Thankfully Wade H. arrived earlier than the appointment time, which was for after dark. He called from the Southside to alert me to that, and gave me an estimated arrival time. He arrived at precisely at his estimated, despite having to navigate the Hampton Rds bridge-tunnel. After he completed the job, it was at the end of his work day, and he had miles to drive before getting back to the shop and home. Yet his patience in explaining everything and attitude never showed it!
(see answer to 1st question)
Wade H. explained the problem with original Sante Fe, and that a replacement unit was within the 2 yr warranty, so no charge for the new unit.
Wade was able complete the replacement within an hour as he had estimated. He worked alone within the confines of the small crawlspace. Wade crawled in, first disconnecting the defective unit, dragging it out, and repeating the process in reverse to install the new unit. Especially impressive since the units contain a compressor which means they're heavy!
Dehumidification