the window unit in the house is dying a slow death. it is at least 30 year old climatrol with auto shutoff.
i have been trying to find a 15,000 BTU 110 volt window unit with auto off, but so far no luck.
the "new" display unit i was given is not a 15, it is only a 10,000 BTU so it will not work. the lower level of the house is 16X45, in two rooms. by all hte calculators i should be using a 15k unit.
i can not do central air because of house design and baseboard heat.
so my next option is ductless units.
i have 2 indoor walls where i can mount the units, one in each room with passageway for the plumbing direct to the outside walls.
the two units will be about 20 foot apart.
my thinking is to get an 18,000 BTU outdoor unit with 2 9,000 BTU indoor units.
does this sound rite, or should i get a larger setup?

 

Be careful throwing away some of those old units - the new models are absolute junk. If the compressor is OK they can be repaired and will give good service for many years.

 

well first off, i can't even get parts for it because there are absolutely no tags at all on it other than the climatrol tag on the front.

it is at least 30 years old, i have been using it for 20 years, and it was at least 10 years old when it was given to me.
it is not very efficient. it keeps the downstairs at 75 with no problem, but it also uses close to 20 amps running, 25+ on start-up.
the compressor is starting to die, it was making all kinds of weird noises at the end of last season. i am kind of afraid to even fire it up, because i am pretty sure it is going to trip the breaker.

 

The latest models don't use as much current, but they don't work worth a damn either and will be thrown away in just a few years due to cheap components. 30 years? No way. Good chance for a fire though. We're seeing this kind of nonsense with washers, dryers, dishwashers, etc. 'Jus Sayin'

Somewhere the myth got started that old appliances aren't "green" and use too much electricity. Vintage refrigerators for example use LESS current, (Fact) and are quieter, etc. Not saying a 1950 Philco belongs in everyone's kitchen, but maybe the garage.

 

i have a 1942 philco in the garage, it was the first "icebox" my grandparents bought.
still works perfectly, except for the fact it needs a new thermostat. if you leave water along the back wall, it will freeze over a few days.

 

Maybe you can convert the 110 volt outlet to 220 volt

 

If you take some pics of the unit and post them I bet someone will know what it is and then you can try to find parts. Unless you just want a new unit.

Converting 110 to 220 ususally means new wiring. Have you thought about maybe adding two smaller units?

 

Not for an air conditioner. You can use the existing wire to complete a 220 volt circuit. You only need to replace the breaker and the outlet which are both inexpensive and easy to do.

Even if the current air conditioner is running on the more common 14/2 wire that can easily support an 18,000 BTU window unit.

 

i want to do away with window units and go with a central air style setup.

 

sounds like its a mini-split system you really could use.

 

I would suggest going one step further, rather than just installing a mini split/ ductless AC system install a mini split heat pump and do away with using the base board units.

Calculating Btu Requirements can get a bit trickey but if the 15k unit you had, worked the 18K unit with 2 9k registers sounds like it would work.

Going larger might also be beneficial and less demanding o the system.
I am not a HAVC guy so take my recommendations with a grain of salt, just throwing suggestions out there for you to research.
http://youtu.be/_QlLVUxeCmM

 

i would never do a heat pump. i had forced air heat in the old house and hated it. plus, the electric bill would be through the roof. my gas bill is $42 per month. furnace, hot water heater, cloths drier, stove, and oven are gas.
fridge, freezer, washing machine, dish washer and AC are electric. electric bill is $92 per month.
house temps are 65 in winter, and 80 in summer.

 

I have a 2600 sq foot house, 3 kids and a wife. House is all electric, electric water well ( 800 feet deep so it's a big pump) and electric in the barn for tank heaters and lights. I also have heating pads in the barn for the rodent control occupants and block heaters for different equipment that get plugged in as needed. We have a single heat pump with an electric backup for when the temps go below zero usually around January for a week or three.

Outside air temps vary from -17 in the winter to 100 in the summer. The house is a constant 68/70*F year round and our electric bill averages $145 a month.

My house is 12 years old as is the heat pump.

I could probibly shave $45 dollars off that bill by limiting my 2 teenage daughters to 10 minutes in the shows rather than the luxurious 30+ minutes they daily consume now and/or winterizing the RV earlier so I don't have to run a space heater in it November etc, but I comfortable with what we pay so I won't.

All that to say one bad experience with a heat pump and a big bill should not rule them out for eternity. There are to many other variables to consider such as efficacy of the home, climate, condition of the heat pump etc that need to be considered.

 

is that with the luxury of cheap hydro power? east coast rates are kind of steep depending on location
summer months on the east are nothing like central oregon. Where you have humidity to deal with as well as the heat. Which requires your cooling system to run harder.
There is a reason a lot of data centers are located in Pacific Northwest.

 

exactly. electric bills here on the east coast are killers.

one of the neighbors just got done converting from electric everything to gas everything. when electric, the monthly bill was close to $600 per month. the new bill is only $105 per month until they figure out the yearly usage.