Ryan... It would be R-22. We did talk about that and my concern about being 'stuck' down the road somewhere. I'm assuming the R-410A is the replacement higher pressure stuff? This guy was telling me that this unit has the ability to be converted to the new stuff if needed. He used a term like 'drop in', I think? Personally and just using my own logic here, it seems to me that the R-22 at it's lower pressure and it's ability to be recharged is the better way to go even with the phase out. It's been around so long and what are the odds that it will need to be recharged? I'm sure this is a debatable issue and could create some heated discussion. But is the risk of getting the older stuff all that high? This guy did give me two other options moving up in price. The price leap was pretty significant moving into the $5000 range....then to $6000 on the higher end unit. I quickly had him discard those since I can't justify that cost to cool this old house. These units would have been more efficient and include multiple stages or something to that effect. I know there was an option to get the newer refrigerant right off the bat. There was no pressure or scare tactics to to that. In fact, he gave it to me pretty straight about the drawbacks to the new stuff. I guess this could be taken a couple of ways. One of which these dealers want to off the older units before the phase out starts. He did say that it would be available for the next 10 years? Of course I had to arrange the estimate at the HD store, but it was the contractor that showed up at the house. My gut tells me to trust these guys. There was no pressure (upselling or asking for credit card numbers) during the visit or after (no phone ringing off the hook like other HD estimates I had). The ten year warranty and their professional approach looked pretty good to me. I think the 1 year same as cash may be a break even situation where HD takes their cut. I've had enough estimates to pick out the knuckleheads in my experience. These guys look ok, at least to me. He is also going to honor my request to have the unit set away from my screened in porch....which is directly next to my furnace. It would be going around the back corner of my house at no extra charge. He said the extra distance would not cause any problems. It would be an additional 15 ft. run for the copper tubing. I think I asked all the right questions. I just got myself completely out of debt (including paying off my mortgage) which makes this a tough decision. In this who-knows-what's-going-to-happen-next economy we got here, I'm prepared for the worst. I'm just battling the dilemna of taking myself into the red again. Also, at what point does the IRS give me a tax break for doing this? Thanks again.

Cesar, I have 122 year old ducts in my home (I have seen the original bill of sale for the furnace and know the brick ducts are original--the only thing that has been replaced is the feeder ducts in the basement that were replaced when the original gravity furnace was replaced. I now have a heat pump with A/C (I didn't install it, bought it with it installed). We have one room upstairs that doesn't have a duct, and we put a window unit in there (my bedroom, I like it cold, so it's great). The only problem we have is that there is a 10 degree difference between downstairs and upstairs (I think this has to do more with hot air rising than the PUSH of the system though)...and we have no return from the 2nd floor, just on the landing of the stairs. It can get a little warm in the summer as we try to go light on the A/C for $$ reasons but since we put in the blown-in insulation in the attic, it's been good. We've been here 2.5 years and are comfortable. I'm glad we didn't have to install it. I don't know if just because it works for us it works for everyone... our ducts are large, probably 8-10 inches square, with large louvered grates, and the longest run is probably 40 feet.

Is the thermostat on the upper floor? Is the bottom floor partially below ground? Are you getting good air flow to the registers on the upper floor? Where are you located? The problem is probably a combination of duct work and the cooling load of the upper versus lower floor. Have you checked the insulation in the attic? If the house is old, it is probably inadequate. I would start my increasing the attic insulation. Old leaky windows will also contribute to the problem. You could also look into reconfiguring your duct work so the upper and lower floors are separate zones, or adding a second system for the second floor. This can get involved and expensive but it may be ultimate solution if you want the upper and lower floors to be at 74 degrees on a hot summer day.

Sure it's possible for a septic system to back up, but a well-designed, well-running septic system shouldn't back up; if that occurs, something is obviously wrong. I wouldn't advise someone to avoid a home just because of well/septic. Municipal sewer lines back up, and not infrequently. If my toilet or sink backs up it may end up a mess but at least it's contained; if the municipal lines back up into a house/basement - oh cr@p! (quite literally, if they were the sanitary sewers...), that's a mess and health hazard on a whole other level. Water/sewer bills are climbing so high, I bet if I saved the equivalent every year I'd have enough to pay for a new drainage field at end of its life expectancy, so I'd refute any argument about that expense. Plus, a good inspection of the well/septic when purchasing a home should uncover any issues, including poor placement of the drainfield.