Question about Air Conditioning

Don't know if any home owners had this problem, but if you did, I would appreciate any feedback. I bought a house I'm moving into in a few weeks which is a two storey attached home with no central heating... it's all electric heat (80% of homes in Quebec are electric heating) so I have no vents running in the house. I would like to install some kind of central AC instead of the window type of deal... first it's annoying to install and remove all the time, and I don't want to have to buy two of them for each floor. They're also kind of loud to have runbning in your bedroom window at night, and they cost a fortune to run. Is there an alternative method I can use? There is no furnace room to even install anything, so it would have to be some kind of outside unit.

I've also heard of a product that you can install in your attic and have vents run to the different rooms on the top fllor, and the cool air travels to the lower floor.

Anyhone have this kind of problem and came up with a viable solution?

Faken

My parents installed AC in a old home that had the old water heater units in each room. They actually ran aluminum ducts in the ceiling. As long as you have an attic or basement it can be done. Its not cheap. But it saves you ton of money over having individual units in each window which uses a ton of electricity.
Post edited by ~~Snake~~ at 5/23/2003 10:24:58 AM

The house I had in NC had two heaters/AC's

One was in the attic one was outside. Its a great system as you didnt need to heat/cool the whole house to cool the bedrooms upstairs etc. Also makes installing vents a whole lot easier. If your basement is unfinished you shouldn't have any issues with installing ducts for the first floor either. The hardest part is finding somewhere to put the thing in the basement. Is natural gas avail in the area? If so go for that as I am sure you know hydro is nuts and heating with elec (espec in Qb) would be rather expensive I would think.

The one I am in now is a side split with only one unit and its a pain having to cool the whole house down so you can sleep comfortably.

I will see if I can find out the unit type I had down there but look into heat pumps.

Keep

That's what I thought... Once I move in, I'll call around and get some free quotes. How would they get the air from the top floor attic duct work to the bottom floor? Pass a vent outside of the house?

Faken

Wireless Router.


Post edited by Cyp at 5/23/2003 10:36:11 AM




Click here to visit my homepage! (updated - 6.02.03)

Originally posted by: Keeper-

The house I had in NC had two heaters/AC's

One was in the attic one was outside. Its a great system as you didnt need to heat/cool the whole house to cool the bedrooms upstairs etc. Also makes installing vents a whole lot easier. If your basement is unfinished you shouldn't have any issues with installing ducts for the first floor either. The hardest part is finding somewhere to put the thing in the basement. Is natural gas avail in the area? If so go for that as I am sure you know hydro is nuts and heating with elec (espec in Qb) would be rather expensive I would think.

The one I am in now is a side split with only one unit and its a pain having to cool the whole house down so you can sleep comfortably.

I will see if I can find out the unit type I had down there but look into heat pumps.

Keep

The basement is completely finished and there is no place down there for a unit... I get the feeling that I will have to get a central system wired to a condenser(sp?) in the attic and have the vents routed in the attic to the bedroom and hall way near the stair well... that should push enough cool air to the main floor, which is very open and should easily circulate air. The cool air will make it's way down anyhow, so that should work.

Faken

Originally posted by: Cyp

Wireless Router.

Faken

Well they both used the same compressor for the ac side. They just ran the "cold" lines up to the unit from outside. The only thing in the attic was the heater and blower motor for the top floor.

Ceiling fans I have them in every room I can. Truly saves about 25-50 a month in cooling costs.

Ok I used to do HVAC design work a little over a year ago so lets see how much I remember

1) They have small systems that can fit in closets that can vent up to 4 connecting rooms using a series of flexable ducts. These units are kind of expensive, but easy to maintain and to control. You will have to buy a couple if you want to cool more than just 4 connecting rooms (also depends on the size of the rooms, Im thinking a couple of small bedrooms, small living room and den or office).

2) You can by a AC unit to put in either the attic or the basement. You actually buy what is called an Air handler and put it in wherever you want (attic units are downflow basement units are upflow). Then attach a cooling coil and run ductwork through the house to the individual rooms.

Advantages to buying an airhandler are
a) Can be easily converted into a heating unit as well by adding a heating coil.
b) can cool more area as it gives off more CFM than the smaller units. This will allow for future expansion.
c) takes up less room as you do not have to take up much closet space to make room for the other units.

Advantage to closet units are
a) Quicker and painless to install
b) Might be cheaper depending on the ammount of rooms you cool, and ammount of work needed to retrofit a duct system into your home.

Hope this helped.

Originally posted by: Keeper-

Ceiling fans I have them in every room I can. Truly saves about 25-50 a month in cooling costs.

I hate ceiling fans... I find all they do is blow warm air around and they only help a bit when you sleep... I'd like to enjoy the NFL season in comfort thanks

Faken

I just saw your reply about how they run ducts.

Every home whether you know it or not has open spaces in the walls. Some as big as 25"x25" in space. They simply find these areas (by looking at your existing house plans) and design your new system around that.

Your looking at calling an HVAC engineer

Heres a site for ya Faken

http://www.hydro.qc.ca/residential/index.shtml

links on bottom left for AC/heat pump stuff

Originally posted by: MadJester

Ok I used to do HVAC design work a little over a year ago so lets see how much I remember

1) They have small systems that can fit in closets that can vent up to 4 connecting rooms using a series of flexable ducts. These units are kind of expensive, but easy to maintain and to control. You will have to buy a couple if you want to cool more than just 4 connecting rooms (also depends on the size of the rooms, Im thinking a couple of small bedrooms, small living room and den or office).

