Trane or American Standard for house AC?

[bullnerd]

I have a Trane AC unit outside and a Heil furnace.

AC unit is from 96 and is acting up, Low on refrigerant. Tech says they dont use r22 or whatever it is that is in it anymore, unless it's recycled, suggested I update it the whole unit.

He says they use American Standard and that they are all basically the same?

Is this true? The Trane has been trouble free for MANY years.

I'm using a different HVAC contractor now than I did when I had the original Ac installed in the house.

 

[bushmechanic]

In my experience, every last one of them will suggest what they sell, and if you present a good argument to the contrary, the response is always "they're all the same, anyway".

If you ask on-line, you get responses such as people having "good luck" with "X" brand over the years, but they've only had one or two... It's like a guy with a damned Chevrolet from 1985 telling people how good Chevrolet trucks are.

The next time I buy one, I'll be lifting the hood on every last unit I'm considering and just examining how it's put together myself, as well as comparing the differences and similarities between brands.

There's too much misinformation out there to make a properly educated decision without pulling the damned things apart and seeing what's what with your own eyes.

Hopefully you'll get some properly objective responses, but you'll likely have to carefully dig through them and seek real information. If something is supposed to be good, you want to know why.

An irritating number of variables are present in this system, and people don't understand variables. Keep that in mind at all times. Doesn't matter whether they've been doing it for forty years; if they don't understand variables, their advice should be carefully weighed for relevance.

 

[bullnerd]

Yeah, I figured that.

But, doesnt the mob effect have any credabitlity?

The only thing I have to go by at this point is, My Trane "seemed" to be pretty reliable. 25 yrs, seems like I got my moneys worth.

My parents have an AS, And I'm pretty sure I remember my Dad saying they had some issues right after it was installed. Can't ask him now because he is no longer with us, But I will ask my Mother.

That leaves me with the interwebs.

 

[bushmechanic]

Yeah, I figured that.

But, doesnt the mob effect have any credabitlity?

The only thing I have to go by at this point is, My Trane "seemed" to be pretty reliable. 25 yrs, seems like I got my moneys worth.

My parents have an AS, And I'm pretty sure I remember my Dad saying they had some issues right after it was installed. Can't ask him now because he is no longer with us, But I will ask my Mother.

That leaves me with the interwebs.

I don't think what people buy is overly useful in examining your choices, as most people have no idea how the things work; if that's what you mean by "mob" effect.

The same goes for publications like Consumer Reports. You have to remember that most consumers are airheads. It's a fatal flaw in their methodology. They've suggested plenty of junk in their time, and criticized many good products; even going so far as to flat-out knowingly lie.

Yes, they have been nailed to the wall for that more than once.

What I've found most useful in finding out about products that can otherwise not be researched is finding the technical and user manuals on-line, and repair manuals if possible. Then cruise Ebay to get close-ups of replacement parts.

That will give you an idea of how things are made without having to see every last unit in person.

By all means ask for advice, but be wary of everything you receive, in that regard. This is something that consumers only buy a few times and ignore, and something that leaves installers with thoroughly greasy palms and less than honest evaluations.

Some who install them for a living and don't have control over the product line will go so far as to knock something simply because it's not something they understand. They'll run on about Goodman for six months, but that's all they've ever installed...

Then they'll tell you it's great stuff; as if they have to live with their work, which is quite often incredibly poor. This is one of those industries that needs an enema, and it needs it quickly.

 

[Jim greengo]

They still make r22 ,price actually went down from last year.

 

[Norcal]

Trane owns American Standard.

 

[bullnerd]

They still make r22 ,price actually went down from last year.

Yeah, I'm not sure if that's what's in it or not? What is the older stuff called?This is in NJ, he said next year is it! No more after that.

Trane owns American Standard.

But is it like Cadillac making a chevy?

 

[Norcal]

A Cadillac is a overpriced second rate Chevrolet. As to Trane vs American Standard, that can vary, which is not really telling much.

A couple of units I deal with, 1 a 4 ton Trane packaged air conditioner (only) I like, had to replace the fan relay twice but that's it, other is a American Standard 5 ton condensing unit that I despise because it is a ***** to clean the coils, both are non residential 3 phase units.

 

[mrpizza]

I have a trane, it works well. American standard is within the same company.

