Too Hot or Too Cold Air An HVAC system with excess capacity can heat or cool your home faster, but that speed often results in a couple of other issues. First, your home won't benefit from gradual, even
An oversized conditioner will be overly efficient in that it will reach the desired room temperatures too fast, which results in shortened cooling cycles. The stop-start operation caused by these short cycles can put increased strain on the air conditioner, much like what happens when it is undersized.
Larger unit may be more efficient (larger condensers generally are), but make sure you don't oversize it. If the unit is oversized it'll cycle more frequently, which is hard on it. Oversized can also cause some issues with humidity if you have any outside air connections.
Oversized Ducts
But your HVAC system may not be equipped to pump that much air. In fact, your system needs a specific air pressure in the ductwork to properly distribute air. Oversized ducts could cause your HVAC system to work too hard and limit the amount of conditioned air that reaches your home.
One of the most used methods is the HVAC duct sizing rule of thumb. In fact, even professional AC contractors might use this method to size the AC ducts in your home. According to this rule, you need to install an air conditioner of one-tonne capacity for every 500 square feet of the floor area of your residence.
You Have an Oversized AC
If the AC unit is too big for your house, it quickly cools the rooms and shuts off. The system will keep turning on and off frequently, and these short cycles prevent good air circulation. The moist air will then condense on the coils and freeze up.
If your A/C is oversized, it will pump out cold air at a quicker rate, rapidly lowering the temperature. This may sound like a good thing, but it cuts the A/C cycle short and prevents your home from being cooled properly. If your A/C runs for less than ten minutes at a time, you might have an oversized unit.
A unit with too many BTU's, will cool the room fast, but leave the room humid. Too few BTU's will never cool the room down and the unit will run incessantly. To be sure you're making the right decision, call us to get answers about air conditioner sizes and efficiency.
However, when a furnace is too big for a building, it will struggle to maintain the thermostat's settings. Its inefficiency and short cycling will cause the unit to heat the property unevenly. Some rooms may feel hot, while others feel unreasonably cold.
Symptoms of an undersized AC unit include poor cooling, high energy bills, uneven temperatures and excess humidity.
Is It Better to Oversize or Undersize AC Unit? Neither oversizing nor undersizing your AC unit is ideal. Both scenarios can lead to issues with efficiency, comfort, and longevity of the system.
Usually, it is a quick fix, but sometimes the failure can be caused by a much bigger problem. The most expensive part of an AC unit to replace and repair is the air compressor.
But when an oversized unit is in place, it cools far faster and limits the cycle, which causes muggy, damp conditions in many cases due to high humidity. This can also lead to mold formation and a musty, uncomfortable smell.
Homes measuring 1,000-1,500 square feet: You'll need a 2-ton unit, which corresponds to a cooling capacity of 24,000 BTUs per hour. Homes measuring 1,500-2,000 square feet: You'll require a 3-ton unit, equivalent to 36,000 BTUs per hour. Homes measuring 2,000-2,500 square feet: A 4-ton unit is necessary.
The 2.5 ton condensing unit differs significantly from the 3.0 ton condensing unit. They have different branch circuit requirements, the condensing fans aren't the same size, the suction line on the 3-ton is larger, and so on.
3.5 Tons (42,000 BTUs): Suitable for homes ranging from 2,100 to 2,400 square feet. Installation cost ranges from $3,800 to $5,500. 4 Tons (48,000 BTUs): Suitable for homes ranging from 2,400 to 2,700 square feet. Installation cost ranges from $4,000 to $6,000.
Since an oversized AC is too powerful for your home, it will quickly cool your home then shut off, which can raise your energy bills and wear out your AC (from all the starts and stops).
While you might assume that a larger AC unit would cool your home more quickly and therefore save money, the opposite is true. Short cycling forces your system to work harder, consuming more energy and leading to higher bills.
An aircon unit too big for the size of your room is likely to turn on and off more frequently and in effect, consume more energy in the process. On the other hand, an aircon that is too small for the size of your room never stops running as it will continuously work to reach your desired temperature level.
An air conditioner with BTUs that exceed the recommended square footage in your home may also take on more wear and tear over time because it will initiate its on/off cycle more frequently. It could also create a subpar cooling experience because your AC's compressor may turn off much sooner than it should.
On a normal summer day, you can expect your air conditioner to run somewhere around 15 minutes during every cooling cycle. But if your cooling cycles are lasting 30 minutes, an hour, or all day long, there's a good chance that something is amiss with your system.
You Will Experience Higher In-Home Humidity Levels
In fact, AC units that are bigger than what is appropriate for your home may even increase the humidity levels you endure while indoors. This is largely due to on and off cycles that are too short or too long.