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shayneabe

new construction- bryant- variable speed?

She Abe
9 years ago

Please let me know if this sounds like a good system.

New construction- 1660 sq. feet on main, 600 upper, 800 sq feet in basement in GA. Tight home.

spec'ed for a Bryant heat pump "preferred" 225bna with a 3 ton for the main and basement with zoning and a 1.5 unit for the upper floor.

We would like to upgrade the fancoils from fx4dnf to the fv (variable) for Man-J was done. We feel comfortable with the sizing of the unit and the duct work looks good- so no concerns there.

Let me know if you need more info.

Thx.

Comments (10)

  • tigerdunes
    9 years ago

    I think 2 separate systems for home this size is absurd.

    4 1/2 tons of cooling? Really? You need to see in writing a load calculation. Keep in mind basements at or partially below grade carry small heating and cooling loads.

    I would install 1 three ton two stage system with zoning controls. I will assume you are in an all electric situation.

    Look at Preferred 226 2 stage model and Evolution 2 stage model.

    IMO

    This post was edited by tigerdunes on Fri, Nov 21, 14 at 7:50

  • mike_home
    9 years ago

    The OP stated the first floor is 1660 sq. ft and the second floor is 600 sq. ft. for a total of 2260 sq. ft. I am not sure a 3 ton AC is going to be enough for the summers in Georgia.

  • tigerdunes
    9 years ago

    If home is tight and well insulated, it should be. Obviously a 1 1/2 ton system would be grossly oversized for such a small area.

    TD

  • She Abe
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes, all electric.

    We have a very high ceiling (20 feet +) that is lofted up into the 2nd floor. The HVAC guy felt that the upstairs unit would do a lot of the work cooling all of the rising heat from below in the summers.

    The calculations called for a .9 unit upstairs.

    Thx.

  • mike_home
    9 years ago

    How many square feet of the first floor are part of the loft area?

  • She Abe
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The living and dining space is open to above (32'X18'), the entry foyer (9' X 13'), and the stairwell to the loft. The kitchen is largely open to the living space, but tucked under an upstairs bedroom. The only areas not really exposed are the master bedroom and the master bath (perhaps about 400-450 sq feet).

    The majority of the downstairs is open to the loft area above.

  • mike_home
    9 years ago

    I that the bottom of the roof deck at the top of the photo? Is it the ceiling of the first floor open area?

  • She Abe
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    yes, if I understand your question correctly.

    It is the roof deck and the ceiling of the first floor which is also the ceiling of the loft area.

  • mike_home
    9 years ago

    The house has an interesting design but it is going to be difficult to heat and cool. You have no attic above a very high ceiling. It is going to get very warm near the top.

  • She Abe
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    yes, I know. It is a modern design.

    I have hopes that several factors will keep it cooler... spray foam in the roof deck, galvalume highly reflective roof, and very little direct sunlight- lots of trees for shading.

    The HVAC guy said repeatedly, "This house was not designed for the mechanicals."

    So back to my original question---Do I have to upgrade to the 2 stage unit or would it be okay to stay with the variable speed fancoils and single stage unit? Is $800 a reasonable price for the upgrade to 2 stage?

    Thank you.