Getting The Right Size Air Conditioner For Your Home
Reviewing an air condition sizing chart can keep the temperature within a given space constant
. Although this is what an air conditioner will attempt to do for your home. Whether or not it will succeed in doing so depends on the tonnage of the air conditioner and the square footage of your home. Getting a unit with a smaller cooling capacity than the amount of cool air needed to cool a room to a certain temperature will not cool the room enough; and you will be overworking the unit.
On the other hand, if you do not calculate the proper air condition sizing you need you could purchase a bigger air conditioner then you need for your home. This will have you spending more for electricity than needed for the smaller square footage that you want to condition. In addition, an oversized unit can cause the compressor to run on a short cycle because the coolness limit will be reached much faster. As the temperature in your home stays cold, the cycles become shorter and shorter until at last they cause your system to break down.
There are many methods for air condition sizing. But one method which is popular with contractors is the Manual J method. The method was devised by the Association of American Contractors and is a 150-page manual. The basic steps to complete using the Manual J method for air condition sizing are:
1.Decide on the best temperature and humidity that you want for the area(s) you want to air condition.
2.Calculate the difference between the ideal temperature and humidity you want and the actual temperature and humidity in the unconditioned space outside.
3.Refer to Manual J to determine the ideal cooling load of the unit.
So when you buy your next air conditioner, consult with a technician to calculate a load test for your home. After that, you can purchase the air conditioner you will need for your home.