Thanks for the response. In looking over the bid, it actually says "new disconnect whip" which I assumed meant all the wiring. I might have assumed incorrectly.

The disconnect whip is the wiring from the outdoor disconnect box to the condenser. This should be replaced.

At 25 years if that ductwork is flex duct and original to the house you really should consider replacing that as well.

15 years is the 'average' national life of an HVAC system. At 25 years, your system is running on borrowed time.

It's often times likely for flex duct to start splitting apart at the 20+ year point. Typically doing ductwork later the costs are higher when not combined with new equipment so doing this at the time the equipment is replaced is often times the better remedy.

Duct work can make or break a unit's performance, not to mention can be the cause of it's demise. If the ducts were 12-15 years old, that might change my opinion.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

@Austin Air Companie, the duct work is sheet metal. We had the home moved three years ago and the company that hooked up our system checked it then. There were a couple of seams that needed attention, but otherwise they said it looked pretty good for its age.

@mike-home, thanks for the clarification.

ah ok. Sheet metal ducts are different. You said this was a "manufactured home", which lead me to believe the ductwork was flex duct.

Never seen a manufactured / mobile home without flex duct.

What is your location? How long to plan to keep this place?

Is this system a package unit or split system?

I'm in Illinois. The home is 25 years old, and the guy who moved it said it was a much better built home than what's out there today or even 15 years ago.

As for how long we plan to keep it, right now I would say at least five or more years. It's paid for, and home prices are astronomical, so I can't see moving any time soon. Thanks for the response.

I doubt I would ever recommend a heat pump for Illinois climate. If you're out in the sticks no access to natural gas then propane would be next choice, IMHO. Unless your electric rates are really low like maybe 6 cent per KWH or lower just stick with electric heat. Propane isn't cheap either.

Just going with standard heat pump once below 35 degrees performance falls off a cliff. You're then likely using electric strip heat anyway.

Just over 20 years ago lived in Chicago area. Those winters are brutal, not ideal for traditional heat pump system.

Heat pump works by pulling heat from outdoor air and transfering it indoors. Problem is in cold climates the colder it gets, the more heat you need the less heat you can get from a heat pump.

You could look at inverter heat pump as that has a much lower design parameter can provide heat down to 5F --- even with that I think you'll need back up heat. But with only a possible 5 year to maybe 10 year time span at this property that's a tough call.