Air Conditioning for my house

[GoChris]

I found a post a year ago that mentioned a couple options. Just wondering if that's still the guy to call or if anyone knows of a better deal?

I'm not exactly flush with cash so I'll need to shop around, but I'd like to get something as my wife and two kids are home every day and last summer was a bit much heat wise at times.

Thanks

[spike98]

I did my central air myself for about $1600. I did have help from my uncle however as he is a Tin-smith by trade. He really just gave me pointers on the "right way" to do it.

After getting everything done we paid a pro to do the charge piping and charge it. That was a $150 kiss.

If you have the plenum already in your ducting for the A/C then it is fairly simple after that.

[CanmoreOrLess]

I go with the ghetto A/C program, always have a couple of boxes of Popsicles in the freezer. Too hot? Have a Popsicle. Too cold? Put on a sweater.

http://www.popsicle.com

You really do not want to hear of my ghetto hot tub.

[max_boost]

Ask Jordan Lotoski for Gavin's contacts. He did the central air for my house and saved 30% compared to a quote from Sears.

[JordanLotoski]

Gavin Rairie
403-888-1592

:thumbsup:

[ExtraSlow]

Gavin is the man. My Ac is cranked right now.

[GoChris]

Thanks, I'll give him a call tomorrow or very soon this week. :thumbsup:

[codetrap]

Yeah, I'm thinking that this is going to be the summer we install AC as well. It's 26C in the house right now..

[JordanLotoski]

A balmy 20 degrees in my house...thanks Gavin :thumbsup:

[Zero102]

This is the year we are pulling the trigger too, installing low-E windows in a month or two then going for whole house AC shortly after.

spike98, I have found tons of kits online for around that price range and have long considered the DIY approach. The evaporator just mounts in the plenum right above the furnace, correct? Where did you get your kit from and did you run into anything unexpected? I figured it would be about 3x that to have the system charged so that is encouraging. Did you get any estimates for having the entire system done by a professional? I am just curious what the savings worked out to

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
A balmy 20 degrees in my house...thanks Gavin :thumbsup: We run it at 18.5 overnight. Pregnant wife needs it cold.

[spike98]

Originally posted by Zero102
This is the year we are pulling the trigger too, installing low-E windows in a month or two then going for whole house AC shortly after.

spike98, I have found tons of kits online for around that price range and have long considered the DIY approach. The evaporator just mounts in the plenum right above the furnace, correct? Where did you get your kit from and did you run into anything unexpected? I figured it would be about 3x that to have the system charged so that is encouraging. Did you get any estimates for having the entire system done by a professional? I am just curious what the savings worked out to

I didn't buy a kit. I purchased everything separate. You are correct where the evap coil goes. If the tin-smith did his job right when the furnace was ducted then its a simple slide in job.

We didn't run into anything unexpected at all. I put down a concrete block and levelled it for the condenser and placed it on the pad. Installed a new breaker and ran the electrical to an outside disconnect box and to the condenser. Put in the evap coil and ran the drain line. Ran the wires for the thermostat and then called the HVAC guy to pipe and charge.

It was cheaper than i thought for the charge and piping but i think that is because im in medicine hat where things are just cheaper in general. Plan for double that in calgary.

I got my system priced out by home depot and sears. Both were around the $5k mark or slightly under. I figured after everything and a few cases of beer i saved myself 3 grand....easily.

[black_shadow_18]

I had mine done a year or so ago by A and E HVAC. cost about $3000 all in. best price I could find anywhere and they are amazing to deal with. Ive used them many times since then and would highly recommend them!

[Eride]

Gavin came and installed a 4ton Ac unit at my place yesterday, super professional job. Would recommend him for sure!

[bitteeinbit]

26 inside the house? LOL is Calgary that cool? I remember Calgary being bone dry, so any shade takes away like 10 degrees but 26 is pretty comfortable...

[dr_jared88]

Originally posted by bitteeinbit
26 inside the house? LOL is Calgary that cool? I remember Calgary being bone dry, so any shade takes away like 10 degrees but 26 is pretty comfortable...

26 in April is pretty warm, I'm sure his house gets warmer then that in the summer.

[Zero102]

spike98, where did you buy your parts from?

For those who had Gavin install their system, what have you paid for the complete setup and what did it include?
I have been getting quotes (from sears and other similar shops) of $3600-$4500 for a 3-ton unit installed and that sounds a bit steep to me.

