it cooled great all summer long and I sized it dead on for a 2 ton (going by the actual sensible and latent loads listed by the manu). It dehumidified and cooled his damp house like the dickens. The winter operation has been comfortable, but based on his power bills the AUX heat is running more than I would like-traced back on the load calc to no insulation in the floors (11,500 btus) and a couple single pane windows (4000 btus).
If he had more capacity on the heat side it would have helped him. But as you say, his ductwork was not sized for any larger. Of course the variable speed would have made up a little for that. Compressors don't handle small ductwork on heat pump installs too well from my experience.

Unless you can purchase the high SEER units for a substantial discount, they won't save enough in power costs to justify thier higher price tag. 14-16 SEER single stage is the "sweet spot" for cost vs energy savings unless you have electric rates over 15 cents per KWH. Every 2 stage install I've seen done is grossly oversized (AKA lets size it based on stage 1 and use stage 2 as "reserve") which negates the additional SEER the customer paid for.

Reducing the tonnage of the system to the bare minimum required to do the job (AKA about the size of stage 1 of the 2 stage unit you are considering) is just as effective as buying a high dollar 2 stage unit. Smaller units work better wit hthe minimal ductowork found in most homes. We've all seen the results where somebody has upsized a unit and not upgraded the ductwork that was barely big enough for the old system. Smaller systems will cycle less and be quieter because less air going through ductwork. Design the system to "loose ground" when there is more than a 20 degree difference betwen indoor and outdoor tempatures and let the system catch up once the sun goes down. The several hour cycle on the hottest days of the year basically elimates cycling losses. Smaller units tend to be the ones that get the "up to" SEER rating fot a particular line. The 4 & 5 ton units normally fall short on SEER in the AHRI ratings.

The smaller unit will have less light dimming effect, my 2 ton doesn't dim the lights at ALL when it kicks on. If you really want a fan delay to help with light dimming you can wire a standard sequencer (the standard type used for heat strips) to delay fan motor to turn on 15 seconds or so after the compressor starts. The same can be done with the air handler blower motor.

EER is what really matters when it comes to summer power bills, not SEER. I'm not too concerned of how power I'm using when it's 82 outside, I want to know how much juice I'm using when it's actually HOT 95+ outside. Large coil face areas relative to compressor capacity are key to higher EER. The 14-16 SEER doesn't cost much more than the 13 SEER units but the EER's are significantly higher. The 2 stage units don't improve EER much vs high SEER single stage units since coil surface area relative to compressor capacity is already close ot being maximized. Look at the expanded performace data of the unit you are considering if the manufacturer provides it. The numbers you find there are a lot closer to real world performace than a simple "up to" SEER rating.

As for quiet operation of my thermalzone, if my nieghbor's 10SEER 3 ton York is running I can't tell if mine is on or not while standing outside in between the 2 houses. The only way I know if mine is running is to physically look at it. Houses are about 15' apart, both condensers are in "isle" between the 2 houses.

I am looking at the 2 stage unit, which has some great bells and whistles, one being that the fan comes on about a second after the compressor to help with light dimming issues, and it has a start kit on the compressor that will help with that too.

Like you, my unit is outside of my bedroom. It only bothers me in the fall till I get used to it, but if having trouble falling asleep the hard defrost shifts don't help. It is the older Carrier Design that Payne uses now. The bedroom is on the West/North Corner, with the heatpump located on the West side. On the other side of it is my Patio Deck. So being in the A/C business, when I am cooking out and having a beer on Saturday evening after working all week, the last thing I want to hear is an A/C unit running. So I am thinking about moving it over to the North side of the house and put it on the other side of the building, just outside of the Master bath. But, as you said, there is a window in the Bedroom that is on that side of the house, and I am worried about noise coming through it more than through the wall.

At first I was thinking about going with one of the trane units because from what I have seen they are quiet units (like the 20i with the special fan blade and top). But I have seen some reviews on here that have talked about having some that are not so quiet. I worked on one last summer that was so quiet I had to put an amp clamp on it to tell if the compressor was running. But I have noticed the Prestige is a quiet unit as well. I have worked on a couple, but never one with the variable speed outdoor fan motor and 2 stage compressor. But back to the Trane, several dealers around here have droped them because of their new air handler design. And it is tough to get my hands on anything over a 14 seer on a trane.

Originally Posted by nchvac

Noise wise, how does the Prestige out door unit compare with other units, including the Classic?

It's hard to say w/o doing a side by side comparision. I know the units with the large 825RPM condenser fans are MUCH quieter than the units that use the smaller 1150RPM condenser fans. Mine has the 825RPM motor, the 13SEER unit uses the 1150RPM motor. My unit is VERY quiet, even outside our master bedroom window. I can't even tell it's running, even at night. I can hear the blower kick on, but not the condenser.

Originally Posted by jpsmith1cm

Moved posts to tech to tech

I was wondering why my email link didn't work, now I know

Moved posts to tech to tech

Originally Posted by 54regcab

I have the same A/C setup in my own 1600 sq ft house. I've been happy with mine, nice and quiet, cools well. I got the 'thermalzone' branded equipment which is essentially the same thing but the house brand at our supplier. Very large condenser for a 2 ton, larger than my neighbors 3 ton AC. Lots of coil surface area for high efficiency. The AC and blower combined uses about 2,000 watts according to my whole house power meter. Didn't replace the furnace on my setup.

Noise wise, how does the Prestige out door unit compare with other units, including the Classic?

Rheem Prestige noise?

I have the same A/C setup in my own 1600 sq ft house. I've been happy with mine, nice and quiet, cools well. I got the 'thermalzone' branded equipment which is essentially the same thing but the house brand at our supplier. Very large condenser for a 2 ton, larger than my neighbors 3 ton AC. Lots of coil surface area for high efficiency. The AC and blower combined uses about 2,000 watts according to my whole house power meter. Didn't replace the furnace on my setup.