Why is hvac measured in tons

Why it is in tons? Welcome to Engineering Master. In this article, we will tell you the answer… When I was young, I always think that the AC is heavy as it weighs in tons. But today I realized that I was wrong. Air conditioning tonnage has nothing to do with weight. A ton is used to describe how much heat is removing from a room in 1 hour.

In earlier times, natural ice is used to cool a room. So, the cooling we get in a room with 1 ton of ice in 24 hours is called as ton of refrigeration. After that, air conditioners are invented and the cooling capacity of ice is matched with cooling capacity of air conditioners. As he was explaining things to her, he mentioned that they would be installing a 4 ton unit.

The confusion here is completely natural. A 4 ton air conditioner is one that can remove 48, BTUs of heat per hour from the house. For most people, though, 4 tons means pounds.

A BTU is a British Thermal Unit, approximately the amount of heat you get from burning one kitchen match all the way down. Before Willis Carrier invented the modern air conditioner, people used to cool buildings in the summertime with ice harvested from rivers and lakes in the wintertime.

A Green Homes America article quotes ice production figures from the 19th century Ice and Refrigeration journal, indicating that the crop from the Hudson River was about 4 million tons. OK, so people used to cool and refrigerate with ice. How does that equate to air conditioning capacity in BTUs per hour, you ask? When ice is below freezing and it absorbs heat, the temperature increases. You May Also Like. October 25, Waking Up Tired? Increase Font Size. Underline Links.

Highlight Links. A pound of ice at 32 degrees requires BTUs to melt it. The AC tonnage measurement was further refined to indicate how much heat would be required per hour over a hour span to achieve the same effect. This number is rounded up to 12, One ton of air conditioner capacity is the equivalent of 12, BTUs of heat removal per hour.

So what does the capacity an air conditioner mean to you? Knowing the capacity of an air conditioner helps when choosing a cooling system that is correctly sized for your home. Contact us today for more information on air conditioner capacity and what it means to your home comfort.