I would really like to do A/C this year but I have a feeling that I will only be able to afford a DIY job

[jdmsource]

Originally posted by Zero102
spike98, where did you buy your parts from?

For those who had Gavin install their system, what have you paid for the complete setup and what did it include?
I have been getting quotes (from sears and other similar shops) of $3600-$4500 for a 3-ton unit installed and that sounds a bit steep to me.

I would really like to do A/C this year but I have a feeling that I will only be able to afford a DIY job
wow 3600-4000 for a 3 ton unit installed sounds like a pretty good deal, i was getting quoted much higher for a 2.5 ton from 3 different places. what brand did you get quoted on?

[superflychief]

I got a 3.5 ton unit installed last summer by W&J Heating for $3600. This is the 2nd time they have installed AC for me. Both times have been excellent.

['93 SR-V]

Originally posted by Zero102
spike98, where did you buy your parts from?

For those who had Gavin install their system, what have you paid for the complete setup and what did it include?
I have been getting quotes (from sears and other similar shops) of $3600-$4500 for a 3-ton unit installed and that sounds a bit steep to me.

I would really like to do A/C this year but I have a feeling that I will only be able to afford a DIY job

I got a quote from Gavin a few weeks back. For a 3 ton unit (basic york) it was $3500, $3700 for a model up, all in ("wiring, disconnect, breaker, coil, condenser, line set, low ambient, pad and startup"). Came with a 10 year parts warranty. A 2.5 ton unit would have been about $200 less.

In the end I used A&E HVAC as someone else mentioned. 2.5 ton york (model up from the basic one above), full install with a 10 year parts AND labour warranty and a new 5" filter system for just over $3600. All the other details were the same as with Gavin.

I also checked out Action furnace, they were decent as well, $3000 for a 2.5 ton Goodman with a 10 year parts and limited 10 year labour warranty (basically you're still shelling out $900 if the compressor goes).

In the end I thought A&E was really good. The installers were nice guys, easy to deal with. My friend used Gavin in the past and had good things to say about him too. I wouldn't have a problem using either. I'm not sure if Gavin has his own company or is doing these jobs on the side? (I liked the idea of having a company behind the install incase I have any problems). My house is about 1800 sq feet by the way.

[Eride]

Gavin has his own company. I had a 4 ton Tempstar installed for $4400.

[Zero102]

Not to hijack the thread too badly, but does it matter what brand of furnace you have? I have a ~10 year old carrier furnace and want to add air conditioning, but I don't know, do I have to buy a carrier air conditioner in order to have it fit in the plenum properly? If not it looks like complete kits can be had for under $2k, and I can fit it all myself I would just need somebody to charge it. For a $1500-$2000 price difference I think I would be fine with being my own warranty.

['93 SR-V]

Originally posted by Zero102
Not to hijack the thread too badly, but does it matter what brand of furnace you have? I have a ~10 year old carrier furnace and want to add air conditioning, but I don't know, do I have to buy a carrier air conditioner in order to have it fit in the plenum properly? If not it looks like complete kits can be had for under $2k, and I can fit it all myself I would just need somebody to charge it. For a $1500-$2000 price difference I think I would be fine with being my own warranty.

It shouldn't matter. I have a york a/c and a carrier furnace personally. I believe all that matters is having the coil fit inside the plenum and it needs to be properly matched in size for the size of the a/c unit. I would guess most people who put a/c in after the fact don't have matching brands. That said I don't claim to be an expert!

[G]

Gavin is installing my 3 ton Tempstar tomorrow.:thumbsup:

Thanks for the referral Jordan.

[95teetee]

Originally posted by G
Gavin is installing my 3 ton Tempstar tomorrow.:thumbsup:

Thanks for the referral Jordan. congrats:thumbsup:

I don't know how I ever lived without central air- last month when mine broke down for a few days I was ready to kill someone. It was even too hot first thing in the morning when it was only like 18c outside (just because I couldn't get my house down to the preferred 19 or so before bedtime lol)

[black_2.5RS]

How did you guys know how what size of AC unit you needed? I got a 2400 sq. foot home and not sure what size I need to get.

[Darell_n]

Originally posted by black_2.5RS
How did you guys know how what size of AC unit you needed? I got a 2400 sq. foot home and not sure what size I need to get.

It is calculated by square footage, air infiltration, insulation value and sun exposure. Hopefully your furnace has enough CFM to do the job, unlike mine. Whoever is installing the a/c will size it for you.

