Trane vs Lennox

Gas Furnace and air conditioner replacement. Residential. 

What do you think about Trane vs Lennox?

95% efficient vs 80% efficient two stage?

I've gotten a couple quotes and have been told different things. Please educate me about HVAC.

Might as well be Ford vs. Chevy.

My house was built in 2001.  I moved in in 2003.  Both heat pump systems were Carrier.  The smaller of the two units munched a compressor after about 8 years.  I replaced with a cheap Trane unit.  The larger Carrier system carried on a couple more years, then started leaking refrigerant from the indoor coil.  I paid to have it topped off once or twice, then opted to replace it with a Lennox system, since the replacement coil was going to be over half the cost of a complete new system.

The Trane system, now nearing 10 years old, seems to be leaking refrigerant from the indoor coil (are you seeing a pattern here?).  The Lennox system is doing fine so far, and is impressively quiet.

So, Lennox?

Honestly I think you're better off choosing a reputable installer that can service your installation, and just buy whatever system they recommend.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Lennox also has issues with leaking indoor coils, just as a heads up.


Rheem makes a good unit, that's what we usually install when we aren't putting in Goodmans, which are also a decent cheaper option.

In reply to Grizz :

Yeah, I'm convinced they all do.  A classic example of planned obsolescence.  It's one of the reasons I'll never spring for one of the hyper-expensive high-efficiency units, since I've resigned myself to replacing the system every ten years anyway.

I'll be sorely tempted to order Goodman off the internet and let a friend with a set of gauges do the install next time.  It'll literally save thousands of dollars.

I have a 2- or 2.5-ton Goodman 90% efficiency NG fired furnace with AC that is somewhere near 15 years old with minimal service. Last year I replaced the gas solenoid myself at a cost of a little over $100.

I have zero complaints about my Goodman setup. 

I have no clue what my A/C system is, but its going on 20 years old with nothing more than a replacement motor for the exterior fan. That said, I am finally noticing reduced temperatures and want to have someone look at recharging it.  

The furnace died last year after more than 20 years. 30? 40? I don't really know. I replaced some parts over the years to keep it running, but the main heat thingy was cracked and that was the end of it. My first quote to replace it was $25K! I won't get into all that, suffice it to say I kept looking and put in a generic unit for $2K.  We are remodeling and adding an addition, so my best guess is that both are going to be replaced and at that time, I will look into better and more efficient stuff. 

Grizz said:

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Lennox also has issues with leaking indoor coils, just as a heads up.


Rheem makes a good unit, that's what we usually install when we aren't putting in Goodmans, which are also a decent cheaper option.

I'm having a Goodman heat pump put in next week, after my 26 year old R22 charged compressor E36 M3 the bed, so that makes me feel a bit better....

Is there anything weird their 10 year workmanship warranty doesn't cover?

In reply to The0retical :

Not as far as I know.

I had a friend who does hvac on hte side (technically retired) install a Payne, which is hte commercial Carrier knockoff. We also increased from a 2T unit to a 2.5T. Bigger = better, right? So far so good. He's been using these for the last 15 years and swears by them. 

In reply to bobzilla :

Bigger = better up to a point.  If you oversize the unit, though, it won't run long enough per cycle to dehumidify the space.

That and it wont be able to move the amount of air it needs to and you can pop the compressor from overpressure.

2.5 vs. 2.0 ton is not a huge difference.  At times of extreme temperatures, either low (single digits) or high (triple digits) my systems pretty much run 24/7.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Agreed, I don't think 'zilla is making too large of an upsize.  But bigger is only better up to a point, like I said.

In reply to Duke :

Agreed!  There is a point where BIG becomes TOO BIG!