Amana vs Goodman vs Rheem - DIY Chatroom

billyrayvalentine · 05-09-2007, 11:57 PM

I had a Carrier Heat Pump unit that went out on me last week. I have gotten three quotes to install a new A/C and I am going to just have the air handler heat my home with the new system (no more heat pump). Which was suggested to me both the two guys I got quotes from, since I live in Nebraska and that heat pumps aren't really made for our cold winters.

One guy quoted the Goodmen and Rheem and a different did only the Amana. They both said that Carrier are not that good of units, but I have read online they are one of the best?

My three quotes are:
Goodmen $3700
Rheem $4500
Amana $5700

This includes everything (installation, etc.) I am pretty new at this and any ideas/feedback on which company is good, etc. would be great!

Thanks!

jhd1234 · 05-11-2007, 02:01 PM

Rheem is good, Goodman is a low end unit, Amana is good. You might also want to consider Trane/American Standard [sister units the AS usually sells for less] which are IMO very good quality. Avoid the Carrier/Bryant brands [again sister units]; contrary to what you may have read, they are too problematic. Another issue is the decision to stay with refrigerant 22 or buy a system with refrigerant 410A. Also, what kind of heat will you have? With your current heat pump, the size of the electric heat is for second stage, defrost cycles and emergency heat. If your new system will be all electric heat, make sure it's enough kw to heat the house. That may also invoke the issue of whether or not the electric supply to the air handler is large enough.

#CARRIERMAN · 05-11-2007, 09:47 PM

Hi billyrayvalentine

Goodman and Amana are the same piece of equipment. It turns one way and has a Goodman sticker put on it and the other way has the Amana nameplate put on it. They come out of the same factories and are the bottom of the barrel. Rheem and Rudd are the same company and are excellent pieces of equipment. I am one of those firm believers in you get what you pay for, I would personally have gone back with a Carrier. You are going from the top of the line to a builders model, trust me if you chose the builders line over the Carrier, you will see a difference in both performance and reliability.

Good luck
Rusty

Jacques · 11-08-2009, 08:22 AM

if Amana and Goodman are the same unit then the #'s are screwy. could be % of units sold are higher or lower resulting in more or less blogs. it 's like Consumer Reports, a lot of times they'll list one appliance over another but they're the same appl. same manf. but due to marketing the model #s are different. also, in any given year a manf might be having a problem with a certain line, so one year everybody loves it the next year it's the pits. how does one tell?? i would posit; find a good servicer, go with what they say, good servicers don't want to work on inferior products. any problems, they'll be there for you.

hennyh · 11-08-2009, 11:34 AM

Pick the best installer first and foremost!!

If it's the first guy, then I'd choose Rheem over Goodman.

If the second guy is the better contractor then go with the Amana brand.

hvaclover · 11-08-2009, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacques

if Amana and Goodman are the same unit then the #'s are screwy. could be % of units sold are higher or lower resulting in more or less blogs. it 's like Consumer Reports, a lot of times they'll list one appliance over another but they're the same appl. same manf. but due to marketing the model #s are different. also, in any given year a manf might be having a problem with a certain line, so one year everybody loves it the next year it's the pits. how does one tell?? i would posit; find a good servicer, go with what they say, good servicers don't want to work on inferior products. any problems, they'll be there for you.

The difference bwtween Goodman and Amana Is the Amana has a lifetime replacement on the entire furnace should the et ex go bad.

Plus the Amana name has more snob appeal because they didn't have the Janitrol legacy to drag them down as Goodman does.

Is Goodman the same same mediocre unit that it was ten years ago?

Absolutely not. It is as worthy of any prospects attention as an other unit.

I have seen more problems with Carriers and Bryants due to their proprietary components, same with Lennox, because they are hard to get parts for unless you are a Lennox dealer.

Yoyizit · 11-08-2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyrayvalentine

I had a Carrier Heat Pump unit that went out on me last week.

How old did it get to be?

If you do a dotplot of the bids
a Goodmen $3700
b Rheem $4500
c Amana $5700

...............a...b..c
0...|...|...|...|...|...|
........................$6k

they don't much cluster together

I'd get enough bids to see a cluster or
assume b is the right price or
assign credibility factors to each contractor. More credibility = lower adjusted price 'cause you're getting more value for your money.

yuri · 11-08-2009, 03:57 PM

I think BillyRay bought one in the last 2.5 yrs he had to "shop" around. LOL

beenthere · 11-08-2009, 04:26 PM

LOL...
A revived thread from May of 2007.

If he was foolish enough to just get straight A/C with electric heat. Hope he has real cheap rates.

Second. Goodman and Amana were not, and are not the same thing. Unless you get the Amana Distinction line. Then it is just a relabel Goodman

The high end equipment is different.

Goodman incorporated a lot of Amana's technology into Goodman equipment.