We have two heat pump systems, not quite 11 years old, Trane XL14i (R-410A) 1.5 tons, with 4TEE3F3A1 air handlers (SEER 14, HSPF 7.2) keeping us comfortable in central North Carolina. A preventive maintenance check last month showed low refrigerant levels (we hadn't noticed), and a leak check was reported to show both evaporator coils leaking.
After a very high estimate to replace the coils, we have a proposal to replace the air handlers with Trane TAM7A0A24 models, for about $2700 per unit.
I am thinking we might just top off the coolant for a while to see how much longer the heat pumps last, and do the whole system at once, but we have been told that the new air handlers would be OK when the heat pumps are eventually replaced.
While I would love to find a fixable leak, I can't do it myself and don't know how to find someone to do this. Any suggestions? Thanks for the help!