Trane vs Rheem

Reputation of both are very good, I believe. I've been following this board for a long time and rarely do I ready anything bad about Rheem or Trane.

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I get to replace one entire HVAC unit and a coil in my other unit. Any experience with the two brands?

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I had a 28 year old Rheem when I purchased a second house in Auburn in 2016. It was a tank but probably a SEER 4 given the age. Replaced it in 2019. My Dad had a Trane HVAC system growing up in Auburn. I think much of it depends on the company that installs the system, but mechanically I think Trane and Rheem both have good reputations.

I've had a Trane XR16 and lost a coil to a leak at year 7 under the 10 year parts waranty.

Installers claimed this was uncommon but the labor/consumables cost $1500 for the changeout.

In short, these manufacturers "parts only" warranties are not so great.

I'm on year 8 now and only other service call was a bad capacitor 5 years in.

I like my unit but my experience has been meh so far. I'll sing the praises of Trane if the equipment gets me to 15 years or more with no other major repairs.

FWIW I clean inside and outside coils annually (taking the grates and fan off of the outside unit every time), so the unit is well taken care of.

Everyone has given you good advice particularly in regards to the fact that expertise and experience of the installers outweights the manufacturer of the unit. HVACs are not plug in appliances - great deal of assembly, fitting, cutting, brazing, etc. occurs in the field (I.e., your house).

Also if by chance you not aware, Trane and American Standard are the same, as are Rheem and Ruud. Made in the same factories, same components, just different paint jobs and a badge on the unit. Often American Standard and Rudd tend to be somewhat less expensive. Same is true of Carrier and Bryant.

Back when you could get 20 years or more out of a unit, I think this was a bigger consideration. Truth is, now you can only really expect 12-15 years out of one. They’ve grown exponentially more expensive with a shortened lifespan. Yay for progress! :sarcasm: