May need a heat pump. Any brand suggestions?

[ace10]

From personal experience, I'll say that American Std is the brand you want if you believe a company shouldn't stand behind their product. They'll throw the same parts at the same problem year after year after year (labor on my dime, of course) and then wash their hands the second the clock ticks past the final day of the warranty. How many downdraft blowers and control boards does it take for the company to accept that there's problem with the system... the answer is infinity. They simply don't care. Never, ever will that brand be brought into my house. If they all behave like that, I've got a big problem, because my second floor HVAC is about to bite the dust.

 

[EE_Bota]

They have been installing since 8:30AM, and it is nearly 2:00pm
The pictures show the relative size of the units, and also, my woodstove I installed this past Christmas. I went with the Carrier, since I still have not received a quote from Trane, and he knows my A/C is out. The new one is not buttoned down, so it is a little straighter than that now.

 

[gabeancounter]

But another point is that Goodman has had some major issues with their copper coils, particularly in their air handlers from 2007-2009, and I'm talking MAJOR. Now they're copying Trane and now producing Aluminum coils, and Goodman swears this is the cure all solution to their problem. Problem is, Goodman has never come out and said they have had issues with their copper coils, and rarely will the pay a HVAC contractor to replace the coil if it's under warranty (if you're a contractor and have to replace 125 coils in the first year after you put in a system, that can really hurt your pocket when you have to pay a guy to do the work or do it yourself). I know of one guy who actually has had to replace at least 16 replacement coils.

.

I just replaced my 2009 copper coil 2 days ago- Goodman 3 ton pump. The new replacement was aluminium. Paid $400 last year to put 10 pounds of freon in the unit - contractor said the cap was lose. This year got a new guy that really knew his sh*&. Found the leak in 5 min - there was actually two leaks in the coil. Replaced the coil, blew out the system with nitrogen, vacuumed it down and refilled. Also acid washed the outside unit. $500 toal. Unit is working like a champ! Also he figured out the fan speed was set on low which was not giving enough air flow. Anyway ...my system now works great.!

Long story short...the contractor is as important as the brand!!

 

[Alan L.]

I've had the best luck over the years with Rheem. We have Tranes now which are nice and efficient, but have given more trouble in 4 years that the Rheems in 20.

 

[Bird]

Alan, I thought Rheem was supposed to really be good, but an 11 year old Rheem is what we had replaced by the Goodman last year. I suppose we might have been able to get by with just replacing the evaporator coils that were corroded and leaking, but the old freon has gotten so expensive I just decided on a whole new unit.

I'll say that American Std is the brand you want if you believe a company shouldn't stand behind their product.

Is it the same American Standard company that makes the plumbing parts and supplies? We have an American Standard F20 Clear Tap faucet on our kitchen sink and when I had a problem I called the company and that lady didn't waste any time telling me that they only answer questions for consumers if their product is still under warranty. They may make good products, for all I know, but it's a pretty safe bet that I'll never buy anything with American Standard's name on it.

 

[ace10]

...
Is it the same American Standard company that makes the plumbing parts and supplies? We have an American Standard F20 Clear Tap faucet on our kitchen sink and when I had a problem I called the company and that lady didn't waste any time telling me that they only answer questions for consumers if their product is still under warranty. They may make good products, for all I know, but it's a pretty safe bet that I'll never buy anything with American Standard's name on it.

Yes, same mega-company. They also produced the under-engineered "Champion" line of toilets.

 

[Steelstring]

For what its worth, I've put in two Goodman systems at two separate locations with no problems over the past 5 years. I simply couldn't stomach the insane markup of the "name brands". They keep the dealer system on a tight leash to preserve their markup. When essentially the same spec name brand system is three times the price of the Goodman, there is a problem. And when you compare the systems at the components level, they are essentially the same...even using the same brand components (GE, Copeland, Siemens, etc.). I believe everyone should make a fair living, but there has to be value for the consumer as well.

I agree that the installation makes all the difference. Get someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[clemsonfor]

How long have they made Goodman's? We seem to have a lot of folks like me with goodman's that are less than 5 yrs old. How is the longterm durability, any 15 yr old units 20 yr old units? Well im pretty sure it hasent been around 20 yrs but 10 maybe? Seems there are a lot of happy goodman customers. I had the same thing i got 2 or three quotes i think. The other guys were like double to triple the cost of what i got!!

 

[grsthegreat]

How long have they made Goodman's? We seem to have a lot of folks like me with goodman's that are less than 5 yrs old. How is the longterm durability, any 15 yr old units 20 yr old units? Well im pretty sure it hasent been around 20 yrs but 10 maybe? Seems there are a lot of happy goodman customers. I had the same thing i got 2 or three quotes i think. The other guys were like double to triple the cost of what i got!!

according to their site....since 1982

 

[EE_Bota]

American Standard units are made by Trane.

Goodman, they sell to qualified installers, and, well, me if I want one. But this, I mean, I can get the product off the Internet. As best I can tell, Goodman units are sometimes hurt by the installer. A pro will get you good service, a jack leg will kill any unit. (This is what I have gathered through my research, and I don't know for sure.)

They finally left around 6:30. So: Two installers from 8:30 till 5, startup guy from 4:00 to 6:30. Salesman in and out...delivering things, etc. They had to redo a section of return duct at their expense. They replaced the condensate pump, and all condensate piping just as their standard policy. A disconnect broke when they tried to undo the screws, so new disconnect at their cost. So, overall it was a long day for all of them, and there was more value there than I expected. I like the fact that if the condensate pump does not empty its tiny tank, the unit knows that, and stops working until I fix it...so no more watching the condensate line like a hawk during the first cooling week each year.

I don't truly know the expense of all that labor, but seeing them all work like Trojans all day long, it took most of the sting out of the price....and the house is finally cool.

In fact, since finances are important, I'll break it down:

7,004 gross. Reduced by 450 instant Carrier rebate, and a 270 discount for paying cash. That leaves 6,284 check I wrote them. Duke Power will send me $200 for installing it, and you guys all chipped in to give me a $350 tax credit. So, thanks to you guys, my final cost will be $5734.

Thanks guys for all the help. If I were not so doggone hot, I would have looked much longer, and I would have gotten that price down. Yet, I am not really disappointed at all with the outcome, since I believe it is among the very best units made, and those guys worked like dogs allllllll day, and heck, I chipped in a few hours before I decided they had it by the tail.

Each maker has problems with a design from time to time, but if it were a more moderate time of the year, I may have very well have ordered in a Goodman. I think I will like the Carrier too, but there are many good models.

I need to find out what they did with all the paper documentation...where it wound up I mean. I scanned all of it to PDF's so they could leave it with the units, but I need to verify where it actually wound up. I photographed all the nameplates too...old habits...from work.