I'm replacing a central A/C and furnace. One local contractor installs
Amana or Maytag equipment. I think Amana is owned by Goodman, and the
Maytag brand for HVAC is owned by Nordyne. Any opinions on these two
brands, informed or otherwise? I have heard that the quality of
installation is more important than the brands but I want to get some
feedback on the brands anyway. We'll be going with 92% efficient variable
speed on the furnace, not sure of the specs on the A/C yet. Thanks!

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:Sfh6c.35446$po.316954@attbi_s52...
I'm replacing a central A/C and furnace. One local contractor installs
Amana or Maytag equipment. I think Amana is owned by Goodman, and the
Maytag brand for HVAC is owned by Nordyne. Any opinions on these two
brands, informed or otherwise? I have heard that the quality of
installation is more important than the brands but I want to get some
feedback on the brands anyway. We'll be going with 92% efficient variable
speed on the furnace, not sure of the specs on the A/C yet. Thanks!

Amana is indeed owned by Goodman.
Buy the highest seer that you can. My old home, I put in an American
Standard made by Trane. I had a vfd on the air handler which gave me better
humidity control.

Sorry I do not know a thing about the Nordyne.

Buy a scroll compressor if you can. Ask about the noise from the condenser
unless it is in an area that you will never hear it.

"Jim W" wrote in message news:Sfh6c.35446$po.316954@attbi_s52...
I'm replacing a central A/C and furnace. One local contractor installs
Amana or Maytag equipment. I think Amana is owned by Goodman, and the
Maytag brand for HVAC is owned by Nordyne. Any opinions on these two
brands, informed or otherwise? I have heard that the quality of
installation is more important than the brands but I want to get some
feedback on the brands anyway. We'll be going with 92% efficient variable
speed on the furnace, not sure of the specs on the A/C yet. Thanks!


This is Turtle.

If give a choice between Maytag or a Amana. i would have to go with the Amana. Get the 12 seer or above and the condenser unit comes
with a lifetime warrenty on the compressor and if the compressor fails in the first 10 years. You get a whole new condenser unit to
install. This is my thoughts only on these two.

Now you really need to get a scroll compressor and the 4 and 5 ton Amana's only have scrolls. The smaller sizes have piston type
compressors and the Scroll compressor is a much better type to have. If you have a smaller size than 4 tons. The Amana has the good
warrenty to make up for a scroll, but nothing last longer than a scroll. Here is some brands that have scroll compressors in them.
Rheem / Ruud / ArcoAire -- high end equipment / and a lot of other brand but you need to check to see if they have a scroll. The 3
listed above have all scroll compressor in them with no questions ask to if it has it or not.

Now the 92% AFUE rating of the gas furnace is a good choice in my opinion.

Now above all said so far. The installer can make or break you in how he installs it. So if you have a very good installer. i would
use any brand he sold for a good installer can make a silk Perse out of a Sows Ear.

TURTLE


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"Jim W" wrote in message
news:Sfh6c.35446$po.316954@attbi_s52...
I'm replacing a central A/C and furnace. One local contractor installs
Amana or Maytag equipment. I think Amana is owned by Goodman,

Correct...bottom of the barrel in quality...the same reason they upped the
warranty on the compressors....you offer that warranty for a couple of
years....get your customer base back up....and then drop it like a hot
potato....

and the
Maytag brand for HVAC is owned by Nordyne.

Nordyne...love them. Parts are not easy to get here, one Nordyne supplier in
65 miles...cheap construction, and well...I would not have anything with a
Maytag name on it again, so...thats two strikes.

Any opinions on these two
brands, informed or otherwise?

We enjoy working on them...they are good for the repair people...

I have heard that the quality of
installation is more important than the brands but I want to get some
feedback on the brands anyway.

It is, but if you buy crap, a proper install will be crap that is working
the way its designed.....quality installs, with quality equipment will be a
dream to own, and buy.


We'll be going with 92% efficient variable
speed on the furnace, not sure of the specs on the A/C yet. Thanks!

On the furnace, go with a 94%+ VS unit....the price difference is slim to
none, and as far as the AC goes, do not consider a 10SEER, and think
strongly about a 14 or higher. 12 is now considered the min SEER to go with,
as the 10s and 12s are being slowly phased out, since the new standard will
be 13 SEER in just under 2 years.
We are getting more and more calls on the 16SEER units...and now that the
new Affinity line is being phased in, the 16+Seer units are starting to get
alot of attention.
Power is never going to be as cheap as it is right now....its only going to
go up. The price on AC equipment is not going to go down either....if you
think a 16SEER is high today, wait 2 years.

You might want to look at Rheem/Ruud. Simple units, quality builds....easy
to work on, not bad to service.
I am a York dealer, so I am biased to them....I just sell what I believe
in...so you might want to look at the new Affinitys..they ARE the new
standard that everyone else will be copying.

http://www.yorkupg.com/affinity/

The Coleman version (a bit less expensive, same company, same unit in design
and operation, just not looks) is

http://www.colemanac.com/echelon/index.asp

Trane and Carrier and Lennox...while good units overall, with the exception
of the Trane/American Standard that use the aluminum coils that are complete
garbage....all those and all the other companies that either own, or they
own, use the same parts...hard and expensive to get out of warranty.

Find a unit you like....find an installer you trust....and things will fall
into place. Thats about the best way to put it. If you are happy with the
installation, price, and such, then so be it. Just keep in mind you WILL pay
more....lots more...for a company that knows the proper way to install a
system, since they install the system around your home. It is NOT as easy as
slap this here, throw this here, and hell...lets toss in some duct to make
it all blow...
Your existing unit might not have been sized correctly from day one. Did the
company installing the unit offer to check that for you in the form of a
manual J? Once they determined the tonnage and BTU rating of the new
equipment, did any of them check the ductwork, via a manual D and insure
that the existing duct will work properly with the equipment that the
existing duct was NOT designed for?
If not....keep looking. ANY company that comes in, looks at your old unit,
and starts figuring prices, needs to see the door. Plain and simple. There
are no rules of thumb in HVAC..only facts. IF the proper procedures are not
followed to insure that you have a complete system that is to spec...then
they are simply taking your money.....the ducts, and the system work
together...it is not two separate systems...its ONE system that works
together as a whole...if ones wrong, then its all wrong.

Insure that you get proof of insurance BEFORE they start to work on your
home. Verify that the licence they have is valid. Forget the BBB reports, as
they are not worth the paper they are printed on if they are
good....however, if there are a ton, and I mean...more than say....5
complaints (and I say this based upon the size of the company...if its
small, more than one....if its huge, no more than 5 open complaints) then
you might...maybe reconsider. In the trades, you can look at a person and
they take it wrong and you have an automatic complaint...its just the way
that it goes, and its another reason that I dont even worry about the
BBB..why should I pay someone to tell me I do a good job? Besides..YOU the
consumer get to pay that membership fee each year..its a damn joke really.