Yep, he did!

 

...whatever "the right size" is if you live in a climate that can go from 5 to 95F. Still, ACs / air-water heat pumps work just fine here regardless. Cycling "too often" sounds a bit like a lack of reserve heat storage capacity (i.e. water volume or whatever)?

 

When we're talking about right sizing the system we're talking about the size and therefore capacity vs the space. There is no water in an AC unit, there is refrigerant which runs from the outside condenser where heat is released and it is cooled, up into the house through the interior coil where the air is then cooled, then the hot refrigerant runs back outside to the condenser and it happens all over again. The returns within the house suck in all the hot air and then exchange it with cooled air that is forced out of the system through the supply vents.

When you have a unit that is too big for the space of the home the unit provides more cooling than is needed, so the system cools the house down quickly and then shuts off (short cylcing), when that happens you have more hot and cold cycles within the house which decreases comfort and creates humidity. It also dramatically reduces the life of the equipment and costs more to run for no benefit.

HVAC manufacturers and installers know what the right size system is for your home.

 

[QUOTE=SW17LS;11740074]When we're talking about right sizing the system we're talking about the size and therefore capacity vs the space. There is no water in an AC unit, there is refrigerant which runs from the outside condenser where heat is released and it is cooled, up into the house through the interior coil where the air is then cooled, then the hot refrigerant runs back outside to the condenser and it happens all over again. The returns within the house suck in all the hot air and then exchange it with cooled air that is forced out of the system through the supply vents.

When you have a unit that is too big for the space of the home the unit provides more cooling than is needed, so the system cools the house down quickly and then shuts off (short cylcing), when that happens you have more hot and cold cycles within the house which decreases comfort and creates humidity. It also dramatically reduces the life of the equipment and costs more to run for no benefit.

HVAC manufacturers and installers know what the right size system is for your home.[/QUOTE]
This is the key to getting the correct units. Probably as or more important than the brand you choose.

 

This is exactly what he told me about getting a unit too big for my house when it needed replacing. I just assumed bigger would be but when he explained things to me it made sense.

 

Yep, it's much better for an HVAC unit to run for hours, days, than to cycle on and off repeatedly.

I feel like that's not too well known.

Steve if your eco-leaning stuff works, great. 90% of Eco stuff isn't built and doesn't work nearly as well in my experience.

There will be no "old" refrigerators still working in 2074 like we have 70s stuff still working today from 50 years ago.

 

Remember I have a LOT of experience with appliances and HVAC etc because I have sold and manage hundreds and hundreds of homes. I have installed probably 100 HVAC systems and hundreds of appliances. While you are totally right that modern appliances don't last anywhere near as long as older appliances, that is not because they are "eco leaning", its because they just aren't built to the same standard they used to be, they are built to be disposable. With HVAC though, if properly maintained modern HVAC equipment can last decades. In fact, most of the A/C units we replace are replaced when they could be repaired because they have R-22 refrigerant and that makes them not cost effective to repair.

Energy Star appliances work just fine, and almost all appliances are Energy Star rated nowadays. You seem to have an aversion to anything that is designed to be efficient I just don't understand.

 

My parents have an old fridge and stove they bought in the mid-80's. They work perfectly fine in my dad's shop. Granted he doesn't use the stove every day but he certainly uses the fridge. Nice and cold.

Their washer and dryer are a bit newer. They bought them in the early 90's at Sears and they never once needed repaired.

The fridge that came with this house in 1999 stopped working in 2020. The ice machine that was built into the freezer went out in 2005. The dishwasher and the microwave in 2001.

My grandma had an old dishwasher from the late 70's that she used everyday up to 2017, when one of her sons decided to get her a brand new one.

Appliances just aren't built to last anymore.

 

The one thing that doesn't follow the trend that things don't last as long as they used to seems to be cars...

 

I would have to agree with that. Cars may last longer but when there is a problem, it's no longer turning a wrench on a Saturday with a beer in your hand.

 

For most people though problems with their car have never been that lol

 

Let's get this thread back to car chat, not HVAC and appliances. Start a new thread in the Clubhouse if you want to chat about those.

 

While generally true, there are a few exceptions to that rule. The famous 3.7L Plymouth/Dodge/Chrysler Slant-Six, built from the 1960s through the 1990s (I learned to drive on it), even with neglected care/service, would actually outlast some of today's engines. That, along with the RWD Torqueflite automatic, was the ONE thing you could depend on from Chrysler when they were turning out so many vehicles, for so many years, with sloppy assembly and poor quality. The Chevy 4.1L Stovebolt-Six, built roughly during the same period, also had a reputation for durability and a long life. That is why Chevy and Chrysler sixes were used in so many taxicabs back then (including the Checker Marathon cabs)...they could be depended on for day-to-day work.

Mercedes and Peugeot diesel engines from the same era could also roll up some phenomenal lifetime-figures...but, of course, were not sold in the U.S. in the same numbers as Chevy and Chrysler.

 

It’s not just the engine, it’s cars in general. Cars today hold up and take miles much better than older cars. Used to be 100k miles was really worn for a car and now that’s just really not the case

 

There is an example here and there about older cars being more reliable than newer ones, but the majority just are. Most cars shouldn't have any issue going to 200k miles without major problems as long as the owner was diligent about maintenance.

As I mentioned in another conversation, I take my car to the dealer to get stuff done. I don't have any desire to work on my car and I can probably find a mechanic that charges less, but I have peace of mind when I walk away from the dealer that the service was performed correctly. I bet I could very easily put another 200k miles on this car but I highly doubt I want to do that since I've been thinking about replacing it. Lol