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I was deciding on this very situation 2 months ago. I studied the forums, websites, etc.
I found that Goodman seems to have a bad rap, but much of that is from HVAC contractors who dislike Goodman because they will sell to anybody.
They do cost less, and have one of the best warranties in the business. Go to their website and see.
Bottom line....care more about the person installing and sizing the unit then the unit itself. Care more about who will service it down the road.
I would not be afraid buying one. I ended up having a new 15 seer Rheem installed because I really trusted the installer and he ended up coming in with the best price......and I know I can call him anytime and he will be there either that day or the next day.
Hubby has been in the HVAC industry almost 30 yrs. and Goodman is the one manufacturer he personally would never consider working for and would never use. True, 'they' might all be 'made' the same, but he has his reasons.........
I have two Goodman units at my house and one Rheem. The Rheem is the oldest and have had to do several repairs on it, evaporator coil was one of the most costly ones.
One Goodman heat pump is probably 9 or 10 years old and has not given me one problem. Of course this unit is in the basement and gets very little air conditioning load, and not much use in the winter.
The newest Goodman unit is also a heat pump, and I had it installed to split the upper floor off from my main system. The house was built with one system to heat and cool two floors, never a great idea. It has been in place a couple years and also has not given me any problems, but I also would not expect a unit this age to give me any problems.
I have to say inspecting houses I see all types, brands and installations. I think I find problems with Rheem gas units more than others. Many of the gas package units have problems, but it doesn't seem to matter the brand, they just have issues.
Most of the problems I write up stem from lack of maintenance, and not from bad equipment to start with. Just like the old Ford and Chevy battles, there is a brand preference out there, and no matter what kind of evidence is presented, you are not going to change some people's mind no matter what you say.
Like I said before, each brand has their OK units, their better units, and their top of the line units.
I think some of it might depend on where you live and how much use it's going to get. My former home came with a Goodman system and the dang thing seemed fragile. Even though I had it professionally maintained as you're supposed to and changed the filters regularly, it froze up on me a lot. This was in South Texas, where it's hot and humid much of the year, so it got a lot of use. I wouldn't recommend it in Texas and I'm glad my current home came with a Ruud system, which has worked like a champ with no problems whatsoever. (Oh, my, would you believe that the technicians who came to do the spring system maintenance didn't even charge me for the call cuz all was well?!)
Anyhoo, if you live in a place where it's not going to get hard use from long stretches of heat and humidity, the Goodman might be OK. But if you live in the Sunbelt, try to negotiate for a different system.
Okay just for giggles someone explain to me why the quality of one copeland compressor in a Goodman unit is of less quality than the same compressor made by the same company in another unit?
How about the valves......they used to use Sporlan...so did everyone else. But as more consumers choose cheaper and cheaper products the market must adjust to meet that need.
Behind Carrier Goodman is number 2 in sales you are going to hear more stories. I can promise this the numbers Goodman put's out for money/btu makes that orange train everyone thinks is unstoppable look very inefficient in heat pumps in heating mode.
Trust Frank.......the knowledge behind HVAC is what will m ake you comfortable the equipment is a work horse and if it comes with an awesome warranty what makes them so bad?
Carrier right now has one of the worst records for leaking coils. There is so much more to quality than the name printed on it....that's for sales......HVAC companies like the companies you see at the grocery store a lot of times make equipment for other dealers and they put their own name on it like a "harris teeter" brand.
Anyone near the Goodman plants that don't believe their quality should visit their facilities. Absolutely top notch and they want everyone to know.....they will be more than happy to show you. They make money and have spent it in research and development.
I was thinking that myself.....the Goodman's have a scroll compressor, etc, just like the other ones.....and a good warranty.
Sometimes I wonder how much money goes to all that advertising...
SOMEONE is paying for all those ads......
I'm not saying that all brands are the exactly the same, I do not know. But I do find it strange that when they are all basically the same, there can be THOUSANDS of dollars difference in cost to the consumer. I mean they all come with a cabinet, a compressor, a finned coil, Transfer valve, etc. I know some air handlers are fancier then others, with variable speed motors, fancier monitoring circuit boards, etc, but they are all basically the same, more or less.
I got a 15 seer 2.5 ton rheem system with new air handler, hurricane pad, new lineset, R-410a, etc,etc installed for just under $4k.
Neighbors got similar systems for close to 10k......but with a fancyer name then my rheem. They might have been a but better, a few more bells and whistles, perhaps a higher SEER or something.....but I find it hard to believe it was worth more then double.
Personally, I would spend a bit more time choosing the installer and service people then the unit. A few years down the road you want a good company to stand behind what they installed......someone whom you can trust.
Honestly the majority of the price differences are markups for cost of business and how much the contractor needs to stay in business.....some may be better than others and have a leaner way of operating but still achieving the same thing. Some may want all the money right here right now......neither means they understand the concepts.
Look for org. like ACCA, ASHRAE, NATE, ARI, SMNCA......BBB is okay to find out if anyone complained but you need to know they know the engineering side of it.....
I don't like arguing with people over name brands.....HVAC is a little different......it's sort of like the auto industry it's regulated. They must pass certain standards to be on the "road". Mfg's when they belive in their product give you great warranties.....Americans usually eat that up but for some reason with HVAC there is a mystique about which brands are best or not.
I would say a closer idea to what's real and not would be the older the equipment the heavier duty it was. Efficiency comes at a price and it's mandated by the gov. When I say that you have to think it terms of heat transfer.....mass means longer times to heat/cool. Mass also means more $
If they make them more "efficient" they have to do it somewhere. It's not customers mandating it......it's the EPA.
Sorry gotta go will explain more later....if need be.
Goodman are cheap in price and in quality. Even then there are goodamns that are cheaper than others. One reason goodman and colamne are popular with cheaper tract home builders.But usually you can get a better brand as a option they are just the standard unit.Not unusual to last ten years. A good unit from a top company can last twenty five years if maintained easily.
Goodman are cheap in price and in quality. Even then there are goodamns that are cheaper than others. One reason goodman and colamne are popular with cheaper tract home builders.But usually you can get a better brand as a option they are just the standard unit.Not unusual to last ten years. A good unit from a top company can last twenty five years if maintained easily.
Some 25 year old jantirols that are several abused and still running would beg to differ.
10 year warranty is getting mixed up with life actual life span.
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