10 SEER vs. 13 SEER - A/C installation mistake.

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04

Apparently not so. The manuafacture date on the condensor is 8/2007.


According to the DOE's web page, the 13 SEER requirement seems only to apply to residential equipment. Their fact sheet about the requirement only talks about residential equipment.

A 3-phase condensor is not residential equipment.

 

[duaneb9729]

have you paid this fellow any money?

and if he were to come back now, would you want him on the job?

and not to defend him at all, but typicaly and speaking very generaly, commercial air conditioners tend to cost more than residential ones, due to the amount of additional control on them,
controls that are not always needed in a residential setting.

 

[mrsilv04]

Duaneb-

These units aren't installed at a residence. However, the system is set up the same as a residential system. It uses a typical digital programable thermostat that I have here in my home. There aren't any mods to the system, for example, for it to be able to run during cold weather, so it could cool a machine room year round. It has none of that. The coil is installed under a gas fired Trane furnace, just as the one at my house does.

I have verified with the manufactuer, American Standard, as to the efficiency of the unit, by the model and serial number.

The information that it is a 10 SEER unit came directly from American Standard Customer Support.

I did not examine the coils. I guess I need to verify those as well.

 

[duaneb9729]

sorry for some reason i thought this was a system installed at your home.

that explains to me how this happened, going down from three phase power to single phase power can be a simple wiring matter or a more complicated matter, depending on the amp draws of the units involved.

not saying this justifys what they did at all, this situation makes me mad, and gives all of us contractors a black eye

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
There aren't any mods to the system, for example, for it to be able to run during cold weather, so it could cool a machine room year round.


Incidentally, those mods can be applied to a residential-grade system as well.

I used to work for an ISP that had residential-grade air conditioners cooling the computer room. That's because when you call on Friday to get an air conditioner installed on Monday, all they can get is a 4-ton Carrier that was otherwise going to be installed in a McMansion somewhere.

Yes, when winter rolled around, the evap coil froze up. Then they called and got the mod installed (a low pressure cutoff switch which turned off the fan in the condensing unit).

 

[mrsilv04]

Update:

Received word this morning from the HVAC firm that a 13 SEER unit has been obtained and will be installed next week. The supply house that sold the 10 SEER unit will be taking it back in exchange.

Apparently the supply house shares the blame in this as well. From what I'm being told, is that they told the HVAC firm that the 13 SEER units were nearly non-existant, because American Standard is phasing out all R-22, 5 ton, 3 phase units, and are switching over to all R-134a units. Of course, at that point in time, they just happened to have a 10 SEER unit in stock, no waiting. So, that's how I ended up with a 10 SEER unit (that the supply house was probably more than happy to get rid of).

However (is it a miracle?), they've now come up with a 13 SEER unit.

I would suspect that the HVAC firm called the supply house and said that he suspected that he was a couple of days from needing a lawyer to defend himself, and he needed a 13 SEER unit ASAP.

I am still suspicious about this. I can only wonder if I'm going to get nothing more than a new sticker or a 13 SEER shell onto the same 10 SEER unit. It seems to me that it may be time to get a sharpie marker and put some small markings in a few places on the HVAC unit that I have now (and take digital pictures of the markings).

Since this HVAC firm has no use for signed change orders (to protect themselves AND the customer), there will be a new HVAC firm hired for future use. I have about a 12 year history with this firm, but it is over.

 

[brianl703]

13 SEER units are physically larger than 10 SEER units.

Make a note of the unit's serial number.

 

[The_Jeff]

Is it possible (you saw the trucks come in) that your HVAC contractor ordered the unit, the warehouse shipped it or had it drop shipped to your doorstep, where your contractor took over? It could then be neglect (willful or not) for reading the crate while unpacking it etc.

I know when I got my furnace, a "kid" came along and helped and it was delivered out of the back of a rental box truck...