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HVAC Question

JackD

JackD

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Sep 16, 2010
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Got a question on New Furnace and AC Unit. I have a few quotes and I have no idea which brand to go with. American Standard? Rheem? Goodman? Carrier? I have done a lot of research but I seriously don’t have a clue about which brand to go with, or which ones to eliminate. Any help and advice you all can provide in the next few days would be a big help.

All are 80% efficient furnace and 13 seer for the AC either 3 ton or 3.5 is what they quoted for the above brands.
 
Wallyd

Wallyd

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I’ve been told stay away from Goodman & Tran is top of the Line. I’ve got several buddies that are in the field.
 
kid666

kid666

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Jan 28, 2011
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Got a question on New Furnace and AC Unit. I have a few quotes and I have no idea which brand to go with. American Standard? Rheem? Goodman? Carrier? I have done a lot of research but I seriously don’t have a clue about which brand to go with, or which ones to eliminate. Any help and advice you all can provide in the next few days would be a big help.

All are 80% efficient furnace and 13 seer for the AC either 3 ton or 3.5 is what they quoted for the above brands.
I've been an HVAC Tech for last 28 years. Trane and Carrier are your 2 most reliable. Now American Standard is also top of the line, as it is made by Trane and basically the exact same. Bryant is also very good as it is made by Carrier and also the exact same. Goodman is complete garbage. Rheem is middle of the pack but is most techs least favorite to work on if it goes down. You want to get a minimum of 15 Seer, but the real savings (on your electric bill comes from 16 seer and above.)
They should all have 10-year parts warranty but try to get 10 years labor as well. Because if the unit goes down the part is covered but they will gouge you
on the labor. I have a Carrier in my house at the moment, but the system before this was a American Standard. Just make sure you go with a good, reliable AC company, not uncle tom's friends, buddy, Rocco who lives the next town over just to save a few bucks. The install is the most important part of the entire process. If its not installed properly it won't matter what system you buy, you will have issues throughout the life of it.
But i would recommend the American Standard. Solid, reliable piece of equipment. Hope that helps.
 
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kid666

kid666

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Jan 28, 2011
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Best..... Trane, American Standard, Carrier, Bryant
Middle of the pack... Rheem, Lennox, Tempstar
Garbage... Goodman, Amana, Daiken (all 3 of these are basically a Goodman)
 
The other Snake

The other Snake

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Outside of the make, there's much to be said for the workmanship of the installer. Another important factor is the maintenance. You can't buy a new car, not change the oil for 20k miles and call it a P.O.S. when the engine blows.

Good luck brother. I just replaced my Central AC a month ago. 23 year of service so it doesn't owe me a dime. Still, it was a treat coming home from vacation to an AC unit that shit the bed. Welcome Home!
 
Tuffoldman

Tuffoldman

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May 23, 2011
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I will agree with everybody's assessment of brands those were the ones that I would have also picked based on people that I know that are in the business.


A bigger factor is the tonnage of the unit you want to make sure what the replacing is pretty much what you currently have if the ductwork is set up for a certain tonnage adding more will actually make the system less efficient. If you don't have return lines big enough and you go with a very high number ton unit which seems like it would be more efficient because it would pump out more cold air if it can't get the return warm air fast enough you're actually losing money.


Maintenance is the most important for longevity cleaning out the fins yearly can make a system last easily 25 years. With the new seer numbers most all units are going to be just as efficient as others. Just make sure the installer knows exactly what they're doing. Like mentioned above that's just as important as the unit itself
 
JackD

JackD

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This is all excellent information!! I appreciate the time you put in to let me know the information. I was leaning towards American Standard. Now something I completely overlooked was the age of the company itself and trying to get a warranty on parts for 10 years.

I didn’t know about the difference in seer, and now I’ll reevaluate that. I have another company coming Friday.
 
JackD

JackD

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What’s crazy is the furnace is 44 years old and the AC is 20+ years old. They get yearly service from the same technician. Last year he informed me I should look at replacing the furnace as they no longer are making parts. The last thing I want is to have the furnace go out in the winter. The AC is because of Freon not being available as widely as it used to. The service company doesn’t sell or install equipment otherwise that would be a big help.
 
kid666

kid666

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I will agree with everybody's assessment of brands those were the ones that I would have also picked based on people that I know that are in the business.


A bigger factor is the tonnage of the unit you want to make sure what the replacing is pretty much what you currently have if the ductwork is set up for a certain tonnage adding more will actually make the system less efficient. If you don't have return lines big enough and you go with a very high number ton unit which seems like it would be more efficient because it would pump out more cold air if it can't get the return warm air fast enough you're actually losing money.


Maintenance is the most important for longevity cleaning out the fins yearly can make a system last easily 25 years. With the new seer numbers most all units are going to be just as efficient as others. Just make sure the installer knows exactly what they're doing. Like mentioned above that's just as important as the unit itself

Correct, if you're replacing an old 10 seer unit with a high effiency unit your main return duct needs to be larger. Another words there is probably a 10" or 12" duct with the 10 seer that now needs to be replaced with a 16". Like you said if you put in the wrong size tonnage (to big), it will shut off your stat too soon, not allowing it to run long enough to pull out the humidity. It will short cycle. So, your house will be muggy and clammy. You can never have enough return air. Thats were all the hot air escapes. Most new homes here in FLA will now have the 1 large main return plus a 12x12 in every bedroom.
 
R

Realize

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Sep 7, 2010
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Good info guys, half my family is hvac guys but I dont know shit. I thought I could help Jack but I was late to the show.
 
Tuffoldman

Tuffoldman

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That is one of the big things that I love about this community yes we're here about bodybuilding, health and anabolics but everybody here has something to give back. What an amazing group of people.
 
JackD

JackD

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Sep 16, 2010
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Thank you! All this information is very valuable. I don’t know anything about HVAC, but what I love about this place is we all have different experiences and as a community so much to offer each other. Like everyone said, we are a community on bodybuilding, health, and anabolics, but we can talk about anything else as well because we’re all brothers with so much to offer in many areas. Again, thank you all. Update, going with a company that’s been in business for 30+ years and getting carrier installed.
 
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