[G]

Originally posted by black_2.5RS
How did you guys know how what size of AC unit you needed? I got a 2400 sq. foot home and not sure what size I need to get.

Usually it is 1 ton per 700 sqft.

[Maxt]

Originally posted by G


Usually it is 1 ton per 700 sqft.
The residential rule of thumb is 600 sq ft/ ton.. Even that is borderline in some instances, in some of these shacks with commercial fridges, theatre rooms, make up air units etc. And then as Darrell says hopefully the furnace has enough oomph to handle that tonnage. Every major manufacturer offers a high cfm model of a given btu furnace, but don't count on your house having it, unless you spec'd it when it was built.
http://www.docs.hvacpartners.com/idc/groups/public/documents/techlit/58mcb-6pd.pdf
In that link you can see how you can order a 80,000 btu or whatever furnace with high or low cfm...
I don't do residential in my business, but in the ones I have done for friends, I have had to change the furnace as well, to really do the job properly in most of the installs.. Being here that our ductwork is generally in the floor, you need a lot more CFM to cool a house than heat it, if you end up with no velocity, the cool air never mixes in the room and the a/c just runs all the time doing nothing but cooling the carpet.
If you can find your furnace CFM online, divide the CFM by 400 and that is the cooling it will support, in tons. If you insist on stretching it with low CFM, the cfm/ton relationshipis is more important that than the ton sq/ft relationship, from an operational perspective.
As the cost of power increases, I think multi-head minisplits are going to become a better option than central air.

[max_boost]

Central air has been so useful this summer. Oh man. So awesome. Sorry /brag :D

[Darell_n]

I agree. Normally my a/c will run for 2 weeks per year. This year it's been running for 2 months. While my family was helping move furniture into my house 8 years ago, I was installing the a/c. :angel: I will be installing a couple of power attic vents this fall as it will likely eliminate my need for a/c next summer.

[ZeroGravity]

Originally posted by Maxt

The residential rule of thumb is 600 sq ft/ ton.. Even that is borderline in some instances, in some of these shacks with commercial fridges, theatre rooms, make up air units etc. And then as Darrell says hopefully the furnace has enough oomph to handle that tonnage. Every major manufacturer offers a high cfm model of a given btu furnace, but don't count on your house having it, unless you spec'd it when it was built.
http://www.docs.hvacpartners.com/idc/groups/public/documents/techlit/58mcb-6pd.pdf
In that link you can see how you can order a 80,000 btu or whatever furnace with high or low cfm...
I don't do residential in my business, but in the ones I have done for friends, I have had to change the furnace as well, to really do the job properly in most of the installs.. Being here that our ductwork is generally in the floor, you need a lot more CFM to cool a house than heat it, if you end up with no velocity, the cool air never mixes in the room and the a/c just runs all the time doing nothing but cooling the carpet.
If you can find your furnace CFM online, divide the CFM by 400 and that is the cooling it will support, in tons. If you insist on stretching it with low CFM, the cfm/ton relationshipis is more important that than the ton sq/ft relationship, from an operational perspective.
As the cost of power increases, I think multi-head minisplits are going to become a better option than central air.

Reviving an old thread as I'm considering my options... so it seems from the thread most seem to have either went with Gavin or A&E HVAC...

Any idea what the possible city by law of not allowing these central A/C units to be installed between the houses will have on existing installs?

Multi-head minisplits units... don't see much of these at all here in Calgary. Any recommendation on where to get these locally?

[ExtraSlow]

I would guess and hope that any change to the bylaws would not be retroactive.

[Darell_n]

Originally posted by ZeroGravity

Multi-head minisplits units... don't see much of these at all here in Calgary. Any recommendation on where to get these locally?

They can be 2-3 times the price of central a/c and require a drain line for every zone, that's why they are not popular for residential use. I installed a 4 zone Fujitsu in a friend's house that was heated with a boiler and had no forced air. My wholesale cost was around $4k for the unit. For a regular customer I would charge at least $8k. (more because I don't do residential work). In comparison my own house cost me $850 all in.

[ZeroGravity]

Originally posted by Darell_n


They can be 2-3 times the price of central a/c and require a drain line for every zone, that's why they are not popular for residential use. I installed a 4 zone Fujitsu in a friend's house that was heated with a boiler and had no forced air. My wholesale cost was around $4k for the unit. For a regular customer I would charge at least $8k. (more because I don't do residential work). In comparison my own house cost me $850 all in.

wow... didn't know that. Thx for the info.

