Don't completely rely on the information you received. Assuming lines are correct size to manufacturer spec, it s quite common to have these flushed.

I would call your local building authority/inspector and ask what is acceptable. Don't tell them what dealer told you.

I do run across some very strict local codes from time to time. Usually they are absurd and defy common sense. The last one I saw was a noise code.

Post back and let us know what you find.

BTW, how do you heat and with what fuel?

IMO

We heat with a natural gas boiler. We have radiant heat on our first floor and baseboards on the second. Would I call the town offices for the inquiry about the interior lines? My A/C guy left for his vacation today and won't out be here until Monday. He sent one of his workers today to assess the condition of the compressor. He told me over the phone that the lines would need to be changed out.

We heat with a natural gas boiler. We have radiant heat on our first floor and baseboards on the second. Would I call the town offices for the inquiry about the interior lines? My A/C guy left for his vacation today and won't out be here until Monday. He sent one of his workers today to assess the condition of the compressor. He told me over the phone that the lines would need to be changed out.

Building inspector would be your starting point.

Good luck...

I just sent an email to the building department explaining our situation. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

I doubt replacing the lineset (copper lines) need to be changed because of building codes. It sounds like the contractor wants to replace them. Perhaps he is concerned about flushing a line of this length.

You could run the new line on the exterior of the house. There are covers which could be color coordinated with the exterior color of the siding.

What exactly is involved in the flushing of these lines? We are really wanting to avoid the new lines on the outside of the house. As I stated, the existing lines run up the garage wall, but after that, must run partly in the garage ceiling because part of the garage has a roof that leads up to the second floor. So i really don't understand how exterior lines would run anyway. Any ideas?

Karen

You are asking too much as those on the forum can not survey your site.

There is a standard procedure in flushing lines. It is done everyday. There is no reason for you to know the details. It is an accepted practice in the industry. For lines that are concealed behind walls/ceilings etc and must be replaced, they are run outside the home and concealed by a plastic cover running from the condenser up to the attic and connected to air handler or furnace/evap coil. Again not very esthetically appealing to the eye but done everyday. It is important though that existing lineset is the correct size to the new AC condenser setup.

IMO

Sorry for asking too much. I appreciate everyone's help. I was just trying to understand the process.

Let Google be your friend.

Multiple articles available. They will only confuse you.

IMO

This may be the sign of a good contractor who may want the guarantee his work and equipment. He may not feel comfortable guaranteeing the workmanship of the old lineset. It can't be visually inspected. He does not want to be responsible for future leaks.

Discuss the options with the contractor.

If size of lineset is correct and dealer is not comfortable with flushing procedure ( and really I can't understand why he wouldn't be), then I would not use this dealer.

Flushing is an accepted practice by everyone.

IMO

I have placed calls to 2 other local contractors for estimates, as well as a second and third opinion. I'm hoping that the lineset can be flushed. We will see what they have to say about it.