Which brand central air unit to buy?

[dmccarty]

When we built our house in the country we installed Goodman based on conversations on TBN and with co workers. That was 11-12 years ago, and knock on wood, we have only had problems with the capacitor. The first one went after a long spell of days with temps over 100. Seems like the replacement capacitor failed after a series of cold spells. I have a spare capacitor ready to go when the third one fails. :thumbsup:

This is a heat pump unit.

I had to replace the heat pump in our city house right after I bought the place. Not a surprise since the system was close to 20 years old. I can't remember the brand but I bought a Rheem to replace it. We had some issues with the Rheem but I can't remember what they were and I don't think it was serious or costly because then I would remember. When we moved out of the city house to the country house, the Rheem was around 10 years old.

I don't know if I would replace our Goodman with another Goodman, it is something that will have to reinvestigated when the time comes, hopefully in another decade, but so far so good.

Later,
Dan

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

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.

this is like saying ford is better than chevrolet. Goodmans have basically the same parts as any other unit nowadays. Janitrols had probs no doubt but all brands have. If I am not mistaking Goodman sells more than any other brand.

 

[brasco426]

I've been in heating and air conditioning for around 15 years. I have a regular 95% eff condensing single stage Plain Jane Gibson. When it goes I'll most likely just put in a York, parts are plentiful in my area. I think that's a big consideration of parts can be had local or do they need to be shipped in most cases. I would steer clear of any modulating furnaces with ECM technology honestly it's just more money for repairs for not much more fuel saving, not to mention more to break. Like an earlier post said making sure it's properly installed is the single best thing you can do with your money. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to no heats and the customer states they just bought it or is only a few years old and just to find ductwork is too small, or whatever I find.

 

[RalphVa]

Our Lennox unit is due for replacement. Guy was here today to check things out to give us a quote. They normally do Carrier, and they replaced our Trane unit with a 4 ton Carrier around 6 years ago. The Carrier heat pump is very quiet. You can hear it now, but when new you could hardly hear it out there next to it. It's been a good one.

Ralph

 

[ultrarunner]

I have 18 Carrier Package Unit Gas Packs and a 50 ton build up unit...

One good thing about Carrier is so far I have had no issue getting parts... even on 20 year old units.

Now with more production leaving the USA it does give me pause.

In Washington I have a Rheem... it has been OK once the installer get it set up right... small family owned business.

The Carrier Dealer wanted to sell me the top of the line in efficiency and complexity... not going to go there.

I have installed several Tempstar Units and nothing bad to say... very versatile as far as placement and the variable speed blower and 3 stages of gas heat have proved extremely quiet... and the newest is going on 12 years now.

 

[MacLawn]

Right now, heat pump man is at my house trying to figure out what is causing condensate leaking from inside coil thingamajig. Been doing that since it was installed 12 years ago. A Carrier 2 stage heat pump. I'm fed up with these cooling coils behind the filter leaking onto my subfloor. I'm ready to go geothermal or something! Still have to deal with condensate, but the return coil thing in under the house in crawl space for those. In my crawl space setup it would be anyway.

 

[joefromga]

Leaks are usually straightforward. If you have a condensate pump they get mildew and clog.

Look around and see if you can spot the source. You can have him install a drip pan installed that will catch anything at least to keep your flooring from rotting. They even have float cutoff switches that will stop the ac if the pan gets too full.

 

[teejk]

You find your preferred service person and let him/her help you decide. If they have been in business for a long time they have their preferred brands and will have the parts on their truck. In my case my guy has been using Ruud for about 40 years now...he knows how they work. The machine itself is pretty much "generic".

 

[brasco426]

Ruud is pretty much a Rheem and imho a solid piece of equipment

 

[teejk]

Ruud is pretty much a Rheem and imho a solid piece of equipment

I think Carrier and Bryant and Day and Night (if that latter one still exists) are all identical. The old dealer networks had to be preserved under various protectionist laws (not unlike the old auto dealers) but the stuff was all coming from the same factory. Will ask my guy about Ruud. He's primarily commercial but "dabbles" in the residential market for himself and close friends...he installed Ruud here when I built.