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rfhar
The World Sport, Played In Every Country
Premium Member
join:2001-03-26
Buicktown,Mi

rfhar

Premium Member

[HVAC] IN your opinion whaich company has the better repetation.......

I have had three guys out to give me bids on replacing my furnace that has a cracked heat exchanger. The two most attractive choices are going to be between Amana or Rheem units.
What is your opinion of these two HVAC units?

I know that this query may beg for details but it is way beyond my bedtime and I am tired but kind of pushed by the time of year to make a decision so as to be able to stop using a 1500 watt portable heater to heat the house.

ilikeme
Premium Member
join:2002-08-27
Stafford, TX

ilikeme

Premium Member

I am currently in the market for a new central a/c system for the house I just bought. From what I have read and heard, Amana is pretty low-end and not as reliable. They are made by Goodman. Rheem is kind of in the middle. American Standard seems to be the most reliable, followed by Lennox. My new system is most likely going to be American Standard, but possibly Lennox depending on the quotes.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya to rfhar

MVM

to rfhar
Ford vs. Chevy.
They are all machines. Who has the better warranty? Who has the better price?
telco_mtl
join:2012-01-06

telco_mtl to ilikeme

Member

to ilikeme
said by ilikeme:

I am currently in the market for a new central a/c system for the house I just bought. From what I have read and heard, Amana is pretty low-end and not as reliable. They are made by Goodman. Rheem is kind of in the middle. American Standard seems to be the most reliable, followed by Lennox. My new system is most likely going to be American Standard, but possibly Lennox depending on the quotes.

my last heat pump was an american standard, its what the trunk slammers sell up here.

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084 to rfhar

Premium Member

to rfhar
New models are all equally good or POSs depending on your viewpoint. All manufacturers have cut costs. They are all roughly the same.

A quality install is key to comfort and longevity to any system. Focus on that versus name brand.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx to rfhar

Premium Member

to rfhar
I got quotes from a few different reputable AC guys. They all said the same thing - not to put much focus on the name brand as they are all pretty much the same.

Consumer Reports had a listing, which placed Rheem/Ruud near the top and York near the bottom, but even they noted the race was pretty close and that installation quality was more important.

rfhar
The World Sport, Played In Every Country
Premium Member
join:2001-03-26
Buicktown,Mi

rfhar

Premium Member

The warranties are identical from manufacturer. I will look closer at the local warranties and may ask the guy to add one more years labor. The packages do differ but the prices are close and I am going to write them down side by side to help my old mind to get a better picture of what the differences are.

I now have an 80K BTU furnace and 2.5 ton a/c unit and they have always seemed barely adequate. All furnaces are rated at 96%

One is a Rheem with a two stage furnace that I can put a 16 seer 3 ton A/C on for $300 dollars more and get two stage A/C too and the local power will give me a $200 dollar rebate for the 16 unit, cost will be $100. 13 seer is really all anybody needs in Mid Michigan. The two stage Rheem furnace is also $300 more. More comfort likely here with extra money and the furnace is (100 BTU) really 10K BTU more than I should need. This house has always taken a long time to change the temperature by five or ten degrees. Like over 24 hours when the weather is cold or hot.

The other bid is for a 90k BTU two stage Amana furnace with a 3.5 ton 13 seer A/C unit (single stage). It is about $700 dollars cheaper, rebates included.

So more money will likely give better comfort. But I am interested in the Quality reputation of the the two manufactures.

Decisions, decisions... I am not sure I will ever be good enough at this.
rfhar

rfhar

Premium Member

Both of these a/c units have a louvered cover on the outside unit. My present a/c has the cooling fins exposed and is easy to clean during spring cottonwood shedding season.
Do you have an idea about making the daily cleaning that will be necessary easier. Like maybe some kind of mesh that I can wrap around the outside unit during the spring cottonwood season?
tomupnorth
join:2005-01-14
UpperMidwest

tomupnorth to djrobx

Member

to djrobx
said by djrobx:

Consumer Reports had a listing, which placed Rheem/Ruud near the top and York near the bottom, but even they noted the race was pretty close and that installation quality was more important.

Every time I've stood neer a Rheem outdoor (condenser/compressor) unit they have seemed whisper-quiet compared to others I have heard. Owing to the proximity of my two outdoor units to my bedroom, sound levels will be the primary consideration for me in selecting a new system.

If there are opinions here about this please loudly proclaim!

