I am thinking of going with the company that has proposed installing the duct work in the attic, plus switch out the equipment. So currently, I have: 2 ton carrier AC unit ('91) 3 ton ADP coil ('06) 80,000 btu trane xp 80 furnace ('07) The proposal from company #1 that I am thinking of going with is for: 2 ton carrier perfom. 16 #24ACC624 66,000 BTU (80% efficiency) furnace #58CVA070-12 2 1/2 ton coil (#cnpv3014). Cost w/ duct work $8800 I had another company propose to put in a 3 ton carrier system, with a 3 ton coil, and 2 stage variable furnace, 70,000 btu. The cost for this (no duct work) would be $9300. I am leaning towards going with the company that will provide equipment and duct work for $8800, but I am wondering: - why am I going from a furnace with 80,000 btu to a furnace with 66,000 btu? Is more btu's better? - is the use of insulated flex duct and metal splitter boxes standard in attic installations? Are there any downsides or upsides to using this? Durability, noise? When you talk about calculations, are you talking about a "manual j"? I have asked various companies about Manual Js and have been told that they are like $600, there are too many factors that are unknown like wall insulation, and that a similar calculation was done when the house was constructed ... so I get the sense they are not basing their estimates on such a calculation.

All very interestng arguments; however, I am convinced that all the CFC hype is just so much mfr BS just to get new patent royalties and to charge more for equipment. EPA and other gov't agencies don't care a hoot about atmospheric CFC's. My brother lives in a large Virginia city. Their City refuse collection department requires junk refrigerators to be placed by the curb by a specific early morning hour and the disposer must call a number before a specific time to report a refrigerator on the curb for pick up. He told me - and I believe him- that he placed an old refrigerator which was still fully charged with F12 by the curb, called per the City's rules. Soon afterwards, a city vehicle pulled up outside, a man went to the refrigerator for three or four minutes and left. He walked out to see what the man did. He found that the city employee had cut the refrigerant line and dumped all the F12 and had placed a sticker on the refrigerator that read "No Freon". Later that day, a truck arrived, loaded the refrigerator and hauled it away. I have access to a municipal refuse disposal site. County trucks pick up refrigerators from various county public refuse collection sites and haul them to the county refuse disposal site. They are picked up with a machine that regularly damages the refrigerant systems. The refrigerators are off-loaded at the county disposal site by dumping them off the truck. Heavy equipment is used to push the refrigerators - along with the washing machines, driers, bicycles, etc. - into a pile about thirty feet high. Periodically, a large truck comes and hauls all the crushed junk to some recycle center elsewhere. NONE of the refrigerant is evacuated for recyle. I filed a report, nothing ever became of it!! Likewise, junk automobiles go to the junk yards, I don't regularly go to pull my own used auto parts but when I do, I see evidence that no CFC is evacuated for recycle. It is not economically feasible to recycle CFC's; HOWEVER, if CFC spillage were such a problem, there would be better controls. It's all hype to protect new patents and royalties and to justify mfrs' gouging the public for more profit on replacement equipment. If they can make repairing a system expensive enough - like extreme prices to recharge a system - people will buy new equipment; and they do! When our grand leaders in DC start sending inspectors out to find and penalize people who dump CFCs then you guys can continue your argument!! Otherwise, its all irrelevant!!!

Most use the same basic parts. Look at part availability warranties the experience, knowledge, and craftsmanship of the installers and servicers. The equipment must be sized correctly.

Do You Have R-22 in Your Old AC System? Here’s What to Do: https://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/ Faced with the rising costs of R22 air conditioner repairs, the decline of available refrigerant supply, and the increase in price of refrigerant, deciding what to do with your system can be a complicated choice. We’re here to help you make the best, most educated choice for your home. You have choices: Recharge Retrofit Replace 1. RECHARGE WITH R-22 OUT WITH R-22, IN WITH R-410A The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for implementing the R-22 refrigerant phase out for the United States. By January 1, 2010, there was a ban on the production and import of R-22. As a result, manufacturers of heat pump and air conditioning equipment redesigned their systems to accommodate R-41 0A, a chlorine-free refrigerant compared to R-22. The refrigerant would soon replace R-22 in the new HVAC equipment. EPA regulations require a ban on the production and import of R-22 refrigerant by January 1, 2020. After 2020, any air conditioning or heat pump system using R-22 that requires servicing will have to depend on potentially expensive R-22 stockpiles or reclaimed refrigerant. The new ban on R-22 won’t affect homeowners that want to continue to utilize their functioning R-22 air conditioning systems. However, in the event that that equipment needs to be charged with refrigerant, there will be difficulties. 2. RETROFIT R-421A – REFRIGERANT FOR TOMORROW • Unique non-ozone depleting, long-term replacement for R22 refrigerant • Environmentally GREEN refrigerant • Replace R22 without unit modification • Does not contain hydrocarbons, such as Butane, lsopentane or lsobutane • Replaces R22 with no change of oil • Usable in compressors designed for R22 • Usable with Mineral, AB or POE oils Only 2-component blend to replace R22 • Non-flammable; Rated A 1 by ASH RAE • Comparable to R22 performance temperature range • Usable in a wide variety of applications 3. REPLACE So, how do you go about making that decision to repair or replace your older R22 air conditioner? How can you tell when a piece of equipment has outlived its useful life? Can you get your older unit to last another couple of years by fixing it? Or will you have to keep throwing money into it, especially as the price of R22 continues to skyrocket? Newer units are more energy efficient and can lower your electric bill, but can you manage the upfront cost? The unfortunate truth is, there is no cut and dried answer. But you can make the best decision to repair, retrofit or replace your R22 air conditioner when you know what factors to consider about your equipment and its history, and whom to trust for advice. THE RISK FACTOR Hanging on to an R22 air conditioner until the bitter end January 1, 2020 is when R22 will no longer be available at any price) does pose some risks, especially for a business that relies on air conditioning. When you finally need to replace, how long will you have to wait for a new system because you’re in line with everyone else who is force to replace their R22 air conditioner?