[hampstor]

bump... yes, I realize it's fuckin cold outside but just getting a head start on this.

Friend and I with mirror cookie cutter homes (2200sq ft) in the same cul-de-sac looking to go ahead w/ AC this year (figured we'd try and leverage this for any savings). Any recommendations or hookups? :D

[npham]

I need to get AC this summer as well, is Gavin the guy to go to still?

[ExtraSlow]

Gavin was great for me as I 've said. He also provided some after-installation support. Solid guy, good price.

Go ahead and get some other quotes.

[Ntense_SpecV]

I used A&E Hvac. They did good for me.

[hampstor]

As an update - ended up with Friessen's installing it. 3.5 ton Trane unit - total cost including GST was $4,125. The other option was a 3.5 ton Goodman which was $3900 (including GST) as well.

[ZeroGravity]

Ended up going with Gavin last year. Installed a Tempstar compact unit. I love it.

[schurchill39]

What's the warranty like with A&E HVAC?

[TomcoPDR]

(Don't wanna start new thread).

Has anybody tried or using mini split systems with heat exchangers for their house or garage? Just under the impression they won't be good heating source in our extreme cold weather (for insulated garages)

['93 SR-V]

Originally posted by schurchill39
What's the warranty like with A&E HVAC?


Will vary with the unit I think. When I was shopping around most units had a 5 or 10 year warranty. Some times the unit was 10 but the compressor was only 5, etc. Some warranties are just parts, some parts and labor minus the compressor, etc....

I bought a york from A&E and got a full 10 yr parts and labor warranty included in the price... the warranty is an extended one but is from york so even if A&E wasn't around for some reason down the road another company would be able to honor the warranty.

[schurchill39]

Just wanted to give people and update here because this thread will get searched for I'm sure. I got 3 quotes for A/C in my 1450 sqft two story house. All of them calculated that I would need a 2.5 tonne unit.

-Action Furnance: Goodman 13 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and lifetime on the compressor for $3100

-A&E HVAC: York 13 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and 10 year on compressor for $3200

-A&E HVAC: York 14.5 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and 10 year on the compressor for $3650

-Just In Time Furnance: 13 SEER for who knows how much because he came, took measurements and told me he would email me out a quote later that day, but that was a week ago. Still nothing despite having called him asking for it. Piss on him if he doesn't want the work.

I'm still unsure who I am going to go with out of Action or A&E HVAC. I'll have to research the units a little more and compare them but I will say that both of the guys were very professional and friendly. Action was a sales guy, and the A&E fella seemed to do sales and install.

Even though my builder used Just In Time to install the furnace and they recommend them for the duct cleaning I will probably never call them again. The guy was shit talking his competitors saying that everything else was garbage, making claims that he could beat their prices but then completely spaced on giving me a quote even after I called their office 3 days later requesting it. I don't mind paying a little bit more if I am going to get better service.

[GoChris]

Good time to bump this thread indeed. I never did end up getting A/C yet, but with another new child in the house I'd like to keep things cool and comfortably this summer.

If anyone knows of any springs sales, post them up!

[turbotrip]

Originally posted by schurchill39
Just wanted to give people and update here because this thread will get searched for I'm sure. I got 3 quotes for A/C in my 1450 sqft two story house. All of them calculated that I would need a 2.5 tonne unit.

-Action Furnance: Goodman 13 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and lifetime on the compressor for $3100

-A&E HVAC: York 13 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and 10 year on compressor for $3200

-A&E HVAC: York 14.5 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and 10 year on the compressor for $3650

-Just In Time Furnance: 13 SEER for who knows how much because he came, took measurements and told me he would email me out a quote later that day, but that was a week ago. Still nothing despite having called him asking for it. Piss on him if he doesn't want the work.

I'm still unsure who I am going to go with out of Action or A&E HVAC. I'll have to research the units a little more and compare them but I will say that both of the guys were very professional and friendly. Action was a sales guy, and the A&E fella seemed to do sales and install.

Even though my builder used Just In Time to install the furnace and they recommend them for the duct cleaning I will probably never call them again. The guy was shit talking his competitors saying that everything else was garbage, making claims that he could beat their prices but then completely spaced on giving me a quote even after I called their office 3 days later requesting it. I don't mind paying a little bit more if I am going to get better service.
I would not deal with "just in time"

[grump]

Anyone has experience with Air Central?

