Is my Heat Pump Too Smal

**beenthere** · 07-21-2008, 12:50 PM

Personally.
If I couldn't cool my place 20° cooler then the ouitdoor temp. I'd install another A/C that could.

JMO. They screwed up in the sizing of your equipment.

I would check the ducts myself for leaks.
I would also check to make sure that the lighting cans are sealed and not leaking conditioned air into the attic.

Do you have any mechanical/powered exhaust fans running.

**beenthere** · 07-21-2008, 12:52 PM

What kind of air filter do you have.

**jackfalstaff** · 07-21-2008, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by beenthere

Personally.
If I couldn't cool my place 20° cooler then the ouitdoor temp. I'd install another A/C that could.

JMO. They screwed up in the sizing of your equipment.

I would check the ducts myself for leaks.
I would also check to make sure that the lighting cans are sealed and not leaking conditioned air into the attic.

Do you have any mechanical/powered exhaust fans running.

The can lights, are sealed and would only leak to the upstairs. which is supposed to be conditioned (but isn't very well for other reasons)

No, we don't have any fans running. We really do need to put an attic fan in to help keep the upstairs cooler, but we haven't had time or money to do that yet.

**jackfalstaff** · 07-21-2008, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by beenthere

What kind of air filter do you have.

We have an electronic filter... i don't remember off hand.. but it's a honeywell as well, i think..

we have been sure to clean the filters once a month and keep things flowing...

**beenthere** · 07-21-2008, 12:59 PM

So, your first floor is hard to cool, and your second floor is even worst?

How many can lights do you have, what is their wattage.

Do you have them that you can control how many are on in a room. Or do all of them in a room come on with the same switch.

Remember, on the first floor, most of that heat is radiated back down from your ceiling.

**beenthere** · 07-21-2008, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by jackfalstaff

We have an electronic filter... i don't remember off hand.. but it's a honeywell as well, i think..

we have been sure to clean the filters once a month and keep things flowing...

Not to be insulting, but you are cleaning both the electronic, and pre filters, right? And checking the post filters if you have them.

**jackfalstaff** · 07-21-2008, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by beenthere

So, your first floor is hard to cool, and your second floor is even worst?

How many can lights do you have, what is their wattage.

Do you have them that you can control how many are on in a room. Or do all of them in a room come on with the same switch.

Remember, on the first floor, most of that heat is radiated back down from your ceiling.

Ok.. here is the deal on the second floor... This is the fault of the guy who helped build the house. He only put one register in each of the upper 4 rooms. We did this before the dry wallers came, and i asked him if that was enough per room (Thinking it wasn't) and he assured me that it was. We'll according to my havc guy it isn't.

this brings me to part 2 of why i think a bigger one would help solve that... we could then choke down some of the down stairs registers, to force the pressure up stairs to of set the cooling of those rooms.

The hvac guy wants me to put an attic fan in, which i agree would help, but
having adequate pressure going upstairs is needed as well.

As for the Can lights, we have 5 in the kitchen at 75 watts each on a dimmer... If we dim, heat is not a problem, but i shouldn't have to work around the system...

**jackfalstaff** · 07-21-2008, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by beenthere

Not to be insulting, but you are cleaning both the electronic, and pre filters, right? And checking the post filters if you have them.

Yes.

I do the Pre, Electronic and Post filters..

And no, it's not insulting. when i troubleshoot computers i ask the basics just to be sure. Gotta get all the facts.

**VA GENT** · 07-21-2008, 01:19 PM

The hvac guy wants me to put an attic fan in, which i agree would help, but
having adequate pressure going upstairs is needed as well.

I've read on this site that attic fans could exacerbate the 2nd floor situation if, in fact, conditioned air is drawn from can lights, smoke detectors, etc. but I want beenthere's opinion....

**jackfalstaff** · 07-21-2008, 01:27 PM

here is a link to some pic's of my house, and the construction thereof. It may give you an idea of the construction of it and the unique difficulties...

http://www.seegerplatz.net/ourhouse.html

you will notice that we had originally put a radiant heat system in, which is why we now have a heat pump... was using 10000 kwatts a month in the winter...

But that is a whole different heating story/nightmare

**beenthere** · 07-21-2008, 01:27 PM

Attic fans can help or hinder.
Varies with the house.

If there is not enough fresh air able to get to the attic from sofit, or gable vents, then exhaust fans will draw conditioned air from the house.

**jackfalstaff** · 07-21-2008, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by beenthere

Attic fans can help or hinder.
Varies with the house.

If there is not enough fresh air able to get to the attic from sofit, or gable vents, then exhaust fans will draw conditioned air from the house.

I think in ours it would help more than hinder... but that is yet to be seen...

**beenthere** · 07-21-2008, 01:41 PM

How much insulation is in that cathedral ceiling.

Lot of radiant heat from them.
I'm guessing no air to temp the air at the ceiling. And no return near it either.

Realizing you have both a lot of time and money typed up in your house.
A blower door test would be a good idea, to find out how tight it realy is.
Then a load calc. To get the right size unit to replace the 3 ton.

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