Help me select the correct size A/C unit for my living room
#1
09-03-09, 08:27 AM
Help me select the correct size A/C unit for my living room
I want an A/C unit for my apartment located in Puerto Rico. Here i'ts hot all year long and can get up to the mid 90's during the hottest days of the summer but with the high humidity of the Caribbean, it sometimes can feel like 100 or more.
The living room size is 12x23' but it's open to the kitchen (7.5x11'), laundry room (5.5x6') and hallway (20x3'). Ceiling is 8' high. At the north end there's a 8x12 glass window (including sliding door) and at the south end there's 5.5x6' glass window.
The roof is not exposed to the sun (second floor of a 3 story building). East and west walls are adjacent to the next room and the next apartment (no sun exposure).
Running appliances are refrigerator, 50" plasma TV, Home Theater receiver, DVR cable box, etc.
Here's the blueprint of the apartment:
http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...6/DSC_0074.jpg
I want a capacity that can get the tempreature down to 72 degrees when the temperature outside is at or above 90 degrees.
I plan to install a ceiling mount mini-split at the north end of the living room and the condenser unit will be at the balcony just outside the window (only possible location).
I'm not a DIY person but I don't trust local a/c installers here, they usually recommend way oversized units. Last month one recommended a 12K BTU unit for my grandmother's 9ftx9ft bedroom so you can understand my concern.
The living room size is 12x23' but it's open to the kitchen (7.5x11'), laundry room (5.5x6') and hallway (20x3'). Ceiling is 8' high. At the north end there's a 8x12 glass window (including sliding door) and at the south end there's 5.5x6' glass window.
The roof is not exposed to the sun (second floor of a 3 story building). East and west walls are adjacent to the next room and the next apartment (no sun exposure).
Running appliances are refrigerator, 50" plasma TV, Home Theater receiver, DVR cable box, etc.
Here's the blueprint of the apartment:
http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...6/DSC_0074.jpg
I want a capacity that can get the tempreature down to 72 degrees when the temperature outside is at or above 90 degrees.
I plan to install a ceiling mount mini-split at the north end of the living room and the condenser unit will be at the balcony just outside the window (only possible location).
I'm not a DIY person but I don't trust local a/c installers here, they usually recommend way oversized units. Last month one recommended a 12K BTU unit for my grandmother's 9ftx9ft bedroom so you can understand my concern.
Last edited by agc1976; 09-03-09 at 11:25 AM.
#2
09-04-09, 06:05 AM
Super Moderator
It is difficult to select a proper sized a/c unit that will make your whole apt comfortable but not freeze out the room that it is in.
I can not accurately offer a capacity recommendation but I would guess that the total cooling load for your whole apartment would be between 18,000 and 24,000 BTU and the cooling load for just your living room would be 6,000 to 10,000 BTU.
What you would need to decide is how cold do you want to make the room that the a/c is in to satisfy the whole suite.
If you were to go with a much larger unit you could use fans to circulate air from the other areas.
Another option is to use a mini split that has two cooling coils and install it in the master bedroom.
You appear to have an outside wall in that room to run the lines through.
There must be others in your apartment that have a/c...........ask them about their cooling.
I can not accurately offer a capacity recommendation but I would guess that the total cooling load for your whole apartment would be between 18,000 and 24,000 BTU and the cooling load for just your living room would be 6,000 to 10,000 BTU.
What you would need to decide is how cold do you want to make the room that the a/c is in to satisfy the whole suite.
If you were to go with a much larger unit you could use fans to circulate air from the other areas.
Another option is to use a mini split that has two cooling coils and install it in the master bedroom.
You appear to have an outside wall in that room to run the lines through.
There must be others in your apartment that have a/c...........ask them about their cooling.
#3
09-04-09, 08:23 AM
I had an apartment just like yours in LA. Based on my experience, a 10000-12000 btu unit should be OK for your living room. but that will not cool your other rooms.
