its been running ON for 3 hours now, and its 68 degrees in my apartment, its 58 outside.' the maintenance guy just came by with it still running, and put his hand to the register, and said "yea, thats not very warm, but it taks a while for things to warm up.. I told him it has been running for 3 hours and he just shrugged his shoulders..' i told him that the last guy (the other maintenance guy, there are 2 of them) didnt use any gauges when he "topped off" the refrigerant.. and asked "cant you overcharge the system?" he told me flatly NO.. after sitting there and feeling the heat he went and got a thermometer out of his truck and stuck it in the regester and ot read 90 degrees.. he said "shoot, 90 degrees coming out of there, thats great!" im no expert, but 90 degrees after running for 3 hours on EMERGENCY heat, doesent strike me as "great" then, he tells me "come monday, ill put you in a new thermostat.. HOW THE HELL does that help!! I put a brand new one on (which he doesnt believe has emergency heat despite me showing him the wiring and everything) and it had this problem, i put the original back on and it does the same exact thing.. IT IS NOT THE THERMOSTAT! even i can see that.

So far here's what I have for estimates, there are just 2: 1) Rheem 13 SEER 2 ton heatpump model RHSL indoors and 13PJL24A01 outdoors. 10kw back up heater on the indoor unit, Honeywell Digital pro 5000 thermostat. 5 year parts warranty, 1 year labor. $3962 This would NOT qualify for a federal tax credit. I asked about the tax credit, he'd never heard of it, but gave me a price for an RHSL 15 SEER of $5200, and according the Rheem website that one doesn't qualify for the tax credit either. His lack of knowledge of the tax credit makes me nervous (nice guy though). 2) Trane 4TWXS024 2 ton 15 SEER heat pump (XL15i) and 4TEE3F31 2.5 ton variable speed air handler. BACHTR1410 10kw heater, Trane 7 day touch screen programmable thermostat. 10 year parts and labor warranty. $100 rebate from Trane. Total cost with the rebate $5625. #2 offers 6 months financing at 0%, but I'm don't think I'd use that. He was familiar with the tax credit and said he provides all the certification and ARI number that I need for it. I'm tempted to just go with #2. Do you think that sounds good, or should I get another estimate?

Cigar Several questions. What is zip code for gmother's location? Describe typical winter climate. What size is system you are considering replacing? It is difficult to believe that a 5 ton is correct size if home has reasonable insulation qualities. I have never particularly liked the Heritage 16 (Trane XL16i). Note the relatively poor BTU output in both cooling and heating for system you listed. If money is no object, you might look at Carrier's new Greenspeed HP system. I am not advocating it, just informing you. It has high HSPF for an air source HP. There are three reasons for needing a properly sized heat strip. 1. To temper supply air when HP is in defrost mode 2. To add supplemental heat on cold days where HP by itself can not maintain indoor thermostat setting 3. To provide emergency heat in case of mechanical breakdown of outside condenser. What size is existing heat strip? Here is my general spec sheet for new system. both outside and inside units should be replaced to have a properly matched system. 15 SEER, 12.5+ EER, 9 HSPF best matching VS air handler full BTUs in both cooling and heating for your rated size R-410a refrigerant(same as Puron) scroll compressor preferred electronic demand defrost preferred thermostat with "dehumidify on demand" feature staged backup heat strips new and correctly sized refrigerant lineset 10 yr warranty on parts and compressor you want a thorough inspection of your ductwork system. size, overall condition, supply and return lines, insulation qualities, leak test, etc. any hot/cold spot issues in your home should be addressed. My personal recommendation is Trane/AmStd, Rudd/Rheem, and Carrier/Bryant. Depending on your location, I would not purchase a new system that did not have electronic demand defrost. Post back. IMO

I too am looking at the Rheem RPQL-JEZ and variable air handler. As a second home at the beach, does not qualify for $1500. Older home was enlarged fron 1700 to 1900 sq. ft, tin roof, bad ductwork and currently has equiv. of 10 seer unit which is still running but overworking at an ave. summer cost of $500/month. It is time to replace. Current quote from long time reputable local Rheem dealer is $8425 which includes, RPQL 3.5 ton 15 seer HP and RHKL Variable AH with all new ductwork. Includes 1 yr. svc contract, prog. tstat,all new R-8 insulated ductwork sealed w/mastic, new return air plenum sealed w/ mastic, drain pan, zinc ball, flushing drain lines, electrical and permits and taxes. Haven't asked him to break quote down into new ducts and ductwork labor, HVAC labor and equipment. I have found same Rheem unit online $3265 with no labor, ductwork, permits, etc. Another was $2695 but was the RHLL air handler...shipping is included with each of these. Also looking at $300 charge for Microguard www.adsil.com to help with rust and corrosion. Any suggestions on ways to get cost dow?