HVAC question - Heil & Goodman brands

Go with the one with the best warranty. Heil and Goodman don’t have the best reputation because they will let anyone install them, but the installation to me is more important than the brand. You could have a 20k Trans installed by someone incompetent and have more issues than a properly installed Goodman.

Fwiw, tons of people the past 2 years were stuck with their pants down on warranty parts because parts were back ordered. I had a fan go out on one unit and the warranty part was 6 weeks out in July…warranties are great but id go with the more trusted unit first.

Heil is owned by United Technologies, parent company of Carrier. Goodman owned by Daikan, the largest manufacturer of residential HVAC equipment in the world. The HVAC company/installers are more important than the manufacturer.

If truly all things are equal relative to the company/installers/service techs, perhaps pay the extra for the extended warranty - assuming that warranty is backed by the manufacturer (Daikan) and not the installing contractor. Ask if either company comissions the equipment after installation - runs the appropriate tests to insure the equipment is operating per manufacturers guidelines - and provides you with a copy of the results.

If you read professional HVAC forums populated by techs, older ones that have been in the business many years, they just about all agree all manufacturers do not make HVAC units as robust as in years past - just like other major household applicances - refrigerators, washers, etc.

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they just about all agree all manufacturers do not make HVAC units as robust as in years past

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This is what I fear the most.

I have a Goodman 4 ton system. 4 years old. Have not had a problem with it. I had it thoroughly inspected and cleaned earlier this summer and the HVAC guy told me everything looked great. Was told I could expect about 15 years out of it as long as I keep up with maintenance.

I have a 5 ton Goodman going on 13 years old thats been pretty solid. I hope to get another few years out of her.

If you look at a house and it has Goodman they spared all the expense in that property

Airco,Bryant,American Standard and Payne per my HVAC husband

Crawdude said:

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So much, not all, of this is government mandated - requirement for higher energy efficiency (higher SEER requirement) which requires larger and thinner coils for better heat transfer but are more prone to leakage; government mandated changes in refrigerants which operate under higher pressures, etc. You are just not going to get 30 years out a unit as you now have with your old one with thick copper coils, etc.

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^^^This!

These evap coil failures are expensive & ridiculous. I don't believe all of the BS excuses these HVAC companies regarding these failures. They've switched back & forth between aluminium & copper, but it's the thickness that is the real problem. We the consumers are now paying alot more for HVAC ownership because of this.

Installation is absolutely key, make sure your installer is well reviewed and you are comfortable with them.

We had a 2 ton Goodman combo installed downstairs, and 2.5 upstairs, and they have been running perfectly the past three years. We have them serviced annually and replace filters regularly. Cost was much cheaper than the Carrier we were quoted. Both installers were highly recommended.

tl;dr - A good installer and routine maintenance will get you a lot of mileage out of it.