Our POS Goodman AC is broken again. Compressor not turning and I am not fooling with it in the dark. Installed in 2000 and have had 2 circuit boards replaced and the compressor replaced twice.
After we got it, I heard a lot of bad things about Goodman units. From what I can gather, they are one of the lowest priced units out there. HVAC guys say they are good if they are installed correctly.
Good chance we will be in the market for a new unit. Any opinions?
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Replies
We've had an Amana AC for about 10 years now, and no complaints. Of course, Amana has probably changed hands 3 times since then.
Amana is owned by Goodman.
Yeah, like a said, it's probably changed hands several times.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I guess the question is why is it broke?
Goodman doesn't make the compressors... or the circuit boards. Just some sourced stuff assembled in a cabinet.
Is the wire size right? If not, then you have voltage drop and broken stuff.
Is the refrigerant charge right? If not, you either get liquid back (compressors are not pumps) or the coil freezes.
Is the size of the condenser matched to the size of the evaporator?
When the first compressor was replaced, did they do the job right... or did they braze in the new without nitrogen... leaving the replacement compressor to act as a filter?
Bad contactor? Bad capacitor? Popped breaker?
I bet it is something other than a manufacturing defect.
All good questions; I haven't gone to check the unit itself to see if it is a contact or something else obvious.I suppose the answer to why is the compressor has stopped working for the 3rd time is that it is a POS. Could be poor install/repair jobs: it was a friend of the family who recommended/sold us the Goodman. He won't be back though several other HVAC guys who have been out to look at it have said Goodman was the worst option. Could also be operator error. If we never used it, then it wouldn't break, right? Bottom line, the Goodman name is on the unit. Even if the only thing they do is put on a sticker with their name on it, it is still their product. I am hoping to replace it with something a bit more reliable.
Goodman is the largest HVAC equipment manufacturer in the USA.
They do not spend the money on advertising like some of the other big names. Goodman also lacks many of the proprietary parts used by other manufacturers.
Goodman exists because many people view the mechanical systems in their homes as a necessary evil and shop for the lowest price. Mechanical contractors need a low priced line of equipment to sell to those people. In addition, everyone can't sell bigger branded equipment if that contractor doesn't do enough business volume to meet "dealer" requirements or territory requirements.
Being a dealer for the larger brands has zero, zip, zilch and nada to do with the quality of the install- it is all about the number of boxes sold. A "Premier Dealer" can still hack equipment in with the worst of the "Goodman guys".
Yes, it is possible you have a lemon. it is possible you had another lemon replacement, but realistically, what are the odds of that happening?
Copeland (compressor manufacturer) has it in their best interests to provide a good serviceable product to the equipment manufactuer (Goodman) because their compressors have a warranty they must honor (ie: Goodman bills Copeland for the warranty). That means, given proper installation, most (likely >98%) of the Copeland compressors should live long enough to work past the 10 year warranty offered by Goodman... or else Copeland is eating a bunch of warranty claims. Nothing magic here- just good business logic.
Copeland is going to design their part of the puzzle to meet Goodmans price point and provide acceptable losses.
I bet something else is wrong.
Could be bad power provided by your utility, a storm, or other surge / prolonged brownout. That would be my least likely suspect.
More likely is improper wire size to the unit, leading to reduced voltage to the unit and a higher amp draw. The problems are magnified when utility power is at the low end of the allowed specs during high demand periods.
The most likely candidate is an improper refrigerant charge, allowing liquid to go back to the compressor, fatally damaging it. Second to that would be a failed metering device, again allowing liquid back to the compressor. Next would be a seriously mismatched coil (ie: new condenser and old coil, because it is "cheaper"). Also in there would be proper airflow at the equipment, so the compressor isn't running with a frozen evap coil.
But, unless the people you hire know what they are doing, they will not figure it out.
Then you will spend more money on a "better" unit, only to have the same thing happen.
Best of luck :)
Danski,We did have a time delay put on after the first compressor broke- we get a lot of summer power outs due to thunderstorms. Wireing was upsized at that point as well. I can't remember what casued the compressor to fail the second time. Quite possible it was a hack install and repair jobs. However, every tech who has been out since has said stay away from Goodman. And you nailed it whern you said Goodman fills the void for the demand for cheap (read junk) mechanicals. Sell a high enough volume that will scrape by till the warrenty is up and you can make money. Perhaps there is parallel between the chevy chevette and goodman. Chevette was not that bad of a car; people who bought them were cheapskates and tended to skip maintenance procedures, giving the car a worse rep than it deserved. Maybe goodman is not that bad, but hacks tend to be the ones who install it cause they are the bottom feeders.And yes, when it comes down to it, the installer makes a huge difference in the end result.
It was the capacitor... Second time that has been replaced. HVAC guy said Goodman is now Amana.
I can believe a bad run of capacitors... just like the current run of bad TXV valves.
That's what happens when you get stuff made in China.
Put another one in there with a higher voltage rating.
My HVAC repair guy now checks the capacitors on all units he services. He said the newer motors play havoc with them. The more efficient the motor the more amps it needs at starting. Will run with less amps but starts harder. This puts a strain on the capacitors.
So what happens if the condenser is much larger than the evaporator? e.g. a 7 ton condensor and a 5 ton evaporator. Won't my efficiency be higher (at the cost of the larger condenser of course)?
One guy recommended going to HVACtalk.com ... maybe pick up some more points of view there.
Nah, don't go over there with this. OP will get the same advise as here, find a tech who knows what he is looking at.
It ain't the compressor, gaurenteed. No way 3 go bad without something wrong with the install.
There is a discussion going at a private forum about warranty on hvac. A distributors tech rep says about 95% of warranty calls are installer error. I'm willing to bet it is higher. But often the installing company or owner whines so much, a new one gets supplied, even though it shouldn't.
something wrong with the install.
Proll'y go that right. Installed a goodman at son's house 6 years ago and at Mom's house 7 years ago, both have performed flawlessly. Of course, the installer was an exceptionally brilliant guy <G>
Both the Goodman unit I bought (both from desco on the internet) have a copeland scroll compressor. Have 2 other homebuilt units with copeland scrolls that have worked flawlessly for over 12 years.