Trane vs. Arcoaire & Comfortmaker

[mmnic001]

newer home owner (always lived in condo;s)our home is about 28yrs. old & present furnace needs replacing. Have gotten costs and recommendations on Trane XV80, Comfortmaker 82% effi. and Arcoaire 80% effi.
Seems like Trane gets the best reviews. But we don't really know anything about the other two. I know everyone says it's all about the installer, but are the other two brands just as good and RELIABLE as Trane?

Anyone have comments about Comfortmaker and espically Arcoaire?
Need advice quickly.

[beenthere]

Comfortmaker, and Arcoaite, are both ICP products.

One will be as good as the other.

[CARRIER Pigeon]

Comfortmaker and Arcoaire are under the same parent company as Carrier. However, do not let the dealer tell you that Comfortmaker & Arcoaire units are one and the same as Carrier. Arcoaire and Comfortmaker are both made by International Comfort Products (ICP) out of Lewisburg, TN. I used to work for a Carrier dealer and our techs worked on them all.

We're all going to have our opinions on here, but all equipment, regardless of brand, needs to be properly sized, installed, and maintained!

ICP is running a 10 year warranty promo right now if you register the equipment on their website.

I don't know what Trane's warranty is. If the Trane name makes you feel better, then go with the Trane.

You might want to call up both Trane and ICP and talk to their customer service people so you can get a feel for how helpful (or not helpful) they are! Ask them about warranties, rebates, equipment specs, anything, just to see how they answer and how they treat you! You may end up needing to call them further down the road...if your installer goes out of business and you need a dealer recommendation, or if anything else pops up.

To be honest, I would carefully consider the warranties. Will you get parts coverage? Parts and labor coverage?

Will the installer back up the installation? And for how long?

Equipment is only as good as the installer.

Please make sure they did the sizing calculations. Insist on it.

You could call up Trane and ICP and compare the specs on the units, but ultimately, you want to be sure it is sized right, and you are getting the warranty that meets your needs.

Good luck!

[caincompany]

My feathered friend is correct about the icp warranty stuff. I was just at a conference in Nashville yesterday . Starting Feb.1, all icp r410a products will have 10 year parts warranties. If you decide to go mainline instead of entry, you qualify for a no hassle replacement warranty. Of course its in levels, so the higher efficiency you go, the better no hassle you get. (no hassle means if the compressor or heat exch fail withing the no hassle period, you can get a new unit to replace it). I really like the warranties icp has and they are easy to deal with.

Im not sure about Tranes warranties, although i dont think they are as good as icp's.
Trane is good stuff, but it is salty. Give me a Bryant, ICP, or Amana any day!! Much more bang for the buck.

[Irascible]

Originally Posted by mmnic001

I know everyone says it's all about the installer, but...

Feel free to tell me I'm full of it , but...

The odds of finding three contractors who are going to do the job right from start to finish are, in my pessimistic but probably accurate opinion, very low. Figure out which one, two or three of them are going to cut corners and you'll know which one, two or three brands to cross off your list.

[CARRIER Pigeon]

Originally Posted by caincompany

My feathered friend is correct about the icp warranty stuff. I was just at a conference in Nashville yesterday . Starting Feb.1, all icp r410a products will have 10 year parts warranties. If you decide to go mainline instead of entry, you qualify for a no hassle replacement warranty. Of course its in levels, so the higher efficiency you go, the better no hassle you get. (no hassle means if the compressor or heat exch fail withing the no hassle period, you can get a new unit to replace it). I really like the warranties icp has and they are easy to deal with.

Im not sure about Tranes warranties, although i dont think they are as good as icp's.
Trane is good stuff, but it is salty. Give me a Bryant, ICP, or Amana any day!! Much more bang for the buck.

Wow I didn't know they are going to a 10 year warranty on all parts on the 410A. That's fantastic! I agree with you, Bryant/ICP really does give good bang for the buck The Carrier Infinity and Bryant Evolution systems are just awesome. Do you sell Payne as well? The Carrier dealer I worked for went out of business years ago, when Carrier was just starting to push the Payne products, so we didn't really get into Payne.

[caincompany]

Payne? Nah, not really. Carrier/Bryant usually dont give thier dealers good prices on payne because they want to push the big 2. Payne is basically provided for counter sales and people who want a carrier product but cant get carrier or bryant. Thats what i was told when i worked there. I get icp products when i dont use Bryant or amana, real good price, carrier quality.

[Tri State Suppl]

In my opinion more important than the brand of equipment is to find a quality contractor who will stand by his work. You can have the best furnace out there but if it isn't installed correctly it will suck. Find someone with a good reputation, and a decent warranty, and you should be happy.

[kevinmac]

Tranes XL series has 10 year on all parts if installed as a system including the thermo etc.. Also has a 2 year labor warranty.