Bigger is Better

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

I recently got off the phone with my brother who lives in Kentucky who informed me of his hvac system going out. He said he that he spoke with two hvac contractors who told him he could use either a 4 ton or 5 ton system of which will cost about $5000.00.

They said a 5 ton would be bigger and better however upon asking him how they arrived at such a conclussion he simply said that one had 45 years in the business and the other had 20 years.
No calculations whatsoever was performed.....just walked around the home and that was it. jeez.

[Wayne B. Wilson]

I think i would call different contractors .
what size was in there before?
Has he done any upgrades to the home

[Greg Veal]

Jeff

Hopefully your brother called you before he contracted with anyone.

I have found that every industry has the same problem, dealing with "the guy who flies by the seat of his pants, shoots from the hip, all on the premise that he's been around, and seen it all". That kind of sales approach really gives the/any industry in question a black eye. Unfortunately it happens all too often.

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

Wayne, no upgrades, not sure about the current size and I told him to simply ask them to calculate the house but he thinks because of their years in service that equates to them being knowledgeable.

When I told him that just because the guy has been doing it for 45 years means nothing if he has been doing it wrong, I could tell he actually got upset with me.
Now that I had time to think about it, I suspect it was probably a friend of his from church who is doing the work for basically free other than equipment price...........eitherway, friend or no friend I hate to see him waste his money on a system that will no be efficient. As far as I know he has not signed a contract however it is human nature to let pride get in the way resulting in bad decisions.

Yeah, your right Greg...... I see it all the time on the contracting side of my business.......trying to get people to compare apples to apples versus price is very difficult.

[James E. Braun, CMI]

If a an unit is too big it will not run enough to remove the humidity inside the home, actually causing mold growth inside the home. There have been some cases of contractors who have been sued over this.

[James E. Braun, CMI]

Also the consistent starting and stopping of the unit will shorten the life of the unit. It is best to have the unit a little small than a little bit big. Basically on the hottest day the A/C should run all the time and loose about one degree inside the home. A four ton unit is a big house. A 21/2 is used for a 2000 sq. ft. house in Missouri. If the home is being used as a rental, a half ton is usually added in size because some renters are none to smart.

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

Yeah,......I explained all this to my brother but to no avail..............there is a saying that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.

Such is the case.........sad thing is that my niece has many allergies..........matter of fact last year I drove to Ky to help remove about 1000 square feet of carpet and install some Pergo to help with her medical condition............maybe I can get him to listen from that aspect.