Hvac systems

[DWBOX2000]

Curious,
I’ve had a bunch of hvac guys come to give estimates. The units are American standard, Trane and Lennox? The Lennox comes with a 5 year labor, 10 year part. The others 2 and 10. I currently have a Lennox and it’s 15 year old. The guys that were not selling Lennox said they aren’t very good. Without getting into variable speed and efficiency, all being equal; would I expect the same life out of these?
Thanks.

[Zeke]

The local guy here that is considered one of the best, reliable and fair only uses Trane. Look at the warranty carefully. 2 years parts and labor might be better than a limited 10 year.

I know I had a 5 year on a package unit and I've spent over a thousand on the thing since 2016. For the last 2 years it's been fine. It's a Day and Night made by International Comfort Products Corporation and they make about 8 brands. Trane makes 5 including the namesake.

[masraum]

I got nothing other than to say that our entire system, indoor, outdoor, and thermostat which is a heat pump with electric for when the temp gets too low, is a Trane, and all 3 parts are dated 1991. It's still running really well < knock, knock, knock >. Although we are planning to replace it this year, hopefully with something with all of the new bells and whistles, soft start, variable speed, etc...

[asphaltgambler]

My experience: All home HVAC systems are essentially divided into two tiers 1) good 2) gooder. There are also essentially two giant corporations that each group falls under. Whatever systems you're looking at, are not the same build quality as 10 or more years ago. Yes, more efficient, but more do dads to go wrong.

I'm more inclined to buy the best built unit; measured in the last 5 years performance, than a good unit with a great warranty.....

We have a Lennox variable frequency drive that is @22 years old. The expansion valve failed awhile back, I bought it online, paid my guy to vacuum down, replace ( it was soldered in) charge. My post reflects exactly what he said

[Evans, Marv]

^^^^ I hope my units last as long as "asphaltgambler's." They're Rheem units (4 & 3 ton) with about 14 years on them. The only thing so far is a defrost module that needed replacement.

[DWBOX2000]

I’m replacing a Lennox that is 15 years old and still running. Icicles on the condessor but still running.
The unit is mostly for cooling (James Island, SC) if that matters. Place is 1k sf.
My choices are:
Tran at 14k 2 year labor
Lennox 12k 1.5 ton 5 year labor
American standard 12,331 2 ton 2 year labor
All 10 year limited warranty on parts.
All variable speed.
I’m leaning towards the Lennox. Bob V ranked them 3rd out of ten with Tran number 1 but 2k higher. Not sure it’s worth it when all of them say they last about 10 years, 15 if maintained.
This is like a new language for me.
Thank you all.

[908/930]

Something to check, I was told proximity to saltwater can void warranty, I do not remember what distance.

[DWBOX2000]

Good to know, Thanks.

[DWBOX2000]

Is Trane really that much better? Like a Porsche vs a Honda or a Porsche vs a Ford? I’d be happy with a Honda. Hopefully

[bob deluke]

DWBOX, I don’t trust any salesman who badmouths the competition, that’s just sour grapes. Lennox makes a decent condensing unit. For my money, Trane or Carrier. Both high end with good warranty and high SEER ratings. Day/Night Payne owned by Carrier, their lower end equipment, but still decent. When I worked at Carrier about 40 years ago, you could buy scratch and dent AC units and furnaces for cheap as an employee. I think any named unit will last 15-20 years with minimal maintenance. Work with a dealer who has been in business for a long time, has good employees, clean trucks and will do a load estimate at no cost. Look at reputable dealers have NATE certified technicians as well.

[look 171]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them and it all comes down to which is the cheapest. For my clients, I always push for Lennox. My HVAC man seems to like their warranty and products but when it came time to replace my parent's unit about 25 years ago, I opted for American Standard after chatting with my installer. A few bucks cheaper then the rest and its still working very well. Haven't had to call the repair man yet but a capacitor replacement done by me in a very hot summer evening with a bit of cussing along the way. On my own house, I have a cheap Goodman unit downstairs and it works fine but we hardly use it because it stays cool throughout the year but the week or two of heat from hell. We do use the heat for about a month or two at most. For the upstairs, I have an old Carrier I ripped out of an old client's house when it was about two to three years old. They wanted a brand new unit along with everything else in that house. Now, I have HVAC. Its been 20 years and still working. That unit went through two capacitors and one condenser. Not bad for free.

[fintstone]

A heat pump pretty much runs pretty much year-round, so expect a bit more trouble and shorter lifespan in exchange for your energy savings if that is what you install.

[billybek]

I would throw York into the mix if you can find an installer/service in your area.
Quality product.

There are different levels of equipment and only some installers get access to the high end of a particular brand name.

Usually the difference is in the electronics.

[look 171]

I forget which brand, maybe York or Train, the control is very specific and will only work with that brand or unit. When that goes out, you will need to pay the piper instead of a simple 80-100 dollar generic control such as Honeywell or any other.

[NY65912]

We sell mostly Trane. They have been trouble free. I had a Goodman for years but upgraded to a higher Seer Trane. All the manufacturers have different "levels" of products. Base your choice on the $ that you can afford. Lennox is a great unit.

https://www.hvac.com/furnaces/best/

https://www.alsplumbing.com/8-companies-make-24-hvac-brands/

Whatever brand you buy make sure you keep an extra hot surface ignitor and flame sensor in stock just in case. Better to have the two most common parts for failure in a drawer and they are very easy to replace.

[billybek]

Originally Posted by look 171

I forget which brand, maybe York or Train, the control is very specific and will only work with that brand or unit. When that goes out, you will need to pay the piper instead of a simple 80-100 dollar generic control such as Honeywell or any other.

Most of the high end units for any manufacturer utilize communicating controls.
Some of the communication protocol is proprietary.

I had to buy a "dumb" condensing unit for a friend last spring. All I needed it to do is turn on when I sent 24 vac to the contactor from the furnace. Coleman is the lesser brand name of York.

This unit had a scroll compressor and was listed as slightly higher noise levels than the higher end. Turns out the higher end had a compressor sound blanket. I bought an aftermarket sound blanket and you can hardly hear the compressor/unit run.

[DWBOX2000]

I went with an American standard 2 ton variable silver version. It got good reviews and I just had a good feeling about the sales guy. A lot of the sales guys feel like they will be there today and gone tomorrow. I’m big on relationships and trust. His price was fair (not the lowest), the equipment was decent, and as mentioned, I thought the most likely to be around when stuff goes south. Thanks everyone for the help.

[ben parrish]

Those quotes are extremely HIGH! Seriously, you need to look for a smaller company outside of Charleston.

[NY65912]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

Those quotes are extremely HIGH! Seriously, you need to look for a smaller company outside of Charleston.

Those prices are high, IMHO

[DWBOX2000]

I honestly think it’s where the job is, not the office.