 

[jbwilkins]

Trane, Carrier, Lennox, etc. all have several brands they make. It mostly has to do with how they go to market (distributors and dealers) and the market they target (new construction, retrofit, high end, basic equipment, etc).....

They also have very similar product across those brands, typically with the same components, just a different color case....The premier brand tends to offer the newest, most efficient, expensive technology also, whereas the other brands don’t....

 

[ford33]

I have American Standard and a Trane in two different homes. Both have been reliable. Reliability has a lot to do with annual maintenance and a professional installation.

Stay with a well known brand and you will be likely be able to get parts 20 years from now.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

Trane, which also makes American Standard

United Technology, which owns Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Day & Night, Heil, comfortmaker and Tempstar

Lennox, which owns Ducane, Armstrong, Concord, Allied and AirEase

Rheem, which owns Ruud

Goodman, which makes Amana and Janitrol

York, which makes Coleman and Luxaire

Nortek Global HVAC, which makes Maytag, Westinghouse, Frigidaire, Kelvinator and others

 

[bullnerd]

Awesome! Thanks guys.

 

[Jim greengo]

Trane, which also makes American Standard

United Technology, which owns Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Day & Night, Heil, comfortmaker and Tempstar

Lennox, which owns Ducane, Armstrong, Concord, Allied and AirEase

Rheem, which owns Ruud

Goodman, which makes Amana and Janitrol

York, which makes Coleman and Luxaire

Nortek Global HVAC, which makes Maytag, Westinghouse, Frigidaire, Kelvinator and others

I heard Lennox dumped ducane years ago after they gutted the co.
Too bad ,ducane made decent stuff back in the day.
Coleman/evcon made condensing units for ducane and lots of others.
Janitrol/junkitrol name went away years ago.

 

[terdybukrat]

Newbie here, but we recently had to replace our hvac system so we feel your pain. Others have touched on this, but one thing we found when looking was that whatever a contractor sells is best because blah blah blah and most of them downtalked the brands they didnt carry.
I dont endorse any particular brand, but we ended up going with Trane due to knowing a contractor for many years who has a sterling reputation and been in business a long time. Others claimed that parts were unavailable without long lead times etc, but there are 2 Trane distribution warehouses within a few miles and he can get any Trane parts in a few hrs or overnight worst case. I guess I’m saying that just because someone says it doesnt mean its true.
I do recommend a 2 stage unit though IF the $$’s work and they do cost more. We went with 2 stage unit and am very happy with how steady the temperature stays, how well humidity is controlled and quiet it is on low speed.
Good luck!


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[brewchief]

Trane, which also makes American Standard

United Technology, which owns Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Day & Night, Heil, comfortmaker and Tempstar

Lennox, which owns Ducane, Armstrong, Concord, Allied and AirEase

Rheem, which owns Ruud

Goodman, which makes Amana and Janitrol

York, which makes Coleman and Luxaire

Nortek Global HVAC, which makes Maytag, Westinghouse, Frigidaire, Kelvinator and others

Lennox owns several other companies but the equipment isn't the same with a different sticker, you won't open up a door one of the other brands the own and have it the same as a Lennox.

With some brands the flagship company will have a higher end model that the other brands within the same company will not have. Sometimes it just may be a better warranty.


Goodman had bought Amana years back and then was recently bought by Daikin.


Brand only matters so much, proper installation is huge with HVAC equipment, all to often it's not done right and reliability and equipment life suffer as well as comfort.

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[Jim greengo]

Lennox owns several other companies but the equipment isn't the same with a different sticker, you won't open up a door one of the other brands the own and have it the same as a Lennox.

With some brands the flagship company will have a higher end model that the other brands within the same company will not have. Sometimes it just may be a better warranty.


Goodman had bought Amana years back and then was recently bought by Daikin.


Brand only matters so much, proper installation is huge with HVAC equipment, all to often it's not done right and reliability and equipment life suffer as well as comfort.

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[mrvm]

Brand only matters so much, proper installation is huge with HVAC equipment, all to often it's not done right and reliability and equipment life suffer as well as comfort

+1....the installation is my main concern after the brand name unit is decided. On my rental properties Lennox #1 was wired up incorrectly with a/c running with heater then Lennox #2 has a freon leak with less than a year old. Need a new installer.....Find a reliable installer with years of experience.

