I finally got a copy of the manual J from our HVAC contractor today. (I've never met or spoken to him. It came via email through the builder.) During the bidding phase this contractor specified for our build a 3-ton Carrier geothermal heat pump with desuperheater. We will have electric service only, no NG or LP.

House is 2x4 construction, lots of windows, about 2300 sq ft finished on level 1 and 2 with an approx. 1300 sq. ft. unfinished walkout basement. We are on five very wooded acres and have 18" overhangs on the house.

I'm not sure what numbers off this manual J would be helpful in determining if it was run properly or not. The only thing that jumps out at me is that the Summer and Winter design outdoor temps seem pretty extreme (we're outside of Cincinnati, OH). For summer he has 105 and winter -25. Those are literally record temps here. Can anyone comment if these are the proper temps to use?

He did provide a breakdown for the sensible and latent gain and loss numbers for all the components of the house, and I can list them if they're helpful. The total sensible gain is 34,427, latent total is 2460, for a total gain of 36,887. Total loss is 79,094. Thus the rec for a 3-ton system.

I'm in way over my head on this one. Can anyone help me out here? I suppose most people don't even ask for the manual J, let alone challenge it.

Thanks,

cintijen