Subject: Best Choice for Quiet Central A/C ???

From: [email-masked] (Randy Olson)
Date: 1 Jun 1995 06:51:52 GMT

I am installing A/C in my 2500 sq. ft house in Seattle, Washington.  
Everyone is suggesting 10 Seer systems but 4 vendors have suggested 4 
different brands.  I am interested in quiet almost more than efficiency, 
etc as electricity is cheap and temp doesn't get THAT hot.

They have suggested Payne, Lennox, Trane, and Carrier.  Which is the 
quietest in a standard 10 seer model ?  When I've asked for quiet some 
vendors bumped my to a 14 seer system but it's not worth the extra money.

Any "tricks" or "tips" I should be sure the contractor does or doesn't do?

This looks like about a $3000 job so I'd like to make the right decisions.
Any help is appreciated..

I hope I not asking a bad question.  I skimmed the threads from November 
to April looking for any previous discussion.....

Randy O

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From: [email-masked] (Paul Bernhardt)
Date: 1 Jun 1995 09:27:02 GMT

Randy Olson ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I am installing A/C in my 2500 sq. ft house in Seattle, Washington.  
: Everyone is suggesting 10 Seer systems but 4 vendors have suggested 4 
: different brands.  I am interested in quiet almost more than efficiency, 
: etc as electricity is cheap and temp doesn't get THAT hot.

: They have suggested Payne, Lennox, Trane, and Carrier.  Which is the 
: quietest in a standard 10 seer model ?  When I've asked for quiet some 
: vendors bumped my to a 14 seer system but it's not worth the extra money.

: Any "tricks" or "tips" I should be sure the contractor does or doesn't do?

: This looks like about a $3000 job so I'd like to make the right decisions.
: Any help is appreciated..

: I hope I not asking a bad question.  I skimmed the threads from November 
: to April looking for any previous discussion.....

The speed of the fan is one of the biggest factors in noise near the 
unit's location. Also affecting noise is the ductwork near the outlet. If 
it has a sharp bend immediately at the outlet it can (unless the air 
speed is fairly slow) be noisy at that outlet. Check each manufacturer's 
suggested unit for the speed of the fan. My experience is that Lennox 
uses lower fans speeds for equal size units. The reason your vendor 
suggested a higher seer system is that sometimes a higher seer system is 
one that has higher nominal capacity with low air flow over the indoor coil, 
(therefore lower fan speed) effectively reducting capacity and increasing 
efficiency. I am surprised that the large increase in seer from 10 to 14 
doesn't pay off in your area. But then I have never designed for the 
great northwest.

You might want to consider a two speed unit. It will operate more quietly 
except on the rarer occasions of maximum cooling load.