Well, my 20 year old American standard gas pack has developed cracks on the natural gas burners heat exchanger. So, i need a 3ton ac ~65,000 btu heat (or thereabouts) replacement. What experienced recommendations brand and model (no heat pumps) do y'all have?
Residential hvac: gas package recommendations
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In a previous house, I had a Carrier set up that lasted over 20 years. I replaced it with a Trane. Currently have a heat pump so don't have any current model information.
No brand recommendations, but make sure the installer checks that the heat rise is within specs, insufficient airflow can cause a heat exchanger to fail. And sometimes they have cracked long before it's gotten bad enough to be discovered.
I had a heat pump in Charlotte NC, won't have one again, they are useless, imho, below freezing. Well, I have used high Performance air filters for 20 years, it only showed itself this heating season.
It's a straight swap from existing, like for like. If I still had a tractor with forks I'd do it my self. But I have no means to move a 500 lb unit from "liftgate service" to gaspack location. And I'm getting quotes that equal the equipment cost for labor... like vague 8 to 10k$
Our family has had Rheem and Carrier products. They both seem to give about 10-12 years of problem free service and then stuff starts going wrong. Eventually something big like a heat exchanger or compressor makes it more cost effective to replace rather than repair. On my most recent unit the installer suggested Heil brand which is manufactured by Carrier but sells for a few hundred less. So far so good.
My neighbor and I both got a 3.5 ton gas pack a year ago and we both paid a little under 6K installed.
When I was looking through my owners manual I noticed that there were several models that did not have stainless steel heat exchangers. I had no idea that was optional, but I would stay away from the non-stainless models.
My neighbor and I both got a 3.5 ton gas pack a year ago and we both paid a little under 6K installed.
When I was looking through my owners manual I noticed that there were several models that did not have stainless steel heat exchangers. I had no idea that was optional, but I would stay away from the non-stainless models.
Trane.
The house we are in now has Goodman. I call them “Badman” JUNK.
So Trane.
It’s Trane.
Say it three times.
Then hire a top notch HVAC company that specializes in Trane.
Yes Trane.
I got 21 years out of my Goodman HVAC ac/gas furnace...No problem for me to recommend Goodman...I too would also be looking for a good installer too....
Try not to get a unit with proprietary parts so you are not married to a particular company for repairs. If ya get a Goodman you stand a chance of getting a repair part from most any plumbing-hvac store....
I have had good experience with Goodman, Carrier and now I have Daikin. Only 1 season on the Daikin so far. +12 years on the Goodman when we moved, the Carrier we had was original to the house and over 25 yo, we were there over 6 years issue free. 2 were propane and the Daikin is NG
That was a unit manufactured back when they were designed to last 30 years. I don't think they are now. Now we have electronic ignitors, microprocessor logic boards, EC motors, R410a pressures, and heat exchangers built to an efficiency standard rather than durability standard.
The Carrier furnace that was installed in my dad's house in 1987 has electronic ignition. It was still installed and working when that house was sold early this year.
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Just had a Bryant AC and horizontal gas furnace installed in our beach house. It replaced a Payne system that worked well for 23 years.
Payne, Carrier, Bryant...all owned by Carrier. $8600 installed.
Payne, Carrier, Bryant...all owned by Carrier. $8600 installed.
Stick with Trane or American Standard (same company). They are the best of the best IMO. My second choice would be Carrier.
Furthermore, if your local codes allow it, stick with a lower 80-83% efficiency gas furnace. This will be fine where you live. The higher 90%+ efficiency gas furnaces (AKA condensing furnaces) are the ones that have heat exchanger cracking problems (all brands) and also have more problems in general.
Furthermore, if your local codes allow it, stick with a lower 80-83% efficiency gas furnace. This will be fine where you live. The higher 90%+ efficiency gas furnaces (AKA condensing furnaces) are the ones that have heat exchanger cracking problems (all brands) and also have more problems in general.
from what I have been told all were better back then...A few HVAC techs told me that just about all of the newer ones ...any brand...will last about 10 to 12 years now...I had a Carrier unit installed a few years ago after the Goodman finally died..
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Correct about the 80-83% efficient furnaces. Also, I find single stage are simpler and last longer. I've had nothing but satisfactory performance and longevity from Carrier products. Their Infinity thermostat system of 10 years ago was a difficult to use, clunky piece of junk but that's easily remedied with any of the smart wifi thermostats available today.
