Which brand central air unit to buy?

TheGoose · May 9, 2016

Now I know why some of you are getting so many years out of your A/C's.

kcflhrc · May 9, 2016

Most reputable brands will have a 10 year warranty. I put in a 4 ton Heil Heat Pump with propane backup in 2013. No issues. I also put a Honeywell WiFi thermostat on it so I can access it remotely.

truckdiagnostics · May 9, 2016

Kenneth in Texas said:
Own 3 goodmans, one in my home and others in rentals, no problems at all with them. The talk about capacitors going out, yes pretty common nowdays since they made in china or mexico, so i keep a spare on hand for my home unit.

Are those there heat pumps? I have Goodman as back up heat in the shop, its OK. I would be interested in peoples experience with there heat pumps.

Kenneth in Texas · May 10, 2016

truckdiagnostics said:
Are those there heat pumps? I have Goodman as back up heat in the shop, its OK. I would be interested in peoples experience with there heat pumps.

no mine are straight electric but i know quite a few with heat pumps and they all seem to like them.

joefromga · May 10, 2016

Goodmans are basically Janitrol. Cheap units made to last 5 years. They will, then they will start breaking down. Warranty works well for fanning yourself while sweating and waiting for the repair guy to come.

I've had a quite a few Goodmans so I'm not just brand bashing. They have their place and longevity isn't one of them.

The top name brands are more expensive for a reason.

mapper · May 10, 2016

20 year old Bryant heat pump with propane auxiliary, still going strong. We do have it serviced annually by the same company that did the original installation. The only changes that have been made were updating the thermostat and control module.

truckdiagnostics · May 10, 2016

joefromga said:
Goodmans are basically Janitrol. Cheap units made to last 5 years. They will, then they will start breaking down. Warranty works well for fanning yourself while sweating and waiting for the repair guy to come.

I've had a quite a few Goodmans so I'm not just brand bashing. They have their place and longevity isn't one of them.

The top name brands are more expensive for a reason.

not disagreeing. I wonder how much of there decrease in cost is because they are made cheap or because they do not have there dealership network and hence there units do not have the mark up. I have heard that yes they do break but you can get the parts. that is in reference to there furnace.

joefromga · May 10, 2016

truckdiagnostics said:
not disagreeing. I wonder how much of there decrease in cost is because they are made cheap or because they do not have there dealership network and hence there units do not have the mark up. I have heard that yes they do break but you can get the parts. that is in reference to there furnace.

They are made with cheaper parts and less quality control.
The top brands are inspected sometimes one NY one and made in factories with better tools, employees and training.
Goodmans will get you by. I still have 2 in operation personally and I maintain 3 of them at a local church. They aren't horrible but are bottom rung. It's the little things that matter. Switch material. Design of condenser and evap. Stainless screws instead of galvanized or plain steel. More aluminum. Better fan design for more efficient running and less noise. Frames designs on condenser units, etc.

One thing about cheaper brands is that they are usually more available to individual installers. That means they have a higher chance of being installed by less trained or experienced techs. You can get them at the local supply house and they will sell to anyone pretty much.

Installation of a cheaper unit means more than just cheaper unit. Did your tech design according to industry standards? A ductillator can make a massive difference in how good the unit it and however long it lasts. If a customer won't spend much on a top brand unit he probably won't know or care about system design.

Cooling, especially in the south is a science and it's not just throw a unit in and go. So a Goodman installed by a master tech who cares may very well last 15 years or more. But your chances of a very experienced tech selli goodmans is lower. That may be the reason their reputation isnt as good.

Harbor freight sells cheap tools for a reason as well. There's a market for everything.

truckdiagnostics · May 10, 2016

The issue is getting the good units, its not like the kid can walk into the boss and say hey sell me two of those for the side jobs i want to do. trained certified technician is not the issue. They let him bring the truck home and can't say much about doing repairs, he paid for the tools, they however make it hard for him to get the parts. So, i spend my time during the day figuring out where to get the parts. I get where everyone is coming from, boss included. The kid would work the overtime and give the company the jobs, however they divide the work up and don't like paying the over time. So, he gets penalized(sort of) for doing good work and getting the customer recommendations. However, that is business. I have/we two heat pumps we could get if I could find a place to get them, without paying through the nose. Ideally carrier/bryant would be nice, they are pretty locked up. I can get Rheem and that is the direction we are leaning towards. Goodman ok for back up, main unit I'm not thinken i want to go that way up here for primary heat source. Thoughts on Rheem?

newbury · May 10, 2016

sixdogs said:
We will soon need to replace our 15 year old Lennox central air system that has been wonderful. One local quality guy installs Ducane brand but the on-line reviews are only 2 out of 5 stars. Another local quality guy installs Lennox but they also got only 2 out of five stars. What gives? Lennox used to be one of the best. Are they all like this? Harbor Freight gets more than 2 out of 5 stars.

Anyone put in or replaced a central air unit in the past few years that has anything good or bad to recommend or not recommend?

Thanks in advance.