[Don_S]

I need a new heat pump.  I have two estimates. Ignoring price does anyone have any information on the relative quality of the brands offered?  Thank you.

Lennox
Rudd
Trane

[Atlplasma]

You may or may not find this link helpful.

http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?1249031-Carrier-Trane-Rheem-RUUD-Lennox-no-one-sells-the-same-units-advice-appreciated

I recently completed a new energy-efficient house (3,200 square feet). Although we live in Georgia, we can cool with a two-ton heat pump. What I learned during the built process is getting a valid HVAC design is critical. Most contractors just ballpark the design, which means owners often end up with systems that are too large for the structure. If anything, you need a system that's a bit undersized so it will run long enough to dehumidify the air. Also look for a system with a variable-speed fan.

[JLM]

Particulars?  (location, for heating and cooling, capacity/how much square footage/number of rooms would it serve, age of structure and description of exterior envelope, how long do you plan on staying there)

Lennox has always seemed over priced to me (they do run lots of ads).

Rudd (like most HVAC equipment) is just a standard unit with their badge on it.

Trane builds lots of commercial equipment, don't know if any of that quality/knowledge carries over. 

[Don_S]

Thanks for the feedback.  The deciding factor for me was Yelp.  The Trane dealer basically kicked the Lennox dealer's butt. From the link posted by Atlplasma and some other reading I realize that the most critical factor is proper installation to prevent problems.  Then support if problems occur. 

Both dealers handled Rudd. It appears that Trane rates higher than Lennox. But I would not swear to that since I have also seen the rating flip.  With so many models from each manufacturer it gets even trickier. One brand may excel with the higher efficiency units while another one builds better budget units.

My home is all electric and my bills rarely get over $100/month.  That would be an exceptionally cold month or a hot summer month.  That includes running a pool pump for many hours a day for the pool solar. All that with ancient units that the installer estimated might be 7-9 SEER.  Just a guess.  I am going to be much poorer but much more comfortable with the new units.

I just realized I was not clear in my original post. I need to replace both the heat pump and the inside heat exchanger/backup heating coil unit. Nothing is working now and it was 105 three days ago, the day after the units failed. It will be 101 tomorrow.  I don't have time or patience for more research. My installation starts next Wed.  It is going to be a long weekend.  Pool time.

[JerryM]

Raypak.

[jqp]

I have a Trane Dual Fuel unit. It is good, except that some water got into the blower fan and the blades literally rusted out. Not sure how this should ever happen on an outdoor unit. $700

Trane is the same as American Standard I think (OEM-wise)

The dealer is the key - there are many decisions that have to be made for units and ductwork. This requires some real skill and experience, as well as a desire to server the customer's best interests.

[Don_S]

I went with Trane from a large local installer.  I can't compare it to the undersized POS it replaced.  104 today with 106 and 108 predicted for the next two days.  I am cool and comfortable.   

[Tone Depth]

Trane's motto went from:  "You can't stop a Trane" to "It's hard to stop a Trane."  We've had a Trane heat pump since 1993, after choosing between a Lennox and a Trane.

I went with Trane from a large local installer.  I can't compare it to the undersized POS it replaced.  104 today with 106 and 108 predicted for the next two days.  I am cool and comfortable.   

[Escott1377]

Lennox, Trane, and Carrier are the big 3 for residential equipment.  I worked for Carrier as a commercial sales engineer for 15 years.

I now work for Mitsubishi Electric on the commercial side.  The technology of our residential and commercial product line is incredible.  We can vary the flow of the refrigerant thru the compressor as well as vary the fan speed on the indoor and outdoor units.

You made a good choice with Trane.  Typically, the 3 brands that I mentioned have to be the primary brand of the dealer so they aren't going anywhere.  You can see other brands, Bryant, ICP, etc jump around.

[Don_S]

My other brand choices were Carrier and Rudd.  I did not like the salesman for Carrier.  He was blowing smoke and dissing the competition. Typical salesman crap. On the other hand, the Trane tech was obviously proud to work for his company.

On Yelp the Carrier installer was getting slaughtered.   I went into their office and nobody was at the reception desk so I went around a corner to a hallway to get  someone's attention. They had a notice posted offering rewards to any sales associate, service tech, or installer who received a positive Yelp rating that stuck.  This from the company whose rep badmouthed the competition. The Trane installer had an excellent Yelp score and many more reviewers.

[Escott1377]

Unfortunately you are dealing with the dealer and not the company.

I had a nice tenure with them, but I did leave for a reason