3 ton 13 seer versus 2 ton 14 seer - choice?

lancer

I am trying to decide between an American Standard 3 ton 13 seer unit (4A7A3036A1) versus a Goodman 2.5 ton 14 seer (SSX140241). My house is in Florida and is about 1800 square feet. I am replacing both the compressor and the air handler/coil.

For another $140 I can get a 2.5 ton 15 seer Goodman.

Everything else seems to be the same (warranty) so just trying to determine what is a good brand/company and if the seer rating is more important than the ton rating

Any recommendations?

THanks

brandonmcginnis

If you don't have enough tonnage to cool your house the SEER rating means nothing because the system will run entirely too much, negating any energy savings. I'd settle on a tonnage first and go from there. Goodman and AS/Trane are both fine equipment choices at their respective price points.

yuri

Pay a few $$ and do a proper load calculation so you get the proper size and it will save you a lot of $$. Try this one:Load Calculator
In your climate a higher SEER will save you a LOT of $$ in the long run so I would buy a 15 SEER. You have lots of humidity and I would seriously look at a 2 stage unit. They run longer and give you much better dehumidifying which allows you to keep the tstat higher and still feel comfortable. I deal Lennox as well as other brands and would recommend a ECM motor variable speed air handler and a 2 stage unit. If you pay $1000-2000 more for better equipment and amortize it over 10-20 yrs it really is not that huge a cost for better comfort. You get what you pay for.

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lancer

Thank you. This is exactly the feedback I was looking for. Priority #1 is the ton rating, followed by the seer rating. I will spend the extra money and I will also ask my contractor about the two stage system.

beenthere

Its a common mistake people make, thinking that efficiency relates to cooling or heat capacity/ability. And that a higher SEER lower tonnage unit will cool as much as a lower SEER higher tonnage unit.

If a load calc comes out that 2 tons is border line, and 2.5 tons is just a little over sized. You may still want to go with a 2.5 ton. Just get a VS blower indoor unit. That way the CFM can be lowered so it can still do a good job of dehumidifying. While being able to meet the indoor temp requirements you have.

Secondgear

You should figure that 1 ton is = to about 450 square feet. so get the correct tonage for the space you are cooling the worrie about the seer rating on the unit. Also make sure you ducting is sealed correctly this will save you $$$ also. goodman is a good product I install them regularly.

beenthere

Shouldn't use rules of thumb like that. Tends to grossly over size A/Cs.