Ok - heat pump is almost always a "forced air" so you are using terms incorrectly.

"Split" system may also be a mistake in terminology.

Now - mini-splits use much smaller outdoor units. Like 20% of a typical system so that is probably what you are talking about. They are also super quiet outside - like whisper. They scale down a lot so are designed to be run "more often". More often implies that they turn on and off but what they are designed to do is run most of the time and scale up and down.

The newer homes are certainly more efficient.

But a 2 ton unit is not dramatically smaller than a 3 ton unit. But a mini-split is dramatically smaller.

My mistake. My paperwork just says a "14 SEER Heat Pump", and "Electric HVAC". I didn't want to spend another $12,000 for a gas line.

That doesn't sound like a mini-split. You shouldn't be under contract with such a vague description. What brand is specified? How many units? Model #s ideally.

These homes might be much tighter build, less air leakage more insulation, more attic insulation, less air infiltration, more than one system.

Its a Goodman, so probably will last the 5yr warranty and then I'll replace.

You are correct its not a mini split, just a standard heat pump.

Only one unit for the entire home, which if I finish the basement would be 4500sqf.

My HVAC contractor cautioned me in advance that outdoor units are larger than they used to be, that (according to him) that contributes to more efficient and quieter operation. I have both 4 ton and 2 ton Bryant units and the 4 ton one is quite large. Both are relatively quiet.

Where are you located? 14 seer is not that great efficiency.

Don't know what's going on in your new neighborhood. Newer systems are MUCH bigger than older ones to get the higher efficiencies.

I noticed too that more efficient systems are bigger.

One unit in that kind of square footage seems crazy - but it sounds like you are getting crap and are comfortable with that. Never know, Goodman can last a lot longer....

I'm in SW Ohio.

I'm almost positive here is the unit I am getting. I can confirm at my pre-construction meeting in a couple weeks.

https://www.goodmanmfg.com/products/heat-pumps/14-seer-gsz14

Yea, so is the size you're getting 3 feet tall or 5 feet tall. A photo and one spec doesn't say much.

No No No! Do not listen to the Mini-Split Warehouse b.s. rules.

Obviously old leaky houses with leaky windows need more BTUs to heat and cool than the tighter built today, same as demand for heat and cool will depend on a property location, orientation, insulation, glazing, etc. DO NOT USE THESE bogus RULES.

Ask HVAC to do at least ManualJ to determine the load. My current house is like 4500 sq ft and it is comfortably cooled by 3.5T (42K BTU) system.

https://www.acca.org/standards/speedsheets

Was a post deleted? I don't see any BS rule of thumb sizing.

A home in SW Ohio almost surely has heat dominated sizing and will be oversized with cooling.

You might consider upgrading the stat to ensure a minimum run time - would help maximize lifespan and humidity removal.

What happens is that your heat requirements might require 4 tons but you would only need 2 tons of cooling. That unit you listed can't turn down at all so it will have to turn on all 4 tons and your house will cool very quickly and then shut off. Then turn on again 10 minutes later. A good stat will help minimize this effect by allowing minimum run times or setting a temperature differential or both.

I don't know what stat you are getting and it may have these settings anyway.

It's impossible to judge a book by it's cover or an AC unit by it's physical size. Capacity of the system tells the story.

That said, more modern builds have gotten the cooling down to 1 ton per 1,000 sq feet and in some case more square feet than that. This doesn't mean that you should size your AC system this way, it means that after the load calcs were done this is what it came out as.

It could be a 13 SEER condenser paired with a higher efficient furnace to get the 14 SEER rating. The lower the SEER of an outdoor condenser the smaller it will be physically.

Some models are micro channel coils, this can have an effect on physical size. However, because you said this is Goodman it's not micro channel. Goodman doesn't make micro channel nothing AFAIK.

Thanks for the replies!

Yes a post was deleted, wasn't by me tho.

I'm probably getting some cheap thermostat, I will inquire at my next meeting.

I'd like to replace it with the Honeywell T10 and have a couple sensors throughout my house so my dining room wall doesn't dictate the temperature in my entire home.

@David Cary I suspect the author deleted it. It claimed that 2500sq house needs 5T BTU(?), 2000 4T, etc. Presumably the author is from cool dominated climate.

>Ohio has heat dominated sizing and will be oversized with cooling.

You should be dealing with the overall system capacity and thus selecting a unit using manualS. Let's say your house demands 90k heating and 40k cooling. One can easily find a combination that meet these requirements without being oversized. It is not an issue for AC, but more for HeatPump. We live in a neighboring Indiana, so the design conditions are very similar.

@Austin Air Companie micro channel coils are great.

@User I am 100% sure that the Goodman units weren't installed properly. This is how I started bought a house in a early 20s with a badly installed Goodman HP. It failed after couple years, the dealer replaced it ($2k) - year later it failed again - comp shorted, dealer claimed "lightning strike" (+1k), failed again... Took Univ cert EPA and did it myself - it started to work fine.

Yea I fear I will have to replace my Goodman units right after the warranty expires.

