Air Conditioning!

[sabad66]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Gavin did a great job but even with closing all my basement vents and half on the main floor I can't get cool air to circulate well enough to cool the second level to 21c.

Any suggestions?

How many furnaces and how many AC units? If you have two furnaces but AC on only upstairs it’s going to be tough to maintain 21° on hot days (generally speaking)

[saiyajin]

this was my first time have an AC in the house but also the first time I am getting humidity warnings reaching above 50%, never had those pre-AC days. Any ideas?

[ExtraSlow]

AC will draw water out of the air over time. And Calgary in hot weather is usually quite dry. Don't stress about that is my advice.

[killramos]

Does it bother you?

Dehumidifier is a thing if so.

Still, the excess relative humidity generated from AC should be condensing in your furnace and draining. Maybe make sure that’s happening as designed?

[ExtraSlow]

It's a nothingburger.

[Darell_n]

50% RH would be a concern for being too dry for half this continent.

[gpomp]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Gavin did a great job but even with closing all my basement vents and half on the main floor I can't get cool air to circulate well enough to cool the second level to 21c.

Any suggestions?

Maybe a dumb thing but have you checked your furnace filter lately? Or maybe try running a lower MERV filter to allow more airflow in the summer time.

[suntan]

You need to build a berm around your sink.

[birdman86]

Maybe this has been asked somewhere in the last 32 pages, but just got my unit installed - do I need to bother doing anything special to protect the outside unit i.e. cover it when running sprinklers or during the winter? We never did when I was a kid at my parents house but granted I didn't pay any attention to that stuff either.

[killramos]

I mean I wouldn’t explicitly spray it with sprinklers but in 10 years I have never done squat for maintenance of my AC units and they have all been fine.

[ExtraSlow]

I never cover mine, it's my opinion that in our climate that is a net negative for corrosion reasons.

[Darell_n]

Shoot your dog if it pisses on it, other than that do nothing.

[ExtraSlow]

The brand sticker on the top of mine might be a little more vibrant if I had covered it. That's about the only thing.

[hurrdurr]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

how many ton ACs did you guys get installed and how big is your house?
(I'm getting quotes for an AC install myself so trying to decide for myself as well)

I've always been told by HVAC people to leave every single vent open in the house (basement can be closed off if unfinished and unused but the rest leave open)
because it screws up the pressure balancing, leading to a build up of pressure in the vents and positive/negative pressure zones in the house

16 Seer Tempstar TSA6 3 ton. House is 2300 sq ft (undeveloped basement)

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

How many furnaces and how many AC units? If you have two furnaces but AC on only upstairs it’s going to be tough to maintain 21° on hot days (generally speaking)

1 furance, 1 AC unit

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Maybe a dumb thing but have you checked your furnace filter lately? Or maybe try running a lower MERV filter to allow more airflow in the summer time.

I replaced the furnace filter in April, maybe i'll look into a different filter for better airflow, thanks!

[ExtraSlow]

For sure first diagnostic procedure for AC is running with no filter for a few days to see if that helps.

[roopi]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

16 Seer Tempstar TSA6 3 ton. House is 2300 sq ft (undeveloped basement)

Did they recommend this size? Seems small for the square footage.

[sabad66]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Did they recommend this size? Seems small for the square footage.

Agreed. Absent of a proper Manual J load calc (which apparently nobody really does for residential systems in Calgary), most sizing charts show that should be a 4 ton unit to cool 2400 sq ft

[ExtraSlow]

If you aren't replacing the furnace to resize it, you may not be able to make sure of high capacity air conditioner. I think most retrofit installations just match furnace to AC size and don't go further.

And heating is by nature easier than cooling.

[rage2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Gavin did a great job but even with closing all my basement vents and half on the main floor I can't get cool air to circulate well enough to cool the second level to 21c.

Any suggestions?

Keep the fans running when not calling for AC.

[ExtraSlow]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Keep the fans running when not calling for AC.

Yeah that for sure.