What is a good, affordable, heating & a/c system? Carrier? American? Goodman? ??

[new york kevin]

I have to get a new heating and A/c system. My current one is 25 years old and a Carrier & breaking down hear and there. I have been laid off for 2 months now and cannot afford a top of the line $10k system. Shoot, I couldn't afford a $10k replacement system when I was working. I can get a 5 ton 14 sear Goodman with a 10 yr warrantee on the compressor & lifetime on the heater for $5K plus the cost of the ducts. The majority of online reviews on Goodman are poor. The positive Goodman reviews are reinforced by supposed contractors stating that bad compressors etc are the result of poor installations.

 

I don't want to go cheap if that will just get me more headache in the near to semi-distant future. As I said above I cannot go  top of the line either.What is a good affordable system with a good to great reputation and warrantee? What is a good to great warrantee? Carrier? American Standard? Goodman? Lennox?

 

Any positive direction from our Dinar Vets family would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance. New York Kevin

[yota691]

Kevin, I have a couple Friends that install a/c units down at the campgrounds, and they choose Goodman...I had the top of line Trane and it only lasted until the expiration of the warranty. Hope this help ya....

[keepmwlknfny]

I have to get a new heating and A/c system. My current one is 25 years old and a Carrier & breaking down hear and there. I have been laid off for 2 months now and cannot afford a top of the line $10k system. Shoot, I couldn't afford a $10k replacement system when I was working. I can get a 5 ton 14 sear Goodman with a 10 yr warrantee on the compressor & lifetime on the heater for $5K plus the cost of the ducts. The majority of online reviews on Goodman are poor. The positive Goodman reviews are reinforced by supposed contractors stating that bad compressors etc are the result of poor installations.

I don't want to go cheap if that will just get me more headache in the near to semi-distant future. As I said above I cannot go top of the line either.What is a good affordable system with a good to great reputation and warrantee? What is a good to great warrantee? Carrier? American Standard? Goodman? Lennox?

Any positive direction from our Dinar Vets family would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance. New York Kevin

I have family in the HVAC business.....always been told to stay away from Goodman. Its the go to cheap route when building homes/apts. But here is a thought....how long do you plan on staying in your current residence? If you dont plan on staying very long, and your in a financial crunch, then go cheap and let the next residents deal with any future issues the system may have. If your staying put, then the old saying holds true, you get what you pay for.

[caz1104]

I have family in the HVAC business.....always been told to stay away from Goodman. Its the go to cheap route when building homes/apts. But here is a thought....how long do you plan on staying in your current residence? If you dont plan on staying very long, and your in a financial crunch, then go cheap and let the next residents deal with any future issues the system may have. If your staying put, then the old saying holds true, you get what you pay for.

"you get what you pay for" ain't that the truth

[pattyangel]

I agree with keepmwlknfny, just get something that will hold you over till your  finance situation picks up, or until it RV's (soon).  Hopefully it will be when your back on your feet. 

 

Because the world may not be here any longer, the way things are going. 

[SocalDinar]

I Had 2 American Standard units and fan coils installed 12 years ago with no problems ever. Then again I only use the AC maybe 5 times a year

[dog53]

Have heard some real horror storys about goodman.  Its always best in my opinion to try to stay in the middile not to cheap not to expensive. I bought a American 10 years ago. so far I have had no problems. 

[yota691]

Just passing on what they told me..I do know I spent good money, top of the Line... Trane and it only last 10 years, it was Non Repairable....but then again everything is not made like it was 20 years ago....

[RodandStaff]

I did some work to help out an A/C installer friend... and if he ran into someone who was in a financial pinch he would track down a scratch and dent unit... it's amazin' how much they knock off for a little tiny scratch or insignificant dent.  Oh, and btw... he was "Carrier" all the way!!!   

[waterman13]

I'd second that yota, I've had good luck with Trane, American I guess would be next choice, then Carrier.

JMO

WM13

[EagleEye]

The key in all of this is the fact that due to "greed" we live in an era of programmed obsolescence....few things out there do NOT have a "shelf life"....I find that in the high-end market major appliances A/C and the like...RodandStaff hit a very important point...Lowes & Home Depot (both in NY) have floor models that are dent & ding....last years model....returns with little or no usage...all at BIG discounts....you might check there...

