AC Compressor is bad Looking at RHEEM or CARRIER

[nhoj]

I am in need of an NEW AC since my compressor on my RHEEM AC is going out I would like to know which would be a better unit a RHEEM or a CARRIER unit?
The CARRIER is Hundred Fifty dollars more.
I was told that the CARRIER is quieter than the RHEEM.

I live in Northwest Ohio and to get the best AC for my claimant which would be the best A two-stage cooling system or a one-stage cooling system and what SEER?

The HAVC contractor has these two brands.

I need your PRO and CON'S on which one is the best unit?

 

[Standardairconditioner]

It's all made in CHINA.

Both companies just add their stickers on it.

Ask your contractor which one is easier/faster for him to get when it dies.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[nhoj]

Is there any truly made in the USA and if so which one's are they?

I only try to buy USA made.

 

[Standardairconditioner]

I love your attitude, unfortunately you are from the lesser crowd.

EVERYTHING that goes in anything residential grade is made in CHINA.

You can thank all those consumer folks that want to pay as absolutely little as possible.

Walmart and Sam's Club are getting rich off this.

Plenty of HVAC still made in the USA, anything that goes on rooftops, shopping malls, hotels, Pentagon, the White House, etc.

 

[Stuff]

Amana/Goodman is made in USA with foreign parts. I saw they just updated a logo from "American PRIDE - Proudly Assembled in Texas and Tennessee" to "American PRIDE - Designed, Engineered and Assembled in the U.S.A." as they are consolidating plants. Notice they don't say "manufactured."

 

[nhoj]

Is the Arcoaire AC a good unit or an average unit?

I would like to know if your home is 26' wide X 40' long and your ceilings are 7' high will a 2 ton AC unit be big enough for the house?
Why I ask this question is because if I get a 2 stage 17 seer AC they only come in 2, 3-ton units and the one that I am replacing is a 21/2 ton unit. By not changing the coil on the furnace they would go to a 2-ton unit will it be big enough for my home?
Or should I go with a 3-ton unit? I like to be realistic and do things right and save money at the same time.

To be truthful which unit would you buy Carrier or Rheem? Where are they made at? Or should you say MADE IN USA or ASSEMBLED IN USA?

 

[Nukeman]

You might consider York.

http://www.york.com/for-your-home/why-buy-york/american-quality

I have the York Affinity 2ton/3ton HP. It is very quiet. I like the dual speed as it runs in the low speed during most of the summer and help to dehumidify.

http://www.york.com/for-your-home/heat-pumps

Based on what you have said so far, I bet 2-ton is plenty and you may be able to go even smaller (depending on construction, window sizes, etc.). It would be a good idea to have a "Manual J" calculation done or do it yourself. I used this software, but there are other ones available:

http://www.hvaccalc.com/main.asp

Doing a Manual J helps to make sure you have the right size. Many HVAC contractors will just go by what you already have or will go bigger (just in case) to make sure you are never cold/hot. For HVAC, you are usually better off going smaller as the initial cost is less, you get less noise from the ducts/blower, and you are most efficient at removing the humidity in the summer. A system that is too big will rapidly cycle and will reduce the comfort of the house.

I assume you have gas or something else for heat. You might consider a heat pump (usually a small extra cost compared to an A/C-only unit) as it would give another source of heat. This way, if the cost of the other heat source goes up, you could use the HP for heat.

If you do decide Carrier or Rheem instead, I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

 

[nhoj]

I do have Nature Gas Force Air, my windows are energy efficient just put them in a few year ago about 7 years in fact. I have a sided house and I insulated it about 3 years ago.

 

[nhoj]

Here is what I am facing, I have two options If I get a Carrier 2 stage, 17 seers, I would have to get a 2-ton Condenser but they would keep my coil that went with the 21/2 ton Condenser since you only can get 2 ton or a 3-ton Condenser. When ask if the 2 ton would keep up in 90 or more degrees it would be pushing it to the limit.
Then if I would get a 3 ton I would have to Condenser and a new Evaporator Coil and that would be a littler overkill. Which way would be the best way to go realistically in the 2 stage 17 seer AC?
Or my other option would be to keep the 21/2 ton Condenser in a new Condenser.
What I am looking for is a way to keep comfortable and get read of the humanity and keep the electric bill down and with a two-stage you would do this.
Any advice would be very helpful since you are HVAC experts and know more about this stuff than I do as a consumer. This why you have this website to help people like me.

 

[Nukeman]

For your current unit, do you know how old it is? My guess is it probably uses R-22 for the refrigerant. There should be a plate on the outdoor unit that will list the refrigerant (R-22 or R-410a). This tag will also have the model/serial numbers, which can be used to determine the age.

I mention this point as a new 17-SEER unit is almost certain to use R-410a (vs. R-22). If you current system is R-22, it is usually recommended to change the indoor coil, as well as the lineset (refrig lines that go between indoor and outdoor unit) when switching to R-410a. The reason is that R-410a is more sensitive to moisture and the oil used in the R-22 system can retain moisture. Some will claim to be able to reuse the lineset/indoor coil, but you have to be careful. The moisture in an R-410a system has the potential to damage the new compressor.

Have you considered replacing only the outdoor unit (or just the compressor in the outdoor unit) with something equivalent to what you have now? If your system is R-22, a "dry" R-22 outdoor unit can be bought. The R-22 refrigerant is expensive, though, so that is a reason to switch to R-410a. You will just have to balance costs and see what works best for you.

You might want to checkout hvac-talk.com as well. They have many more HVAC pros than we do here. When I replaced m system, I did a lot of reading over there as well.

 

[nhoj]

My AC is a 2008 model and has R-410a