I purchased a home in Florida 2 years ago. The air conditioner was over 20 years old, so I immediately had it replaced by what we thought was a reputable company. It worked okay for awhile, but when I was there in the summer it had obvious problems keeping up with the heat. It is a 2 ton unit in an 1100 square foot condo with only 2 exterior walls and a lot of shade. The original installers said it was a bad coil and under warranty. They replaced it, but charged $500 labor. The next year the same problem started when the weather got warm. The company wanted to come out again under the same conditions. I searched for a new company.
I got 2 estimates and was told by both that the installer had not installed larger (to spec) lines when changing from freon to the new coolant. One company also said there was no filter put on the line dryer and that it was clogged.
I am told by one company I need to replace 1 line only for $650 and it should solve the problem. The 2nd company says this airconditioner has a meter that can be cleaned and a new filter put on for $350 and it should work well enough, but to make it the most efficient both lines should be replaced for and additional $800. The 2nd company seems to be the most forth coming and giving me all information up front, but maybe too expensive? The other company only wants $650 to start, but may find a problem with the meter once they get in there, so are leaving it open ended and maybe doing only a minimal fix?
Any input from people who know more than me is welcome. So far I have spent $7000 for a air conditioner that is no use in the summer in Florida in what I was hoping would be a hassle free replacement before I ran into trouble. Hasn't worked out that was so far.

Thanks,
Jami