Air conditioner question?

Wile E

Well-known Member
I need to know a math related AC question.

If I have a 3 ton air conditioning unit, (which I do) How many BTUs is this?

I had my wife buy a portable AC unit that will exhaust out a window and it is 10,000 BTUs. What does 10k BTUs equate to in Tons of AC?

My central air unit will not keep up in the heat of summer. (it is under sized)
Depending on how well this portable unit works I may get another one.
 
have you cleaned both the evap coil and the condensor coil on your A/C?
is the charge correct?
if both are true then only run the window unit on the real hot days when the main A/C cannot keep up. This will remove the most moisture from the air keeping the humidity down inside
good luck
Ron
 
1. Make sure your house isn't drafty and you have good curtains to keep out the blazing sun

2. Consider replacing the main unit. I had an undersized airhandler that I replaced last year. The old one wouldn't keep up in the summer (Houston) until about midnight (76 degrees). Summer electric bill ~$180. Put the new handler (same outside heat pump unit) and last summer I could keep it at 75 degrees at night without an issue and the biggest bill last summer was about $120.

Those window units your are talking about are very inefficient.
 
Hello Wile E,

12000 B.T.U's is equal to 1 ton of cooling.
It usually will properly cool 500 sq. ft. with 8 ft. ceilings. If you can install a powered fan to vent the attic it will help, adding 6000 B.T.U.'s cooling to your house. Make sure your window unit is installed level. Also make sure it is properly trimmed, so no outside air can infiltrate into the house.

Guido.
 
Hello Wile E,

I forgot to mention that ceiling fans also help a lot keeping you kool:).

Guido.
 
How did they ever come up with a word like ton to describe a unit of air conditioning? Were early air conditioners that heavy?
 
Before you spend money on a window shaker, call an HVAC contractor for a review of the current equipment for performance and correct sizing.

Remember that window units require a dedicated circuit for correct installation.
 
Or, more exactly, the (latent) HEAT required to melt one ton of ice @ 32ºF in a 24 hour period.
 
The simple answer to your question is a 10,000 btu A/C is 5/6th ton. And compared to your 36,000 btu (three ton) A/C it is 5/18ths of that.

Bob is correct, but usually a ton is used to describe the amount of heat transfer required to freeze one ton of ice in a 24 hour period at 32 degrees ambient. (Of course I guess it depends on whoever is describing it too.)

So the opposite is also true just as Bob indicated....what goes up...must come down.

If your system is relatively new and has worked fine in the past, its condition is suspect. A good servicing may be in order as there is "a ton" (lol) of things to check and adjust to bring it up to par.

If it never has worked adequately maybe sizing is an issue. Lot of good suggestions available and given, need more? Just ask.
 

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