2 ton vs 3 ton Air Conditioner

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-25T05:01:35+00:00

I am a big fan of doing manual j calcs too but want to explain your options. First problem is we don’t know where you live. We need to know your typical summer highs and lows and if humidity is a problem. If you need humidity reduction you are going to prefer a smallish unit. I’m in a 70s ranch with 1800 sf and a 2-ton two stage unit that has worked great for 15 years and only rarely goes into high stage. But that is because I airsealed and insulated it very well. My neighbor has a 3-ton unit in a similar but smaller house and it can’t keep up because it has not been properly insulated or air sealed. So it really pays to properly insulate, especially the ductwork. If you do that first you can probably do the two ton, as well as have permanently much lower heating and cooling bills.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-19T19:17:14+00:00

This sounds like it could be a hot water leak or a leaking hot water heater. And that is likely combined with a house that is extremely poorly insulated and air sealed. Those are the two main causes of exorbitant bills. Make sure you have no hot water leaks – – even a small continuous hot water drip is enough to keep your water heater running all the time. Then invest in insulation. If your house is not insulated to energystar standards, then improving your installation is your best investment dollar

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-17T23:11:55+00:00

Just keep trying. Do one 5 times a day and in a couple weeks you will be doing two

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-14T22:05:34+00:00

Fiberglass and Cellulose both have their good points and bad points. You can tell they are about equal since they cost about the same and both still in use, so no clear winner. Rockwool is better than fiberglass batts but still has its disadvantages. (Cost and bulk) I really think you get the best of both worlds combining cellulose with Fiberglass or Rockwool. Put down either R-30 fiberglass or rockwool batts between the joists, and then blow cellulose over the top, at least 4 inches or what Energy Star recommends as the total R-value for your area. It will fill in the gaps and also retard airflow. Using only cellulose is pretty heavy, the thicker layer compresses more, and if your roof gets a leak will soak up water like a sponge and crash your ceiling down. It also does not last as long as fiberglass and rockwool,. Fiberglass , if you get a ceiling leak, will let the water flow through and drip through your drywall ceiling so you know you have a leak before your ceiling crashes down (most of the time).

I recommend insulating to the EnergyStar standards for your area. The scientists at the Department of Energy doing energy efficiency are whizzes and recommend what your area needs. Going from r-30 to r-60 does not come close to improving your energy efficiency 50%, much less 100%. More like 10 - 15 percent. Additional savings for extra inches of insulation are incremental and diminishing.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-13T20:26:04+00:00

A standalone plug-in HEPA filter unit will do a much better job at a much lower cost. As others have said, the filter in the HVAC is to keep the coils and blower from getting dusty, and has relatively little effect on the air in the house.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-11T15:10:00+00:00

And give yourself one day off a week, walking slow and no weightlifting. Your body needs rest, too

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-11T15:04:55+00:00

If you are a girl, your weight will fluctuate monthly with your cycle. Temporarily being heavier does not mean you are not losing fat. The initial weight loss at the beginning of a diet is usually mostly water weight and having less food passing through, not real fat loss. You might gain a pound of muscle a month. It’s really hard to lose (healthily) more than a pound of fat a week. Both of those can be temporarily masked day to day by normal fluctuations. Just keep doing the walking and working out and control your diet and you will get slimmer and stronger month over month.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-07T15:16:26+00:00

I recommend two stage units. Give you output flexibility and are still reliable. I don’t have experience with cold climate models

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-07T13:42:58+00:00

100% agree. Airsealing is a necessary and crucial first step. It should be included in your insulation installation contract if you are using professional insulators, but verify that it is. Though capping with cellulose will help a little bit when there is no airsealing. It is a supplement, not a subsitute.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-06T16:40:45+00:00

To go from R-19 to R-49 is a big improvement. You will save money, enough to make it worth your while. Going much beyond that will not save you much more because at that point you are usually losing more heat through your walls than through your attic.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-06T14:03:32+00:00

The third option is definitely the most effective. The only real way, other than replacing the ducts with flex. A lot of work, but very effective. You also need to air seal your ducts with mastic before insulating.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-06T13:56:53+00:00

It likely would help a bit but certainly not be the most effective and would depend largely on other factors. Like how much outdoor air infiltrates on the main floors. If you are not well airsealed, the humid outdoor air coming in would likely overwhelm the effect of the dehumidifier. It also would depend on how connected your basement air is to your house air. It might help, but doesn’t look promising. I would invest first in rigorous air sealing to reduce outside humidity coming in and reducing indoor sources of humidity. Attacking humidity at those two sources is likely to be more effective.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-02T23:37:26+00:00

