air condition question

[Ylen13]

I need option on air condition. I have central air condition in my house. The house is 2600 square feet brand new less then 6 month old. When I turn on air condition it takes really long time for the house to even cool down 1 degree. When you are standing under most vents you either can feel barely the cold air or not at all. The only way to feel is to get on to a ladder and put your hand next to the vent. I called a company that installed air condition and they say it working okay. You think that it should take 45min to an hour to drop a house a degree to two? Also how much would it cost me to call some other air conditioning company for second opinion?

 

[Sluggo]

How big is the A/C unit?

It should have something on the side like 36,000 BTU

36,000 = 3 ton
48,000 = 4 ton

A 2600 sq ft home should probably have a 5 ton unit. Or if it is a dual-zone system, maybe a 2-1/2 ton and a 2 ton.

 

[Ylen13]

i have singla zoon. Will check the lable and see what i have will back soon

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Make sure your duct work is intact. My mother had this problem, and we found that a workman had knocked apart one of the ducts, and the cold air went mostly into the crawl space of the house.

 

[FoBoT]

leave it set to what you want it to be, then it won't take an hour to cool off

 

[Ornery]

Do any of the ducts run through the attic? Are they wrapped with insulation? Is the attic well ventilated with soffit vents (intakes) as well as exhaust vents?

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
leave it set to what you want it to be, then it won't take an hour to cool off

i should not have to do its a brand new unit and a brand new house. The air condition is set on the ground so the ducts is at the bottom of the house

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Do any of the ducts run through the attic? Are they wrapped with insulation? Is the attic well ventilated with soffit vents (intakes) as well as exhaust vents?

i hope they are insolated. this house is only 5 moht old.Still have warrenty from the company that build it. I called air conditioning company and they said everything is okay. But i can't agree its okay when the house is not cooling down

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
How big is the A/C unit?

It should have something on the side like 36,000 BTU

36,000 = 3 ton
48,000 = 4 ton

A 2600 sq ft home should probably have a 5 ton unit. Or if it is a dual-zone system, maybe a 2-1/2 ton and a 2 ton.

cant find the manual will post it when i find that info

 

[Ophir]

The fact that your house is 5months old tells us nothing. If shoddy workmanship was used to build it, it could be in worse shape than a house 40years old. Please check the ducting, insulation (weatherstripping, etc.), and overall workmanship. You may have to go through a lot of trouble only to find out that a leak was the culprit. Also, if the A/C unit is under spec'ed it will not cool the house as effectively/quickly. Check the rating on the unit (should be marked on the unit itself), that will help us a great deal in trying to diagnose your problems.

 

[hakadate]

Get a thermometer and measure the air temperature at the duct closest to the air conditioner unit. Then measure the temperature at the return air duct. The temperature difference should be, I would think , at least 20 degrees. If you dont get a reading close to 20 degrees I think you should contact your builder and get them to convince you that nothing is wrong. I have a unit that is 30 years old and the temperature difference is about 18 degrees. My house is 1800 sq ft.

 

[Ylen13]

thanks for all reply will what everyone sudgested and check everytying

ps how much would it cost if i call some air conditioning company to come out and check everything for me?

p.s it took 48 min for the air condition to drop the temp from 78-75 is that normal?

 

[AthlonXP]

go to home depot, this is the last place to ask those kinda questions.

 

[WhiteKnight77]

If it is 20 degrees coming out the vent, there is a problem and it won't be blowing 20 for long. If the refrigerant, R-12, R-22 or R-134, charge is more than supposed to be, it can cool to that level, but the evaporator will freeze up and quit blowing cold. If you are trying to cool the house after it is already hot inside, your wasting more energy and it will take longer to do. Turn the A/C on first thing in the morning when the house is cool, shut all the windows and close all the blinds/drapes. Set the thermostat to where ya want it and leave it. Don't be turning it up and down (like ya would the heat) and once the place is cooled down enjoy. If it still feels like it is taking forever to cool down, check the ductwork to make sure that it hasn't come apart somewhere.

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: AthlonXP
go to home depot, this is the last place to ask those kinda questions.

hmm, i may do that

 

[Ornery]

"...it took 48 min for the air condition to drop the temp from 78-75 is that normal?"

That might be about right. I believe they try not to oversize the unit for the sake of getting the humidity out of the air. If it cools too quickly, it will shut off the compressor before that is accomplished, which will leave you feeling clammy. Use your programmable thermostat to switch the unit on and off at ideal times. Once it's set, just leave it be.