Yeah.... they are..... with so many manufacturers out there.... what do you recommend?

Having new HVAC equipment installed has more in common with finding a skilled cabinet maker to make you a table from lumber, and by comparison is much less like taking your car to a shop to have the oil changed and the filter replaced.

Installing HVAC equipment is skilled, on-site fabrication from parts, not plug and play. The skill and experience of the tradesman is FAR more important than the materials used. Ask friends and neighbors for recommendations of HVAC contractors. Yelp can be helpful too.

The brand of equipment almost doesn't matter, it's the professional's experience and skill that matter most.

So many threads on this board with AC installs gone wrong. Usually in less than 3 years.

It's more important than ever to use a skilled HVAC company. Doing this doesn't mean you won't have problems. It's mechanical equipment. I have installed many over the past decade, a good majority I've never been back to since. Problems with new equipment run a tight range of roughly 2% (this number if the person installing it is skilled). Otherwise this number could be as high as 30% maybe higher.

As an example I do all my own installs, service calls, repair calls. One guy for everything. In some parts you may not find someone like me. But you won't know until you look.

Most installing companies... the lower skilled people are the installers. (In some cases this is how new people to this trade learn... at your expense.) That's the risk for you in a nutshell.

This is why I do all my own installs. Be careful about using Yelp. A large family HVAC company can easily post fake reviews... as Yelp doesn't monitor the authenticity of a reviewer. If someone advertises with Yelp as in pays money to them: Their reviews may not be entirely accurate.

Same thing with the BBB. Money paid for ratings.... for some money anyone can turn that F into an A rating.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

If the condenser is 20 years old, then I recommend you replace it. Moving equipment that old is usually not successful. You will probably end up having a leak which will be expensive to repair. If the equipment is less than 10 years old you might take a chance, but you would still have a R22 system with a 20 year old furnace and coil. You better off investing the money in new equipment.

If shopping by brands, look for good HVAC contractors which work with brands such as Carrier, Bryant, Trane, American Standard. I usually recommend buying a brand that is popular in your area. Proper sizing and installation is more important than brand.

The fact is the new stuff is just more efficient anyway so I vote replace .

The cost of moving the equipment, and the cost of future repairs that come with moving it, would likely be more than installing a new system. If your system is older, replacing it will likely give you greater efficiency, lower utility bills, better air quality, and not require as many repairs as an older unit.