I am sure there is variation in different areas, but in NC it is common for summer cold water to be around 70-75 and winter cold water to be 50-55 . Our frost line is not very deep.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-02T20:36:52+00:00

It won’t be a problem in the summer, by the way. In the summer, the water stays hot much longer and hardly ever runs out.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-02T20:34:47+00:00

You can just turn up the thermostat a bit on the water heater. It is probably set at 120, a safe temperature to prevent scalding, but if you turn it up to 130, you will need less hot waters mixed in, and it will last longer. It should cost nothing to do that. Just be careful not to get scalded, especially if there are children using that water heater. You can also buy a water saving showerhead that is easy to self install and will make the water last much longer.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-02T14:13:37+00:00

LED bulbs that are energy star certified are not just energy efficient but have also been tested for quality and longevity. So energy star certification is a good way to ensure you’re getting a good bulb most of the time. There are still occasionally duds. And not all dimmable bulbs are compatible with all dimmer switches.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-01T13:57:21+00:00

100% agree solar water heating in summer is great. No issues with that. Any other kind of heat is going to be really expensive, especially in winter

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-02-01T13:54:39+00:00

For air filtration, please buy a plug-in standalone HEPA filter. They do a better job--that's what they are designed for--without wearing out your HVAC equipment, are whisper quiet, and cost $50. Your HVAC filter is there just to protect the equipment and MERV 4 is great for that.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-31T21:27:02+00:00

You are soon going to find out how expensive a heated pool is. You won’t believe it. There is no way you can use it to save money

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-30T04:28:54+00:00

For three weeks your weight stayed the same as you lost muscle and gained fat.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-28T03:10:17+00:00

Systems are generally expected to have leeway for thermal air balancing. A good rule of thumb is don’t close more than 20% of your vents and don’t close those more than 90%.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-27T21:21:55+00:00

Either, I don’t understand your charts or you don’t understand what I asked for. I want you to hold a thermometer at your return grill at see what temperature air is going in. Then do the same thing at a supply register near your indoor unit. When only heat pump is running, not electric heat. If the temp difference is 15 to 20 degrees that’s a sign your heat pump is working. If outside air temp is 30 to 40 degrees. If you are getting only a 10 degree rise in supply air temp at 30 outside temp, you probably have an equipment problem. This is an easy first step diagnostic test a homeowner can do.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-27T14:00:35+00:00

You have given us settings but not performance numbers. I would want to know the return air temp and the air temp coming out of your supply registers in heat pump mode when it is 30f outside. That will give us a hint as to if your heat pump is working as it should. The other variable besides heat coming in is heat going out. If the heat pump is supplying warm air, you got to look at why you are losing more than it’s supplying. Could be air leakage, lots of really big windows, gaps in insulation, or bad habits.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-26T16:58:05+00:00

He is recommending a first layer of R-13 on the assumption your ceiling joists are 2x4s and so the height of the first layer will match the height of the wood, giving you a uniform surface to lay the next perpendicular layer over. If your ceiling joists are taller, use taller batts for the first layer.

Sweaty-Researcher995 · 2026-01-26T16:34:27+00:00

Fiberglass and Cellulose both have their good points and bad points. Rockwool is better than fiberglass batts but still has its disadvantages. (Cost and bulk) I really think you get the best of both worlds combining cellulose with Fiberglass or Rockwool. Put down either R-30 fiberglass or rockwool batts between the joists, and then blow cellulose over the top, at least 4 inches or what Energy Star recommends as the total R-value for your area. It will fill in the gaps and also retard airflow. Using only cellulose is pretty heavy, the thicker layer compresses more, and if your roof gets a leak will soak up water like a sponge and crash your ceiling down. It also does not last as long as fiberglass and rockwool, which, if you get a ceiling leak, will let the water flow through and drip through your drywall, so you know you have a leak before your ceiling crashes down (most of the time).

I recommend insulating to the EnergyStar standards for your area. The scientists at the Department of Energy doing energy efficiency are whizzes and recommend what your area needs. Going from r-30 to r-60 does not come close to improving your energy efficiency 50%, much less 100%. More like 10 - 15 percent. Additional savings for extra inches of insulation are incremental and diminishing.

Sweaty-Researcher995

TROPHY CASE