Here's my school of thought--if it aint broke, don't fix it. If you're having a dust problem in the house, the first place to look are the filters. Yes, dust collects in the ducts for a whole lot of reasons, but it doesn't necessarily get into the house from there, it stays in the ducts unless disturbed. That's how the ducts GOT so dusty in the first place. BUT, if you're highly sensitive to dust and you've already thoroughly investigated the filters issue and maybe even installed an air filter in your home (they can make a huge difference), then maybe spending the money on the duct cleaning will be worth while. To me it would depend on if I had a dust problem or not, and if I thought duct cleaning would solve it. If I didn't have a problem, then to me it seems like a waste of money to have something done that may have a negligible effect. But I'm not dust sensitive, so that would be the deciding factor for me. BTW, I run an air filter in my basement and it helps a lot with dust, I can compare that to the upstairs without the filter. To me, that would be a better investment if I was worried about dust in the air. But if your mom isn't experiencing any problems, then I would say it is just an unnecessary sales pitch. It would be difficult to make an across the board recommendation for something that may only help in certain circumstances. I say, let sleeping dust lie! :) But if your mom is uncomfortable with the dust in there, and has the money to spend, go for it. Somebody had to have jobs in this economy, might as well be duct cleaners! :)

I live in the Philadelphia, PA area. My outdoor design temperatures are: Summer, 90; Winter, 14. Your area: Summer, 81; Winter, 36 with lesser humidity. My house is 2500 sq ft with good to very good construction. My indoor temps are: Summer, 76; Winter 66. The house requires 60,000 BTUs for heating; 3-1/2 tons for cooling. I could heat my house with your furnace 90 - 95% of the time. Of course, you can't just divide my figures in half to get yours, but this is why a heat calc is absolutely necessary, and is most essential for cooling comfort as you need to control temperature and humidity. I'd be curious what your present furnace is like (model number and size, age, etc.), and how it works for you (frequent short cycles vs. medium to long cycles). v

Thank you all for the responses. In short, based on responses here and some more research sounds like it doesn't pay to go with a mini split for a 3200 soft home (that's without the basement) + I think the look is too aggressive and trying to keep a clean minimal look.. even the ceiling cassette units that are relatively minimal stand out a lot... I think ill stick with a gas HVAC system and use coil so the air won't be as dry in the winter and also install a dehumidifier to have it nice in the summer... I did want to have a DAMPER for each room but was told that it can create issues and I need to limit each zone to maybe one or 2 damper tops per zone otherwise the unit can start icing and causing issue as they get "chocked" As for geothermal, My architect did tell me to look into it but once again don't know if it make sense for me. Don't know anyone who has it and its seems like it would be adding a big headache with starting to dig again..... @Ray Austin Thank a lot. I'm hearing this a lot where it will take so many years for me to see a return on investment and probably docent make sense... @mike_home yes I have gas and I will be using gas for the HVAC & domestic water. @Steve Greenberg I was explains that one outdoor unit will be able to handle about 4 zones but it seems per the comments here and other research I did for a house of api 3300 sqf it doesn't make sense finically to go with the mitzubishi + I'm not crazy about the look of them (cassette units) Im also concurred that the. entire house as a whole won't feel as comfortable (temp controlled) when there are so many individuals zones. BTW I was told they can work until -13° but in the nyc area we down really get to those temps.. @fsq4cw I wanted to to floor radiant but its going to be very pricy to do my entire home.. so with no choice I have to let it go.. as for Air-to-Water technology im concurred going with something that is not well known and don't have experience with... @sktn77a this is my findings as well and think I will stick with HVAC and maybe add to each zone (level) a dumper to 1 or 2 rooms per zone. was told that having a dumber in each room can cause the unit to choke and create problems like icing... @tangerinedoor you actually strengthened my fears of being concurred that the entire house or level will not be air conditioned evenly if doors not opened and/or installing another system (CERV)... leading me to stick with HVAC im curious to know how much more expensive was the mini slipt vs an HVAC assuming you got a quote in HVAC. not in dollars and cents but in percentages..

Elmer's inquiry deserved more of a answer than your chest-thumping, self-promoting, California-bashing commercial. The climate around Katy, Texas is certainly not "one in a million." It's similar... Just "similar" but not exact... meaning different. Me and Mr. Fudd's disagreements are well documented on this board the story continually evolves from duck to rabbit season and back again. One in a million is a generalized comment... a saying. But you Mr. Ross love to find something to argue about for the sake of arguing. Distinctly different? That's rich. I find it humorous to what people like to nit pick over. It doesn't change anything. I don't change anything about the comment I made. You can disagree if you want, I still say Katy, Texas is indeed "one in a million"... at least. Ray is a one-person company. He lives in the replacement contractor world. When someone is without heat, air conditioning or hot water, it's often the first replacement contractor to arrive that "wins." Not hot water... I am not a plumber. Texas licensed for AC and heat only (HVAC). Yes essentially that is the "service" I offer as well as the part of the world I live in. Air conditioning and Furnace repair service in Katy, Texas area. When I say "service" I mean it. Every day, including summer holidays, weekends. Repairs also include equipment replacement. I myself install all new equipment I sell. I don't sub out work to sub contractors unless the contract specifies that (which is extremely rare situation). If you don't like the way I do things you're free to look elsewhere. I'm not here to tell you what your ears are aching to hear, I am here to tell you like it is. (Firmly and exponentially based on experience.) You don't have to like what I say, most of the time it's not pleasant due to a variety of reasons. In some aspects similar to the confrontational aspects of this forum boards conversations. Anyone who has viewed my posts know I come thick skinned. Disagreements do not phase me. If you want a gimmick, chase a gimmick. I could not offer the service I offer if my approach didn't work after all these years. I'd be running back around chasing my tail. You'd never get thru when you try to call me. Seriously? Think about it. Chest pounding: If you want to call it that it's your opinion. You're free to have it. My experience is my experience. 26 years. Easily verified. 13 years running my own company. Again easily verified facts. Essentially it's an advertisement. I am not paid to be here. I am here drinking my morning coffee filling in that time. If this isn't advertising my business what purpose would I have to be here? I don't come here to argue with the metamucil fan club that propetuates this board. Ha, ha... you know who you are. People search for me. All I have to do is leave bread crumbs so people can find me. AC repair service Katy, Texas area. Everyday. When I say something I mean it. Not a spam service. Don't sell your info. Don't pester you. You initiate the service you want. It's not that difficult when you know what you're doing. If you want a 20 something or 30 something coming to your home, you have to ask yourself how much experience does this guy really have? If that's what you want go for it. I've worked for companies like that... having to go back behind some newbie over and over and over. Used in not very fun ways. Follow my rules. I've been doing this longer than some of you have been alive. My methods work. Experience. What is it worth? Who else on this board in all the world listed as a pro HVAC service provider has my work ethic? Name one besides me. (beside the mini split warehouse spammer) Truth is stranger than fiction. There are people out there who read these threads and never post due to this kind of argumentative climate so frequent here. How could I know such a thing? I service the Katy, Texas area.