Tigerdunes I received information today in the mail. I guess this is their way of saying we are done......This is what it says.... AHRI Certified Reference Number 3130605 Product: Split System: Air-Cooled Condensing Unit, Coil Alone Outdoor Unit Model Number: XC14-036-230-03 Indoor Unit Model Number: CR33-30/36+TDR+TXV Manufacturer Lennox Industries, Inc. Trade/Brand name: XC14 Series Manufacturer responsible for the rating of this system combination is Lennox Industries, Inc. Rated as follows in accordance with AHRI Standard 210/240-2008 for Unitary Air-Conditioning and Air-Source Heat Pump Equipment and subject to verification of rating accuracy by AHRI-sponsored, independent, third party testing: Cooling Capacity (Btuh): 33200 EER Rating (Cooing): 11.70 SEER Rating (Cooling): 13.70 Those are the only numbers they have given me. It is doing better since they replaced the thermostat. Apparently that was part of the problem. Something still doesn't feel right in the afternoons around 1 or 2pm til about 5pm. It's hard to explain even though the temp says 75 or 74 in here it feels like a temperature warmer then what it says. I'm not completely happy. I guess I will have to learn to live with it. Hind site is always 20/20. I think I could have gotten better for the money I paid. I have no qualms about having the return duct work redone. It was needed and I'm glad I did. I am concerned this winter when the weather is below freezing. Is it going to be able to be as good as my old system. I didn't worry about frozen pipes or anything. This one has me concerned. I never did find out what was recorded on the AC unit. I don't know if it showed the compressor running like it was suppose to, if the fan was running when the compressor wasn't or anything like that. It only records for 24 hours and they put it on 3 different times so they could compare the readings. Never received any feedback. I guess they didn't like my comment day before yesterday. I think I got stung big time. ............................................. Bobpratt That is when I notice a big difference is in the afternoon. I also have a very low attic (can't stand up in) and even though I have huge shade trees to the east and west of the house the sun does beat down on it. It is also the heat of the day. Would you elaborate more about holding the plastic bag to the intake vent. Are you saying if the coil is freezing up it won't suck it up? But it still sounds like it is running like it is suppose to be? ....................................... I'm not sure why all these dealers are pushing Lennox. Just my opinion.....There are better out there.

Noise is tough to compare because window units vary so much. My new one is very quiet compared to the old ones. I thought about buying a portable but it was much more expensive than a window unit, then you have the issue of emptying the water. Plan on doing it once or even twice a day. How often will vary on how humid things are and on the size of the container. An evaporative unit is self-defeating. A big part of the a/c unit is to dehumidify. If you evaporate it back into the air, you're defeating the purpose. There's also the issue of security. You'll often have more of a security issue with one of them than with a window unit although window units aren't very secure either. Also, they're not as efficient as a window unit so it'll cost more to operate and won't cool as well coupled with the higher cost, it's basically a unit you get out of desperation rather than choice. Since you're running a refrigerator you're putting heat into the air again that the window unit puts outside. This means you have to make up for the heating in there. A friend has one and regrets it. Wishes he had bought a window unit. I've been thinking about having the window unit mounted in the wall. My old unit was just left in the window year round the last few years. Not sure if that contributed to its death or not but I'd doubt it. My new window unit is pretty light weight. Especially compared to the unit it replaced however it's also less BTUs. Another plus is it has a remote control that I really like. If you don't mind the expense, you could also consider a ductless unit. They're expensive, close to the cost of central or even sometimes more, but I guess they're very popular in New England.

You can plant shrubs or use a decorative fence at a correct height to block then from your line of sight when on the patio. But I dont know of anyway to make them dissapear since you need to have airflow around them and also make them accessible for repairmen. They might make them quieter than they used too, but i regretted having mine close to the patio because of the noise.

Arghh! I wrote a long answer and lost it. You need something with woody stems and waxy leaves like the Euonymus, not the more delicate stems of the MG and clematis. Move the clematis since it won’t survive the between root competition from the Euonymus, the reflection from the rock and fence, and the hot breeze, all of which combine to create desert-like conditions. One of the honeysuckles with tough leaves may well work there (avoid Japanese honeysuckle for its more delicate stems and ability to seed everywhere.). Give at least a foot between the Euonymus and the honeysuckle. It will need a much stouter trellis. I grow my honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens Major Wheeler on a trellis of 3/8” iron rod. It will take a couple years to settle in and flower IME so if you need flowers now, try a large hanging basket on a shepherd’s hook. That may work well in the long run also to provide flowers, though it will need at least daily water, but it will be above the worst of the hot breeze. Anything planted in the ground needs to have weed fabric (if it is installed under the rock) pulled back at least a foot, and you will need to keep a close eye on soil moisture. Another possibility is an annual vine in a tall, large pot that will get it above the worst of the AC wind. Something like mandevilla has waxy leaves and a woodynstem and is fairly drought tolerant for me, and I bring the pot into the house where it spends the winter in a front of a sunny window in a room that stays cool. i can’t see much in your photo, but unless this is a frequently viewed area such as just outside a window or porch or in the front yard, I would just have the foliage of the Euonymus and not add a flowering plant since you don’t want to pull attention towards your AC units.