Is there a standard time central air should take to cool (ie X degrees per hour?)?
Question:Just bought 1100sf 1 level summer home. 1st weekend in, wouldn't cool below 77 but it was 90 out, many dishwasher cycles going and plenty people in/out. Week later, the motor blew-I had it replaced today. I asked tech to check freon as before fan blew didn't get too cold. He only checked by feeling compressor pipe after replacing motorcompressor and saying it "should" be fine. It is an old unit, 20 yrs. Compressor is 2 ton, which he said on new units should be big enough for house, but older one may be less efficient. It was about 85 today and 75% humidity. The temp in house when he left was 81. I had to leave 1 hr/45 minutes later to head home..and it only went down 4 degrees. A lot of air coming out of vents and it's feels cool/cold..but not sure if cold enough (ie he should have really checked the freon), whether that's normal reduction for that temp/humidity starting with a hot house (doubt it, my real home just did that in 30 min), or if that's all unit is capable of. Help?
Answers:
One simple way that you can check how well your system is cooling is by checking the temperature at the vents. First take a reading at the return air vent then take a reading at the supply vent. Your temperature difference should be anywhere from 12 to 20 degrees, with it being higher the warmer it is outside. It is actually not very professional to check the way you said the tech did as it only takes a few minutes to determine refrigerant levels.
To make your unit run as efficient as possible be sure to keep your filters clean, and turn your A/C on before the temps in your house get too hot that way it doesn't have to work so hard to remove the humidity
I agree with all that was said in previous reply.
To answer your question: no there is not a standard set time a central A/C should take as there are too many variables.
My hunch is this:
1/ you should not expect that an air conditioner to keep the temperature cool in a home where the doors are constantly opening especially on a hot day.
2/ the technician, to be fair, if he replaced the compressor would have also had to check and probably replace the refrigerant in your system anyway and did a perfunctory check with you watching as he left knowing that he had put in the required amount of gas as required during the repair.
3/ it is true that older machines are less efficient, but, they were installed with the correct sizing requirements for that property. If there have been alterations to the house over the years which include new windows as well as additional rooms then all bets are off (if you know what I mean)
My advice? If you are still not happy with the performance? Then get an experienced and reputable technician in to do a heat load calculation and machine efficiency analysis. At least you will then know your options.
More Related Questions & Answers...