1st time homeowner, not happy with new AC, please help!

[msnerd1980]

Hello! Please bear with me. I am a first time home buyer, first time poster, and first time HVAC researcher. Thanks a ton in advance for any help!

Bought a house that had the original 25-year old heat pump which was still (mostly) working. Decided to replace it now, as I wanted to do a Natural Gas conversion anyway.

Old system was a rusty 2 ton pump with a 2.5 ton blower. Carrier Model 40AQ030300BB.

New system is all Ruud. A/C is the 13AJL:
http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...C-904996320E8D

New coil is the RFCL Series:
http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...E-0BE501BEAC6E

New furance is the RGRM Series:
http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...0-9D757745D957

90%+ was necessary because I have to do horizontal powered vent.

Problems:

1) The air noise coming from my family room return dominates the entire house. I can't hear TV dialogue without turning up the volume massively. The basement is also extremely loud now. The old air handler was nearly silent at all times.

2) I don't think this AC does a very good job cooling. A thermo inserted into the base of the supply duct registers ~60-62 degrees F at all times, but on hot days like yesterday (95 degrees) it struggles to maintain 74/75 in the house, let alone the 72 I set it at. Late at night, it finally catches up. Am I expecting too much? Shouldn't a brand new AC be able to overcome this?

3) House feels clammy... doesn't have that "sharp" feeling of cold air.

Solutions:

1) My tech has carefully balanced the R-410A refridgerant pressure which somewhat improved things, and says he's going to investigate what blower speed options are available. But I'm worried that the listed problems above are more than just "fine tuning" - what do you pros think?

House is a 3-level TH, 1368 finished SQ.FT on two floors plus a semi-finished basement that didn't count in the official SQ.FT listing

Thanks much guys!

[Crazy4thenucks]

Sounds like a bad case of undersized ducting and undersized unit. Did anyone care to do a load calculation and make sure the existing ductwork was sufficient for the new system?

[msnerd1980]

The guy took the specs from the previous equipment (2 ton heat pump and 2.5 ton blower) and used that as his guideline for selecting the Ruud models. However, I thought I overheard him saying that RGRM Furnace has a 3 ton blower. I don't recall him doing any measurements.

Also, did you mean undersized ducting and oversized unit?

[HVAC Teacher]

Not the right way, Shooting from the hip.

Example: My old house had a 150,000 BTU furnace with 3 ton AC (original equipment).
After I learned how to do a heat load calc., (the old way - no software) I replaced it with a 65,000 BTU & 1 ton AC (small house).

Can't be right! double checked my math - ran beautiful even in extreme temps.

Something definitley sounds wrong with your system operation. If anything, I would guess that the equipment was not properly installed & set up. (common mistake).

Please let us know the outcome.

[Mr Bill]

New system is all Ruud. A/C is the 13AJL:
http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...C-904996320E8D

New coil is the RFCL Series:
http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...E-0BE501BEAC6E

New furance is the RGRM Series:
http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...0-9D757745D957

90%+ was necessary because I have to do horizontal powered vent.

Can you post specific Mod# from the equipment installed in your home, you posted just general Mod#. you can get these numbers off each piece of your equipment. Also in my world, that is just a re-tagged Weatherking condenser, not a Ruud.

This is what a Ruud unit we sell looks like:

[BaldLoonie]

I'm still skittish over the cube heat pumps regardless of what sticker is on them. Love the AJL and AJM cooling units for the money if you can't get them to go for the rectangular ones.

But BTUs is BTUs so the OP should be able to cool as well with the new 2 ton as the old 2 ton. As for noise or temp drop, hopefully the dealer was smart enough to lower the blower to 800 CFM or so. The RGRM is a quiet unit unless too much air trying to go into too little duct.

[Mr Bill]

I'm still skittish over the cube heat pumps regardless of what sticker is on them..But BTUs is BTUs so the OP should be able to cool as well with the new 2 ton as the old 2 ton..

Yea, I might have jumped the gun a little, but our distributer will not let us re-tag the Weatherkings we sell here, I have discussed this with Terry "Twilli" before, and he said they can in Ohio. I talked to my salesman and he said no under my Dealers agreement and the pricing I get on Ruud, I, nor anyone in Houston I know of can re-tag.

[jpb2]

Another shoddy install of good equipment sounds like.

[jpsmith1cm]

Low bidder?

Always a good choice....


It takes a heck of a man to admit that you screwed the whole thing up, so if that IS the case, and I'm not saying that it is, you may need a second opinion.

Allow the current contractor another shot at it, maybe ask for a different and more experienced tech. If you get the best they have and he can't fix it, you might need the best that someone else has.

[mallron]

Did any of these problems exist before the replacement?

[msnerd1980]

Here are my full model specs:
Heat: RGRM-07EMAES
Info: http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...0-9D757745D957
Specs: http://globalimageserver.com/fetchDo...b-3dda53d3e212

AC: 13AJM24A01
Info: http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...D-DBFDF53D879F
Specs: http://globalimageserver.com/fetchDo...c-f3ad4bc61af6

Coil: RCFL-HM2417CC
Info: http://www.ruud.com/product.aspx?id=...E-0BE501BEAC6E
Specs: http://globalimageserver.com/fetchDo...3-16a3aefac124

My return duct is rectangular, 10"x20", and the gridded opening where the most noise comes from is is also a 10"x20" opening.

Yup, low contractor, who also happened to be the guy whose done my parents house for 20+ years. I'm not too proud to admit I probably screwed up. I just want to know where the fault is.

EDIT: Mallron, The previous equipment was 25 years old, and this heat wave coincided perfectly with when my new system was installed, so I have no means for comparison. I just bought this house.

[Mr Bill]

Here are my full model specs:
Heat: RGRM-07EMAES
AC: 13AJM24A01
Coil: RCFL-HM2417CC
My return duct is rectangular, 10"x20", and the gridded opening where the most noise comes from is is also a 10"x20" opening.

75,000 Ruud Furnace on a 2-ton?

You have "WAY" to many cfm's for your system and not enough return, I sell Ruud, you "should" be using the 05E up to 3-tons. I don't know if you can even slow that furnace enough for 2-tons, would have to get my book out of the truck, ever heard the statement, sounds like a tornado through a keyhole? that is what you have going on.

[BaldLoonie]

The industry standard is to size to 75° inside when it is the typical hottest time of the year for that location. So if you are at about the hottest it gets in your area, you aren't doing too bad. Sure an oversized machine could get it colder but oversizing isn't always the wisest move. Wed it was about as steamy as it gets here and our office was around 75 (except my zone which I designed the ducts to ).

We get below zero in the typical winter and we usually put RGRM-07 furnaces in homes over 2000 sq ft, usually 2 story on a basement. But the 07 does have the same blower as the smaller ones and should be set to 800 CFM for the 2 ton. Most dealers don't bother and leave too high. Hope you have a 2 stage thermostat so it rarely goes to high.

Bill, our supplier ships our cubes with a Rheem plate on them. Non dealers get the King sticker.