rlskfoster Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 If any HVAC gurus are out there today I have a question about my personal house HVAC SEER rating. We recently had a new house built and our builder told us we would have a 14 SEER system. They AC company set Trane XR 13 outside compressors. I checked with the Trane web site and it stated the XR 13 can be a 13 or 14 SEER unit. So I let it go figuring it must be 14 SEER, we have been very pleased with our builder and they had been quick to take care of any concerns I voiced. I kept thinking about it and decided to check a little further. I sent to Trane the model numbers of the inside coil and outside unit. They sent me an ARI certification stating my set up was a 13 SEER system. I took that to my builder and he said that I was correct that the units were 13 SEER, but, since they use a 2 speed blower system they get a 14 SEER rating. What do ya'll think. It makes some sense, but, after three years of inspecting I am always a little suspicious of builders and subv-contractors. Thanks, Buster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 Who ya going to believe the manufacturer or the builder? My bets would be with the folks that made the system. The builder is blowing smoke up your condenser! [:-eyebrow As for it being a 2 Speed Fan; I don't know of any modern HVAC system that does not have a 2 or 3 speed blower, this does not impact the SEER. One speed is for A/C and one is for Heat. My house has a 3 speed blower, one speed each for the fan, A/C and Heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 . . .They sent me an ARI certification stating my set up was a 13 SEER system. I took that to my builder and he said that I was correct that the units were 13 SEER, but, since they use a 2 speed blower system they get a 14 SEER rating. What do ya'll think. It makes some sense, but, after three years of inspecting I am always a little suspicious of builders and subv-contractors. Next step is to go back to Trane and ask them. Practically speaking, you have nowhere near a 13 seer system because the ducts are undoubtedly poorly designed and installed. - Jim Katen, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlskfoster Posted April 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Well, more checking and some replies over at Inspection News and I am learning some new stuff. The rating is based on the whole package and when I sent in the info to Trane I did not include the blower package. My blower motor comes on at about 10 to 20% speed and after a minute or two ramps up to full speed. It repeats the same process when it goes off. I spoke to an old AC friend and he confirms that the use of a 2 speed system can increase a SEER rating, although, he said the best thing was to give Trane all my info and let them tell me the SEER rating for the complete system. I re-sent my complete system model numbers and serial numbers to Trane and am waiting to hear back from them. Thanks for the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Kienitz Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Buster, It is not as easy as just looking at the numbers. #'s do well in laboratory situations, but seldom do you get that in actual practice. As Jim noted above ductwork is key. You can have the highest end system available and a crappy duct installation and your SEER value drops like a rock. I've worked with many HVAC folks who are real pro-active on such and the bottom line is that trying to nail the "actual" SEER rating of an installation is not easy. I fully understand your personal need and want. I am very similar, but for the builder to automatically say you have this or that .... does he have documentation and test results of "your" installation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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