Is this normal?

[hotinthesouth]

i live in N. Alabama where the humidity is off the charts and temp. has been 95-97 degrees. The techs around here say the units for our area are designed for 95 degrees. It will get hotter especially in August when it is consistently 97 or 98 degrees. I leave my setpoint on 73 and the temp rises through out the day from about 2 to 4 degrees above setpoint. On these days my uniy runs consistently for about 14-16 hours straight until it shuts off a night, is this normal? i have been told on days like today it is but others say no. I have a 1900 sq. foot home and a 3-ton unit.

[dash]

If 95° is the correct outdoor design temperature,then everything sounds fine.

If you wanted it to be 73° indoors ,when it's 98 outside ,it can be sized correctly to do that.Keep in mind doing that will result in a larger system,that will not run much to remove indoor humidity during milder temperatures.

If it's the constant running that worries you worry not,it's fine.Also a larger unit would run less ,but it would cost more to run,so no money would be saved.

[duct dr]

Being in AL myself I know what you're talking about. First thing I see is a slightly undersized system. You should consider calling a contractor and have them preform a load calculation (Manual J) on the house. He'll be able to tell you what to do. The South is a problem area because of the high humidity, but your situation can be resloved. Email me if you have more questions. I'll try to help however I can.

[dash]

Should have included in my first post:

If you upgrade insulation in the attic ,crawl space,tint windows ,etc., you'll reduce the size system needed ,for the temperature you desire,reducing run time and electric costs .

[mjk_na]

Your system is doing fine.

Oh yes, reducing heat gain through insulation, tinting, shades, and planting trees will do wonders. The capital cost will worth it if you're staying long in your house.

[Panama]

And have your ducts checked for leakage.

[gkck]

I am in New Mexico and may be having a simulat problem. I keep mine set higher but as our humidity has increased with rains the last week it takes 3 hours to drop the temp 3 degrees. I guess this may be normal after all.

Good luck with yours
Greg

[lunk48324]

Also, if you upgrade just about any HVAC equipment to high efficiency stuff or add insulation, the feds are giving tax credits. So, now is the time to insulate.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?..._tax_credits#2