I'm even setting aside more $$ than I normally would just for that, and the GE appliances I'm getting.

Micro channel coils are great?

Another homeowner keeping me in business. Thanks.

BT - Maybe, but I don't think so. Those units are what a lot of builders use because they are less expensive. We had the units serviced several times from the original installer. Then we had two other HVAC companies take a look at them at various times throughout 10 years. We ended up with a HVAC person that worked on them a couple of times, and then he recommended replacing the upstairs unit. A year or so later, we replaced the downstairs unit. I cannot remember the new brand, but we had no more trouble for the next 4 years until we moved.

We had a lot of subdivisions with York MC. I assumed they are good. I had some trouble with Goodman, but it was absolutely installed INCORRECTLY.

I stay with what I know = Carrier, bryant, day & night. And Austin I do not keep ANYONE "in business", well may be the distributors. My furnace lasted 16 years, just decided to toss it replacement cost was very little. May replace my AC Unit next year - the distributors been pretty good to me. I help out friends and neighbours.

We like Carrier and Rheem. ;)

Thank you, I may try Rheem on our new house will be starting shortly. Local distributor had a ton of these Prestige Series R96V, R97V, R98V - offering discounts.... I was afraid of touching modulating for this house. I have manometer, can clock gas meter but not a combustion analyzer. Not sure what was required...

I would like to know if they are reliable.

The Prestige Series do not get very good reviews. Perhaps that's why they are on sale.

The HAVAC guy that we are getting a quote from says that he has many of a certain type of Rheem sitting in his warehouse that he will no longer install. Says that the consumer has complained about them running all the time. Perhaps this is the model.

REVIEWS

"Driving around my future neighborhood with 3-4000sqf homes it seems the HVAC outdoor units are extremely small."

A two story house which is 3000 - 4000 sq feet should be built with an HVAC system with each floor. Using today's building methods you would expect each condenser not to be more than 2 tons. These will be smaller than what you are used to seeing on an older 2000 sq foot ranch home. Whether you have a gas furnace or a heat pump. the condenser should be sized for the cooling load.

So Mike, they have 60k heat requirements and 24k cooling, you want to give them a 2 ton heat pump?

(Random numbers - of course 60k would be high for modern construction)

And in an ideal world, you would insulate enough to have them be about the same but OP is dealing with a tract builder.

@David,

A heat pump is sized in the same manner as an air conditioner i.e., based on the cooling load. Heating requirements would be met by a combination of heat produced by the heat pump and supplemental heat from a back-up heating source such as electric resistance heat.

For a climate zone where heating is required most of the time, a heat pump with back-up strip heaters will likely cost less to install and more to operate than an air conditioner and gas furnace. If the builder is installing Goodman equipment (which I consider to be at or near the bottom of the HVAC food chain) they are more concerned with the lower initial cost than the buyer's cost to heat and cool the home.

Interesting, that is not how it was explained to me. They went with the larger of the two for sizing and this is over multiple houses with several companies. Now, in NC, the difference was never that big.

That method would seem to make people pretty frustrated with heat pumps in cooler climates.

I think in your location (and mine), that would be a good idea, but not for OP.

https://neep.org/sites/default/files/Sizing%20%26%20Selecting%20ASHPs%20In%20Cold%20Climates.pdf

Page 7, they discuss new construction. Obviously it is a balance but in Ohio (even SW) I would expect to be oversized in the summer.

Charles Ross Homes guy is correct in regards to the Goodman brand, which is why I plan on replacing after the 5yr warranty is over.

@David,

Unfortunately, the residential HVAC contracting space is filled with more contractors who don't know what they're doing than ones who do. And those who don't are often rewarded with more money in their pocket after selling crappy, over-sized equipment to homeowners complaining their present system doesn't keep them comfortable.

You'll be better served to learn the principles of refrigeration in an engineering classroom than tapping the collective knowledge of all the bubbas in the HVAC universe.

>HVAC contracting space is filled with more contractors who don't know what they're doing than ones who do.

In my experience it is filled with contractors who are aware BUT unwilling to do the work properly.

Unwilling to use Nitro when brazing because it runs out really fast esp when taking a cellphone while N tank is running.

Unwilling to wait 30 minutes to remove all air from the system and

unwilling to use the micron gage properly,

unwilling to charge properly (If you ran system for 3 minutes and disconnected the gauges)

unwilling to replace a dryer when system was open,

unwilling to replace lineset,

unwilling to ManJ sizing, unwilling ManS, ManD

unwilling to secure flexi ducts to booth instead of one strap on outside,

unwilling to mastic, or

unwilling to use proper hangers,

unwilling to verify combustion,

unwilling to install a drain correctly

OP: I wouldn't worry too much about the brand of equipment. For example, most brands use the same compressors made in Mexico or China (depending on price) and will work fine if installed correctly. Therein lies the rub. I have nothing against Goodman and am actually quite partial to Rheem Prestige systems (I have three installed in my own home). Just make sure the installer knows what he is doing, sizes the equipment correctly and installs it in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.