On Mon, 17 Jul 2006 22:10:51 GMT, CJT wrote:

JimL wrote:

On 16 Jul 2006 22:13:23 -0700, "glynndaddy"
wrote:


Is there a general rule-of-thumb for how long an air conditioner should
run and how long it should stay off? I realize this probably depends
on a variety of variables, but is there a rule-of-thumb. I've searched
quite a bit and can not seem to find an answer.

If it helps, my house is 1 story, 2400 sq ft. I have the thermostat
set at 78. It is 85 degrees outside, humidy 72%.

Right now, my a/c stays on for 8 - 10 minutes and goes off for 7 - 9
minutes.

Thanks for your help.


yeah, what darrel said plus, my thermastat has a 1 or 2 degree
differential setting. The 2 setting makes it run longer between
cycles.

This time of year, in the hottest part of the day, a well designed
system should be running just about all the time.


No matter how hot it is, it can get hotter. I would say a well designed
system should be running _most_ of the time; you never want to run out
of reserve. If it's at a 50-60% duty cycle, it'll be effective removing
the humidity.

No,No.
You DO want to run out of reserve. A well designed system should
fall behind on the hottest day of the decade. It won't be able to
keep up. Your thermostat will be set at 78 but the temp will creep up
to 80, 81, 82...... etc.