A/C Units Non name brands

[ch407]

I'm looking for some feed back on the non name brand units. Like Goodmaan, American Standard, Comfortmaker... I have looked at the websites and to a non a/c person it all looks the same. I am building a house wondering if it is worth the savings to use one of the companies. Any information would be geat..

[jared]

Building a new house you are actually better off making sure you get a quality install regardless of brand name. Make sure you get a company that will do a heat load calculation and install the equipment PROPERLY. Personally I would choose to spend a little more for the HVAC than look to save on it. You will be breathing its air for the next couple decades and paying the power company every single month.

"Non-Brand" equipment should cost less. Be advised if you are using a builder he more than likely already has a low end unit already planned for that house unless you pay to upgrade.

[dash]

The price difference,is often because one contractor ,works for a lot less,pays less ,has less benefits for their coworkers,etc.,etc..

In our are the price difference between brands at the wholesale level is not what makes someone 10% less then us.

Each brand has a good,better ,best type lineup in the products.I'd look at the best in each.

The design,install and service after the sale,is critical,to equipment life,your comfort,and in rare cases your safty.


You builder,may not give you any option on which HVAC contractor will do the job,ask before signing on the dotted line.

[ch407]

So how do Comfortmaker and Bryant fir in the good, better, best lines?

[furnace doctor]

Yes they both have good better and best in their equipment. What is more important is the company that is going to properly size, install, maintain and service.
Price alone is scary. Quality work is worth the extra you pay up front for it.

[airworx]

american standard is one of the best systems out there,same thing as trane. i would not use one in my home though. i dont like having to remove all the panels to clean the condenser coils among other things i dont like about am.standard trane product. now my opinion is that bryant reliant systems are the best you can buy.
the only differance between say a goodman and a top of the line bryant,carrier or lennox system is not that much more money and will give you a system that will last more than 12 or 15 years. or buy the cheap stuff and spend the money fixing it.
and most important will be the installation and if not done properly will lead to compresor failures and high electric bills.

[dash]

They each have some form of good,better ,best within the the brand.

Top of the line ,has variable speed indoor fan motor,two stage gas heat,quieter outdoor unit,higher SEER,two stage/speed outdoor compressor,etc.,etc..


Most of these and to "Your" comfort.What's true comfort worth to you??

[BaldLoonie]

American-Standard is a world-known NYSE company. I wouldn't call it a "non name brand"!

[RoBoTeq]

Originally posted by BaldLoonie
American-Standard is a world-known NYSE company. I wouldn't call it a "non name brand"!

I was thinking the same thing baldy.

Also, with more Goodman units in homes then any other singular named brand, I don't think Goodman qualifies as non-brand either.

To answer the question though; it's basically all the same stuff.

[gmahler]

In reply to the oft repeated advice to get a quality instal, I have to say, after the experience of getting 3 estimates for different brands, it's impossible to judge from the estimate process. With the help of this site I was able to rule out the lowest bid because the guy said he would 'pull a vacuum if I insisted on it'. The highest bid that was 4x (yes 4x) times the low bid guy came from what appeared to be one who followed the rules. Wore plastic galoshes over his shoes before stepping into the house (which was a little extreme), did a load calc (don't think it was Manual J since it took only 15 mts but did use window measurements and R-values), gave me a no quibble guarantee etc. BTW the load calc came up with 2T but was moved up to 2.5T (which is what I have), because of the bonus room that is tied into the downstairs. So what's the point if a fudge factor is used in the end. But is it worth 4X to pay for first class treatment. Not when every manufacturer regardless of his stature always seems to say (after you've purchased the unit) " heat pumps only last 10-12 years on the average". I wish the quality installers would talk to you about the things that they do to ensure quality. In the end I would say get references...

[hvacprodmgr]

Comfortmaker is also NOT a "Non Name Brand" being that it is a division of International Comfort Products which is a division of UTC, also a NYSE listed Company.

[stephy]

Originally posted by RoBoTeq

Originally posted by BaldLoonie
American-Standard is a world-known NYSE company. I wouldn't call it a "non name brand"!

I was thinking the same thing baldy.

Also, with more Goodman units in homes then any other singular named brand, I don't think Goodman qualifies as non-brand either.

To answer the question though; it's basically all the same stuff.

You might want to leave work at work unless somone ask you a tech Question about the brand you rep..

[ch407]

Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone by calling their brand an off brand. Being a person that knows nothing about HVAC and would like a little help undeerstanding the different lines. Maybe I should have refered to them differently. I only know the big names in the business..ie. Trane and Carrier.. Doesn't in anyway mean to slight the others. Just looking for information if one has a better reputation than the others. I have been told to stay away from Janitrol. But to tell the truth I don't know anything about them either. Is any brand seem to be made cheaper or break more often than others. I don understand now that the guy doing the install means almost as much as the brand. So please give me your opnion if I should steer away from some brand.. Thank you..

