Have you considered mini-splits? You can install several types of heat exchangers on the inside: 1)most common is high wall. They are least expensive and most efficient 2)ceiling units 3)floor or wall mount 4)find space for very small air handlers with minimal duct runs. Is this a roomy home? You could install something pretty conventional in the top and bottom floors with something else in the middle. I spent some time in Philly. I used to think it was awfully hot and humid there on the coastal plain.

OK, heres the info that I was given on both units: Goodman: 1-MBE1600-Air Blower 1-CAPF3743C6-Evaporator Coil 1-ASZ14036-3.0 Ton Heat Pump Condenser 1-Digital Heat Pump Therostat RUDD: 1. Untra Series Heat Pump UPQL-JEZ 1. UHKA Air Handler Digital thermostat It says install 15 seer HP 3ton R-410-A split system. Now whether or not my house needs a 3 ton or not I left that up to the dealer/installers. But my house was built in 1940, is about 1500 square feet, with NON-insulated windows, with non insulated exterior concrete walls. I do have quite a bit of insullation in the attic. This is probably the reason for the higher ton heat pump. That and trying to get to the tax credit. Both dealers claim that their units qualify for the $1500.00 tax credit. If not then I'm makin me a trip to Sears and just replace my 24,500but window unit with another and call it a day.

Here's what happened to me: Last Sunday morning, it got really cold, so, for the first time this year, I turned my heat on. Not fifteen minutes had passed before I smelled this AWFUL smell, like burning hair, and my smoke alarm went off. :-( Now, to explain a bit, I live in a fairly new trailer, which I got in June 2014, and, all last winter, I didn't have any trouble with rats or mice. But, for a few weeks prior to turning the heat on, I had been hearing sounds like mice or rats scratching around in the ductwork. Still, I didn't really worry about it, since I had had mice in the ductwork of my old trailer, which I had from 1993-2014 every single winter, and none of them had ever caught fire. They would just run around like crazy, when it would first kick on, and then, I would assume, they simply got the hell out of Dodge, and waited for it to kick off again, before they would get back up in there. Whenever I would actually see them INSIDE the trailer, I would set traps for them, and dispose of them, of course. But, as for them being up in the ductwork, I just figured "Out of sight, out of mind", and didn't really worry about it. I had heard quite a bit about mice and rats chewing on the electrical wires inside the walls of trailers, and causing them to catch fire in the winter, when the heat would kick on. So, needless to say, when that one caught fire, it scared the hell out of me, and I immediately turned the heat off, not wanting to run the risk of my trailer burning down, particularly with me in it. ;-( So, yesterday, I put some poison traps down under the trailer, but, the whole time, I kept thinking: "What if they eat this and crawl off back into the ductwork and die?" "How will I ever get them out then?" :-/ I realize now that it was the wrong thing to do, and will take them out, and use snap traps in the vents instead. But I guess I was just wondering whether anybody else had had the same experience, with one actually catching fire like that, and the smoke alarm going off? You'd think mice would have better sense than to just hang around and let themselves get singed like that, unless it was actually STUCK in there and COULDN'T get out? That's the possibility that worries the hell out of me. :-( Do they ever go up there and then get stuck?

A few corrections on the above posts. >It surely is asbestos. It is impossible to tell by sight whether a material is asbestos-containing. Only a lab test can do that. That said, one should always assume that it IS asbestos and treat it as such unless you do a lab test. >Begin by getting the best dust mask you can find at the hardware store. The mask you use should be rated 'HEPA' or have a 100 in the code (P-100 for example). Note, it is not the larger fibers but the tiniest ones that do damage to the lungs. Don't skimp on the mask. David R's description is pretty good but includes triple cleaning of all surfaces BEFORE the removal and no cleaning of the room AFTER the removal. I would clean after. >Call your city hall and ask where you can dispose of household hazardous waste properly. Follow their directions. >Which is the city dump, and you'll be charged 200% the normal rate. When the bags are taken to the dump, your name and address will be logged and now there is a paper trail connecting your name/address to asbestos disturbance. In the US, federal law exempts homeowners from many hazardous waste laws and regulations (and from asbestos abatement licensing requirements, if they do the work themselves). The concept of Household Haz Waste is actually an exemption from regulations for homeowners, not a bunch of special requirements on homeowners. Cities want to keep HHW OUT of the landfill if possible, so they ask people to voluntarily separate it and take it where it can be recycled/disposed safely. As for asbestos, a landfill is the one best place for it and there is no reason to divert it. It should be double or triple bagged AND labeled "Caution - Asbestos" and disposed with your regular household trash. You don't have to take it to the landfill yourself. That's federal rules; local ones may vary, so if you have questions, call whoever is responsible for your trash disposal and ask them what to do with X amount of asbestos removed from your house. You don't have to give them your address to ask questions, if it makes you feel better. I hope by now it's obvious that the 'disturbance', if done by the homeowner in a way that does not expose neighbors, the public or trash collectors, is completely legal and there should be no repercussions to anyone finding out that you did it. Just be safe. And if it's in good condition and hidden away from traffic/damage/etc. that would release fibers, it's fine to clear coat it and leave it alone. IMO that pic shows damaged/poor condition material and I would probably remove what I could easily access just to be rid of it. Very carefully. Or, you know, you can always test each separate material in your house at a lab for a few bucks, and if it's NOT, you can quit worrying about it! [If it looks the same on all the registers, it most likely is the same, so one sample is sufficient]