goodman or heil

[bossgobbler]

I can get a 4.0 ton 10 seer goodman package unit for 1500 or a 4.0 ton 10 seer heil package unit for 1600. Which one would y'all buy? Is heil a better quality?

[LazyPup]

When you begin discussing which AC is the best it is like asking which mid range car is the best. Each will have their followers but in truth, Goodman and Heil are both well respected mid priced contractor grade units nearly equal in quality.

If one were to really cut to the bottom line, air conditioner condensing units basically only have four components:

1. Compressor- Almost all HVAC manufacturers use either TECUMSEH or COPELAND Compressors and as long as the compressor is sized correctly by tonnage either one will work equally well.

2. Condenser Coil- No matter how you shape it, a condenser coil is simply a continuous coil of copper tubing with aluminum fins attached. The total overall lengh of the internal tubing determines the tonnage of the coil, and in many cases they simply use an oversized coil to increase condensing rate, thus increasing the SEER of the unit.

3. Fan motor- Once again, they all use a third party manufactures motor, typically GE, DAYTON, MARATHON, or one of the other big name motor manufacturers, and when replacing those motors any motor made to the same voltage, RPM, direction of rotation (CW or CCW), Shaft size and frame size will interchange.

4. Control relay- AC condensing units typically use a two pole solenoid relay with a 24vac control coil. (Some use a single pole relay, but even then a two pole relay will interchange.) Once again, they are all made by a third party manufacturer and are all interchangable.

In fact, the interchangability of these components is so common that most HVAC techs only carry one brand of replacements and use them wherever possible unless the customer insists on using OEM parts, And in most cases the OEM is the same part as the generic, but the original equipment manufacturer attaches their markup when they send it to you.

In fact, often the only real difference in quality is whether the name plate on the unit is a vinyl decal or an embossed metal nameplate.

When comparing brands of AC the true test of a bargain is the type of warranty and afermarket support they offer on the contract.

Some of the cheaper units get a bad name becuase they will market their products to almost anyone, therefore their is no quality control on the installation, whereas the top end units such as Carrier or Trane are only sold through their distributors and they mantain a strict training and performance requirement on their installation and service techs.

[imeduc]

First off you dont say where you are.How long of AC time do you have each year. Id have to live up in Canada to go for a 10 seer. Like here they pull them out now worth it. So what was the AC load on the home and do you run long on the AC? If so go for a SEER 16 or better. Like here it pays also to add a hot water recovery to the AC and get free hot water for 8 months of the year and also kicking up the SEER of the unit. What you have there is the bottom of the line or what builders try to use all the time.

ED

My mistakes dont define me they inform me.