Grainger (Comfort Air and York) v. Janigrol v. *

[justinht6]

I am opening up a restaurant in the East Village of NYC and have decided to replace the existing HVAC system.

The restaurant is 2,000 square feet, has 14 foot ceilings, and will have a maximum capacity of 150 people (on average, we expect 100 people per evening).

While I have not had a manual jade load calculation done, I believe that a 10 ton or 12 ton HVAC unit should suffice (please weigh in).

Thus far, I have been told that Granger is the optimal company to use. Their York and Comfort Air products are premium, and offered at a reasonable price (however, Comfort Air does not make a 10 ton unit and we will have to custom order a York 12 ton unit -- pricing pending).

All that said, I was hoping to get some advice on not only the sizing of the unit I should be looking into, but moreover, what brands I should reach out to (who has the best prices and most knowledgeable technicians).

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

[specialtyclimate]

first off it's manual j, not jade, and its not what you use for sizing a unit for a commercial application. you are going to want the unit sized properly, so that it both cools and heats properly. also it would be beneficial to get a unit that has humidity control capability, that way you can reduce your humidity without over cooling your restaurant and having uncomfortable patrons. the 2 best brands for that is lennox and AAON, AAON is the more expensive of the two, but also more efficent by utilizing a digital scroll compressor. Both are easily maintenanced and have a long life expectancy. Yorks are.....ok...I suppose but parts are expensive and have frequent break downs, and Goodmans ( janitrol aka Junkitrol) need i say more.....But have a professional come out and size up your equipment.

[nomadpeo]

an air conditioner is a box full of parts. the system design, including a proper duct system and adequate return air, and of course, insulation and heat gain issues addressed, are the real issues. most units utilize the same components and you don't necessarily need special equipment. lennox, carrier, goodman, york, trane and other competitive brands all offer adequate equipment. get a good contractor who is going to install it properly. if you find a contractor who is experienced in the heat load calculations, they will probably also install it properly. a two stage system with a two stage thermostat will best serve you when the heat load dramatically reduces during lower load hours. a programmable thermostat will allow you to maintain reasonable humidity and temperature at a higher setpoint and automatically prepare for open hours. also important is a solid maintenance program to maintain clean coils and check belts and bearings. make sure your kitchen is set up properly for exhaust and makeup air balance. change your filters on a calendar schedule. you may want to consider two systems for better control and a backup approach in the event of a failure of one. good luck.

[justinht6]

nomadpeo and specialtyclimate, thank you both so much for the candid advice. Taking it a step further, are there any preferred vendors you would recommend to get quotes * Said differently, is there anyone to call that has an educated sales team in place to help push us through the finish *

Thanks again in advance, and and all help is MUCH appreciated!

[nomadpeo]

for commercial equipment and evaluation, contact trane, carrier and lennox. talk to a sales rep at each and ask them to send you a top notch company rep in your area. that's the best way to start i think.