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I was told that mobile home ductwork affects the seer rating of central air units. So if a 13/14 seer or higher is installed what is the usual seer rating if installed in a mobile home?

I was also told if you want to use higher seer equipment to get the rated seer rating you must have ductwork added to the current high static ductwork , to lower the static pressure closer to normal levels like in a regular house.

Michael Weaser
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  • Have you actually had someone measure the static pressure loss of your duct system? – ThreePhaseEel Oct 07 '20 at 03:47
  • @ThreePhaseEel I have and the ductwork pressure was normal for a mobile home, it was done along time ago, and I think it was around .6 or a bit higher than that, don't remember the actual pressure value. I was just wondering what the SEER ends up being with central air in mobile homes. – Michael Weaser Oct 07 '20 at 13:26

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The statement is not accurate. The seasonal energy efficiency ratio is how efficient the system is at converting electricity into cooling.

The biggest gain is with variable speed compressors that run at a low level with very few starts.

The worst efficient systems 13 seer are the ones that the compressor starts pumps to a high level and shuts down then restarts in 5 minutes.

1 inbetween is a 2 stage compressor that can pump at a lower level and change to a high level without stopping. The inside unit the air handler may have a higher static pressure but if the duct work can handle the pressure the flow can be increased without affecting the heat transfer at all. One thing to look at is the payback in some cases the additional cost of a 24 seer unit VS a 16 seer may not be worth the cost!

What is the warranty length?

Higher seer units have more active components and fail more frequently (they usually won’t tell you that) but they are getting better.

When comparing a less expensive 16 seer to a 24 seer unit the cost can be 30% more will it save that additional 30% cost in power consumption in my experience no but it’s better for the planet.

So just making a statement because you have a type of home you would need your duct work replaced I would challenge that.

Ask to see the flow curves and the size of the evaporator housing. If it is the same size as your existing system there will be no difference.

Ed Beal
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  • I was told by various HVAC techs that high static ductwork does effect the SEER rating of central air. Also if you read most specification sheets of like Goodman central air units, it says its rated up to the specified SEER rating , so they are basically telling you to get the rated Seer rating it has to be installed a certain way , like using a air hander / furnace that is designed to be used with higher SEER equipment, the static pressure needs to be correct. I just don't understand hw High static effects the Seer rating , as they never told me exactly why it does. – Michael Weaser Oct 07 '20 at 16:13
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    Ok you missed the FLOW part of the calculation and yes I have installed Goodman units as a mid level system they are ok. Without knowing what blower you have or the tonnage of your system I could not tell you exactly what would be needed possibly a multi speed motor if you don’t have that now some hvac techs don’t have the training to install a multi speed system! The amount of air flowing over the coil, the tonnage make a difference. But to say because you live in x you can not say y would be required without taking measurements. Most high seer systems are multi speed. – Ed Beal Oct 07 '20 at 19:00
  • @MichaelWeaser were these HVAC techs working for companies that wanted to sell you products and installation services? They have a vested interest in getting you to do more work. Nobody here will profit from getting you to believe one way or the other, so you're likely to get reliable info. Check out Ed's profile and look a his answers to determine whether or not you want to believe him. He won't gain anything from giving you poor advice (like service calls). – FreeMan Nov 06 '20 at 18:38
  • I am a universal hvac tech and mvac with an electrical license I do both and have for years I don’t have to make stuff up just call a hvac company and ask them to do an evaluation on your system verses a new high efficiency system and how long the pay back will be after the presentation then ask about maintain efficiency and life span and make your own decision. They see dollar signs and pad the presentation leaving out maintenance. – Ed Beal Nov 06 '20 at 19:17