Opinons on AC brands Rheem, Trane, Westinghouse

Any opinions on these brands of Home AC systems?

Rheem, Trane, Westinghouse?

First estimate I got was for a Rheem system. He also gave me a comparison $$$ on a Westinghouse. Rheem 5 ton (15.5 seer) was $6,600 and the Westinghouse (16 seer) $5,800.

Rheem warranty is 10 years parts, 2 years labor. Is that the industry standard?

Reply to
Ashton Crusher
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We have been very happy with Rheem AC, lasted 30+years.

Reply to
hrhofmann

At least 6 "american" manufacturers. American Standard/Trane, Goodman/Daikin, Coleman/York/ Johnson Controls, Amana, Carrier, and Lennox.

Add Rheem (now owned by Paloma of Japan) - Virtually all of the rest are either rebrands of the above or imports

Reply to
clare

goodmanm has been great for us

Reply to
bob haller

A good install is more important than the brand name.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Rheem and RUUD are the same company. I had a RUUD that lasted 27 years. Only thing I ever had to do was put in a hard start kit. I replaced it with a new RUUD two years ago. When I did my research, I could not see a difference between the major brands in reliability. In fact, the problem rate with RUUD was less than some of the brands that have a better public perception.

As Ed points out, getting the install done right is more important than the epqt. I'd rather have the lower rated eqpt with the best install, than the other way around. Also, when doing the install, consider if anything needs to be changed. For example, I realized that by just running the lines a little farther, I could relocate the outside unit away from my den, away from the backyard. I moved it to the north side, by a bathroom. The new unit being quieter, plus the relocation, made a big difference.

Depending on your skill level, you could also DIY, but I would only recommend that if you have the various skills, most of the tools you need, and are willing to take the risk, have the time, etc. I did mine, saved $4000 and know that the install was done right.

Reply to
trader4

Yes very true. I have and Amana dual stage 16 SEER heat pump/AC. The nice thing is that Amana provides a lifetime warranty. If anything breaks in the outside unit, they replace the whole unit! My heating guy was impressed with that. That said, a friend of mine has 2 Goodman units. Goodman and Amana are one and the same, sort of. He has had nothing but trouble and most of it was a bad install. BTW, the units that come out of the factory with the Goodman name, only have the lifetime warranty on the compressor.

Reply to
Art Todesco

Oops, missed one thing in my previous post/answer. With the dual stage outdoor unit and a Honeywell thermostat with humidity control, it works really well at removing humidity on those not so hot, but humid days, which we have in my area almost all summer long. The unit usually only runs in stage 1, but if it needs it, it pops up to stage 2 and cools rapidly.

Reply to
Art Todesco

I think if you read the warranty, there has to be a lot more to it than that. For example, if the contactor fails, they're going to replace the whole unit? Or the fan? Usually these long warranties apply only to the compressor and typically don't cover labor, other parts, etc.

Reply to
trader4

It's important to remember that just because two units are built in the same factory does not mean they are built with the same parts.

Reply to
Pete C.

When I look inside a lot of them it looks like a lot of the same parts.

Reply to
jamesgang

There are only so many ways to make an airconditioner that (a - Works and 9b- is economical to build. Nobody makes their own capacitors - and it would be unecconomical and foolish for everyone to manufacture their own compressors, motors, and fans. So yes, under the covers they all LOOK pretty similar. Heck, they ARE pretty similar. And in many cases they do share many common parts. That's just the nature of the product. You couldn't afford to buy or service any of them if they made all their own components, down to the cover screws and wire connectors.

Reply to
clare

Apparently Westinghouse A/C is no longer actually Westinghouse but is now Nordyne.

You may want to check in the HVAC-talk.com forum for residential A/C. Consumer Reports' surveys have found few differences in reliability among brands, but they've almost always ranked York and Goodman/Amana at the bottom.

Consider urine and hail. Louvers on the outdoor unit will help protect the coil fins from being dissolved by animal urine or smashed by hail. I believe all Rheem/Ruud units have louvered cases.

Reply to
larrymoencurly

brands, but they've almost always ranked York and Goodman/Amana

coil fins from being dissolved by animal urine or smashed by hail. I believe all Rheem/Ruud units have louvered cases.

The guy out today to give me an estimate was pushing Amana systems. And at top dollar! Another guy gave me a quote for Rheem and Westinghouse that was half what today's guy gave me. The guy today also said they could do Lennox but that the Lennox was a really top level. Later I asked him where Rheem fit into the picture and he said it was comparable to Lennox. Then there is the third guy who's working up an estimate. Talked to him today and mentioned the Rheem and he had a fit saying they are crap. He's a big fan of Trane.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

I settled on Rheem. My AC guy said he typically beats other companies by 20 to 30%. His off the cuff estimate for lower tier (American standard (Trane) was about 7 to 8 thousand per unit. He insisted I get two estimates from other companies to validate his prices. So one company told me 16K to do the two systems with single speed Amana 14 seer. For 16 seer 2 speed Amana they wanted a little over $20K. For

25K they would do Trane XLi16 which I think was 16 seer 2 speed. Another company quoted Rheem 15.5 seer 2 speed non-communicating system for a little over $13K for the two systems.

I conveyed this to my AC guy and he said the second guy was the first time he's ever seen anyone else come in so low. He priced out what he believed to be the same system and came up with $14K but he's eating some of the work he did trying to get my old system to work and he's actually supplying the next step up Rheem, the 16 seer with 2 speed communicating motor (serial communication between the outside box and the air handler and the thermostat). So He's doing the work. Got the first system done yesterday and it's working good. Second will be done Monday.

System looks well built to me. Outside is fully enclosed, very large coil, very quiet. Looking in the "electric box" part of it and there is almost nothing there compared to all the wires, relays, contactors and delay gizmos on the old system. Just one contactor, start cap, and a small PCB controller. If the compressor or coil goes out they replace the entire outside unit for 10 years. 2 years on labor.

The inside box is variable speed and the evap coil in it looks almost twice as large as the coil in my old air handler. I'll report back in

10 years plus a day....
Reply to
Ashton Crusher

I would think long and hard about a simple 3 speed relay controlled motor vs an electronically controlled variable speed motor. Consider the cost to purchase AND repair after a power surge vs how much energy it supposedly will save you. Mark

Reply to
makolber

an electronically controlled variable speed motor. Consider the cost to purchase AND repair after a power surge vs how much energy it supposedly will save you.

If the OP has any licensed amateur radio operators in his immediate vicinity, he would be advised to inquire about the Radio Frequency Interference characteristics of any variable-speed units he considers: some of them are truly horrible in that regard and -- by FCC rules -- they are *not allowed* to interfere with licensed services; however, many manufacturers would rather save a few dollars on every unit and

*hope* they can fix the ones that cause trouble without spending too much on those specific ones.

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy

Maybe, instead, you should ask if you will be able to buy parts for it without having to show a state HVAC license.

Reply to
recyclebinned

having to show a state HVAC license.

The only thing I've ever heard anyone needing an HVAC license for is buying freon. I've never had problems in the past buying parts for DIY repairs on AC systems. I don't plan on doing anything particularly "heavy duty" in the way of repairs.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

The CB era was a fun time for me with regard to RFI. I have a First Class commercial FCC license and I tracked down all sorts of those critters and kilt them. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

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