Thanks, Ryan. I forgot to mention that my house, which is rectangular, is situated so the the garage corners face SE and SW and the bedroom corners face NE and NW. Helps with the sun. Except for one spot the sun never directly comes into the house due to those wide overhangs. Prior to the leak, the current system kept the house cool unless we topped 100 which happens during the summer. This summer is shaping up to be very hot and dry. I am on an averaging billing system for my gas/electric from CPS, our local utility company. In the winter, they average around $90 and during very hot summers can go as high as $125.00 The Ruud consultant/contractor has given me three bids. Bid 1 is $6946 for a complete heating and AC 16 SEER 3 ton Ultra1 2 speed condenser, 4 ton evap. coil (RCFM Hm48), and 70,000 BTU furnace (Model UGPRO7E) with a new thermostat as this unit won't work off the power company's. Bid 2 is $5206 for a complete system Ruud 14 SEER 3 ton system (don't this this has the 2 speed condenser though). Bid #3 is $4116 and is for a 14 SEER 3 ton condenser/coil and keep the present furnace which is still working. If the furnace goes out later, it can be replaced with new one. Both bids 3 & 3 leave the free power company thermostat in place. All bids include a new 3/4" plywood bas for the furnace, an E-Z filter bas , setting and leveling A/C pad, upgrade PUC Sch 40, inspection and resealing all existing air duct and adding an a AC grill & boot in my sewing/ironing room adjacent to the laundry room by tapping into the laundry room duct. I can get a Guardian Air filter with either system for an additional $626. Is it worth it? I passed on the UV light. Only the 16 SEER qualifies for the $375 Energy Star rebate from the electric company and he will match it. If I go the 14 SEER route, he has a $300 coupon in the yellow pages. Plus, he's offering zero financing for 12 months. I have the money in savings, but might just put it in a six months CD at higher interest and pay off everything on month 11. The Ruud guy said unfortunately, he finds the duct work in San Antonio to be of poor quality. So I will definitely have that checked. Are there companies that only evaluate this or should I trust the AC contractor's evaluation. The Lennox guy is coming next week. I'll call Trane and set up an appointment next week. My daughter-in-law's mother has had them for years and had very little problems.

To be clear I did NOT say that they INSTALLLED the $30 thermostat for $200. I said they sold me a $30 thermostat for $200! The INSTALLATION and the SERVICE CALL were TOTALLY different charges so the whole thing was about $600 (and it conked out 3 days later so changing the thermostat didn't fix the problem,and so much for thier "diagnosis") so I DO think that the people I dealt with were thieves. I find it interesting that you would jump to such an erroneous conclusion as to me being difficult being the problem. That was REAL helpful. What I had hoped for was somewhere to start educating myself about what to look for in a good central air conditioner and what factors make one better than another, and if there ARE any REAL hazards about one kind of system over another (although I find that unlikely in refridgeration but I don't know which is why I'm asking). Otherwise the NEXT few people I deal with may try to convince me that System X will explode,and that is why Sytem Y which THEY install is better. Thanks

Thank you for all of the input. A third party did clean our ductwork not long ago, and told us it was in great shape. A HERS (Whole House Home Energy Rating), duct leakage testing is mandatory in CA when installing or replacing HVAC system. It was included in both bids, $250.00. Part of the bids were to do resealing and add insulation. As to the 5 ton versus 4 ton, I gave you the wrong sq. ft., it is a little over 2,500 sq. ft. Both contractors recommend the 5 ton. When I questioned again after reading your responses, the first bidder again recommended we stay with a 5 ton. Trane: Contractor said our space was to small for the coil? on the Trane. If he went that way, would need to use an after-market part to make it work, and didn't want to do that... Mike, we do get hot weather: few weeks of 90's but can get up to 110 infrequently in the summer. 60's day but down to the 40's night, occasionally 30's, winter, but try not to overuse our units. Keep it in the mid to high 80's summer, high 60's winter. Turn off at night. Try to do our bit for energy conservation. Bid on XC13 AC condenser, $200.00 more on first bid. 90 K BTU ML180E model furnace with 5 ton rated blower, $600.00 additional. Total $6,549.00 I hope I answered all the questions. Thanks again.

i'm purchasing a home in southwest florida that had the ac unit stolen. it was a 3 ton unit and i had a hvac guy tell me i needed a 4 ton unit (and therefore must also replace the 3 ton handler....an expense of 4,800$ for everything). the house is 2,000 sq ft, 15' cathedral in the living room and 10' everywhere else. can i get away with a 3 ton unit or should i go with the 4? money is tight and i would like to go with the 3 ton if i can get away with it. ps. the house faces south, has one window on the west and 2 on the east. shading is minimal. but if i have ceiling fans in every room, will this change the size of the unit needed? thanks in advance.