Bubba
GIT-R-DONE
MVM
join:2002-08-19
St. Andrews

Bubba to rfhar

MVM

to rfhar
We replaced our 20 yr old unit approx 2 seasons ago and while it would be somewhat hard to prove, I'm convinced replacing the air supply/return with properly sized runs was a big plus. I also had them remove insulation from ducts and paint/apply seam sealant. It helps that I can practically walk around in the underneath section of our home.

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

TheTechGuru to rfhar

Member

to rfhar
Trane or Carrier
Quattrohead
Premium Member
join:2005-02-09

Quattrohead to rfhar

Premium Member

to rfhar
Which ever is easier to get service and parts on in the future.
They are much the same these days and it is usually sensors that fail.
I think Lennox are hard to get parts for, Rheem/Rudd have a good reputation.

OldCableGuy3
@207.191.193.x

OldCableGuy3 to nunya

Anon

to nunya
Once again nunya hits the nail right on the head. There is no difference between brands. Maybe someone was really hung over on the assembly line the day your furnace was made. S--T happens. Installation and warranty and price need to be your considerations; the brand is just a sticker applied at the end of the assembly line. Nothing more/Nothing less.

pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

pende_tim to rfhar

Premium Member

to rfhar
The red flag I see is the difference in the AC BTU rating? Why is one of the bids 1 ton more than now installed?

Did the contractor(s) perform a Manual J to calculate load and the resulting AC size? This gets back to the install being more important than the label on the sheet metal. If it is not properly installed, an install beginning with proper sizing, then you will not be happy in 2 or 3 years when the price difference is forgotten.

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

Msradell to rfhar

Premium Member

to rfhar
It sounds like the Amana just upsized your unit based on what you told him what he really did a Manual J calculation.

Based on the information you provided earlier I would probably go with the Rheem unit and I definitely would upsized to the 16seer AC unit. Considering it's only $100 more after rebate it will deftly pay for itself in the long run.

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

TheTechGuru to rfhar

Member

to rfhar
Also keep in mind that there are 3 different types of compressors.

Scroll is better than Screw.

Tex
Dave's not here
Premium Member
join:2012-10-20

1 recommendation

Tex to rfhar

Premium Member

to rfhar
I found choosing the motto you like the most helps narrow down the choice.

Amana - Lasts and lasts and lasts
Rheem - The new degree of comfort
York - It's time to get comfortable
Lennox - Discover the future of home comfort
Trane - It's hard to stop a Trane
American Standard - Celebrate the indoors
Ruud - Smart equipment for a smart lifestyle
Carrier - Turn to the experts
Tempstar - Quality you can feel
Goodman - Thank goodness for Goodman
Bryant - Whatever it takes
Coleman - The most comfort with the highest performance
Armstrong Air - The professional's choice
Luxaire - Uncompromising. Unmistakable.
Payne - Right for you
Nordyne - Complete comfort. Genuine value.
Grandaire - Providing comfort for years to come
Arcoaire - Enduring performance

scott2020
join:2008-07-20
MO

scott2020 to rfhar

Member

to rfhar
I spent a lot of time last year researching and getting bids. I also got a lot of advice from this forum. All of the units are the same. They all use Copeland scroll compressors and are made from the same Chinese electronics.

I went with an Amana because I was able to get an upgraded, higher SEER, variable speed, quieter unit with better warranty than Carrier, Trane, etc. The dealer had a good reputation and they did a good job on the install.

I went from a 12 SEER to 15 SEER, and I am using more electricity than ever. I haven't saved a dime between the old and new in operating costs, looking over the course of a year. There are a lot of factors such as temperature and such, but don't expect big savings.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua to TheTechGuru

Premium Member

to TheTechGuru
said by TheTechGuru:

Trane or Carrier

or Lennox.

I too was shopping around for an A/C replacement as mine died in 2008. I got three bids as the OP and settled on the Lennox. I talked to a contractor friend and was told he worked on house where the Lennox is not treated well but still worked almost as good as new. Also, with it I got a touch screen which I like.

EDIT to add: I just had mine installed this past June.
hokie21
join:2003-06-14
Lake Zurich, IL

hokie21 to rfhar

Member

to rfhar
Are you sure that the cracked heat exchanger isn't under warranty? I had that problem a few years ago on two units and mine had a lifetime warranty. The replacement parts (not labor) were provided by the manufacturer for free. I wasn't even the original owner.