call the registar of contractors to help you before it is to late. builders love to save money on ac systems....
Black Adder:
The insulation in the attic is as follows:
Thermaglass blown in
The sheet in the attic say's
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R-30
attic space 1519 sq feet
22 bags needed 31 bags used
min thickness 12"
Thickness looks around 14" going off their markers and looking all over attic
For the walls I can't tell you what they used
call the registar of contractors to help you before it is to late. builders love to save money on ac systems....
Whats the registar of contracters?
How do I get hold of them?
tech is coming over today. I will have to let everyone know what he say's.
Tech said he had to add a little freon this time. Said he took out too much.
My conclusion to the whole mess
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The AC unit is working properly
Temp @ Plenum return 79.2*
Temp @ Plenum out 59.9*
(Thats a difference of 20.4*)
Attic Temp 134.4*
Temp at vent with longest run 66.6*
(Thats a loss of 7 degree's)
Return air temp 75*
(Thats a loss of 4.2 degree's)
All duct is R-6 and insulation in attic is R-22 with and adv of 14 inches loose fill
What are your thoughts of increasing preformance so the a/c doesn't have to run all day?
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1.)Increase R-value of return air and other ducts?
- it would be a pain for me the diy to do.
2.) Put in powered ventilation either gable or roof mount
- I am afraid if I put in powered roof mount it will just suck air in from the other vents in the roof. A gable vent at the garage might be the best bet and easiest
3.) Complain to the home builder that the attic isn't vented properly
- I bet this will get me no where
4.) Complain that the a/c is undersized
5.) Check with the neighbors and see if they are having the same problem
Any feedback would be appreciated
How long has the system been on when you are taking these temps at the registers?
Here is my take. I would tell your builder to get his but over there and get your a/c system that you paid alot of money for to work correctly! You should be able too w/ no problem get that house 15 deg or better, cooler then outside(thats at a minimum). If he wants to insulate the ducts better, install an attic fan or whatever, then let him, Attics are always going to be hot. The bottom line, whats going to happen if you have a party w/ 20 plus people and your wife wants to turn on the stove and cook something? Whats the temp going to be in there then? You dont have to answer that lol. I dont know your house ceilings etc. I did see the floor plan. I would not have installed a 2 1/2 ton in that house, some people may have, dont know why??? I would not have been back because it was undersized. You have 1733sq.ft of living space correct?
[Edited by ultratec on 06-23-2005 at 03:49 PM]
The temps I took were with the ac running for a long time.
Ultratec I believe what you are saying is on the right track!
I think the damb builder skimped on the system to save money. The ac shouldn't have to run all day to keep the temp two degree's bellow 80. I can tell you that when we cook the house does get warm.
Even at night the ac has to run a long time just to keep the house cool.
I believe I am about to get into a huge fight with the builder.
I need help on where to get some information.
Is there a standard code for Texas or national code that says what the minimum size unit in new construction should be?
Should I get the builder to do a J-calc of the house and get his results?
Should I pay to get an independent person to do a calc?
What should be the best approach to take?
BBB maybee
A common poblem I see are ducts in attics that are exposed. Ducts are minimally insulated and can lose upwards of 20% of their cooling load. Leaks are another problem. If the duct work was done in a hack way, they could be leaking. Lack of insulation could also be a problem. Not only through heat gains through the ducts, but also through your entire house.Originally posted by smp7015
T
This is pretty crapy having a new house that won't get bellow 80 degree's in the summer time.
If you have a vented attic, fiberglass is a particularly bad insulator. If your attic is fiberglass, have some cellulose blown on top of it. Bury the exposed ducts with cellulose also.
in arizona the ROC oversees licsened contractors and responds to complaints against contractors, they make judgements about if equipment is doing what it should,,I am sure your state has similar..
What part of texas are you in? I have never delt with the home builder your talking about but it sounds like you got the misfortune of one of those companies that does everything on the cheap.
My recommendation would be to call an other company out to do a load calc with a computer. Also tell them you want them to take surface temp readings in your home to see if you have insulation issues. Best of luck to you on finding one that can and will do this and be honest.
Nobody here can tell you if you ac is the right size or not. I have homes that size with everything from 2 ton to 4 ton and possible even 1 or 2 that are 5 tons.
HVAC Contractor, Tyler Texas.
I've always been told that in Texas the game is rigged against the homeowner (HO) to protect the builder against his own misdeeds. Would bet a steak dinner that when you bought your Perry home, you also signed an agreement you will never sue and will settle all problems via an arbitrator -- who is friendly with the builders. So don't place much hopes on the BBB here, you may have to get more creative.
I believe it would be wise to collect all the WRITTEN information you can, to prove objectively the AC is not doing its job. Of course YOU know it isn't cooling, but try to prove it every way you can. One way would be to hire a pro to evaluate your AC and try to identify its faults. A written report by a professional, would be strong evidence in an arbitration hearing. Worth paying for.
BTW you bought a thermometer at Walmart, did you buy the model which has humidity too? Your inside humidity would be an important clue. If it is too high and could be lowered, that might let you be comfortable without cooling "too low" (the builder will possibly claim you have unreasonable goals for temperature levels). Don't totally rule out the value of a dehumidifier to help the problem -- I have one and keep humidity around 50% even in the mild spring and fall climate when no AC temperature cooling is really needed.
But fix what you can in the existing AC system. Don't fall for the story that bigger is automatically better, you might be failing to cool because of a big duct leak or other craftsmanship issue.
You may pay more than you would like to, for professionals to figure things out, but I can see no better solution. Think of it this way... you might pay some serious bucks to do what the builder should have done in the first place, but the booby prize is to end up with a good working AC system. Not too shabby even if Perry homes is crooked here.
Best of luck -- P.Student