I've got an 8-10 year-old (as estimated by a HVAC contractor - we
didn't buy it originally) 2.5t Goodman central air unit on our house.
It seems to work fine and cools the house effectively. My only
complaint with it at this point is its noise - the damn thing is VERY
loud.

A couple of questions for the group..
- I've read in some ng threads that Goodman units are of marginal
quality. If this is so, is there a 'typical' lifespan for this brand
a/c unit ?
- How much difference is there, technology-wise (power consumption,
cooling efficiency, etc.), between a 10-year old Goodman and a new,
top-of-the-line Carrier a/c unit ?
- Depending on the answers to the above, would you see any reasonable
justification to consider replacing the Goodman unit in conjunction
with a high-efficiency furnace replacement which we are doing this
summer ? Carrier has a fairly beefy rebate if we purchase both ($1k,
making the net difference between furnace alone and furnace-a/c about
$2800). We plan on living in the home for a long time.

I'm in no hurry to spend more money, but if the Goodman is likely to
only last a short while longer then it might make sense to take
advantage of the rebate and upgrade to a top shelf Carrier so as to not
have to be concerned with it (and to be rid of the noise) for a long
time.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks !


Rick

Had one fellow in the biz tell me Goodman was all right. Personally if
I had the money I would replace the whole setup, get the rebate, and go
as efficient as I could afford, because IMO energy prices are going up,
forever. Do the overall math including the efficiency of your current
furnace and the SEER rating ont he Goodman, vs. the new system...