['93 SR-V]

Originally posted by schurchill39
Just wanted to give people and update here because this thread will get searched for I'm sure. I got 3 quotes for A/C in my 1450 sqft two story house. All of them calculated that I would need a 2.5 tonne unit.

-Action Furnance: Goodman 13 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and lifetime on the compressor for $3100

-A&E HVAC: York 13 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and 10 year on compressor for $3200

-A&E HVAC: York 14.5 SEER with 10 year parts, 10 year labour and 10 year on the compressor for $3650

-Just In Time Furnance: 13 SEER for who knows how much because he came, took measurements and told me he would email me out a quote later that day, but that was a week ago. Still nothing despite having called him asking for it. Piss on him if he doesn't want the work.

I'm still unsure who I am going to go with out of Action or A&E HVAC. I'll have to research the units a little more and compare them but I will say that both of the guys were very professional and friendly. Action was a sales guy, and the A&E fella seemed to do sales and install.

Even though my builder used Just In Time to install the furnace and they recommend them for the duct cleaning I will probably never call them again. The guy was shit talking his competitors saying that everything else was garbage, making claims that he could beat their prices but then completely spaced on giving me a quote even after I called their office 3 days later requesting it. I don't mind paying a little bit more if I am going to get better service.

It looks like you got quoted on the exact same units I was quoted on from both A&E and action furnace. I was considering the goodman myself but in the end I went with the 14.5 SEER York. I don't ever expect that the added cost will be recovered in energy savings given out climate but the 14.5 SEER unit was a fair but quieter compared to the other two units... You get swept fan blades and a compressor blanket in that model to bring down the noise. It may not be an issue with your install but I have my unit half wat down the side of my house inbetween my house and the neighbour's so I didn't want the noise causing issues. You can barely hear the unit running from my deck so that alone was worth the extra $$ to me. Something to consider anyway!

[avishal26]

^ Are these numbers including labour and install?

[schurchill39]

Originally posted by avishal26
^ Are these numbers including labour and install?

Yes, that's everything in.

[max_boost]

How's everyone liking their a/c so far? I guess like winter tires you don't need it but it's sure nice to have. :thumbsup:

[topsecret]

Originally posted by max_boost
How's everyone liking their a/c so far? I guess like winter tires you don't need it but it's sure nice to have. :thumbsup:


There is no way I could live without central air after having it for 2 summers, if anyone wants it done at their place PM me and I will forward the contact info of the guy who did mine, top notch work! :thumbsup:

[rx7_turbo2]

I posted in the other thread/threads.

Don't base your decision on price alone. Make sure all the proper permits are being pulled. If they tell you that you don't need to pull an electrical permit, call The City and find out for yourself ;)

This time of year there's lots of guys doing under the table, no GST, cash jobs. Don't let the fact you're waking up in a pool of your own sweat cloud your judgement :rofl: Make sure you or the contractor goes about things the right way. Little bit of due diligence here may save you money down the road.

[Recca168]

Should have gotten central air years ago. House has never been comfortable on days like this :thumbsup:

[Ntense_SpecV]

Love, love, love my AC. I went with A&E and have had nothing but good experiences with this company.

The owner was the guy that came and quoted me and also did the install. I got the York 14.5 Seer unit and my install was just a bit more than posted above...but this is going from memory when it was done 3 years ago. They also pulled the permit for me as well. Plus the after care has been nothing but fantastic. The 5" pleated filters at the time I couldn't find them in the standard HomeDepot or Lowe's stores so I called A&E up and with a credit card payment over the phone I was good to go. They even dropped the filters off at my house for me...that speaks volumes about this company considering how it seems most business are now a days with respect to doing things outside the norm.

All in all, I would recommend them 10 times out of 10. I don't remember who from Beyond posted their info originally but thank you!!!

[403ep3]

Man.. I am so jealous of everyone with A/C. There's too many things I have to buy before I can get A/C

Rough, rough nights ahead! :nut:

[schocker]

Has anyone installed on on a duplex. My side yard is kind of narrow so I am not sure if it would fit and in the back I have my patio and then lower down with the well for a basement window so not sure where I would have room unless I was to get a slim unit?

25°C is too hot :nut:

[n1zm0]

I had to turn my portable unit for the master bedroom on yesterday at about 6pm rather than the usual 8 pm cause it was so hot, then the wind picked up at around 9 anyways and I just opened the window, all the hot air was evacuated in 15 mins :/

[95EG6P]

it was nasty hot at 6 so i just turn the ventilation fan on and that made it a bit better

[StreetRacerX]

I usually fart around in the basement on the computer if its hot out, but it would be nice to have A/C upstairs for when I get hungry, hell I'm thinkin about getting one of those portable a/c units for the garage its basically an oven on hot days.

