Home air conditioner.

[PJ73]

My AC went out. Looking at replacing with either a Lennox, Trane or Daikin, all 3 ton, 13 SEER (Because where I live I only use the AC about 4 months a year).

Do we have any AC guys in the house with any input on these? I'm leaning towards the Daikin (Warranty is the best and price is right)

And go...

 

[jocolo21]

stay away from LENNOX

 

[Neutron]

I have a Trane XR15 with heat pump and it is super reliable and to me is very efficient.
I have 15 foot ceilings in 75% of my house and whether its heat or a/c it works excellent. I have a few close friends that are professional heating and cooling guys and both said its a great unit

 

[Beachbummer]

How hard did it go out? Many times only the capacitor or blowers need replacement. Amana/Goodman in the Houston area are very popular in the apartment complexes, so you know they are cheap and reliable.

 

[Brad_Ct]

What’s wrong with it? Like Beachbummer said it could be something simple.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

I used to be in the HVAC world, it’s like cars people swear by X and stay away from Y. Visa-versa. Most of the warranties are the same these days. Personally I would stay away from the addons, don’t do the $89 service checks, that $89 will turn into “you need a $250 capacitor which is less than a $20 part.

And yes, to @Beachbummer credit, what’s the current state of the unit it you have now? If you have an older unit, and you replace they’ll prolly need to swap out the linsets too.

 

[PJ73]

Unit is 23 years old. Came home from vacation and turned it on. Ran all night and in the morning I checked on it, noticed water coming out the back of the stack in the basement, pulled the door and the entire exchanger was a solid block of ice. Checked the drain lines, clear. It's a leak, was 1.5 lbs low, got a shot to pump it back up, a month later and it's starting to freeze up again. So, it's time for a new one.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

If you got 23 years out of your last unit, I would get the same brand as you had before! That’s a solid run.

 

[PJ73]

If you got 23 years out of your last unit, I would get the same brand as you had before! That’s a solid run.

They don't make them like they did 23 years ago. It's a Bryant and while their furnaces are good, their AC units now are not as well made.

 

[Beachbummer]

I'm so sorry for your loss. If the old refrigerant was still cheap I would tell you to ensure the leak was not repairable, but after this long it may be time to replace. You could consider just A/C side replace leaving in place your air handler and furnace (If you have a such a system) but it's rare to find someone willing and able to do that. I was shopping for a system, but it turns out I was able to extend the life of mine. Even with our high usage in Houston I could not justify going with the higher efficiency as the payoff was long ways away. Single Stage 14 seer, parts are around $2,500 for 4 tons if you shop around in Houston. (Install is easy another $2000-2500, but that's another conversation.) seer 16 dual stage is another $1500 at least, and saves maybe $55 a year?

(I'm providing a bit of info I've gathered over the last 3 weeks, as my AC is on its last leg and I was looking..., so I'm all ears on how those numbers are wrong.)

 

[Brad_Ct]

I’m sure you already know that at a minimum the evaporator coil will need to be replaced since the old system is running R-22 and the new one will be 410A that is unless you can find a replacement R-22 condensing unit. They do still sell them new but you will pay a premium.

If it were me I would try to find the leak and repair it if possible. I installed the system in my house in 1988, yes I have had to repair it a couple times but I can’t justify the cost of upgrading it since the payback will be much longer then I plan on staying where I am.

To answer your original question, I have been installing American Standard equipment for years and it holds up very well.

 

[PJ73]

I’m sure you already know that at a minimum the evaporator coil will need to be replaced since the old system is running R-22 and the new one will be 410A that is unless you can find a replacement R-22 condensing unit. They do still sell them new but you will pay a premium.

If it were me I would try to find the leak and repair it if possible. I installed the system in my house in 1988, yes I have had to repair it a couple times but I can’t justify the cost of upgrading it since the payback will be much longer then I plan on staying where I am.

To answer your original question, I have been installing American Standard equipment for years and it holds up very well.

But what do you know of Daikin? They have the best warranty and appear to be solid, just dont know much else about them.

 

[Brad_Ct]

I know that they have a vey good reputation in commercial applications.

 

[jlcj7]

Unfortunately I will be in the market soon as well. Anyone have an opinion on RUUD? Never heard of them but local person is pushing them. One of my current units is a Carrier 3-ton and only 6 years old and freezing up. It has no leak (freezing on outside first, not coil) and I have been told it is an airflow problem. No one seems to know how to fix it. Lots of trial and error (over $1000 so far) and still freezing. I deal with it because it freezes and thaws and cools well but it is frustrating knowing it isn’t working properly.

I went with Trane for my furnaces but only because people said they were good. So far no complaints there.

 

[Brad_Ct]

My condensing unit is a RUUD and it’s been running for 31 years.

As far as your unit freezing up, most residential units use a accurator instead of a TXV to regulate the refrigerant flow through the evaporator and they need to be sized for the condensing unit. Long story short if the wrong size accurator was installed it will cause what you are experiencing.

 

[drewkaree]

I dunno anything about Daikin, but we know some of the D&M Heating/Cooling folks. Great replacement of the 30+ year old stuff we had when we bought our house (Magic Chef stuff? It was an old company, that much I remember). Not sure who you are dealing with, but I recommend D&M. Dunno if they service your area

 

[MattFX4]

Unit is 23 years old. Came home from vacation and turned it on. Ran all night and in the morning I checked on it, noticed water coming out the back of the stack in the basement, pulled the door and the entire exchanger was a solid block of ice. Checked the drain lines, clear. It's a leak, was 1.5 lbs low, got a shot to pump it back up, a month later and it's starting to freeze up again. So, it's time for a new one.

My parent's unit went out this summer. House was built in 1992. Trane unit lasted 27 years. Doubt the ones being sold today will last that long.

 

[Jaycav]

im a hvac contractor. Trane is the best unit you can buy in my opinion. the daikin unit is actually a goodman as daikin bought goodman a few years back. the installing contractor can register the trane unit online and get the same warranty as the daikin.

 

[OCMD]

Get a Goodman. Solid and they last. Don't sweat too much about the Seer, especially since you only use it four moths a year. Who cares about the 50 bucks it may save you a year on electrical costs - it will take you 20 years to recoup the savings. I have 4 homes and all AC units in the past 5 years have been replaced with Goodmans. They still crank. No need to pay thousands extra for a name brand. And this info came directly from my HVAC guy who knows not to screw me since I am his atty. He told me to save the money and get a Goodman. He has been 4 for 4. Note that you will be changing over to a new "freon" system so some things will have to change from your older system it will not be just a "swipe out" of the unit. I forget what this is, but something to do with the newer "freon" you will be using. Maybe a pro will chime in.

 

[PJ73]

Thanks for all the input. This is what I'm talking about. Some say "X" company, others say "Y", it's like searching online. I would go to one site that says "Lennox is the best" and lists Trane at #9, while another says "Trane is the best" and lists Diakin right behind it... It's insane. It's an absolute crap-shoot. The constant I hear is "it's all about the install". So, I'm gonna try and get a good installer, regardless.