What I’ve Learned By Reading Reviews on Air Conditioners
When we moved into our house over four years ago, our our 15 year old Carrier air conditioner was already limping along. After intermittent issues with the unit, our home warranty company ponied up to have a new compressor put in. And life was good… until last Wednesday when our air conditioning unit finally died. I’ll never forget that day, only because our house was registering 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was brutal.
Within a day, Jeff (our local AC service guy) was checking our geriatric unit. He had been able to coax life out of our air conditioner before. This time, after a few valiant efforts at resuscitation, our worst fear had been confirmed: Our AC had finally entered the Great Beyond.
It’s May in Florida and we needed a new AC. Fast.
Jeff gave me his recommendation but I wanted to do my own research as well. Buying an air conditioner is not a trivial purchase. In Florida, a new air conditioner with furnace can run between $4000 to $10000 for parts and labor. Right away, I started digging online to find out potential candidates. This was no easy feat, as finding reputable air conditioner reviews is like finding a needle in the Sahara desert.
Regardless of the model, every single air conditioner brand has its detractors. Looking on forums only lead me to reading a sea of complaints about why “Model X is a piece of junk.” After spending a few days looking, I came to the conclusion that shopping around for air conditioners isn’t easy. Or fun.
But I did learn a few things along the way.
First, and foremost, bear in mind that regardless of the model you choose, you must factor in the reputation and ability of the person who will be installing your air conditioning unit. Even the best air conditioner systems on the market can give problems when it’s not installed properly. Make sure you go with a certified HVAC technician who’s been vetted through a service like Angie’s List. (We’ve been members of Angie’s List for several years now and find the services that it provides to be well worth it.)
Second, when it comes to air conditioners, I’ve learned that some brands (Carrier, Arcoaire, Kenmore, Comfortmaker) are actually owned by the same parent company. Many times, you really are paying extra for the privilege of buying a “name”.
I’ve also learned that the governing factor in choosing the appropriate SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating isn’t the cost, but how long you plan to live in your home for. If you plan to live in your current home for a short period of time (5 years or so), it may make more sense to get the minimum SEER rating AC than it would be to spend the extra coin on a unit with a 21 SEER rating.
Full disclosure: I’m not an air conditioning expert, but I did my best to educate myself on what I was purchasing. In the end, we purchased a Comfortmaker unit (rated 15 SEER) to replace our old Carrier model. The Comfortmaker comes with a 10 year no hassle parts warranty. (With our new AC system, we also upgraded our thermostat to a WiFi model made by HoneyWell.)
We now have a home that feels cool and comfortable. Time will tell how long our new AC will last, but I’ve hedged my bets the best I can by selecting a brand backed by a major manufacturer and also choosing a reputable HVAC tech (Jeff) to perform the install (Jeff offers a one year warranty on his labor).
Bought a new AC recently? How did it go? Share your tips in the comments below.
-Krishna
Stu Mulne
May 25, 2015 at 1:26 amKrishna:
The ancient furnace here literally blew up in early February. Well, almost…. I smelled some smoke and checked. The furnace was obviously having it’s own problems. I turned it off, and then realized that the house was full of smoke.
Mom & dad built this place in 1960, and didn’t put the A/C in until about 1974 – we were on about the third furnace, and second A/C, but I’m not 100% on that. The wife an I moved in to take care of mom, who promptly decided to Winter in El Paso and never came back.
Anyway, the furnace had a small fan that was used to pull the exhaust fumes out of the system, and would kick in as the “make heat” command arrived from the thermostat. An air flow sensor was used to tell the main burners to fire up, along with a flame sensor that was supposed to save electricity if the burners didn’t kick in.
Well, the whole mess failed in the “keep the burner going” mode, as did the blower motor. As a result, smoke everywhere, and enough heat to trash the A/C components in the furnace.
I opened up a couple windows, and then thought of the exhaust fan in the bedroom hallway. We’d used that, to some extent, before A/C, and I think it was the biggest one that the contractor could find. Kicked it on, and the smoke cleared out in minutes. (You should have seen one of the cats looking at the smoke coming out of one of the heating registers.)
So, we got a new furnace in real fast (it was COLD here), and decided that the A/C could wait. Late April I called the dealer and tried to schedule a new A/C unit ASAP. They might be here Tuesday :D…. Betcha it’ll be 40 degrees for the rest of the season….
No shopping – I knew the original owners of the HVAC company, and many of the staff were there before he retired. Whatever they install will work, or they’ll take care of it under warranty. Non-issue. Lots of bucks, though, but this is a big house….
Only one problem – our last house, and this house, had essentially the same furnace. The other house’s was a few years newer. I’d learned a lot about servicing them over the years. That flame sensor can fail, and you’ll get no heat, for example. $50+ for a service call the next morning, or about ten minutes with a flashlight and phillips screwdriver, and some fine sandpaper, and you’ve got it done….
The new one, here, well, I haven’t quite figured out how to open it yet….
Krishna
May 25, 2015 at 9:51 amI wish I was more handy with things like air conditioner systems. We opted to have the furnace replaced with the AC unit. Both come with a warranty and should last us (knock on metal) a good long while. Glad your new AC is in place, Stu!
Evan
February 9, 2017 at 5:45 pmI’m curious how the Comfortmaker unit is working for you. We’re considering one as well.
Krishna
February 9, 2017 at 7:12 pmOurs has been great! We’ve had ours now for two years.