[GoChris]

Originally posted by Ntense_SpecV
Love, love, love my AC. I went with A&E and have had nothing but good experiences with this company.

The owner was the guy that came and quoted me and also did the install. I got the York 14.5 Seer unit and my install was just a bit more than posted above...but this is going from memory when it was done 3 years ago. They also pulled the permit for me as well. Plus the after care has been nothing but fantastic. The 5" pleated filters at the time I couldn't find them in the standard HomeDepot or Lowe's stores so I called A&E up and with a credit card payment over the phone I was good to go. They even dropped the filters off at my house for me...that speaks volumes about this company considering how it seems most business are now a days with respect to doing things outside the norm.

All in all, I would recommend them 10 times out of 10. I don't remember who from Beyond posted their info originally but thank you!!!

I also had them do my install finally about 2 weeks ago and it was very well done. I do however need to call them as something seems to not be working quite right, yesterday for example it never shut off from before I got home at 5 until after 9 pm. Not sure if it's not big enough for the house or an issue with my dual zone setup.

However their service and work is top notch.

[nzwasp]

I decided that 5k was too expensive and installed a screen door instead

[juwantme]

Has anyone went through costco? They got a deal going on right now if you buy a unit you can get a costco gift card upto $1500..

http://www.costco.ca/Lennox%C2%AE-Home-Comfort-Systems.product.10318178.html

[gpomp]

Originally posted by juwantme
Has anyone went through costco? They got a deal going on right now if you buy a unit you can get a costco gift card upto $1500..

http://www.costco.ca/Lennox%C2%AE-Home-Comfort-Systems.product.10318178.html Did ours through costco, it was outsourced to arpi's

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by GoChris


I also had them do my install finally about 2 weeks ago and it was very well done. I do however need to call them as something seems to not be working quite right, yesterday for example it never shut off from before I got home at 5 until after 9 pm. Not sure if it's not big enough for the house or an issue with my dual zone setup.

However their service and work is top notch.
Are you running a programmable thermostat, or is it only turning on when you get home at 5? If so, that's not neccesarily an indicator of a problem. You can't expect it to cool a house from 25 degrees to 20 in a couple of hours when the sun is still beating on the exterior and you have several heat-producing appliances working inside.

Also, your AC unit can't cool your house as fast as your furnace can heat your house. I've previously done the math on this for my house. (See below)

___________________________________________________
Our AC unit is 3 tons, which is same as 36,000 BTU/h.
Our furnace is 70,000 btu/h.

All our appliances like stove, computer, dishwasher, stove, fridge etc all add heat to the system, so they work FOR the furnace and against the AC. The internet says home appliances probably add another 1600 and lighting also 1600 btu/h.
An Adult at rest generates around 400 btu/h, and while walking around generates 800. High activity can be 2000 btu/h or more.
Let’s assume the four of us are generating 1200 btu/h.

That means our internal heat load is around 4400 btu/h.

That means the cooling capacity available to actually reduce the temperature in the house is 36,000-4400 = 31,600 btu/h
Heating capacity is 70,000+4400 = 74,400 btu/h

No idea how much heat is generated by the dark stucco and all the sunlight we get in the afternoons, but it’s pretty significant. Since I can’t estimate it, I left it out.

Anyway, in summary, we have 2.3x more heating capacity in the winter compared to cooling capacity in the summer.
_______________________________________________________

[Cos]

.

[avishal26]

got my install booked for Tuesday May 12th with A&E HVAC - it was Andrew (I think the owner) who came to do the quote.. I'm getting a 3.5 ton 14 or 13.5 SEER - can't remember. The difference between the lowest SEER and mid-level was only 1dB so I decided it was not worth the extra $750.

They will be pulling the electrical permit as well with the city - but I have a few questions for those who have had AC installed ...

1. Are there any other permits to consider?

2. Are there any bylaws regarding which side of the house the AC should be on?

3. Have there been any complaints made by your neighbours re: noise?

I checked with my neighbour if he was ok with me installing an AC unit in between our houses... he didn't seem to care much... most houses don't have too many windows on the side anyway lol

[Darell_n]

SEER rating is referring the unit's energy efficient and has nothing to do with noise level. And as far as I know the city has a bylaw to have the units at the rear of the house even though it's normally very impractical.

