Most residential installations finish within a day, depending on system size and how accessible the equipment locations are. Older properties, awkward attic access, or ductwork needing modification can extend that. We will tell you which applies to your home before the day rather than discovering it halfway through and leaving you without cooling overnight.

Sometimes it is possible, but it is frequently a false economy. The condenser and air handler are designed as a matched pair, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old indoor one usually means neither reaches its rated efficiency. It can also affect warranty coverage. We will tell you honestly whether a partial replacement makes sense for your system or whether you would be paying for performance you will not receive.

From a cooling load calculation for your building — square footage, insulation, windows, orientation, occupancy. Not from the tonnage of whatever was installed previously, which is the common shortcut and simply perpetuates an earlier guess. If the old system was wrong, matching it repeats the mistake for another fifteen years.

Often not, but it does need checking. A new system pushing air through leaking or undersized ducts will underperform regardless of its rating, and you would be paying for capacity that never reaches the rooms. We verify airflow as part of installation and will tell you if the ductwork is the limiting factor — sometimes modification is worth more than a higher-efficiency unit.

Possibly, and we would rather establish that first. A system in reasonable condition with one failed component is usually worth repairing. Equipment near the end of its service life with repeated failures generally is not. Age, refrigerant type, repair history, and what the next fault would cost all matter. Ask for a diagnosis before accepting a replacement quote from anyone.

Salt accelerates corrosion, particularly on condenser coils and fins, and it is a real consideration for properties near the water. It influences where the outdoor unit sits, whether protective coatings are worth specifying, and how often the coil should be rinsed. A system installed a few streets from the ocean has a different maintenance reality from one inland, and it is better discussed before purchase.