Replacing both our AC units! Brand question.

[lewdog]

Lots of badass help on CP for these home maintenance things!

Replacing our 2.5 and 3.5 ton Carrier AC systems that are 18 years old.

Have had similar quotes for Carrier and Lennox brands. Recommendations on these brands? Other brands to look at or avoid?

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

It is your money. You have to be satisfied in spending it on whatever your choice is.
Think about something though.
Amana gives a 10 year warranty where if the compressor fails they will replace the outdoor condensing unit and indoor evaporator coil. You still have to pay the labor. But if they can afford to give you all the equipment for free a second time within that window it begs two questions. How much is that unit actually worth? How long is that unit going to last after the warranty has expired?
The brand name of the Air Conditioning and Heating units also make a difference on the resale and appraisals of houses.

Good points.

If we weren’t planning on staying here at least another decade I’d definitely consider the resale point.

I’m just blown away they warranty an AC out to 15 years which is basically their lifespan here in the desert.

[oldman]

We built our house with a Carrier from a long established dealer and it worked great for about 8 years. In year 9, two things happened. One, the parts became aging and just about every year, something had to be replaced. Second, the dealership was sold and the service went to hell. It took 4 days to get them to come out only to tell me the unit was shot and replacement was the only option. They could replace it in a "week to 10 days" --it was in the low 90s each day. I called a friend of a friend who just happened to be in the HVAC business. Three days later, we had a new Trane AC and furnace installed at almost $500 less than the comparable Carrier, complete with 10 year warranty and service. Told the other company to suck eggs. The Trane works like a charm and both the propane and electric bill went down.

[lewdog]

American standard?

Quote from company that installs them today.

Xoxo
Lewdog

[btlook1]

Good Thread.

Planning on building a new house in the next year or two. Going to be about 1400 sq. feet and plan to have radiant heat put in the slab.....was thinking the ductless might be enough to get us by....Thoughts on them? This plans to be our retirement home and want it small and tightly built warm in winter and cool in the summer. Don't need a big house anymore.

[alpha_omega]

I have to admit, I really don't know much about this so this thread is nice to see.

Our Lennox units are just about 15 years old so I can see this in my near future.

[bobhill]

I just got a Daikin heat pump its nice.

[TribalElder]

[Red Beans]

Stay away from Goodman. Trash, straight trash.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Red Beans

Stay away from Goodman. Trash, straight trash.

I’ve heard that too. It’s not on the short list for us at all.

[F150]

Originally Posted by lewdog

American standard?

Quote from company that installs them today.

Xoxo
Lewdog

we have two American Standard Units. Great warranty when we bought, installer is awesome, he did my mitsubishi Mini splits in a different building as well. far more efficient than the old units I replaced

[scho63]

Just make sure the guest bedroom has great A/C so I get a good nights sleep......

[CatinKS]

I bought a house that already had a Amana installed. Here in central Kansas the cottonwood trees seeds tend to plug off the fins in June. To properly clean the fins you need to wash from the inside out. Does anyone recommend a brand that make access easy from the top to blow or wash out the cottonwood seed? My current unit makes it difficult as power cords to fan are very short.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by lewdog

American standard?

Quote from company that installs them today.

Xoxo
Lewdog

American Standard is a subsidiary of Trane. They are both owned by Ingersoll-Rand.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by btlook1

Good Thread.

Planning on building a new house in the next year or two. Going to be about 1400 sq. feet and plan to have radiant heat put in the slab.....was thinking the ductless might be enough to get us by....Thoughts on them? This plans to be our retirement home and want it small and tightly built warm in winter and cool in the summer. Don't need a big house anymore.

Ductless systems can be very nice. They definitely have their place in the market. They are very efficient. You don't have to cut holes all in your house for vents and returns as you do with a central split system. They are good for open floor plan types but not as good for a multi-level floor plan that has lots of doors and corners. Of course, a person can install more of them but it just kind of defeats the purpose at that point.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by CatinKS

I bought a house that already had a Amana installed. Here in central Kansas the cottonwood trees seeds tend to plug off the fins in June. To properly clean the fins you need to wash from the inside out. Does anyone recommend a brand that make access easy from the top to blow or wash out the cottonwood seed? My current unit makes it difficult as power cords to fan are very short.

Pulling the top with the fan and all that is going to not be easy in any unit.
Turn the power off to the unit. Should be a disconnect within 6 feet of the condenser, outdoor equipment, follow the wires down to where they connect onto the contactor and capacitor. Take a few pictures with your cell phone so you can put the wires back to the proper locations and remove the wires from the contactor and capacitor. If you have multiple wires that are the same color use a sharpie or something to differentiate between those wires.