[jeffh]

I prefer it to be on a foam(coated in cement-like material) pad placed on the ground, as less vibrations are transferred to your foundation. You may want to get out with a shovel and get a nice 36" square nice and flat beside your home. Also, I believe you need clearance of at least 4' on one side of your home to the property line. So, usually it is placed on the side with window wells, or cantilevers(fireplace, etc), as property lines are usually 4-6' from the house. And most units are at least 28"+ wide. Would be considerate to keep it away from neighbours bedroom windows as best you can.

[ExtraSlow]

Mine hangs right off my foundation, and I haven't noticed any vibration transfer. It's on the side of my house, actually near the front. The danged attached infill homes make it hard to find a place in the backyard to put it.

[avishal26]

Originally posted by Darell_n
SEER rating is referring the unit's energy efficient and has nothing to do with noise level. And as far as I know the city has a bylaw to have the units at the rear of the house even though it's normally very impractical.

I don't think there's actually a bylaw for having it placed in the rear of the house... I think there was talk previously about it, but no bylaw changes.

Can someone else confirm?

[yellowsnow]

I think you just need a certain amount of clearance from your property line to the side of your house. If you mount your a/c on the side, it needs to meet the minimum clearance requirement from the a/c to the property line.

[kenny]

Originally posted by avishal26


I don't think there's actually a bylaw for having it placed in the rear of the house... I think there was talk previously about it, but no bylaw changes.

Can someone else confirm?

Yes the proposal to ban air conditioners on the side of houses was nixed after they hired a sound engineer and did a study that said that forcing homeowners to install air conditioners at the rear of the house would actually create more noise issues.

This city has a terrible track record of trying to fix noise issues that aren't a problem lol :rofl:

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
I think you just need a certain amount of clearance from your property line to the side of your house. If you mount your a/c on the side, it needs to meet the minimum clearance requirement from the a/c to the property line.

Yeah and it depends on lot zoning at well, IIRC if it's R2N then on one side you are allowed to run basically all the way to the property line as long as you leave X metres clear along the other side of the house.

[avishal26]

This is what I found online...

http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Documents/Newsletters/planning-and-development-dispatch-newsletter-may-2015.pdf


Are you gearing up for a hot summer by installing air conditioning?

Keep in mind that there are Alberta Building Code and Land Use Bylaw Rules.

Air conditioning equipment in low density residential districts is allowed in the front, rear and one side setback area. There must be one side setback area that is clear of all obstructions from grade (the elevation of the finished ground surface) to a height of 2.4 metres. The unit must not project more than 1 metre into a required setback area. All hardwired air conditioning units, including residential and commercial; ground and wall-mounted, require an electrical permit. Even small, portable types that would be hardwired require an electrical permit due to the voltage required to run them. Air conditioning units can be connected under a Homeowner’s Electrical Permit, providing the homeowner is performing the installation.

To me this means one side of the house is not allowed to have any protrusion at all up to 2.4m from grade, so my A/C should go on the side that has all gas meters and fireplace protrusion.

HOWEVER, this side of my house is closer to the property line already ( I think this side has 3.5ft- 4ft to property line, whereas the otherside has 5.5 ft or so...) :dunno:

[nzwasp]

Do you have a zero lot line house?

[avishal26]

Originally posted by nzwasp
Do you have a zero lot line house?

Nope. I think my lot is a R1N? 24' wide house on a ~34' wide by ~112' long lot, single family detached with attached garage.

[USED1]

You can encroach on the side setbacks, all it requires is a variance from the city. You have to go through the building permit office to do this and it will take 3-6 weeks. I just went through this whole process last year, however, they actually told me it is easier to do after it is installed versus getting the approval to install (the way I did it).

[avishal26]

^ Cool - thanks for the info.

[clem24]

Taking the A/C plunge as well..

Trying to decide what unit I should have installed - Goodman 3.5 ton unit is $700 less than one by Lennox!

I keep reading that Goodman used to suck shit but they've gotten their act together in the past few years and have good units.

[ExtraSlow]

I'ts been several years since my unit was installed, but back then, here was the difference between the name brand and the cheaper units
- Might be noisier.
- Might have a shorter lifespan.

I was really pinching pennies when I got mine installed, so it was a no-brainer to go the cheap route. I suspect that it IS nosier, as it sounds like it's got some kind of rattling that I can't imagine is normal on a better quality unit. That being said, it has lasted me about five years, and I use it a lot, and it's still going strong. What's the warranty on the brand name units? Can't be much longer than that.

