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MANUFACTURER'S REVIEWED BY CR:
To see if your system is on the CR list (and thus worth paying the paywall fee, or getting the info from the library), here's the the list of manufacturers rated, in alpha order (thus avoiding copyright):
Amana; American Standard; Arcoaire; Armstrong; Bryant; Carrier; Coleman; Day & Night; Ducane; Frigidaire; Goodman; Heil; Lennox; Luxaire; Maytag; Payne; Rheem; Ruud; Tempstar; Trane; York
A/C SYSTEM LIFESPANS:
Some people above talked about system lifespans. FYI: a residential "split-system", average is 15 years.
This is from the organization ASHRAE, (the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air conditioning Engineers - to which I belong). It is non-profit, and a reliable and credible data source for lifespans of all kinds of HVAC equipment. It's based on national averages, assuming an average quality installation and maintenance.
MANUFACTURER'S REVIEWED BY CR:
To see if your system is on the CR list (and thus worth paying the paywall fee, or getting the info from the library), here's the the list of manufacturers rated, in alpha order (thus avoiding copyright):
Amana; American Standard; Arcoaire; Armstrong; Bryant; Carrier; Coleman; Day & Night; Ducane; Frigidaire; Goodman; Heil; Lennox; Luxaire; Maytag; Payne; Rheem; Ruud; Tempstar; Trane; York
A/C SYSTEM LIFESPANS:
Some people above talked about system lifespans. FYI: a residential "split-system", average is 15 years.
This is from the organization ASHRAE, (the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air conditioning Engineers - to which I belong). It is non-profit, and a reliable and credible data source for lifespans of all kinds of HVAC equipment. It's based on national averages, assuming an average quality installation and maintenance.
Thank you so much for sharing. I am wondering when the ASHRAE study was done. I am think if they redo that study, whether they will get a different average time span. From my own experience, not of my ACs (totally 5 units) lasted that long. My friends all feel the same- older units last much longer than the newer units.
You probably want to be certain of availability of replacement parts for the brand you select.
This is key. A motor on my 20yr old Lennox system blew up this weekend. The part is extremely propietary. There was 1 OEM replacement motor in the triangle area. Lots of close, but not quite, and not adaptable generic options. If it were a Goodman unit, I could have gotten one at any parts house.
nothing lasting longer. ACs. water heaters, especially Refrigerators.
Consumer electronics became disposable devices several decades ago. The more electronics in appliances, the more susceptible the appliances are to being just another computer that you discard in 5-10 years. In my experience the mechanical aspects of home appliances are still reliable but the electronics are prone to failure. Unfortunately it's often not cost-effective to replace the electronics.
Consumer electronics became disposable devices several decades ago. The more electronics in appliances, the more susceptible the appliances are to being just another computer that you discard in 5-10 years. In my experience the mechanical aspects of home appliances are still reliable but the electronics are prone to failure. Unfortunately it's often not cost-effective to replace the electronics.
I have an old Maytag washer and dryer set that is 30 years old and still going strong with only minor repairs being done over the years. Every time I think about replacing them with something newer I think twice for exactly the reasons you stated.
I’d generally agree that the installers are much more important than brand.
The one thing I will add is that most of the large tract builders use Lennox (a a lesser number use Trane and less still Carrier) and I rarely if ever see new houses with Rheem or RUUD (they’re the same company).
What I don’t know why the large tract companies use who they do. Have they determined that Lennox is the cheapest and lasts just long enough to get past the warranty period plus a few years so they don’t get blamed? (And being cheaper means cheaper components usually) Is one sales VP at Lennox getting filthy rich giving super good pricing to them and their subcontractors and making it up on volume? Is it because the big builders are willing to spend more money on good equipment that lasts longer than other brands in a highly competitive market where people go crazy over a buck a SF? (I think that one I can answer )
It may be a regional thing as even in replacements, Rheem/RUUD is a small portion of the market. Maybe they sell better in other areas of the country?
I’d generally agree that the installers are much more important than brand.
The one thing I will add is that most of the large tract builders use Lennox (a a lesser number use Trane and less still Carrier) and I rarely if ever see new houses with Rheem or RUUD (they’re the same company).
What I don’t know why the large tract companies use who they do. Have they determined that Lennox is the cheapest and lasts just long enough to get past the warranty period plus a few years so they don’t get blamed? (And being cheaper means cheaper components usually) Is one sales VP at Lennox getting filthy rich giving super good pricing to them and their subcontractors and making it up on volume? Is it because the big builders are willing to spend more money on good equipment that lasts longer than other brands in a highly competitive market where people go crazy over a buck a SF? (I think that one I can answer )
It may be a regional thing as even in replacements, Rheem/RUUD is a small portion of the market. Maybe they sell better in other areas of the country?
Maybe Lennox sales include volume rebates, the more you buy the higher the rebate?
That is not uncommon in corporate sales.
But, oh, yeah. I will never forget the guy who asked me, "Why would I pay $112/SF over there when XYZ is at $109/SF?"
Trane is the only brand I keep hearing is good across all products.
American Standard is their sister company.
Both have been owned by Ingersoll Rand for years and IR has not interfered with their operations after acquisition; both were just let to keep on doing what they were doing well.
I've heard nothing but bad things about Goodman from anyone and everyone in the industry. Also, other brands like Rheem and Amana may warranty the compressor for a long time, but as the HVAC people say, the compressor might last, but the rest of the unit will be falling apart around it.
Lennox and Carrier are supposed to be good for some products.
Our current units are Nordyne which sells them under their own name, or for other companies such as Maytag.
Keep in mind efficiencies of these units keep going up so if your unit is over 10 years old, you may save a ton of money on your electric bill by replacing it with something newer. The multi-stage and variable stage units are even more efficient saving 30-50% of power/ fuel consumption.
When people sell homes you will sometimes see in the listing NEW TRANE AC. I have never seen another HVAC company mentioned in a listing. Trane has the brand recognition that buyers like to see.
Goodman’s reputation has improved since they got bought by Daikin according to what I’ve heard from HVAC people. It was actually improving somewhat prior to that. Part of their issue is they don’t have a dealer network and anyone can buy their systems and install them. You can argue the merits of a closed dealer network and whether it’s of a real benefit, but when there are zero hoops to jump through, you’ll have a lot of new companies installing, that may or may not be doing a good job and may or may not be around in a couple of years if there’s an issue.
Also, with any company, saying you saw a unit X years old so they must be good isn’t necessarily correct for a couple of reasons. One is survivorship bias. They had plenty of units that died early but they are now recycled metal used in other products somewhere. Second, even if it is true, that just means they made a good unit X years ago. 10-15-20 years can be a lifetime in todays corporate environment and things can and do change regarding engineering and materials in that time. The question is if they are still making them like that now.
What I've heard about Trane is that they require rigorous training to be certified for installs so that is very much in their favor. MY AC guy is certified for Trane and has Goodman at his own home. We work our AC systems hard and the Goodmans that replaced my Carrier systems have been flawless for the past 13 years. Well, one blown capacitor but I don't hold that against Goodman.
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