 

[bullnerd]

Thanks again guys.

I am confident in the installers work quality because they installed a system in my parents house and I've seen the work.

The furnace I have now is a Heil, it has been good except for the inducer fan bearings. Been through two in probably ten yrs.

The Trane factory is about 25 min from my house in Trenton.

 

[bullnerd]

Google mapped outside the Trane plant.

 

[TangoFoxTrot]

I have a Trane AC unit outside and a Heil furnace.

AC unit is from 96 and is acting up, Low on refrigerant. Tech says they dont use r22 or whatever it is that is in it anymore, unless it's recycled, suggested I update it the whole unit.

FWIW, I have an American Standard from that era that has also has a slow leak.

I bought a tank of R22 and fill the unit myself, it costs about $20 a year in refrigerant.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if a few pounds of R22 and your unit is working as good as new.

I would not buy a new unit if the only issue is yours is a few lbs low on refrigerant. Most of these people are trained to just sell you a new unit no matter what. One guy that came to my house about 10 years ago said I should get a new heat pump because the condenser fan sounded noisy. Both the heat pump and the original condenser fan are still doing great.

 

[Norcal]

At work some Janitrol circa 1964, and Carrier circa 1968, furnaces are being replaced, 12 year old equipment is old, but those furnaces are/were positively prehistoric.

 

[bullnerd]

Well, I went with the AS, My parents have been having good luck with it, And I don't have time to shop around for a guy that would fill the old system.

They did a very nice job installing it and so far it is super quiet! Can barely hear the outside AC unit running standing next to it.

 

[Wrench97]

Both Trane and American Standard are owned by Ingersol Rand, they are made in the same plant with the same parts. Both are good but as stated above the installation/installers make most of the difference in any system.
A buddy once said heck even a Goodman can run many years trouble free if it's spec'd and installed correctly. Trane excels with their select dealer network.

 

[BarryWells]

I use these
https://www.hunterfan.com/

 

[bullnerd]

I use these
https://www.hunterfan.com/

Thanks Barry.

 

[DieselNut88]

I have American Standard furnace and a/c coil. 15 years old and not a single problem. I would not buy any other brand. Trane makes great equipment.

 

[bullnerd]

I have American Standard furnace and a/c coil. 15 years old and not a single problem. I would not buy any other brand. Trane makes great equipment.

Thanks DN.

 

[ant.foste]

I have American Standard furnace and a/c coil. 15 years old and not a single problem. I would not buy any other brand. Trane makes great equipment.

Trane today is a completely different company and product quality than Trane 15 years ago, following their purchase by Ingersol Rand in 2008. The "value engineering" became obvious in the following years.

 

[Notgrownup]

My Goodman unit is going on 17 years now...trouble free except for a capacitor once...I am not sure what I will go with next... I am sure I will use a good reputable installer.
It’s all about the installer.. AS is popular around here.

 

[sms1974]

Trane owns American Standard.

Actually it used to be the other way around, American Standard owned Trane... Both are now owned owned by Ingersol Rand and they are the exact same units they come off the same assembly lines. If you took the labels off them you could not tell me which one was which... we've been in business since 1970 when it was Tappan brand, then became General Electric, then became Trane and American Standard became there sister brand, all along this the parent company was American Standard and Radiator. the compant split there plumbing line from heating and cooling and dropped the "Radiator" part of the name. they were bought by Ingersol Rand around 2007 or 2008 if my memory is right...

 

[bullnerd]

Yeah the installer said the same thing, same unit.

 

[ant.foste]

actually it used to be the other way around, american standard owned trane... Both are now owned owned by ingersol rand and they are the exact same units they come off the same assembly lines. If you took the labels off them you could not tell me which one was which... We've been in business since 1970 when it was tappan brand, then became general electric, then became trane and american standard became there sister brand, all along this the parent company was american standard and radiator. The compant split there plumbing line from heating and cooling and dropped the "radiator" part of the name. They were bought by ingersol rand around 2007 or 2008 if my memory is right...

2008.

 

[98TJ]

Just had a new Carrier installed at our place today. 10 year warranty.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Trane owns American Standard.

AS bought Trane. AS then renamed itself Trane. Then Ingersol Rand bought Trane.

Quite simply, Trane is American Standard. More or less identical.

Tommy