This question, which seems straightforward, is actually one of the most important questions you can ask yourself (or an HVAC specialist) while you’re in the process of re-outfitting your home with a cooling (or a heating and cooling) solution. Much of the time, the answer will come in the form of a “yes” or a “no,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t add on qualifiers. The real answer really should be “it depends” because there are so many factors to consider in the purchase.
Features of a specific unit aside, let’s just take a general look at what it means for a “5 ton gas package unit” to be rated at 5 tons. That is, “how much” is 5 tons of air? It’s not something that most homeowners, or business owners, for that matter, routinely ponder.
A ton of air actually can be quantified; however, since air is a gas and has no set volume, there are a number of factors that will impact this, the most significant of which, and the central one, is temperature. Therefore, to standardize things a bit, in HVAC applications, when you hear the word “tonnage” it actually refers to the BTU rating of the system in question.
In reference to an air conditioner, for example, a ton of air does not refer to a weight or a volume, but to a BTU rating of about 12,000 BTUs. Therefore, a 1 ton gas package unit will provide about 12,000 BTUs of cooling power, a 2 ton unit will provide about 24,000 BTUs of cooling power, and so on and so forth. A little mathematical acumen is required for this, but an extrapolation will yield that a 5 ton gas package unit will yield about 60,000 BTUs of cooling power.
Still, that doesn’t answer the question of whether or not that specific unit is capable of cooling or heating and cooling your home. For that, we need to take a look first at where you live in the country and then at how large your home is.
The United States is separated into 5 regions, ranging from the south to the north. Given the topography of the country and the local variances in weather, these zones are not equal in size or even symmetrical. Region 1 is the furthest south and encompasses Louisiana, Florida, much of Texas, and other far southern reaches. Conversely, Region 5 covers portions of states that are the farthest north.
Let’s argue that your home is in the Mid-Atlantic, say, in Philadelphia. This area of Pennsylvania lies in Region 3, near the boundary of Region 4. In this region, a 2 ton unit, for example, should be able to cool approximately 1,000 to 1,300 square footage of home space. Similarly, a 5 ton unit should be able to cool somewhere between 2,600 to 3,200 square feet of floor space for a home or business.
As you can see, in order to answer the question of “is a 5 ton gas package unit big enough for my home?” you need to analyze some additional details surrounding your living arrangements. You can get a beginner’s impression this way, but there are other avenues you can pursue for help.
Anytime you need some professional guidance on whether a unit is or is not big enough for your home, or some help picking out a specific unit, get in touch with the professionals at Budget Air Supply. They provide a variety of Rheem air conditioners, Goodman air conditioner systems and other AC systems, in addition to heat pump split systems, mini splits, individual AC condensers, gas and gas electric package units, and much more. You can learn more about what they offer on their website, BudgetAirSupply.com, but the best way to tap their customer service is with a call. Get in touch with them at 855-473-6484 and let them know what you need.
