PennSilverTaco's HVAC BS MegaThread!

Armstrong is made by Allied Air Enterprises, which is to Lennox what ICP is to Carrier. I’ve heard mixed opinions on Allied Air...

 

That’s the unit I was thinking of! They were sold as GE until 1983 or so, then Trane either merged with them or bought the HVAC division of GE. I’ve never seen a GE-branded unit newer than 1983. American Standard is the cheaper version of Trane, and I believe Trane is now owned by Ingersoll-Rand...

Anyway, those old GE units were made from about 1968 to 1986; From 1984 to 1986, they were Trane. I still see those in operation quite frequently, and it breaks my heart when they get replaced with junk like Goodman!

 

When we sold the house I told the buyers that those things are gems. They might look junky, but nothing you replace it with is going to last as long as those have. Hopefully they will ride them out. Hell of a ROI haha

oh and I replaced a relay that dead ants crowded up. That and the cap is it. So $30 maybe? Haha

 

Also, my parents’ house has Goodshit...er, um, I mean Goodman...



The house is fairly new (built late 2015-early 2016) and my parents had it built from the ground up. The builder (NV Homes) started using Goodman not long prior to my parents putting a deposit down, so there was no choice in what brand we got (whole neighborhood, built between about 2014 and 2017, has Goodman; The townhouse development across the street, also built by NV and completed in 2025 or so, has ICP units). Goodman isn’t bad, and thankfully the newer units built from about 2006 onward have scroll compressors, but they’re still cheaply made compared to builder-grade Carrier, Lennox, Trane, and York products; My dad has promised me that when the Goodmans die, he will not replace either one with another Goodman.

 

My friend @Gwyns04 has cheapo 2005 Gibson (Nordyne) unit; A mouse chewed through a wire and electrocuted itself. Gwyn suspected something was up when she went to turn on the A/C last spring and nothing happened...

The tech was called, and he found the dead mouse inside the service access panel; The unit was repaired and at 16 years old continues to function flawlessly.

This is amazing because, like I said, it’s a NORDYNE; These pieces of shit make Goodman look like Trane! However, Gwyn’s does have a scroll compressor instead of a reciprocating one; Also, it’s a straight-cool A/C and not a heat pump so it gets a break in the summer.

 

Beginning in January 2006, all new central air-conditioners and heat pumps were required to be a minimum of 13 SEER; My parents’ house was built in 2016, so it both units are 14 SEER. There is a 2.5-ton for the 1st floor and a 2-ton for the 2nd floor; The house is a little under 3,000 square feet not including the unfinished basement (which also has two A/C vents for some reason)...

 

And here is the 1st floor furnace, located in the basement; There is an identical furnace for the 2nd floor located up in the attic, but it is a bitch to get to!

 

One of the worst units out there.

 

But like I said, they came with the house; Our old place, a townhouse built by Toll Brothers, had Carrier units. The one issue with those units is that the house was built in 2007, a couple years before the EPA mandated that all complete HVAC systems installed in new homes had R410a refrigerant. The two Carriers at the townhouse used R-22, and one of them had a slow leak that manifested itself in the summer of 2014; If one component goes bad (condenser/compressor, indoor coil, furnace), then that unit will have to be replaced because they don’t make R-22 units anymore. What also pissed me off is that the Carriers both had TXVs (thermostatic expansion valves; the far more efficient choice), while the newer Goodmans at the place we’re in now have capillary tubes!

 

R22 was phased out years ago, 410a is being phased out Jan 1, 2024

 

Start saving for your black markets now

 

You could still get new but dry (no Freon) “components” after 2010...

What the hell’s wrong with R410a? Am I going have to get my Tacoma retrofitted from R134a to that new R1234yf stuff?

 

R134a and R410A can no longer be used effective January 1, 2024.

 

Well, people still use R-12 from their stockpiles, and anyone who has an EPA certification is allowed to handle the stuff; I’m also sure that technicians will still be able to service R134a and R410a systems for at least the rest of the decade, or is the government going to confiscate all of the stockpiled refrigerant?

Does this mean I’m gonna have retrofit the A/C in my truck if it shits the bed after January 2024?

 

You would never want to pay the price R22 would cost you per pound, it’s very rare to use out there, cheaper to upgrade. R410A isn’t going to last long once it’s discontinued and no longer made. Who ever has it is going to charge top dollar per pound.

 

Yours truly cleaning the 1996 Janitrol at my aunt's house during that August 2011 visit; Note the damage to the condenser caused by dog piss...

 

Also, don't forget NORDYNE...

NORDYNE has gotten marginally better, and their saving grace is that they use Copeland-Scroll compressors, but they still suffer from flimsy construction; My friend @Gwyns04 has a 2005 Gibson 2.5-ton unit at her house that is amazingly still functioning perfectly. In my opinion, any A/C unit will last 10-20 years if installed correctly and properly maintained. Sometimes, shit happens and compressors fail prematurely among other things, but air-conditioners are just like any other machine; They break, and sometimes they break hard!

NORDYNE manufacturers virtually identical residential HVAC products under the following brands...

• Broan
• Frigidaire
• Gibson
• Intertherm
• Maytag
• Miller
• Reznor

I've also seen NORDYNE residential products branded as Airtemp and NuTone; NORDYNE also manufacturers commercial products under the AMBIRAD and MAMMOTH brands, and they also still sell garage heaters under the Reznor name.

 

There are some brand whores in here. Been doing HVAC for over 15 years... It’s all the same components. Just different names... Tanya, Stephanie, Jessica, Tina

 

Carrier, Trane, Lennox, York, etc; Same basic parts, but wayyy better than shit like Goodman and it's subsidiaries. As for NORDYNE, well...


Comparing a NORDYNE to a Trane or a Carrier is like saying that this...



Is the same thing as this...

 

Mambo No. 5!

"A little bit of Monica on my mind..."