recip vs. scroll

[nickm]

I would like to get the opinion of some pros about reciprocating compressors vs. scroll type. What are advantages/disadvantages of one vs. the other? Also, I see Goodman products available via the internet being sold directly to the consumer. Is this a premium product or something to stay away from? Thanks for the help.

[tpa-fl]

Search the forums... these topics have been covered ad nauseum already.

[TheDuke]

scroll compressor has fewer moving parts less friction, smooth compression cycle, lower torque and less vibration.
nothing wrong with goodman, I like rheem easy to troubleshoot, service.

[Irascible]

The place where I differ with some of my peers on this topic is the importance they place on the scrolls alleged (and real) advantages. You are NOT buying a compressor. You're buying a system. ALL of the features you want can be engineered into an air conditioner using either technology. Energy efficiency especially is a non-starter. Your unit has a SEER rating. 14 SEER is 14 SEER regardless of the compressor. Low operating noise and vibration can also be engineered using either compressor.

The one place that a scroll theoretically has an advantage that the reciprocating can't reproduce is that its fundamental design is inherently more tolerant of abuse.

But the one place that a reciprocating compressor has an advantage over a scroll is that it's PROVEN it can take abuse and last a long time. Treat it right and it could theoretically outlast you. Read this short article. That article is about reciprocating compressors, not scrolls. Scrolls have not been around long enough to prove themselves in that way. We all assume that scrolls will do even better. But simulated aging is not the same thing as the real deal. There's a tincy wincy chance that we may find out in 5 or 10 years that scrolls have a fundamental design flaw that prevents them from lasting 30 and 40 years like some reciprocating compressors have.

In other words, don't let the debate between the two compressors be the deciding factor. In the end it's an insignificant point. (Though don't let Norm's warning regarding the way most compressors really die pass you bye.) If a contractor is relying on this point to sell you, then he doesn't have much to offer. His skills should be setting him apart - not his widget. Read this as it applies to picking a contractor. Read this as it applies to the services a contractor does. It's the services and not the widgets that are important. And read this as it applies to the services a contractor shouldn't be doing... in my opinion.

[Irascible]

Goodman is OK. But it's generally not considered a premium product by most. Personally I'm ambivalent. I can make a premium system with Goodman or any other major brand. If you research long enough you'll come to realize that the most important factor in the quality of the new system is the installer. If you're a DIY'er trying to install his own system, then God bless. You may be smart. You may know a lot. But I doubt you know half of what I know about design and installation.

[nickm]

Gentlemen, Thanks for the pointers. I realize the complexity in installing a system. My background is Electrical Engineering, not HVAC. I will leave HVAC to the pros.