It depends how far inland you are but my initial impression is that your equipment is too big, both for heating and for AC. More appropriate sizes will perform better and more efficiently. A load calc is essential and if done properly, will likely show that the sizes are too large. Or maybe not. It's easy enough in the software to jimmy the answer to show larger sizes are needed and too many contractors do that to get the answers they want.

The prices seem reasonable but this is a low-end brand.

I recently replaced a furnace and added AC in the San Diego area and was very pleased with the HVAC contractor. Message me for more details. You can do that if you click on my name, then a second time on the popup, then click on "Message".

I'd probably replace the one with the water leakage/damage/mold but I'd leave the other alone - "they don't make em like they used to"!

sizing of quotes seems questionable....especially for downstairs both heating and cooling...

IMO

Thank you. One more question please. As I understand it, a 2 stage compressor of the same seer is more comfortable, but is also more complex w more to go wrong and doesn't save much. I read it makes more sense in high humidity. Not San Diego. It's 1200 more. Opinion as to 2 stage? Thanks again

2 stage is about improved comfort and control of humidity, only comes in full ton sizing, i.e. 2,3,4,5 ton...i don't subscribe to the idea they are more complex. They most always have a step compressor, low stage at 65-70% of output, high stage at 100%. cost difference varies but should be around 1 K.

IMO

In a hot dry climate like San Diego, oversized and/or single stage units won't be as big an issue with humidity control as it the south/southeast but they still have other issues (short cycling, hot/cold fluctuation). But they are more comfortable than a single stage.

We have a 3200 sq ft home in NC. We have a 2 ton up and 3 ton down (both 2 stage) but if I had to do it again, I would have 2 up and 2 down.

" In a hot dry climate like San Diego "

The OP has said that he's inland but rest assured that the coastal zones have a shade more humidity (from the fog and overcase) than you'd think. It drifts inland too. It's dry compared to other parts of the US but true dry desert conditions don't start until maybe 40+ miles inland.

I formally lived about six miles from the Coast in San Diego - could see the coast down Mission Valley over the then Charger Stadium. Had A/C of an unknown size. In the five years we lived there we ran it maybe a total of ten days - and that when we had a Santa Anna - VERY hot and VERY dry.

Our average summer time temp was 72 degrees, as was the temperature of our swimming pool.

San Diego has radically different localized micro-climates!

Listen to the OP - he knows what his local weather is.

You're right salti but I'll say Yes, but...

My not too large two story place in San Diego is about 1.5 miles from the beach and enjoys the breezes. All the same, it gets mostly unobstructed sun all afternoon (a good thing) but the upstairs can get up to the high 70s-low 80s by late afternoon and the heat remains after sundown. For me, that's too hot to sleep and I don't like jockeying around with window fans twice a day to boost the airflow.

Maybe where you were with a bit of altitude had more consistent breezes. Where we are is always perfect outside (though it can be a bit muggy at times) but is without enough wind to blow out the place. I'd describe AC as essential most summer days when the place is closed up downstairs during the day because no one is home.

And of course, OP knows his climate. My suggestion for him to message me was so that I could pass along an HVAC contractor who recently did a job for me who I thought was terrific.

PS - I think you may have rose-colored memories. It's 90+ degrees in Mission Valley today, likely to get hotter, and likely to be that way for a number of days. With the climate warming trends that are well documented, maybe it's getting warmer in the area than when you were here. Locals I speak to say that summers have been hotter. And more humid.

The whole point of my post was to point out that San Diego has always enjoyed a reputation for significant micro-climates.

To repeat, micro-climates.

Thank you. I have it resolved. It's the Poway area, so gets hot. I had a load calc done for proper sizing and settled on a 2 stage 3 ton 18 SEER downstairs for added comfort to avoid a second divorce. Plus new 2 stage furnace.

I also had a HERs rater beforehand which helped me identify some leaks in the attic for the upstairs unit. I'm going to get those fixed for now since the 2 ton still works and get the upper redone at a later time when I can afford it.

Got 3 estimates, including Costco which did not turn out to be the best. I passed on the Maytag after reading horror stories. Maybe not all true, but I'd rather pay more for a better name.

I really appreciate all of your input. I learned a lot.

Yes, salti, of course, cooler coasts and hotter inlands (after just a few miles and increasing thereafter) prevail from north to south through all of California. Poway for sure is hot.

I was responding to your comment about using AC twice a year at the east end of Mission Valley. You either like it hot or it was a cooler time. These days even at the coast, having and using AC is the SOP except for the oldest of structures not retrofitted (of which in many areas there are plenty)

Maytag is a challenged brand. I think the biggest issue is that it's not really a Maytag, but a licensed product with the name attached to it. Nortek is the manufacturer for the Maytag line.

Most big names of old, don't make anything any more. They have discovered the easy way of licensing a name and not having to deal with all the problems of manufacturing. They merely leave the manufacturing decisions to the licenser of the name. Licensing fees (royalties if you prefer) are easy money... once you have a name worth using for that purpose.

I installed the Maytag line of air conditioners for a few years 2012-2014 or so. The problem initially was more due to the distributor. Which eventually left my area. So once this flakiness with the distributor started, I abandoned selling them any more.

With that said, the Maytag line has all been retooled to be micro channel system. Micro channel is absolute garbage from a service perspective. Maytag advertises this micro channel thing as an advantage, to them it probably is. Not to you though, nor to me as it only increases repair costs when the unit breaks down.

Don't kid yourself, they all break.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

For Austin

didn't York and LuxAire also use micro channel design at one time?

TD

Tiger, yeah York still does use micro channel design for their low end or entry level line if you prefer with a mixture of tube and fin coils as well, so you really have to know exactly what it is your buying when it comes to either of these brands.

Lux Aire is more or less a rebadging of the York line. So there is a mixture of tube and fin as well as micro channel throughout their product lines.

I really don't follow these lines all that closely Johnson Controls owns both the York and Lux Aire brands.

It's more common for me to see the older York line (R22 Freon) where I live, and these units were before Johnson Controls started up this micro channel nonsense. The last time I came across a micro channel unit, it was plagued with a multitude of coil leaks. The home owner chose to replace the entire system. The unit was a shade over 5 years old.

I don't know if the reliability has gotten any better or not. I don't think micro channel is all that popular in my area. (and for good reason).

I service the Katy, Texas area. (in case you're suffering from amnesia or something?)