Air Conditioners

[Dottie]

The various companies that sell Trane and Carrier a/cs in my area are advertising a lot. They are offering rebates. My system is 15 years old for the outside unit and 7 years old for the air handler in the garage. It is working o.k. now but I am tempted by these offers. Does anyone here work in this field and can you tell me if there is much difference in quality between Trane and Carrier. Will one outlast the other? Trane cost more, at least it did the last time I checked. Will Trane last longer? What are some questions I should ask when I start shopping?

[Joseph Meehan]

The real difference is in the proper choice of equipment and the proper installation. Those are the job of the contractor. I would always choose the contractor first and then let them choose the equipment that best fits my needs.

Start researching those contractors and others in your area. You may find that those offering special sales are fine, but you may find that they have to offer the sale prices because they don't do a good job and they know anyone who does their homework and check them out would not use them.

Frankly I would not want anyone trying to install equipment they were not familiar with or did not like.

[Telstra]

There is Cheap, Reasonable, Innovative and Outragous. Carrier are the Fords of the air conditioning Industry. They give you a well engineered product with generous backup which can be serviced by any company you choose. Trane are BEAN counters that not only make service exclusive to a small number of favoured company's but alsio price their units above Carrier without any discernable increase in quality Innovation belongs to company's like Mitsubishi and Daikin

[<kjpro]

Are they going to do a load calculation to correctly size your new unit? Are they going to make sure your ducting is adequate for proper operation? Are they going to pull the required permits (if required in your area) to install your new unit? Are they going to have it inspected? Do they stock parts and offer emergency service? Do they have a preventative maintenance program? Do they offer a 10 year parts and labor warranty?

Which one will last longer? The one that&#39;s properly sized, installed and set-up to operate with-in the manufacture&#39;s specifications.

In the end, find the best company you can find and have them install the brand they offer. Shopping by brand will normally get you a system that will provide you with years of trouble and headaches.

And you can take that to the bank! :-)

[Moe Jones]

First of all make sure they do a heat load on your home.

You would be surprised that when your older system was installed you may not need or need a bigger system.

A heat load will tell you what size system you need.

[Dottie]

First, the two companies I plan on getting an estimate from are reputable companies. One did my neighbor&#39;s house and did all the things mentioned ... the other is the one I have dealt with before and I was satisfied with their service. Consumer Protection (my county) shows they have good records. I have found that I can forget the rebates because they are only available on the most expensive systems. I have to choose between a 1300 SEER (est. $4300) and a 1400 SEER ($5 to $6000) for Trane, haven&#39;t checked price for Carrier. Before getting an estimate I need to know if the energy savings cost would justify buying the higher SEER and do Trane and Carrier perform about the same over the long haul? Does one break down more? That sort of thing. Thanks. (I now have a 3-ton, 15 yr old Goodman which is still working and a 5 yr old Carrier air handler. My neighbor&#39;s new 3 1/2 ton Trane 1300 SEER cools his house fine and the houses are about the same size).

[<kjpro]

Would depend on your location and utility costs.

Did you miss my first post? It&#39;s going to depend on the installation, so hire the best qualified company!

Yep, the one that&#39;s installed by the hack using mis-matched equipment.

[Moe Jones]

When they run the heat load and depending on what software they use, the software can show you the difference in operating cost of each system and the correct size you will need. Even though your neighbor has the same size house you would surprised if someone has allot of house plants, ceiling fans, water beds and the like ,how that can really add up to heat gain to your home.

And remember when they run their software you tell them what comfort zone you want. I mean the temperature you want to live with. 72 degrees or 75 degrees during the summer and what temp you want for the winter.