My r22 heat pump unit is undersized for my house. It is a 2 ton and the builder should have installed a 2.5 ton. Do I have to replace the whole system, inside and out, if I upsize to a 2.5 ton or can I change out just the part that is the wrong size to cool the house? I can't really afford the cost to convert the whole thing and would prefer to just replace part of it rather than convert like the quotes I've been given are trying to get me to do. The unit is only 4 years old but will not cool the house.

Yes , for sure at least the coil, but you should replace with a puron 410 system, since they no longer can manafacture r-22 systems as of last january1 2010

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Originally Posted by SuzInArkansas

my r22 heat pump unit is undersized for my house. it is a 2 ton and the builder should have installed a 2.5 ton. do i have to replace the whole system, inside and out, if i upsize to a 2.5 ton or can i change out just the part that is the wrong size to cool the house? i can't really afford the cost to convert the whole thing and would prefer to just replace part of it rather than convert like the quotes i've been given are trying to get me to do. the unit is only 4 years old but will not cool the house.

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You should have a scheduel J calculation done to be for sure the size unit needed, it will take away the guess work

Most blower are rated for extra btu`s, but when buying a newer condenser,it will be a 410A system and diffinatly the coil and lineset will need to be changed,as the oils are different and will not mix, even a small trace left in the lineset can do damage to the new system

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Originally Posted by wmproop

You should have a scheduel J calculation done to be for sure the size unit needed,,it will take away the guess work

most blower are rated for extra btu`s,,but when buying a newer condenser,it will be a 410A system and diffinatly the coil and lineset will need to be changed,as the oils are differant and will not mix,,even a small trace left in the lineset can do damage to the new system

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I had a guy come and do a load test. Not only is the unit slightly too small but when he checked the ductwork none of it was sealed. Losing 30% to 40% of our air into the attic. Is it possible to go back on the original builder to have this fixed at his cost instead of mine? The house is only 4 years old and should never have passed inspection like it is.

Good luck, seriously doubt if the builder will do anything

Goodluck on trying to go back on the builder
Getting the ductwork sealed should be a big help
As for the unit being slightly to small,its better to be to small than to big,it might run a little extra but is better to get the humidity out and makes you more comfy

You won`t tell a lot of difference by going up .5,, 1/2 a ton of byu`s

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Originally Posted by SuzInArkansas

I had a guy come and do a load test. Not only is the unit slightly too small but when he checked the ductwork none of it was sealed. Losing 30% to 40% of our air into the attic. Is it possible to go back on the original builder to have this fixed at his cost instead of mine? The house is only 4 years old and should never have passed inspection like it is.

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Builders give a 1 year warranty usually. Since this was a rather large mistake that has COST you many utility and comfort dollars over 4 years you might be able to appeal to his common sense side of the equation but with all the builders having a hard time in this economy the builder might not budge to help you. If that is the case have a REAL professional fix the problem so you know it is fixed correctly. The guy that found your problem is probably a good candidate to do this repair.

NOTE: Builders almost always use the cheapest and most nonprofessional HVAC contractors since they know that the homeowner will usually not see much of there work and if they did they would not know what to look for. This saves the builder much $$$ but the homeowners suffer. Sorry to hear about your problem but you are not the first or will be the last buyer found in this situation. Statistics say that approximately 85% of all homes HVAC systems have problem such as yours. That just goes to show that there are a lot of SLAP and CLOBBER installers out there.