Let's talk Air Conditioners (Phoenix, Paradise Valley: appliances, house, heat pump) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

sells500 · 08-09-2012, 09:14 AM

I always come to this board when I need good information, so here goes. I live in the west valley and have 2 York 3 ton a/c's. They are going on 13 years old and have been told by 2 diff. Companies they are on their last legs. I have decided to run them until they die, which I know is not the best choice and I know they will die at the worst time, but this is the way I am going for now. I want to replace them with as close to a top of the line unit as i can afford i have been talking to several professional installers as well as google searches for feedback on recommended companies. What I am hearing is that they all use the same companies parts and it is really all about the installation and warranties? I was rec. by a close friend to an installer who is telling me he has been in the business for 20 years and sold all the name brands etc. he concurred it is not about the company but installation and warranty. He is pushing Amana and says they have a lifetime warranty on the compressor and I should be able to get 20 years or longer out of them. This is very appealing to me as I understand 12-14 years is usually the best you can do here in AZ. The problem is there is a ton of really bad press out there on Amana and it was even on news 12 the other nite stating there is a 1 out of 5 repair and that according to them was excessive. This is starting to become very difficult to make an informed choice. I really don't want to spend anywhere from $7000-$13,000 and then find out it is a repair nightmare. Does anyone have any RECENT feedback on manufacturer's/installations that have been holding up well for a decent price?

Ponderosa · 08-09-2012, 09:23 AM

I think 20 years is more typical for an AC. At least that is my experience and is confirmed by my AC guy. Anyway, the units are all "standardized" now. Same parts from the same companies with the exception of Trane. They all have Copeland or Tecumseh compressors and the rest of the parts are off the shelf stuff from China or Mexico. Trane has a lot of propriety parts I am told making repairs more difficult and expensive. What I think matters a lot more is the quality of the installation. That's really difficult to determine especially with all the rip off artists in the business in the Phoenix area.

Pink Jazz · 08-09-2012, 09:24 AM

Personally, my picks would be Carrier, Trane, Bryant, Lennox, and American Standard. Also, I would recommend a unit with a SEER of 14 or higher.

BabsJohnson · 08-09-2012, 10:23 AM

Trane 20i heat pump. These units have two compressors and run almost non-stop on one compressor until they need more heating or cooling. Wonderful comfort and humidity control. Have your life savings handy when you go to buy these. A friend of mine remodeled a couple of years ago in Paradise Valley and put in two 5-ton units (with gas heat). I believe the bill was around $25,000. They did duct work, too. She has very low APS bills. The condensing units are very quiet and constantly making clicking sounds speeding up and slowing down.

BabsJohnson · 08-09-2012, 10:36 AM

Here's a link to a six-minute video about the system.

The TRANE XL 20i Heat Pump - YouTube

nightnurse613 · 08-09-2012, 10:43 AM

Hmm, Trane $25,000 or Amana $10,000?? Our problem was my concern that someday (maybe soon) there will be a break-thru technology that will make my relatively new unit obsolete? My husband says he doubts that - AC hasn't changed that much in the last decade but, who knows??!! We actually ended up with a 16 seer variable speed RUDD heat pump (I'm not sure how this got omitted from anyone's list???). It seemed to be a good mix of cost vs. benefit. The determining factor was it was recommended by our AC guy-a man we have come to know and trust. My own reading and research led me to the conclusion that - in most cases - there wasn't a dime's worth of difference so the warranty, PARTS and LABOR might be the determining factor. I know about PROPRIETARY parts and, no thank you, sir. I don't know that installation if important unless they are split systems and then, I have heard installation is important. Heat pumps are pretty much tested and ready to go when they hit your roof and just drop in.

Bummer · 08-09-2012, 10:47 AM

For what it's worth, Sells500 . . .

I have a 5 Ton Amana Heat Pump that is about 13 years old and, KNOCK ON WOOD, is still chugging along with only annual service check-ups with an occasional added freon. Granted, my home has Dual Cooling so during the Spring and Fall I usually use the Swamp Cooler keeping the demand on the heat pump considerable less than a home with only air conditioning.

I would definitely keep Amana at the top of the list if and when the dreaded time comes to replace.

Maybe I'm jinxed but every time I update an appliance when the old one is still working, I seem to have trouble with the new one so I'm "on the fence" if and when I should replace the heat pump.

Keep us posted on your decision.

MotleyCrew · 08-09-2012, 10:54 AM

We went through Action Air and got a very nice deal on a new Trane. Cut our bill in half of what we paid in the other house during August of last year. We were very happy with their service.

Zippyman · 08-09-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andros 1337

Personally, my picks would be Carrier, Trane, Bryant, Lennox, and American Standard. Also, I would recommend a unit with a SEER of 14 or higher.

Those are all going to come in at nearly double the cost of an Amana/goodman unit. I've installed several goodmans and had no problems with them - the Copeland scroll compressor is the heart of the unit, and it's the same design in all the major brands. I had *major* problems with a very expensive Lennox furnace a few years back, and I wouldn't allow another lennox product to be installed in my house if it was free.

I've been running an 18 seer two-speed goodman at my house for three years now and it's been quiet and reliable, and it cost about half what a trane or American standard would have at the time.

If it makes you feel better to spend too much money, buy a fancy brand, IMHO, they're just appliances.

MGotcha · 08-09-2012, 11:58 AM

I had a 5ton Trane dual compressor system put in 4 years back and it is a really nice system (spend most of its time on "low" using the small compressor) but the cost was a lot higher than a normal system. If you are going to be in the house 10+ years it may be worth it.