Need Advice on Best Home A/C Brand -

GetX'd said:

Home A/C unit needs replacing. I’d appreciate any advice on which brands are best and most reliable these days. I know so much of the internals on these units comes from somewhere I don’t Want it from - I’ll give you a hint - red flag w/ yellow star. If I can’t get legitimately made in the USA I suppose Mexico or Canada by a US company would be ok.

If any members are from SoCal I’d doubly appreciate a legitimate installer. I checked Costco - big price and Lennox units. From what I could find Lennox has at least the fans and blowers from China - I suspect other parts as well. Interesting how little I was able find on that subject from some of the brands.

This is new to me so I’d really appreciate any good info from the FBBO brain trust
Thx Much!

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Curiousyellow71 said:

We had a bad experience with Goodman. Furnace quit in the winter and the house froze with no one home. It was less then a year old and they would not cover any damage whatsoever other then the chinese part.
Our Amana has been ok. Had to do some ac repairs after 10 years. But I would consider that normal.

Agree electronic filter is waste of money.

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• Carrier Corporation makes; Carrier (best), Bryant (better) -and- Arcoaire, Comfortmaker, Day & Night, Payne, & Tempstar (good brands).
• Carrier (one again) became an independent company in April 2020. Before then, Carrier was owned by United Technologies Corp (UTC).
• Carrier manufactures HVAC Systems in Mexico.
• Lennox International makes; Lennox (best) -and- Armstrong. Ducane, & Aire-flo (good brands).
• Lennox Headquarters is located in Richardson, TX (Dallas suburb).
• Lennox & Armstrong are manufactured in the U.S. — in Iowa, Arkansas, OR in Mexico.

• York makes; York (best) -and- Coleman & Luxaire (good brands).
• York Headquarters is located in Chicago, IL.
• Coleman Headquarters is located in Norman, OK.
• York HVAC Systems are manufactured in the U.S. — in Oklahoma & Kansas. *5

• Rheem Manufacturing makes; Rheem (best), Ruud (better) –and- Weatherking (good).
• Rheem Headquarters is located in Atlanta, GA.
• Rheem manufactures central a/c & heat pumps in Mexico. *4.

• Goodman Manufacturing makes; Amana (perceived as better) -and- Goodman (good). NOTE: Amana & Goodman brands are identical.
• In 2012, Daikin bought Goodman — to expand into the United States.
• Daikin, in Osaka, Japan, is the world’s largest manufacturer of HVAC Systems.
• Daikin North America LLC, is located in Houston, TX — and operates as an independent Daikin subsidiary.
• Goodman & Amana HVAC (brands) are manufactured near Houston, Texas.

• Nortek Global makes; Maytag, Frigidaire, Gibson, Nutone, Broan, Mammoth (budget-priced brands)
• They are located in O’fallon, MO (near St. Louis). ***
• Nortek states they have manufacturing & distribution facilities in Missouri, Tennessee, & Mexico.
• There is no indication of specifically where Nortek HVAC Systems are manufactured.

• Trane Technologies Makes:
• Trane & American Standard brands are nearly identical — with only cosmetic differences.
• Trane’s XL & XR product lines (best & better) -and- XB product line (good).
• American Standard’s Platinum & Gold product lines (best & better) -and- Silver product line (good).
• Trane & American Standard’s (best & better) Product Lines Have Their Own Climatuff (brand) Compressor (in the outdoor unit)
• Trane & American Standard’s (good) Product Lines — Have A Copeland (brand) compressor. More on this later in the article.

• In 1984, American Standard acquired Trane. In 2008, Ingersol Rand acquired Trane. In 2020, Trane Technologies was formed.
• Trane Technologies is headquartered in Davidson, NC. **
• Trane & American Standard brands are manufactured in the U.S. — in Texas, New Jersey, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri.

• Ingersol Rand Makes:
• Ameristar is endorsed by American Standard — it’s not made by them. Ameristar offers budget-price products.
• Ameristar’s headquarters is in Haltom City, Texas (northeast suburban Ft. Worth, TX)
• Ameristar furnaces are manufactured in the U.S. — in New Jersey.
• Ameristar’s A/C & Heat Pumps are manufactured in the U.S. — in Tyler, Texas (1-1/2 hours southeast of Dallas).

furious70 said:

Was all this before Amana and Goodman were one company or quality control in badge engineering?

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YY1 said:

We have two Goodman's (2014 and 2016- rental properties) and one Bryant (2019- residence).

Of the three the Bryant has had a few issues, all covered under warranty.
Blower motor, capacitor, relay.

Last week, one of the Goodman's blew a capacitor.
$260

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