Air Conditioning - Need help with ac unit size needed/brand?

Our compressor is going out and keeps burning out the wires. We're tired of replacing the wires at 75.00 a call and are looking for another outside unit. Will we need to replace the furnace inside the mobile home too? We live in a 5 bedroom, 3 bath double wide mobile home. I don't know the square footage as we are buying it from the inlaws and she can't remember the footage. I'm guessing MAYBE 1500sf, is that close? I don't know what ton the outside unit is, as all the typing is worn off the unit from weather and is completely blank. The furnace works fine for our heat. Is there a way to determine what size outside unit we have? And if its the correct size for the home? The tech that came out said we'd need to look for a 5 ton unit..but that seems really huge.

You should have a data plate attached to the mobile home, if so you can probably go back to the manufacturer and get the size unit that was originally recommended for your mobile home. Assuming of course that this is not a mobile home that has been modified or added onto. You probably have well over 2000 sg ft if this is a 5 bed 3 bath unit. Once you establish the correct size yourself, then have three contractors quote the size system that you need and make darn sure you check their references and the BBB report before doing business with them. If need be get more quotes until you have someone that has a good reputation and you feel comfortable with. I recently learned this lesson dealing with a TV repair man if I had made a simple phone call to the BBB I would never have used him as he has had numerous complaints made against him. He now has had the chassis from my big screen and 200 down payment for two months and will not return my calls ARGH. I suspect that I might as well be buying a new one, a friend of mine told me that this is me paying my STUPID Tax LOL I guess he is right. Good Luck

I might add that mobile home HVAC units are a special breed, and not many manufacturers make a full line of equipment approved for mobile home use. You may find that most residential HVAC contractors don't carry or install equipment designed for mobile home use. As to your question about replacing the furnace.....it depends! You most likely will have to replace the A coil on the furnace, as 13 SEER units need to be matched to the proper coil. If the furnace is newer and in good shape, if the blower is big enough to accommodate the airflow, and if the plenum is big enough for the new (and larger) A coil, then you might be able to get by reusing the existing furnace. Only the HVAC contractor can determine for sure, after inspecting your system.