Posted: 4/4/2008 1:31:07 PM EDT
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Ok, hive mind, I am in need of some advice regarding air conditioning here at the cyoung bunker complex. Situation: The main above-ground living quarters here at the cyoung complex are saddled with a really ancient central AC. It is the usual compressor outside and air handler inside. The dang thing is tremendously inefficient and summer utility bills can be startling, even after having the unit serviced and charged. The house is a single-story, concrete block 2br/1ba totalling right at 1,000sqft. Goal: Provide effective cooling in the living quarters while reducing the utility bill until such time as I can afford a complete new system. Budget: $500 would be great, but if I can spring as high as $1k+ if I can find a long-term central AC replacement solution. Difficulties: limited electrical service. The living quarters have 150A service and it would be difficult to add 230V outlets for larger appliances. I possess the ability to run wiring, install plugs and breakers, and a fundamental understanding of the basic handy-man type stuff, so I am not afraid to pull some wires or cut a hole or two. The idea I am tossing around now is two AC units - one small window unit in the main HQ room, oops, i mean bedroom (12x12ft), and a 12k btu unit in the dining room for the rest of the house. I can install these easily and would not have to run new circuits. Ok, hive mind, any better solutions? Comments on my hair-brained idea? Thanks in advance for any and all help. |
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I was about to suggest 3 window-mounted AC units. This way the bedroom would have its own unit, and the other units could be turned on/off as needed. Early afternoon, run one unit; later when it gets hotter, switch the other one on. I myself am thinking of putting in a 'false outer wall' on my house. This would be of exterior grade 4x8 sheets of paneling, spaced 4" (one 2x4 width) from the real exterior. This would give a place for the sunlight to waste its IR load, and the spacing between the panel and the house would give some room to let the heated air escape. These panels would be open at the top and bottom, allowing the heated air inside this space to escape and be replaced by cooler air. I understand that some places in South America practice this; also they use a similar idea on the roof. |
| I am in the HVAC/R business and in your price range there are really not a lot of options short of better insulation. Your best bet is to insulate heavily and save up for a newer series 14 SEER + high efficiency system. With the energy savings you'll see over your old system it will pay for itself in a couple years. Most competant contactors can show you calculations on payback based on your local KW/hour electical rates. If you want to add some short term supplemental A/C, most window units aren't that efficient overall and noisy to boot. There are some lower $$ mini-split type A/C systems out there in 9000-12,000 BTUH range that are 120v and can be installed by a fairly handy type home owner, but ususally some specialized refrigeration type tools are needed like vacuum pumps refrigerant scales and guages to fine tune the refrigerant charge. These days with minimum efficiency ratings air condtioning and cheap can't usually be used in the same sentence. |
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