We purchased our home in Illinois about a year ago. About a week ago on a warm day I noticed the heat pump had stopped blowing cold air. We called a local HVAC company and they determined the that the coil had stopped pumping coolant. Not only that, but upon further inspection they realized the outdoor heat pump was oversized for our home (5-ton outdoor unit, 2700 sq. ft. house), and the ducts and returns are way undersized. As it turns out, the company we called was the same company that installed the outdoor unit 4 years ago, and in the notes from the previous installation, they had recommended against installing the oversized outdoor unit, and had recommended that both the fan coil and ductwork be replaced. The previous owners, being giant morons, decided to keep the old small ducts, the 15 year old fan coil, and install the oversized outdoor unit. So now here I am trying to decide if I want to go whole hog with a entirely new system that's going to cost $15k-18k or go the cheaper route and just do a new fan coil and ducts/returns which would still be $9k-11k. We've gotten quotes from 2 different places and they're both in the same ballpark depending on brand/options. Both companies spotted the same issues - oversized outdoor unit, undersized ducts/returns. They're all recommending 3.5-4 ton outdoor units. Looking at either Bryant, Armstrong, or American Standard brand systems.
So big question is whether I just bite the bullet and replace everything or if I can get away with just replacing the fan-coil since the outdoor unit is only about 4 years old. I've been warned about humidity issues and short-cycling if we keep the 5-ton unit but I'm wondering if a variable-speed fan coil could help mitigate that. Any help is greatly appreciated!
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