Consumers Digest

Buying new Goodman central heating and air-conditioning units?

I have a 2700 square-foot house in Southern California, and I am replacing the builder supplied AC and furnace units. The top brands Lennox and Trane are beyond my budget, so the contractor is recommending Goodman, which is one of the largest manufacturers of this equipment. Consumer Digest rates them a best buy for the "budget minded" consumer. Could someone knowledgeable on this subject comment on the quality of Goodman.

Public Comments

1. goodman and janitrol are the same unit and like you said they are bugdet units so they are buget quality...you only get what you pay for...I do know people who have got good service out of these units and some people never got no service out of other ones...mostly it depends on how well it is installed and maintained..why get a unit that only usually comes with a year warranty when the good units come with ten years warranty
2. My father in law will only put in Goodman units.. They are great units. He gives a one year warranty on his labor and he has NEVER had to go in the year's time. I think he has had to work on one that he has put in and that was because the copper running to the unit was leaking. Buy the Goodman and never worry about. Trane is overpriced and overrated.
3. Low-end units cost less to install, but cost more to operate. If you are keeping the home, try to get a more energy-efficient unit. It will cost more on install, but cost less to operate. The builder AC that you have is most likely as good as the Goodman. Contact the HVAC companies in your area and ask if they have any scratch-n-dent units that they can install. These are units that have cosmetic damage; it may have been dropped off the back of the delivery truck, or a fork lift bent the outer shell. They don't look good, but still run well. Whatever system you install, keep it clean and change the filter often.
4. They are good units. Check out the ratings on all ac units at www.hvac-for-beginners.com . Check out the hvac ratings pages it compares a lot of brands.
5. Hi, I just installed a 3.5 ton AC and heat.....Been using the air and works great....could see the savings right away... The furnace will be next.... how the ac worked I have no worries.. So far Goodman has been great! Get the Goodman warranty with it to... Very cheap and covers everything. Good luck I hope this helped! Mike