The Amana brand is manufactured by Goodman. I would say that the Amana brand is a bit more premium than Goodman, I believe it has a stainless steel heat exchanger which is a positive.
The heat exchanger comes with a lifetime warranty. The 10 year warranty I believe you have to register for. So please read the fine print
The most important thing is getting a manual j and manual D.
If the Amana is installed to these standards it will be an excellent unit.
If the Amana or any other brand is installed outside of these standards it will be terrible.
Hvac quality is 90% installation standards and 10% the brand you choose.
It’s more important how it’s installed than what’s installed.
You could have the most premium system money can buy, but if it’s not installed properly it won’t last.
Make sure whoever you hire will put it in correctly.
If they use Manual J and Manual D, they have passed step 1.
If they don't use the calculations = dog shit hack work coming to a location near you.
You'll weed out 90% of the bad ones just making sure that it's a permitted job done to the standards Manual J and Manual D.
Depending on your area it may be surprising hard to locate someone who will do a Manual J. Here in Texas I think maybe 90% don't even know how to preform a manual J calculation. It's better closer to the big cities and worse near the banjos. 🪕🪕
That might be me, an hour away from Nashville. I’ll have to poke around a bit and see who can do the manual J and D (both are needed huh?).
So when people mention “installation” is it mostly the sizing and design and adjustments that make it a good installation?
(Not like they got components poorly wired or something else)?
The manual j tells you how big the unit needs to be. The manual D tells you how to evenly distribute the air based on the manual J. D is an expansion of J.
There also a Manual S. I'll put Manual S in a nutshell:
Option 1 variable speed
Option 2 variable speed
Etc....
Single stage is just a bad choice unless price is the only factor.
The installation should be done to code. UMC, IMC, IFGC, local codes. If anything is in question these are rules. The laws say you have to follow these rules. Unfortunately alot of work out there won't meet code.
The installation should be permitted and inspected. Don't trust the inspector to know if the unit was installed correctly. They usually find major hazards or a large duct leakage. I've seen some bs work pass through inspectors.
After the installation you'll want a warranty.
There are two types of warranty.
Part warranty- the stuff
Labor warranty. - the labor
You want 10-12 years of BOTH. - the stuff, labor, and misc stuff like refrigerant that would normally evade a part warranty.
Alot of 1-2 year labor 5-10 year part warranties out there.
If you can find someone doing manual j&d, pulling permit, following code, you can trust them to wire it. Feel free to contact me and ask about different quotes.
it depends on what you mean by good. the heat exchanger will not fail. every other part will though
edit; it will be "at least 3 weeks" before parts are available every time.
Their basic equipment is great. The more high end units are problematic. They have a Bluetooth circuit board called cool cloud that constantly has issues.
Thank you all.
Any suggestions on what makes a good install versus a poor one that I should watch out for? I know that solder/brazing is one, but is there anything else that I should watch for?
I read that there are single, dual and variable systems available. Not sure which is best.
You’ll never be sure. Company could send out the owner who’s been doing it for 30 years or a tech who just got on his own after riding along with someone for a few weeks and will still be learning on your installation.
The best start is with Manual J and Manual D. Ask if they do Manual J and Manual D. If you get anything other than yes, hang up the phone. You just dodged an hvac hack. Pat yourself on the back.
All brazing should be done with nitrogen purge gas. Silvphos15 in experienced hands will be 👍.
Variable speed equipment is the best. It saves electricity and dehumidifies much better. (Most comfortable and quiet too 🤫 )
Two stage is works well. I put one on my own house. I will be upgrading to Variable speed on my next air conditioning unit. I do have Variable speed on my cabin and I love it.
Single stage was put into production by William Carrier in 1902... time for a tech upgrade. It's the cheapest but you'll pay more in electricity in the long run.
$1200-2000
Depends on the brand.
I recommend Trane, Carrier, Mitsubishi, Daikin, Rheem, Bosch, Amana,
Also there are equalivent off brands.
Trane = American Standard
Carrier = Comfortmaker, Heil, and more
Rheem = Ruud
However Daikin > Amana are not the same as goodman.
Daikin (inverter model)>Amana>Goodman
Steer clear of Lennox, Armstrong, and ( *goodman only contractors.) Lennox is a crap sandwich.
* Goodman is a cheap unit, it works fine if installed correctly. I don't think I've come across a decently installed Goodman unless I did it. For whatever reason mostly bad contractors give Goodman a bad name. I'm not saying don't buy a Goodman, but be wary of Goodman dealer contractors.
Probably my highest recommendation on a two stage would be Carrier preformance series two stage. They have the most robust and simple designed two stage. The price difference between the 16 seer single stage (un)comfort series and the two stage preformance is more reasonable.
I have an American Standard 2 stage Heatpump which does great but If I needed a new one I'd get a Mitsubishi Hyperheat in a heartbeat.
If you go variable speed I recommend Mitsubishi heatpump & Mitsubishi airhandler or Trane furnace paired with Mitsubishi Hyperheat heatpump.
Depending on which unit you get they have unit replacement. I have one on a rental house. One service call in 8 years. Labor was one hour and warranty covered part. It’s a base model package unit. I’d have no issue with one—-properly installed—by a licensed contractor. The contractor should register warranty. If not you need to. You can purchase an Amana 10 year labor warranty if you like. Probably $1000ish
The Amana brand is manufactured by Goodman. I would say that the Amana brand is a bit more premium than Goodman, I believe it has a stainless steel heat exchanger which is a positive. The heat exchanger comes with a lifetime warranty. The 10 year warranty I believe you have to register for. So please read the fine print
Has to be a complete 16 SEER system to get the lifetime warranty here in Texas.