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

 

Snag a Mitsubishi Mini Split for now just to get by.

 

When things get better, invest in a bigger / better system.

 

But the mini split will save you for now and quite cost-effectively, too.

 

We put one in 'temporarily' on a 980 sf cottage a few years back with the intention of replacing the HVAC later,

and never since have replaced it because it does SO well.

[The Machine]

Move to Scotland ...... No need for AC only central heating required lol

[Kaduku]

Samsung or Mitsubishi have great qualities too... Prefer you get the SPLIT AC unit or individual ones per room.

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

****///

 

Article just posted Mitsubishi now in BASRA...

bet you could get a good deal there !

[yota691]

Kevin my a/c man just left an I stand corrected, he states that goodman is junk...an he installs RUUD units...sry for my confusion....

[rockfl9]

I have a Ruud . 12 years and still runs fine . NO service calls ever.. My neighbor installed a Goodman last Fall and needed 2 service calls that I know of .

[divemaster5734]

I have to get a new heating and A/c system. My current one is 25 years old and a Carrier & breaking down hear and there. I have been laid off for 2 months now and cannot afford a top of the line $10k system. Shoot, I couldn't afford a $10k replacement system when I was working. I can get a 5 ton 14 sear Goodman with a 10 yr warrantee on the compressor & lifetime on the heater for $5K plus the cost of the ducts. The majority of online reviews on Goodman are poor. The positive Goodman reviews are reinforced by supposed contractors stating that bad compressors etc are the result of poor installations.

 

I don't want to go cheap if that will just get me more headache in the near to semi-distant future. As I said above I cannot go  top of the line either.What is a good affordable system with a good to great reputation and warrantee? What is a good to great warrantee? Carrier? American Standard? Goodman? Lennox?

 

Any positive direction from our Dinar Vets family would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance. New York Kevin

The mini splits are the best when you don't have a lot of property, but then they are very expensive units. They operate on the same principal large commercial and government buildings have been using for 20 years.

 

Due to the efficiency of the heat pump/fan coil systems(mini splits, ground loop, etc) there are people converting during a home purchase.

I have sent crews to disconnect newly installed FAU's in order to convert.

A lot of those units were installed when the previous owner decided to sell, and performed basic upgrades to increase market value.

There are also people converting from gas to electric, or electric to gas, depending on the new owners preferences.

I'll bet if you called some HVAC shops in the area you will find some good to excellent condition equipment for a fraction of the original cost.

I've found units for customers this way, I also occasionally find used units for the controls or motors that I need to keep customers on a tight budget going.

Don't be discouraged if the first couple calls don't yield anything, I can promise you most contractors will not destroy a good serviceable unit when doing a conversion.

You wouldn't believe all the industrial and commercial electrical gear I have eating up room in the warehouse. 

There is also a conversion you can do with your existing electrical FAU to build a fan coil in the place the heating coils are now, and use hot water to heat your home.

This is at least 50% more efficient than using resistance coil elements, and all you'll need for simple operation on your existing unit is the circulation fan.

Edited August 28, 2013 by divemaster5734

[tamiflyer]

I have to get a new heating and A/c system. My current one is 25 years old and a Carrier & breaking down hear and there. I have been laid off for 2 months now and cannot afford a top of the line $10k system. Shoot, I couldn't afford a $10k replacement system when I was working. I can get a 5 ton 14 sear Goodman with a 10 yr warrantee on the compressor & lifetime on the heater for $5K plus the cost of the ducts. The majority of online reviews on Goodman are poor. The positive Goodman reviews are reinforced by supposed contractors stating that bad compressors etc are the result of poor installations.

 

I don't want to go cheap if that will just get me more headache in the near to semi-distant future. As I said above I cannot go  top of the line either.What is a good affordable system with a good to great reputation and warrantee? What is a good to great warrantee? Carrier? American Standard? Goodman? Lennox?

 

Any positive direction from our Dinar Vets family would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance. New York Kevin

Consider the SEER rating first.  This will save you money in the long run.  The higher the number, the better it saves.

Then, consider the three main types of compressors. n layman's terms: Hermetical, piston and scroll.

