Is it your own home or a rental?

If yours, then it's probably worth doing some
work and replacing that entire sleeve assembly.

Best option: You can get "mini splits" which
are far, far, more efficient and quieter. $1,600
should come close to covering a brand new
assembly.

Note that while most require a professional HVAC
installation, there are some that come with "pre-charged"
refrigeration lines.


We own our home.

Those splits are nice. We have one for our finished basement. It would be a lot of work. Sheetrock, trim, vinyl siding outside, painting - probably the entire kitchen and hall which could use a paint job.

Not sure how much longer we will be here. Need something to get us through another 4 years maybe. Investing in these homes at some point is a losing proposition. Builders buy these for the land value and put up 2 story modern homes. Hard to get back what you put into these older capes.

Would love to just repair the one we have. Wish I was more handy but it is beyond my abilities to try and fix it myself.