The issue with replacing the lines is access. They are all hidden within finished drywall ceiling. Will replace if must but rather not tear into the ceilings. The lines are about 30' long at most. Based on the amount of total square footage I am leaning towards the 3 1/2 ton unit. Is that still OK with the lines I have and length? I am not sure why but two people have stated that the 410a can use smaller lines. If I stay with R22 I will need to increase the line size. I have been looking for information on line size requirements but not been able to find a simple easy to read chart. So I have been taking the sales reps word. I prefer to do my own research and validate what they say. The ductwork is fine according to everyone that has been out. I will be replacing all equipment with new. AC, airhandler and furnace. I do not have a heat pump and am using a gas furnace. Leaninng towards the R-410a version. Will be in the house for next 15 years, less to worry about I read it is more effecient, not much I understand. Due to the way they are made they should be more reliable PS I was able to find the link on the myths of R-410a someone had posted. Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it. Here is a link that might be useful: Myths on R-410a

Hi Sparky823, your questions are valid, I will try and explain, as best I can. 1. I can drill a well on my own land, but water law would then expose me to lawsuits from neighbors with shallow wells. They could claim I dried up their wells even if their wells have been dry for decades. They may even be waiting for me to do it so they can cash-in on the lawsuit. There is no way to prove either way, of course, but legal precedent in these matters is on their side. Besides, this is a small community and if I alienate someone, I am gonna have to live with them for a very long time and living in a neighborhood where people hate you is the pitts. Soon someone will buy one of their houses and maybe join us non-well-owners side and the balance of power will have shifted. But this is Santa Barbara, and even a piss-poor shack in the woods goes for $2million nowadays so it may be a while. 2.They have wells because their houses were built before mine long ago and my house was probably a guest house or something. There are about 6 houses with shallow wells and 6 without. These wells are shallow, dry or drying, and contaminated but allow the owners of those properties to not have to pay anything for the sketchy water system, even though everyone knows they use the same water from the spring as the rest of us. Those of us who do not have wells pay $25/house/month + $15/person/month for upkeep of the existing water system, such as it is. And who controls the sketchy water system? You guessed it, the shallow well owners! So they are making bank off it to boot. I cant do anything about it, water wars are the history of California and it wont change. So when water is trucked in, they want 1st dibs on it even though us non-well owners are who is paying for it. Its not fair and I may, as I said, go to war over it; but I have only lived here for 7years and some of these bastards have been here for 70+years. I think I can just wait em out, but every year I get angrier. I may drill a deep water well (6-800 feet) if I could hide the operation in my basement or something, but I doubt that its feasible, and I obviously dont know how to drill wells. So they claim they are living off their wells and dont want to lose their "freedom"; and for now I am trying to "get along". But I will not put up with this nonsense much longer and will appeal to the state health board or some government agency to override them if water still runs out.

"Is just putting it in the open drain at the floor and tying it down considered and air gap?" Short answer... NO Longer answer... "The key characteristics for an air gap is protection from back flow and back siphonage. Back flow occurs when there is a clog or blockage downstream in the drain line which with more water entering causes the nonpotable water to back up fully engulfing the air gap unit or at least reach in the back siphonage critical level (C/L) of the air gap unit. Back siphonage happens when there is suction on the potable water line and air gap inlet that sucks non-potable water port back into the potable (drinking) water line. The ideal air gap would provide protection from back flow and back siphonage."

This is a wild and tumultuous free market. Many factors come into the building/offering of CCRCs. You MUST do a lot of research because if you make a mistake with your $$$$, nobody is going to come to your rescue and get it back. There are no real guarantees in the eldercare facility. First: Is the facility non-profit or for-profit? Non-profits rate better for care and lower staff turnover. But be aware that at any time, a non-profit can be bought by a for-profit corporation - in fact, many already have and this trend is increasing. This is not, repeat, not, to say that for-profits are always bad. Many are quite nice. Where we found the biggest difference was not at the Asst Living level, but at the Memory Care/skilled nursing (e.g., 24/7 care commonly called "nursing home" level care). At that level, the cost between non- and for-profits was noticeable. We're talking a $2-3K/monthly difference. Also, when staff turnover is high, care suffers at all levels. We've visited places where the daytime staff that one saw in the public areas were all smiles and welcoming, but at night the staff was indifferent and brusque - not just to visitors, but to residents! Cost is not as important as the type of social environment. "Like to like" should be the motto of these facilities. We investigated eight nearby full-service facilities for my MIL, and every one of them had a different social atmosphere. We did very intensive research and multiple visits, to ensure the one we picked would be the best for her while being a place she would enjoy the most. As most know from my other posts, we were successful. But it took months to achieve it. You can check a facility's inspection record through the appropriate state regulators. Ours are on-line and although it took a lot of time, it MUST be done. When I finished I had confidence the facility we chose was ranked third in the state and had only extremely minor issues, which were promptly corrected. So what is the cost? There are two big issues: one is the upfront buy-in cost; the other is the cost of 24/7 care. Due to state licensing requirements, most senior facilities find it easier to apply for an AL license for all their living units, rather than designating some as 'independent' and some as 'assisted'. For Asst. Living, we found little difference between the various facilities we saw. In our high labor cost state, "rent" ranged from $2800-$4000/mo., for smaller units that were either studios, junior studios, or 1 bdrm. Some had 1/2 baths, some had full baths. Not all had kitchens (we didn't want one; MIL had dementia so not safe for her to cook). Within Asst Living there were three levels of care, as determined by MIL's facility. The family can negotiate but it's the facility that decides what to charge extra for. Every facility is different but most have a similar type process. It can be expensive: MIL needed nothing more than daily medication help and weekly bathing assistance. That cost $900/mo. and was rated Level 1, the cheapest extra assistance pkg. Buy-ins vary enormously. With a larger buy-in you are paying for your monthly costs to never increase even if you need 24/7 care eventually. With a smaller buy-in if you need to move, your costs will be charged market rate. This may sound great but every facility we met with told us they raise rates 3-5% annually, every July, without fail. So if you go in at age 60, and need 24/7 care at age 85, what the facility is charging today will be more than double when you finally do go in. Will you have enough $$$$? And please, do not fall in with the common idea of "Well, at 85 I won't care, and I'll probably be dead anyway." My MIL was 84 when she went in. Imagine her shock to discover that among her three other tablemates at meals, she was considered "the baby"! People are living longer, and you might well be one of them. We're very happy we found a place that worked out so well for her, but it took effort on our part. I urge you not to short doing your research. Find a place that suits you, even if it is a little further from family. This is one of the most expensive decisions you will ever make, and you should never have to regret it.