[RoBoTeq]

Originally posted by stephy

You might want to leave work at work unless somone ask you a tech Question about the brand you rep.. [/B]

I live and breath this stuff 24/7. You might want to try another forum if you don't like what others have to say.

[RoBoTeq]

Originally posted by RoBoTeq

Originally posted by stephy

You might want to leave work at work unless somone ask you a tech Question about the brand you rep..

I live and breath this stuff 24/7. You might want to try another forum if you don't like what others have to say. If you read a little better you will notice this is not a tech oriented thread[/B]

[stephy]

Sorry Robo..
Didn't mean to get you upset.
I was just trying to spare you of the pain that may come from your new line you rep..
I have no problem with it[all manf. have a good, better,best]
Its just that the Local Dist. in this area was the worlds worst at selling anything to anybody..
It will take a while to regain customer and contractor confidence..
Good Luck
Stephen

[acmanjeff]

I have installed and serviced what feels like a million systems. All the names brands and non name brands have passed thru my hands at one point or another. The basic measure to go by is a very old rule. You get what you pay for! American Standard is my favorite right now. The same equipment and Trane just a diffrent sticker and a lower price. (P.S. American Standard company owns Trane.)Thats my opinon and we all know opions are like#$%^@# everyone has one. Dont cheat yourself talk to the HVAC contractor and ask thier recommendation. Buy the best system you can afford. It will pay for itself in the long run.

[RoBoTeq]

Originally posted by stephy
Sorry Robo..
Didn't mean to get you upset.
I was just trying to spare you of the pain that may come from your new line you rep..
I have no problem with it[all manf. have a good, better,best]
Its just that the Local Dist. in this area was the worlds worst at selling anything to anybody..
It will take a while to regain customer and contractor confidence..
Good Luck
Stephen

Damn! I hate it when I misread the intent of a poster. I was a bit tired last night when I responded and do apologize for my crappy response.

I figure any of us that regularly post on this forum must be HVAC geeks that actually like talking about this stuff. Again Steph, I apologize for being an ass with my comments.

[asi]

ch407,

You ask a good question.

Basically what is being said here is that there is not a lot of difference between brands right now. Most companies that manufacture HVAC equipment are large, well financed, reputable companies.

One interesting thing is that most "off brands" are made by companies that also make "name brands".

For instance:

Goodman is the same as Janatrol
Bryant is basically the same as Carrier (Payne is also manufactured by Carrier)
Rheem is the same as Ruud
York manufacturers at least three brands: York, Luxaire and Coleman (Fraiser-Johnson also but they don't really use this brand very often)
Trane is basically the same as American Standard
Most of the other brands are either made by ICP or Nordyne.
Comfortmaker is an ICP product.

The only "brand" I'd suggest staying away from right now is Haier. This product is made in China and I believe the only way this product is being sold in this country right now is based on price. I don't have any negative experience with Haier, I just think they don't have a proven track record in the US (HVAC equipment anyway) and I'd hate to be stuck if there are problems.

The biggest difference in what equipment is installed, is who install's it.

If the contractor you are working with likes Comfortmaker or Bryant, it probably means he has a good working knowledge of the equipment and has a good relationship with the local distributor. This can make a huge difference if a problem does come up.

[RoBoTeq]

Just to clarify; Goodman is Goodman. Goodman has manufactured Janitrol branded products since the early 1980's, but it is the same exact product as the Goodman, GMC and other branded names that have been used. The product label will still say Goodman Manufacturing on it and the model nomenclature will still be the same.

Goodman also owns Amana HAC including Amana PTACs.

Janitrol was a very well established heating company that started in the late 1800s that Goodman bought in the early 1980s. There is no corrolation between the Goodman equipment manufactured today and the Janitrol products of the last century. Goodman has utilized Amana technology to enhance all of its product lines and is the most prominent singular name brand in American households today.

United Technologies, which owns the Carrier, Bryant and ICP branded products (Tempstar, Heil, Comfortmaker etc.) holds the lead as the largest manufacturer of HVAC equipment in the Americas when all of the brands are combined.

American Standard is now the parent company of Trane and American Standard HVAC products.

Rheem Manufacturing is the parent company of Rheem, Ruud and Weatherking products.

York also manufactures the Luxaire brand, Lennox the Armstrong brand and so on.

I'm not really sure that there are any "no name" brands on the market unless we consider some of the new foreign products that are hitting our market. And these are only not known in this region of the world.

[Edited by RoBoTeq on 08-02-2005 at 09:49 AM]