2) You can by a AC unit to put in either the attic or the basement. You actually buy what is called an Air handler and put it in wherever you want (attic units are downflow basement units are upflow). Then attach a cooling coil and run ductwork through the house to the individual rooms.

Advantages to buying an airhandler are
a) Can be easily converted into a heating unit as well by adding a heating coil.
b) can cool more area as it gives off more CFM than the smaller units. This will allow for future expansion.
c) takes up less room as you do not have to take up much closet space to make room for the other units.

Advantage to closet units are
a) Quicker and painless to install
b) Might be cheaper depending on the ammount of rooms you cool, and ammount of work needed to retrofit a duct system into your home.

Hope this helped.

Thanks Mad I'm definitely thinking the attic unit with a downflow of air will be the optimal solution.

Faken

Originally posted by: Fakenrite

That's what I thought... Once I move in, I'll call around and get some free quotes. How would they get the air from the top floor attic duct work to the bottom floor? Pass a vent outside of the house?

Faken

You might have spaces between walls taht they can run the ducts through

Originally posted by: Keeper-

Heres a site for ya Faken

http://www.hydro.qc.ca/residential/index.shtml

links on bottom left for AC/heat pump stuff

Thanks

Faken

Originally posted by: ~~Snake~~

Originally posted by: Fakenrite

That's what I thought... Once I move in, I'll call around and get some free quotes. How would they get the air from the top floor attic duct work to the bottom floor? Pass a vent outside of the house?

Faken

You might have spaces between walls taht they can run the ducts through

I don't think so... the two side walls are right up against the concrete cinder blocks (Attached house) and the interior walls are not thick enough. But I guess I'll have the contractor make that decision

Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys I'm impressed!

Faken

I own a 4 bedroom colonial, 1920 square feet on two floors, with 2 zone central A/C. The cool air from the 2nd floor zone definitely does not work its way down to the first floor.

(I know this because the first floor zone is woefully underpowered and the system entirely antiquated so we don't even use it. There is a very noticeable different in temperature when one walks up the stairs to the 2nd floor in the summertime.)

Your mileage may vary, however, according to the size of your...house and the number of BTUs of the unit you purchase.
 

lol i live in the south and i find it funny that there are houses that dont have A/C. i know the weather is alot cooler up there most of the year but i have never been in a house without A/C. i have to run mine in the winter where the average temp is 85 degrees


Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.
George Bernard Shaw

Originally posted by: Juzfugen

lol i live in the south and i find it funny that there are houses that dont have A/C. i know the weather is alot cooler up there most of the year but i have never been in a house without A/C. i have to run mine in the winter where the average temp is 85 degrees

Honestly I think it's a Quebec thing... most houses do not have AC, but have 3 friggin window units... I've never been in a house in my hometown Ottawa that didn't have central AC.

Faken

Maybe you are looking for a swamp cooler?
Post edited by pheirce at 5/23/2003 1:00:02 PM

Originally posted by: pheirce

Maybe you are looking for a swamp cooler?

lmao..remember this is Quebec..things stay frozen until May.

ARGH Swamp Coolers!!

Dont bother, unless you live in a very dry heat climate these are horrible.

1) Wetness almost always (no matter how much protection) leaks from the unit into your homes walls.
2) It leads to a very damp feeling in the home. Dont believe it when it says it doesnt. It does!

Only works in dessert like weather (very dry high heat)

Originally posted by: pheirce

Maybe you are looking for a swamp cooler?

I think you have a tear in your tin foil

Faken

Originally posted by: Fakenrite

Originally posted by: pheirce

Maybe you are looking for a swamp cooler?

I think you have a tear in your tin foil

Faken

Heh, I skimmed the messages. I've been to Quebec twice and I have one question for you: why in the world would you need air conditioning at all?

90F - 100F+ During the summer.

Faken

For what? like 3 days?

I grew up in Houston where air-conditioning is a must or you might die.

Originally posted by: pheirce

For what? like 3 days?

I grew up in Houston where air-conditioning is a must or you might die.

About 3-4 months... and it's VERY humid so it seems hotter... we seem to get both extremes. Super freezing in winter, and super hot during the summer.

Faken

Originally posted by: Fakenrite

About 3-4 months... and it's VERY humid so it seems hotter... we seem to get both extremes. Super freezing in winter, and super hot during the summer.

Yeah, pheirce, how else would they grow fois gras? (Us Americans know that stuff is really a distant relative of wood ear, that purple fungus stuff the Chinese use in their dishes. )
  

Originally posted by: Questor

Yeah, pheirce, how else would they grow fois gras? (Us Americans know that stuff is really a distant relative of wood ear, that purple fungus stuff the Chinese use in their dishes. )

Even worse than goose liver, whne I went to Quebec, they were trying to get me to eat raw horse meat. They swore up and down that it's a delicacy o_O

Originally posted by: pheirce

Originally posted by: Questor

Yeah, pheirce, how else would they grow fois gras? (Us Americans know that stuff is really a distant relative of wood ear, that purple fungus stuff the Chinese use in their dishes. )

Even worse than goose liver, whne I went to Quebec, they were trying to get me to eat raw horse meat. They swore up and down that it's a delicacy o_O

What friggin back water hole did you visit in Quebec?!?! And if you came to Montreal or Quebec City, the people that told you this have smkoed way too much bad crack.

And Questor, I have no idea what that post was all about... you trying to throw some redneck code for weed???

Faken

My post was akin to Shin's post the other day about you loving man meat and such.

In other words, nonsense.