If I were in your shoes, for a home, I would go scroll.  These are under rated and easily last over 10 years, regardless of the warranty.  Other parts of the unit might fail but if it properly installed and the WHOLE unit is properly designed, with shutdown safety features, ect, your compressor will last for numerous years.  You may look for more info here.  GLTY.

 

http://www.air-conditioner-selection.com/air-conditioner-compressors.html

[new york kevin]

I want to give a big fat thank you to everyone that shared some wisdom on this topic. I really appreciate you all. Even if we disagree on politics, economics, pleasantries, and which pizza toppings are the best. That is what makes us family. I will go forward and choose the best middle of the road unit more than likely. Blessings to all of you. 

[FlintNPebbles]

We have a friend who uses an "attic fan" or "whole house fan" to cool his entire home here in IL. He has a 3200 square foot 2 story home. He does have an AC unit but uses it about 3 times a year when the humidity gets to be to much. But otherwise he turns on the attic fan and that pulls the heat from the home and into the attic. His house is always about 75 degrees in the summer.

 

We have a junky Goodman furnace (builder installed) but a Carrier AC unit. Works really good and it's 9 years old. Never any repair work done. We have been tossing around the idea of getting an attic fan and see if we can cut down on the cost of cooling the house in the summer.

 

We do plan on getting a new furnace before the winter and are leaning towards American Standard...but that may change depending on more research and cost.

[new york kevin]

Thanks FlintNPebbles and Dinar Vets Family. Thats a great idea. My wife and I have also been thinking about putting in a whole house fan plus a new heating and a/c unit. Living in the hot Southwest I gotta keep those options open. Yeah, I know, I am a transplant from New York. I don't like the cold winters anymore.

 

As far as I can tell American standard are amongst the "gooderer" ones. From the local library's year old consumer reports buying guide for a house make sure you get the right sized unit for your house (3 ton, 4 ton, 5 ton) I need a 5 ton unit. Rheem, Ruud, Trane, American Standard, and Carrier are in the top group, Goodman though you can get a great price on them still have a  bottom of the barrell reputation. New home builders love em because of their lower initial costs and therefor gamble that they will last at least 5 yrs. Goodman needs to up their quality and come out with a better ad campaign if they are gonna continue on. Though Goodman is the 2nd or 3rd largest HVAC manufacturer in the U.S.

 

If your gonna replace the a/c also make sure your Tech purges ALL the old freon from the exhisting coolant lines before placing in the newer more environmently friendly coolant (R2 or something like that),  as over a short time period if some of the old freon remains in there as it mixes with the new stuff, them being chemicals, mix and form micro particles that eventually clog up the tiny tubes in the cooling condensor. Kinda like plaque in the heart. Living in the hot Southwest thats an important tip. Have your Tech installer do a complete load calculation for central or ductless systems per the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. Plus that they also match the indoor evaporator coil and the outside condensor, like as a matched set for optimal performance and efficiency. Verify if the exhisting ducts need to be resized, resealed & insulated, or replaced. Some states require if you get a new system that you replace the flex ducting. Make sure your Tech doesn't mix piping/tubing either. Like dont use copper tubing when the older remaining lines are a stainless steal galvenized aluminum type. These type of hook ups cause a chemical reaction down the road that cause pitting to the tubing and hasten its break down. 

 

My gratitude goes out to you and all that have taken the time to share their golden nugget of heating and a/c info here in this topic. And I mean everyone.We are a DinarVet family. Now if this thing will just RV like before the end of 2013. I will be able to fix up the homestead and keep it forever cuz my older children do not wanta move and or buy a place in Florida or North Carolina. Lower taxes, harder to be sued, stuff like that.

 

Take care and may the one true God that I serve bless you all.

[bald1]

Rheem Weatherking hands down. Register it online for 10yr compressor warranty. 4 ton heatpump should run you sbout 4500.00 from an honest contractor unless you need ductwork improvements etc. Problem with contractor speciald (Goodman) is that they rate their units at different temps. Goodman 4 ton unit is 4tons at 78 degree indoor temp. Rheem, Trane, Carrier rate theirs at a lower temp. To get the same cooling out of a Goodman you will have to increase it to 5 ton.

[R2D2]

Kevin The best advice I can give you, deal with a reputable contractors and be careful, 12,200.00 later Be careful. Good Luck! There is a lot of very slick talkers that are out there to take advantage of a guy who has not shopped in a few years.