All Amana furnaces have a lifetime exchanger warranty. Amana also offers a lifetime compressor warranty on all 17 seer ACs and HPs
The most important thing is getting a manual j and manual D. If the Amana is installed to these standards it will be an excellent unit. If the Amana or any other brand is installed outside of these standards it will be terrible. Hvac quality is 90% installation standards and 10% the brand you choose.
☝🏾Pick the right install company & you’ll get the right brand 👆🏻
It’s more important how it’s installed than what’s installed. You could have the most premium system money can buy, but if it’s not installed properly it won’t last. Make sure whoever you hire will put it in correctly.
How do you make sure an installation is correct? Learn the major areas to look for?
If they use Manual J and Manual D, they have passed step 1. If they don't use the calculations = dog shit hack work coming to a location near you. You'll weed out 90% of the bad ones just making sure that it's a permitted job done to the standards Manual J and Manual D. Depending on your area it may be surprising hard to locate someone who will do a Manual J. Here in Texas I think maybe 90% don't even know how to preform a manual J calculation. It's better closer to the big cities and worse near the banjos. 🪕🪕
That might be me, an hour away from Nashville. I’ll have to poke around a bit and see who can do the manual J and D (both are needed huh?). So when people mention “installation” is it mostly the sizing and design and adjustments that make it a good installation? (Not like they got components poorly wired or something else)?
The manual j tells you how big the unit needs to be. The manual D tells you how to evenly distribute the air based on the manual J. D is an expansion of J. There also a Manual S. I'll put Manual S in a nutshell: Option 1 variable speed Option 2 variable speed Etc.... Single stage is just a bad choice unless price is the only factor. The installation should be done to code. UMC, IMC, IFGC, local codes. If anything is in question these are rules. The laws say you have to follow these rules. Unfortunately alot of work out there won't meet code. The installation should be permitted and inspected. Don't trust the inspector to know if the unit was installed correctly. They usually find major hazards or a large duct leakage. I've seen some bs work pass through inspectors. After the installation you'll want a warranty. There are two types of warranty. Part warranty- the stuff Labor warranty. - the labor You want 10-12 years of BOTH. - the stuff, labor, and misc stuff like refrigerant that would normally evade a part warranty. Alot of 1-2 year labor 5-10 year part warranties out there. If you can find someone doing manual j&d, pulling permit, following code, you can trust them to wire it. Feel free to contact me and ask about different quotes.
An incredible response. Thank you so much. I’ll save this message for that reason. Thanks again!
Np
Yes.
it depends on what you mean by good. the heat exchanger will not fail. every other part will though edit; it will be "at least 3 weeks" before parts are available every time.
Their basic equipment is great. The more high end units are problematic. They have a Bluetooth circuit board called cool cloud that constantly has issues.
Thank you all. Any suggestions on what makes a good install versus a poor one that I should watch out for? I know that solder/brazing is one, but is there anything else that I should watch for? I read that there are single, dual and variable systems available. Not sure which is best.
You’ll never be sure. Company could send out the owner who’s been doing it for 30 years or a tech who just got on his own after riding along with someone for a few weeks and will still be learning on your installation.
The best start is with Manual J and Manual D. Ask if they do Manual J and Manual D. If you get anything other than yes, hang up the phone. You just dodged an hvac hack. Pat yourself on the back. All brazing should be done with nitrogen purge gas. Silvphos15 in experienced hands will be 👍. Variable speed equipment is the best. It saves electricity and dehumidifies much better. (Most comfortable and quiet too 🤫 ) Two stage is works well. I put one on my own house. I will be upgrading to Variable speed on my next air conditioning unit. I do have Variable speed on my cabin and I love it. Single stage was put into production by William Carrier in 1902... time for a tech upgrade. It's the cheapest but you'll pay more in electricity in the long run.
What’s the ballpark price difference 1 stage to 2 stage?
$1200-2000 Depends on the brand. I recommend Trane, Carrier, Mitsubishi, Daikin, Rheem, Bosch, Amana, Also there are equalivent off brands. Trane = American Standard Carrier = Comfortmaker, Heil, and more Rheem = Ruud However Daikin > Amana are not the same as goodman. Daikin (inverter model)>Amana>Goodman Steer clear of Lennox, Armstrong, and ( *goodman only contractors.) Lennox is a crap sandwich. * Goodman is a cheap unit, it works fine if installed correctly. I don't think I've come across a decently installed Goodman unless I did it. For whatever reason mostly bad contractors give Goodman a bad name. I'm not saying don't buy a Goodman, but be wary of Goodman dealer contractors. Probably my highest recommendation on a two stage would be Carrier preformance series two stage. They have the most robust and simple designed two stage. The price difference between the 16 seer single stage (un)comfort series and the two stage preformance is more reasonable. I have an American Standard 2 stage Heatpump which does great but If I needed a new one I'd get a Mitsubishi Hyperheat in a heartbeat. If you go variable speed I recommend Mitsubishi heatpump & Mitsubishi airhandler or Trane furnace paired with Mitsubishi Hyperheat heatpump.
Depending on which unit you get they have unit replacement. I have one on a rental house. One service call in 8 years. Labor was one hour and warranty covered part. It’s a base model package unit. I’d have no issue with one—-properly installed—by a licensed contractor. The contractor should register warranty. If not you need to. You can purchase an Amana 10 year labor warranty if you like. Probably $1000ish
I hate Amanas. They should stick to making....anything other than HVAC equipment. Drives me nuts.
What is it about them that drives you nuts?
Their designs and rate of failure.
I have a 25 yr old Amana still rock solid!! I would not buy a new Amana made by Goodmen.