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New Trane HVAC Keeping Its Cool!

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  • New Trane HVAC Keeping Its Cool!

    Here in Phoenix (and in many parts of the west), this weekend has a powerful high in place bringing record breaking temperatures. I installed a new gaspack (combination AC and gas furnace in one big roof-mounted box) last month and I'm glad I finally did. Today apparently set a record of 118F and daily high temperatures are forecast to remain at 112F or above for the next 10 days. With today's heat, the old system would have been lucky to keep the temperature in the lo tow mid 80's. New can hold in the 70's no problem.

    20160619_141944.jpg

  • #2
    How much more efficient than the unit it replaced in the A/C dept.?
    Last edited by J.P.M.; 06-20-2016, 10:49 AM. Reason: Spelling.

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    • #3
      How are you getting the humidity that high? I assume your new unit has a humidifier. I know Phoenix humidity is low 10's or single digit.
      MSEE, PE

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      • Mike90250
        Mike90250 commented
        Editing a comment
        That was my thought too, that humidity is high, if it's reading correctly.

    • #4
      Looks like the outside dew point was ~ 30 F. at that time in Phoenix.

      Hey Ian, is that the thermostat that's in the bathroom ?

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      • #5
        Originally posted by J.P.M. View Post
        How much more efficient than the unit it replaced in the A/C dept.?
        The new one (Model XL 16c) is 15.1 SEER but I don't have the data on the old one which was installed in 1997. At the time, it was top of the line (Trane XL1600). Although it's tempting to think it was 16 SEER, the 5 ton size and the fact it was a gaspack typically result in lower SEER. The only way to tell would be to have someone check its model and serial #s which I still have. I actually don't think there's a huge improvement in nominal efficiency but I suspect actual efficiency of the old unit had degraded somewhat with age. It was certainly slowly leaking refrigerant so there was a big reduction in energy use for a given average daily temperature immediately after the new unit was installed. However, looking back to last years daily usage for June (after the old unit had been topped off with R-22), I'm not seeing huge changes. Certainly not outside the noise of the data so far.

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        • #6
          Originally posted by Sunking View Post
          How are you getting the humidity that high? I assume your new unit has a humidifier. I know Phoenix humidity is low 10's or single digit.
          AFAIAA, there is no humidifier. While the outdoor humidity is very low, it usually only gets that low when the temperature is above 100. The humidity to be aimed for indoors can be set on the thermostat although without a humidifier, I suppose the system can only reduce humidity. The instructions say to set the indoor humidity at between 45 and 55 %. It came set at 50% but I've reduced it now to 45%. I'm still learning the capability of this thermostat. It's integrated into the Nexia system of home automation (the thermostat acts as a Z-wave bridge) but if you want to go beyond HVAC control and include other home automation devices, you have to pay a subscription fee. Because Nexia is cloud-based, I can adjust HVAC settings remotely using my smart phone. I can see that coming in handy on occasion. Actually one of the best features of the new thermostat is it's powered display - the old digital one was hard to see as the hall location is not well lit and required turning on a light at night. The new one has nice big digits so I don't even need my glasses!

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          • #7
            Originally posted by J.P.M. View Post
            Looks like the outside dew point was ~ 30 F. at that time in Phoenix.

            Hey Ian, is that the thermostat that's in the bathroom ?
            It's actually close to the guest bathroom but not in it. LOL.

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            • #8
              Originally posted by Ian S View Post

              The new one (Model XL 16c) is 15.1 SEER but I don't have the data on the old one which was installed in 1997. At the time, it was top of the line (Trane XL1600). Although it's tempting to think it was 16 SEER, the 5 ton size and the fact it was a gaspack typically result in lower SEER. The only way to tell would be to have someone check its model and serial #s which I still have. I actually don't think there's a huge improvement in nominal efficiency but I suspect actual efficiency of the old unit had degraded somewhat with age. It was certainly slowly leaking refrigerant so there was a big reduction in energy use for a given average daily temperature immediately after the new unit was installed. However, looking back to last years daily usage for June (after the old unit had been topped off with R-22), I'm not seeing huge changes. Certainly not outside the noise of the data so far.
              Thank you.

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              • #9
                I changed out the original (circa 1974) gaspack setup for a modern unit two years ago when I moved into my current place. Mine is within the attic.The new A/C system is dual-stage and much more efficient of course.

                I rarely set my cooling below 80F and the humidity indoors is usually around 30-35%. Outside, the humidity can be as low as 4-5% on a hot dry day late on a June afternoon. We are approaching our "monsoon" season now so humidity will be in the 25-35% range for a few months as moisture is pulled in from Mexico.
                Dave W. Gilbert AZ
                6.63kW grid-tie owner

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                • #10
                  Hello Ian, saw your new HVAC post. I am in the market for a new HVAC. My current HVAC is from 1999 and was struggle all summer long to keep the house cool. I was wondering which HVAC installer you went through. Thanks

                  qn03

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                  • Ian S
                    Ian S commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I went with Hughes Air but I was not pleased with the install and complained to the owner. They rectified it and were very apologetic but in all honesty, if I hadn't gone up on the roof myself to inspect, I would never have noticed until a problem cropped up which I'm sure it would have in the not too distant future. They put the blame on the workmen and I'd agree; that team is no longer employed by the firm. I had other quotes and was torn between Hughes and Scottsdale Air which both had similar quotes. A couple of the big names with lots of advertising I didn't feel all that comfortable with.

                • #11
                  Ian: Any #'s/SWAG's on size and power draw, new vs. old units ?

                  Thanx,
                  J.P.M.

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                  • Ian S
                    Ian S commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I have some rough data that suggests the new unit is saving me a noticeable amount on the electricity but I need to refine it a bit before presenting it. The latest bill (October) shows 286 banked peak kWh remaining while last year's October bill showed we exhausted our banked peak and used an additional 228 kWh. That's a swing of 500 kWh through October for peak usage. Having the solar adds another variable to the mix of course. With summer over, our banked kWh will increase until trueup in December so I'll be shifting as much usage as possible to peak time to reduce the amount that gets paid at $0.029/kWh. Time to clean the oven LOL!

                    Both old and new units are 5 ton two stage systems, the largest you can find in a residential gaspack around here. Some of the homes in our development have gone to two smaller units but the single 5 ton seems to work for us.
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