Rob “Doc” Falke serves the industry as president of National Comfort Institute, an
HVAC-based training company and membership organization. If you're an HVAC contractor
or technician interested in a free Air Changes Calculation Procedure, contact Doc
[email protected] or call him at 800-633-7058. Go to NCI’s website
atnationalcomfortinstitute.com for free information, articles, and downloads.
Why does the cfm per ton of air conditioning vary?
QUICK ANSWER
The cubic foot per minute, or cfm, per ton of air conditioning varies depending on
application. Approximately 400 cfm is required for normal use, while 500 cfm is needed
for high sensible heat situations. High latent heat loads use 350 cfm. Sensible heat
directly affects the temperature of the room, while latent heat does not affect
temperature because it causes a change in state.
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FULL ANSWER
An air conditioner's cfm rating describes the volume of air, in cubic feet, that flows
through the unit in one minute. A/C units in high sensible heat environments run at
higher cfm values because of the increased cooling load. With normal cooling loads, the
A/C unit requires approximately 7.5 air changes per hour to maintain a comfortable
environment.
With an increased cooling load, the required amount of air changes increases to
approximately 10 per hour, which is achievable because the A/C unit moves more air
per minute. An A/C's sensible capacity describes the ability to remove sensible heat and
lower the temperature of the air. An A/C's latent capacity is its ability to remove latent
heat from the air. This removes humidity by causing water vapor in the air to
condensate. If the air speed is too fast, the accumulated condensate is blown off the
fins of the A/C's evaporator and back down the duct, which is why units in environments
with high latent heat run at lower cfm values.
What is a Duct CFM calculator?