Which brands are best for water source heat pumps?

[arlam]

I have been putting Carrier/Climate Master (water source heat pump) units in, & a few have had evap leaks within the first couple years. I would think this shouldn't be acceptable. A few others have had additional refrigeration problems (txvs, leaks, ect) after 6 or 8 years. Has anyone else had problems with Carrier/Climate Master? Is there a better option for a reasonable price, or is everything built to break down these days?

[ChaseAir]

I have only installed 4 Florida Heat pumps in the past two years. Three of them have had leaking evap coils. Per the local distributor "we don't have coil problems here".

One of those units had thin copper fittings going up to the condenser coil, they developed multiple leaks. The distributor again blamed the water quality. The water certainly does not smell of sulphur. I blame the cheap parts they put in these pieces of junk.

That same unit lost its evap coil, compressor, and had other freon leaks. This was between two different companies he had out to repair the unit. Much of this stemmed from the water leak issue.

The kicker on that one was that he had a FHP for 25 years with very little problems. This one had all these repairs in less than five years.

Their local customer service is horrible. They are one of the oldest distributors in Florida. I guess stupidity has no age limit.

[ChaseAir]

How many did you install that had leaks in the first year? What was the percentage? FHP has been real bad in my experience, I hear Water Furnace is not much better, but they have a tin-plated coil replacement.

[arlam]

Hey, I think it's about 5% give or take, and in the first two years (after the warranty is up, of course), and those are the Carrier/Climate Master units. Good to know that FHP is just as bad. Sounds worse maybe. Know of a good alternative for a reasonable price?

[ChaseAir]

What area of the country do you live in? 5% would be an ironclad reliable unit compared to our failure rate here in humid Florida. Not sure if it is the area or what.

[dorff]

I have no complaints about WaterFurnace, the Envision anyways. Maybe they haven't been installed long enough but so far so good.