I had Strand Brothers come by. They were excellent to deal with. Their sticker is on the unit, so I called. The guy came by and confirmed what y'all posted above about having 2 6in duct tubes, one high, one low. One is in place, the other I may have put in, so I can close in the ceiling so no more insulation falls in. He said that since the door has a good gasket seal and since the small closet is insulated, I won't notice any difference in the a/c bill if I close in the ceiling. I may do it anyways, just for aesthetics. Thanks for your help here. Mason

First off, I think you must ask dealer what upgrades you need to make to your attic where dealer will guarantee against freeze ups. That's if you are serious about placing a high eff condensing furnace in attic. Then get pricing from an insulation contractor and/or dealer if he provides that type of work. Weigh the cost of the upgrade and decide if it's worth it. I think quote #1 is ridiculously high. Good comprehensive list though for scope of work. Compare to the other quotes for apples to apples. On quote #2, I want R8 insulation up and down. I don't believe you require a 90 KBTU furnace for upstairs area. I would want to see the load calc to support that size. Drop down to 70 K model. I assume Infinity controllers for both systems. How many returns on each floor? I would want two returns on each floor, properly sized and strategically located. Filter cabinets on both systems? I think a 3 ton condenser for upstairs is oversized and would suggest going down to a 2 1/2 ton Sgl stage high eff model. Don't like that condenser on the Trane quote. I would like to see evap coil model numbers. What about filter cabinets? What model thermostats? Is this rental property? Who will remove old radiators and old pipes and make necessary repairs including flooring? These are just some general observations. IMO This post was edited by tigerdunes on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 13:02

Such a simple small house could probably get a load calc for $500 or so. Have you talked to an energy rater? Ours did a calc that the HVAC contractor used. Their fees were modest. I think it was $1000 for the overall package which included a Manual J, advice and inspection of insulation, submission for a utility rebate (we got $7500), Energy star certification which included blower door testing and duct leakage testing. Much of this is probably required with CA code - things like a blower door test and a duct leakage test. In my area, a manual J is required to be done but it is after permitting - it is required for HVAC inspection. Manual J is the typical load calculation. That determines how much tonnage you need. The complementary Manual D gives the duct sizes. (Just noticed that this is repetitive from above but different detail.) If you need an answer faster, you can download the software - last I heard available as a free trial for 7 days. Lots of inputs that you may not know. The biggest issue is solar orientation. Was that overhang designed to block the sun or more of a design element? One significant (and not often mentioned) advantage of a mini is how quiet the outdoor unit is. We have 2 trane XL15's and one mini. The mini is whisper quiet - like you feel the fan blowing on your leg rather than hear it to know that it is on. The indoor unit in our scenario is whisper quiet. Not to throw another option at you but ours is a ducted minisplit. With this the air handler is smaller than your average conventional system and also available at lower sizes.

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.