Also typical rule of thumb is 1cfm per square foot unless you have vaulted ceilings or crappy windows and insulation... ask your contractors to bring out a velometer to measure the air. Air balance the system to the square footage of the rooms...
That too. We sealed it up pretty tight using a smoker to find drafts. Added 16" of blown insulation in an attic that only had 2" in it. Haven't seen a fiddle back in the house since doing all of that.
Some-note I said some-of the HVAC people do not have our best interests in place. there are good ones but the bad ones taint the good. they'll take shortcuts, install a condenser and fail to update the A-Coil, determine a compressor is out in order to sell us a new one.... second opinion is necessary at times. One said I had. small leak in my clamshells (furnace) and could shut it down and the next one (Kyle's HVAC) said I was doing great, no leaks.
My dad owned his own HVAC business ..he is dead now and I was an attic rat for him for a bit and for SPAAN heat and air .
I stuck a 2.5 ton condenser on my 1,276 sq ft house that was built in 1964 wood floors with 18" of crawl space under the house.
I used a 3 ton A coil on the system and return was 24".
Grandmothers house also got a 24" return 2 ton system with 924 sq feet.
These 8" returns are lazy and laughable.
A squirrel cage fan needs a lot of air.
I built a 4 ton system for my house and 3 returns and a 2" thick filter not those home supply store 1" ones.
I may go over kill but air flow is a non issue.
I stuck a 2.5 ton condenser on my 1,276 sq ft house that was built in 1964 wood floors with 18" of crawl space under the house.
I used a 3 ton A coil on the system and return was 24".
Grandmothers house also got a 24" return 2 ton system with 924 sq feet.
These 8" returns are lazy and laughable.
A squirrel cage fan needs a lot of air.
I built a 4 ton system for my house and 3 returns and a 2" thick filter not those home supply store 1" ones.
I may go over kill but air flow is a non issue.
I had a house in a bad neighborhood but it was insulated! I would turn the a/c off when I went to work, come home and turn it on, change clothes and work a little while in the garage, come back in and the entire house was cool. I think it had rock wool in the walls and I'm not sure if they even have that stuff anymore. I had go sell out due to the hoods but I sure wish my present house was that insulated. I'd like to have someone add foam insulation into the interior walls but heard that it creates mold so I'm leery.
Yes, too tight of a home can lead to mold. The structure has to breathe. I've seen where they install vents to allow that or use a dehumidifier in the system.
The modern equivalent to solve the problem is an air exchanger. Allows fresh filtered air without losing (too much) conditioned air.
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