Inappropriately Large A/C Unit’s Are Not The Answer

If your current air conditioner is not providing you with enough cool air a bigger unit is not the answer. While you may assume that your unit isn’t cooling your home enough because it is too small, a better properly sized unit will always be the answer.  Getting one that is too large can actually cause additional problems. Here are some of the problems you may face if your air conditioner is too large.

Incomplete Coverage In Far Rooms

An HVAC unit that is too large will turn on and off more than a properly sized one since the air it is pushing is read by the system as being adequate, even though it has not reached the farther rooms of your house.  On the side of the coin, the room that are close to the unit will be cold. This increased frequency of powering on and off will cause premature wear on your unit as well. 

Frequent Breakdowns

When your HVAC unit turns on and off frequently due to incorrect sizing, the blower motor, fan, condenser, and other parts will wear out much sooner. You will find frequent maintenance calls and earlier replacements were not worth the extra cost to cool your house. When your a/c unit shuts off, it also stops removing humidity from the air, causing humidity to increase. If it breaks down, humidity will come back full force, and so will poor air quality.

Indoor Air Quality Drops

If your air conditioner is too large for your house, there will be more humidity, and your ducts can become damaged due to increased pressure on them from the larger unit. If you have duct leaks, dust from the attic and the space behind the drywall in your house finds its way into the ductwork and is dispersed throughout your house. It is no longer a closed system. Duct leaks and a humidity increase of up to 50% can cause discomfort for all household members and cost more due to maintenance calls for duct leaks. Either that or you can tape the leaks until your ducts are composed of tape. We think it is not worth the hassle, especially with all the other problems it causes.

Higher Electric Bill

In addition to having a bigger baseline power draw than a smaller, properly sized air conditioner, larger a/c units, as they turn off and on never reach peak efficiency and require more energy to get started once they have stopped. A smaller unit running full-time with greater efficiency will always be the best choice. 

An Air Conditioner That Is Too Small Is Problematic As Well

If your air conditioner is too small, it will likely run continuously, never shutting off, and never reaching the desired temperature. This too can result in frequent repairs, increased humidity, and poor air quality.

Which Is Better? Which Is Worse?

Whichever way you choose to look at it, an improperly sized a/c unit that does not match the house is going to cost you more money and not cool your house effectively.  However, a larger unit will be more expensive to purchase and install. Repairs will add up faster with a larger unit as well. Larger units are often more complex and have more costly parts since they are larger. From a cost perspective, though neither option is recommended and both come with drawbacks, a too-small a/c unit is better than a too-large a/c unit. 

Talk To Ventec To Get An A/C Unit Sized For Your Home

If you are not happy with the output of your current a/c unit, there may be something we can do to repair it, or we can suggest a more powerful, optimized system that is right for your home. Most experts will not install a unit that does not match the area in which it is cooling, but if you have had one installed in the past, we can recommend a replacement system to reduce the problems that come with running an a/c unit that is too large.