Hvac

Hi all,

It's summer again so I'm complaining about my AC system being terrible once more. What's up with these Goodmans? The tech from ME Flow says all is well but the dang thing won't cool the house below 75 degrees today (I think it was 85-90 and sunny today). Towhouse is a 3 story end unit in Southernwalk. I've set the baffles and still notta. Anyone know any tricks?

Also, what is it about these units that makes them so terrible? Is it a specific part? i.e. underpowered fan, weak Heat Pump, etc?

Thanks
G.

 

Van Metre selected the Goodman units because the are DIRT CHEAP.

Our SFH is about 4 1/2 years old and we are getting ready to replace the POS Goodman units at a fine tune of $18K.

After researching I found out that both our AC/HVAC units are a 10 SEER rating one, however for our home size we should have had a 16+ SEER rated system installed.

Long story short, Van Metre put in cheap units that have to work super hard and it shortens their life cycle. The Goodman "coils" on the >16SEER rating are known to crack/go bad within 5 years. Also Goodman has one the shortest warranty timetables 2-5 years vs. Trane or Carrier who have a 10 year warranty. Imagine that Van Metre would select a subpair, bottom of the food chain HVAC system to install in their homes.

 

Fantastic! I'm single zone too (only 1 unit) to cool this whole place. I found out my attic fan isn't working either, trips the circuit, so will need to figure that out or will have to pay an electrician

 

While I'm not arguing with your assessment in general, I believe you are wrong about SEER. As far as I know, SEER is an efficiency rating and has nothing to do with size. The cooling capacity is measured in "tons" (where a ton is the cooling equivalent to a ton of ice). For maximum efficiency you need a unit that is properly sized to your house; buying one that is too big (i.e., too much cooling capacity) will be hard on the unit as well. For a given cooling size, the higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit, and the lower your electric bill should be.

It is very possible that VM put in a unit that is borderline for your house, but I really have no idea. (I'm in a MS townhouse.)

Best regards...

 

You're right that the SEER rating has a direct correlation with efficiency. In my research I understood when you have a AC unit that has the appropriate size & higher SEER rating your unit will not work as hard and your home will cool faster.

The issue I found with the Van Metre installed Goodman units is, both of our units are about 500-1000 lbs less than what they should be and have the lowest industry SEER rating. That said it is not suprising that we are looking to replace both units, which are less than 5 years old. Freaking Van Metre.

 

out of curiosity was your basement finished by VM or did you guys do it afterward? Wouldn't that effect the cooling capacity adding all those extra square feets?

 

We bought a house here last year that was built in 1998 and has 2 Goodman AC's. One (original) coil went bad in the attic unit shortly after we moved in and they replaced it with higher SEER unit as the original was no longer made. While the quality is not as good as Carrier (so I've been told) ours seem to have held up OK.

 

As far as unit size (without taking into account ductwork, registers, number of floors, etc.. and if the unit if in perfect working condition) ...

I wouldn't go more than 500 sqft per ton (unit size). 400 sqft per ton is more ideal, but developers generally go more conservatively.

This should give you a general idea if your unit is too small for your house.

 

Oh...with newer homes and insulation the square feet/ton may be a bit more.

I had a 1970's home around 1500 square feet and it had a 3-1/2 ton unit. No cooling problems at all.

 

We had a 12 year old system in our VanMetre home that never seemed to cool on the hot summer days-and caused huge electric bills in the process.

We just had McCarthy Services (through Home Depot) replace both of our units with 2 TRANE 20 SEER units and their matching High-Efficiency Furnaces. I can't say enough good things about McCarthy Services-the entire process including their installation was great.

http://www.trane.com/Residential/Products/Air-Conditioners/XL20i-Air-Conditioners

http://www.trane.com/Residential/Products/Furnaces/XC95-Furnaces

After the new systems were installed, it was very comfortable in the house-even when we had those 100 degree days. And the heating/electric bills were significantly lower. If you are going to stay in your house at least 10 years, upgrading your system is well worth it.

There is also a $1500 tax credit for the system.

 

I have just been told that my Goodman coil is leaking. It was replaced in '06, so less than 3 years old. I am still getting estimates but to replace the unit will be around 3-5K. They don't make the coil anymore due to the EPA standards going up on 1/1/10.

Seems like the HVAC repair community must love the work they get from all of these Goodmans. I can't imagine how much waste is created with disposing of these systems--probably way more than is saved with the efficiency of the new systems.

 

Our evaporator coil needs to be replaced too. I was told it would cost about $1600 to replace it or 5-6K to replace the unit (3.5 ton, 13 seer, mid range model not including the furnace). Both options sound expensive. Just curious how much everyone else paid.

BigDog, if you don't mind sharing, how much did it cost you to get the Trane unit. I had a Trane unit at my last house and I never had a problem with it so if we do replace the unit I would be willing spend a little more to get that brand.

 

I didn't look at all options. I only wanted the best/most efficient if I were to do this project. I had 3 quotes (for 2 complete systems). 2 quotes were around $25,000 and the McCarthy was under $18,000. All quoted for the same systems. Again, this is for 2 top of the line systems (20 SEER). Trane has other less efficient, but probably good systems for less. After 2 months of having the system I can tell you the air is cleaner and more comfortable than ever before (13 years). And the gas and electric bills have been noticeably lower.

 

FYI: The July 2009 issue of Consumer Reports magazine has an article about "Cooling Your Home" that discusses HVAC brand repair histories and how to best cool your home.

 

LOL - see people thought I was full of BS when I told them our new Carrier Infinity systems (2 units) would cost us $18-24K for a 19 SEER.

We haven't pulled the trigger yet, still saving up the cash to purchase the systems and I stand by my comments that the Goodmans are crap.

 

The Consumer Reports article ranked Goodmans as among the worst for repairs. Not surprising from what you all with those have to say!

 

VM replaced our unit - cause it conked out the first year. The second unit coil cracked spraying coolant into the fan blades smoking out the unit. (fire department was called, as we were not at home).
Endless calls to VM. They had some repairman come and solder/weld the coils again. A real hack job if you ask me. Now, we just await the death of the ACs. We purchased extended maintenance coverage via a 3rd party vendor knowing that it will be a money saver in the long run.

Goodman units suck. We are still mad at Van Metre - and answer their surveys according to these lovely experiences we have had. {sarcasm}

 

The consumer reports was interesting. Goodmans at the bottom of the list. Top 3 were Rheem, Ruud and Trane.

 

If you have the Goodman AC , consider investing a bit in a Home Warranty service. Costs around $40/month on average...it will save you in the long run.

 

I recommend Lennox brand, not as pricey as Trane or Carrier and just as good. I had Parrish Services put in a 3 ton lennox system for $7K, and got the $1500 tax rebate. Very happy, both systems would have been $14K.