Had an AC tech over today and he suggested that I can swap my old 3.5t Lennox condenser (10yrs old) with a bigger 4t and it should help with house cooling. Evaporator is Trane and 2yrs old. Question is if they are compatible and can be matched? Also, assuming duct work is sufficient, will upping to 4t unit help? For context, it’s a 2,400sq ft house in south Texas, and by all calculations current unit is undersized. Thanks y’all
4TXCB006DS3HCA coil compatibility with 4ton condenser
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dnewton3
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You can use this link to look up the rated matches; use the model number rather than reference number.
It's more of a question of how well it may or may not work, versus will it work at all. It may not be optimized, but it will likely work. If all calculations are pointing to a low capacity in your current set up, then adding more capacity may help, if the other parts of the system can also handle that capacity.
Coil is rated up to 4 tons so it should be fine.
Thank you for clarifying this. The question though is if it would really make a difference. Do you happen to have any real world experience with 3.5t vs 4t? It just seems like a lot of cash to pay for an upgrade without knowing if it will deliver. For context, I was also offered to install variable system with new furnace and zoning. For a whopping 18k. Obviously i didn’t commit
To put it in perspective, the difference between 3.5 tons and 4 tons is 6000BTU. The cooling capacity of the smallest window unit that you can get (based on a quick look on Google shopping and Home Depot) is 5000BTU. Such a unit costs about $150.
Additionally, unless your unit is running continuously and the temperature in the house is continuing to rise...it's NOT undersized. This is assuming you aren't running it during an unusual heat wave.
Like brian said its only an additional 6000 btu of cooling capacity. Some times it helps and some times it doesn't.
T
That’s what I was thinking as well
Have you considered adding more insulation to your attic? Depending on the age of the house, it may not be sufficient. An awful lot of heat can come through the ceiling from the attic, as a thermal camera will show.
Adding more insulation could reduce your cooling load enough that an additional 6000BTU of cooling isn't needed.
This are exactly the conditions it’s being ran now, stupid hot heat wave here in Texas. Once the suns goes down it has no issues brining the temp down to 73F. During the day time, 75ish is the best I can get. House is 10yrs old but I suspect insulation is not the best. Plus there’s 0 shade so the sun I blasting the house all day long. Ideally, I’d have the mini split installed on the second floor (it’s a 1.5 story house with 600sq ft room on the second floor), and use central AC for downstairs only.
Yes, this is my main suspect now. Is foaming the roof a good option? Or you’re referring to adding more pink stuff (don’t know what it’s called)?
I'm referring to adding more fiberglass, if that's what you already have (cellulose is also used). Also make sure that the eave vents aren't blocked with insulation and that there's a ridge vent.
Would the spray foaming be a good option as well?
To me it sounds like it's sized perfectly. You don't want oversized
If you foam the roof you'll have to seal and block off all the eave/ridge/gable vents. You'll have to foam the sidewalls of the attic too. If your HVAC equipment or ducts are in the attic that would make it even more worthwhile to do this.
I would almost say go buy a 6000BTU window unit for the $150 and install and use it for extra help during the heatwave. (Assuming you don't have an HOA that prohibits them....or maybe they'll be reasonable and allow it during heatwaves??)
I know the crazy heat isn't helping but when is the last time the coil was washed on the outdoor unit? A dirty condenser coil will lower the capacity of the unit.
Yes, everything is in the attic. And I believe poor attic insulation dramatically reduces the system out. I certainly want to look into this for more details.
I’ve never washed the condenser, but I visually inspected it and it really doesn’t look dirty at all. Virtually no build up or anything. Obviously, if I was to pull the cover it might look different..
that’s exactly what I’ve done last year, got the 10000 btu window unit and put it up on the second floor. It obviously did help a bunch, it’s just a sloppy solution and I was looking for something more appealing. Unfortunately, it does come at a cost..
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