If your unit is in a location where you or your neighbors will be hearing a lot of it, it might be worth springing for the more expensive unit.

[Darell_n]

Make sure the compressor is made by Copeland. If not, keep looking even if it looks like a good deal.

[A790]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I'ts been several years since my unit was installed, but back then, here was the difference between the name brand and the cheaper units
- Might be noisier.
- Might have a shorter lifespan.

I was really pinching pennies when I got mine installed, so it was a no-brainer to go the cheap route. I suspect that it IS nosier, as it sounds like it's got some kind of rattling that I can't imagine is normal on a better quality unit. That being said, it has lasted me about five years, and I use it a lot, and it's still going strong. What's the warranty on the brand name units? Can't be much longer than that.

If your unit is in a location where you or your neighbors will be hearing a lot of it, it might be worth springing for the more expensive unit.
Some are as high as 10 years I think.

[ipeefreely]

Originally posted by A790
Some are as high as 10 years I think.
Had a Carrier installed last fall... it has a 10-year parts limited warranty. :thumbsup:

Used for the first time last week when it was 28! :angel:

I should be able to sleep this summer! :nut: :D

[clem24]

Pretty much all are 10 years - 5 years initially, then you need to register on their website to get the full 10. Of course parts only. The installer that came to do an estimate this morning actually said that units of Amana are warrantied for the lifetime of the unit for the original owner and if it does crap out they replace it the entire condenser unit.

Also got into contact with Gavin from Jordan's post. So far his quote is the highest by far LOL but at least I know I am getting a stand up installer.

[loweg]

You wanna good installer, try Doug Morgan from DKM heating his cell number is 403-818-4234. Installed my central air 2 days after my first daughter was born when it was hot as hell out. He's a good guy, trustworthy, and stands behind his product and install. Had a minor glitch at a later date that ended up being thermostat tht he did not install. He fixed it and didn't charge me anything.

Everyone I have sent his way has used him. The last guy that told I sent him got a discount. So tell him Nate sent you.

[schocker]

Yesterday inside the house was 25.5, I need to start calling around. :nut:

[nzwasp]

25 seems pretty cool inside, on my top floor yesterday it was 34 and my ground floor it was 27. Although I live on a corner.

[schocker]

Originally posted by nzwasp
25 seems pretty cool inside, on my top floor yesterday it was 34 and my ground floor it was 27. Although I live on a corner.
That is crazy hot, how can you stand those high temps?
25 was downstairs at the thermostat so I imagine upstairs where I was was even warmer. It was pretty unbearable even with a fan and blinds closed.

[ExtraSlow]

Was 20 in my house all day, and down to 19 by bedtime. Felt a little chilly brushing my teeth . . .

:cry: :poosie: :D :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz:

[nzwasp]

Originally posted by schocker

That is crazy hot, how can you stand those high temps?
25 was downstairs at the thermostat so I imagine upstairs where I was was even warmer. It was pretty unbearable even with a fan and blinds closed.

I never go upstairs except to sleep, and about 3 hours before bed I turn on my freestanding air con unit to cool down my room to 18 degrees.

Living on a corner with large windows facing SW/W really sucks. Atleast the mountain view is nice.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by clem24
[B

Also got into contact with Gavin from Jordan's post. So far his quote is the highest by far LOL but at least I know I am getting a stand up installer. [/B]

So what kind of price are your quotes so far? And how many square.ft is your place?

Babies room was 27* last night. She wasn't too happy about it either, lol.

[Cos]

.

[sabad66]

Originally posted by Cos
"I wont complain about the heat, I wont complain about the heat"

Man last night I was wishing I had payed for central air. LOL. It was 28 in my master at 1130 last night. Shopping for a Costco AC unit at lunch. Hahaha
Report back please lol. Same boat here as everyone else... Was sweating balls all weekend

[Tik-Tok]

You guys just missed Bestbuys online flash sale on saturday, lol. Saved $100 on a 8000btu unit.

[Cos]

.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Cos

Thoughts?

My thoughts are that until you have kids (or not), just get a portable or window a/c unit for your bedroom. It's what we've made do with for over a decade. We turn it on a few hours before bed, and turn it off when we go to sleep, it cools down the room perfectly.

[benyl]

you are also paying for seer which is how efficient it is.

My house was 31-35 upstairs before Central air. I don't know how we did it.

[Cos]

.