Help required with air-conditioning!?
Question:can someone plz give me an idea as to what is meant by 'ton' as in a 1.5ton or 2 ton ac? how does it tell u the cooling power, or at what rate it can cool?
i'm presently trying to re-innovate my bedroom, which has a size of 20feet X 12ft X 10ft. what 'ton' ac is sufficient to cool it at a decent rate in the peak of summer (45deg C external temperature to say about 20C)?
also why are split-type acs preferred nowadays compared to the older window-type ones? what are the pros and cons of the two types?
it would also be really nice if u could suggest to me the best consumer electronics brands manufacturing acs that suit my above purpose. i'm looking for:
-- feature-rich 'intelligent' acs
-- energy efficiency (shouldn't consume too much electricity)
price is not a bar or a consideration for me.
thanx
Answers:
The unit "ton" is used in refrigeration and air-conditioning to measure heat absorption. Prior to the introduction of mechanical refrigeration, cooling was accomplished by delivering ice. Installing one ton of refrigeration replaced the daily delivery of one ton of ice. A ton of refrigeration in the United States is equal to 12000 BTU per hour, or about 3517 Watts. It is approximately the power required to cool 1 ton (2000 pounds) of water by 1° F every 10 minutes.
It is important to properly size the air conditioning system. On the one hand, the system must be capable of attaining a comfortable temperature when the outside temperature is at a peak. On the other hand, a system that is oversized will not only be more expensive to install and require a higher amperage electrical connection, but will result in poorer air circulation because the blower will not have to run as long. In fact, you may experience more frequent on/off cycling with an oversized system.
In the old days, the HVAC technician would size the air conditioning system based upon the square footage of the house. Each 500 square feet would require a 1 ton capacity or so. But it was eventually recognized that there were a number of variables that needed to be taken into account, including individual room sizes and orientation (in the sun or the shade), insulation, window size, exterior and interior temperatures, humidity, and much more.
A number of analysis programs have been developed for the PC. One program, HVAC-Calc, can be purchased for $39, which will allow you to analyze one house:
http://www.hvac-loads.com/defaultb.asp...
Another program is J-Works, which I used five years ago prior to replacing my central air conditioning system. I forget the details of my analysis, other than determining that my system was properly sized at 4 tons. J-Works allows you to perform an analysis for evaluation purposes prior to purchase:
http://www.microworksinc.com/jworks.aspx...
A split system, that is, central air, allows you to cool the entire house rather than a localized area in front of a window-mounted unit. It is also quieter, has greater capacity, and is probably more efficient.
There are many quality manufacturers of air conditioner systems. Mine was made by Bryant, who has a web site that is informative:
http://www.bryant.com/learnmore/guides/h...
To only cool that bedroom, you don't need much tonnage, 1/2 would be more than enough. A decent window type with a remote that is very efficient would be less than $200.00
But, if you have central air conditioning in the rest of the house, it might be better to just extend the duct work into the bedroom, if the tonnage of your existing cental a/c has enough tonnage for the house and your bedroom.
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