Need HVAC advice

[johndi]

Compressor on central air went. Had a family member who is an HVAC contractor come over to give me a price.
I live in a 2100 SF townhouse.
Since the furnace ( natural gas ) is 25 years old,asked him to replace that as well.
He suggested a 2.5 ton 13 SEER air unit and a 95% efficient , 2 stage furnace.
Quoted me $5400 total.
The brand of equipment is listed as Goodman.
Googled Goodman and there were not a lot of good reviews.
Anyone have any experience with that brand, and does price sound reasonable?

[bottd]

Not sure of your location, which makes a big difference, but I paid more than that for a 2.5 ton York last summer without the furnace install.  And out of four quotes that was third cheapest. So IMO that sounds like a pretty good price. 

I found the same information about Goodman that you talk about and have asked the question to multiple people that should know what they are talking about and the answer I almost also hear is...the problem with Goodman is they will sell to anybody...which means you now have homeowners, jack of all trades, and fly by night folks installing the equipment...any A/C equipment not properly installed will self destruct in fairly short time. So now you have broken equipment 4 or 5 years old with the Goodman name on the side of it and no support from the manufacture or contractor.

I am just starting to get into the trade and contractors I trust are telling me that Goodman equipment property installed and maintained will give you good service.

[chrisexv6]

HVAC stuff is like windows for your house:  good equipment installed badly is worse than bad equipment installed goodly (yes I know that word is made up)

Get a few quotes, see if any of the installers willingly do a heat load calculation on your house instead of just quoting replacing like size for like size.  Square foot is only one of many things to take into account, the heat load calculation will encompass everything to determine if that 2.5 ton unit is correct size or not.

As mentioned above, Goodman equipment is probably OK, it will depend more on the quality of install.  I personally got a Carrier Infinity system installed last summer and its spectacular at keeping our house comfortable, but it cost a lot more than $5400.

[jasfrank]

Nothing wrong with Goodman. They use the same components as most of the others. I have had a Goodman furnace for 12 yrs with no real problems. One time the sensor rod acted up, I took it out and sanded it lightly. Its been fine since. As far as the quote goes, I'd think its in the ballpark, but I've always done my own HVAC and haven't had to find out what the labor end is really like. I can tell you I put a 3.5 ton heat pump and a 100k 96% gas furnace, both new in box, at my sons house 3 yrs ago and the cost was right around $2200 with the lineset and an LP conversion kit included. I purchased them from an HVAC reseller who buys out businesses that are going out of business or heading into bankruptcy. That's not for everybody, but it works great for me. And yes, that Goodman in my own home was purchased from him as well.

[rwe2156]

I have had several Goodmans. 

Two 5 ton units in my commercial building.  1 is a '95 and still running just replaced handler blower, the other was a '93 replaced a couple years ago -- with another Goodman.

I also have 2 G'man units at my house.  Did have a problem with one but discovered the installer overcharged it.

Bottom line I wouldn't be scared of them.  Check the warranty I think its decent.

I've had problems with all types.  AC performance issues are also sometimes due to installation errors, too.

What does your AC guy say?

[DieselDennis]

Where are you?

13 SEER is a little low.  I'd ask for an upgrade to the 14-16 SEER range.

[Robert Adams]

The goodman stuff is fine like said if installed properly. He one brand I would stay away from right now is their parent company Daikin. They make good minisplits but their conventional units are having a number of problems at install. The  main issue is their circuit boards. Many of them are bad at start up. What has been happening is that many are coming out of the factory without the cup on the board programmed. Which means a board replacement. A friend of mine I stalls their stuff every day and they typically have at least one a week with a bad boad. 
       Once they get that straightened out it'll be fine. 


       Not sure for install costs in your area but a 3.5 ton 16 seer with a 100k btu 96% two stage furnace and matching coil costs me around $3200 or so. As for seer 13 seer is still legal up north but in hot climates it's 14 minimum now.  

     We went from a 3 ton 10 to 12 or so seer to a 16 seer 3.5 ton and we can now keep the house comfortable for about the same Elec cost. It stays at 75* when it's 105*. However when it gets really hit this month I'll be wishing for a larger unit. 
          Remember when they do a load calc make sure they use the interior temp you like it to be. For many that's around 70*.

[johndi]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm in Phila. So I guess 13 SEER is legal.

The unit I have is 12 SEER now so maybe a little better.

Will have to get a load test.

[Mandrake]

Goodman units are built about 10 miles from my house. I've had two of their systems. Both systems failed, component by component. In once case the fan motor died, the evap coil leaked, and the compressor failed all within 18 months of their new installation. Despite their local presence, DIY parts are not available.

Based on my experience, I will never own a Goodman system again, even if it is given to me for free.

[daveferg]

Honestly, for a major investment like this, I'd stick with the long established brand names. There's nothing worse than an AC unit that breaks down in the middle of a heat wave, and then just try and find someone to service it when they're all busy.

We just hand a new Lennex installed for $7,000 including a thermostat, condensate pump and permits. We had two other bids for name brand units around the same price.