Is Goodman good?

[randynavarro]

I've collected stories over the years but my memory is sketchy. . .

Is Goodman's furnace equipment good or bad or. . . .?

[Bill Kibbel]

I always considered Brian to be a pretty decent chap, but he doesn't come around no more.

Oh, you mean HVAC equipment? According to some of the better techs that have been around this stuff for decades, Goodman used to be at the bottom. More recent stuff has been getting much better reviews from the field.

[palmettoinspect]

You get what you pay for. I've heard form a bunch of my AC friends its very poor product.

[kurt]

Used to be garbage, now it's middling to decent quality. It's still bargain stuff, but if I was installing your basic Cat I component, I'd use it.

With globalization of mfg., everything is moving toward the middle anyway.

[Marc]

Goodman condensers and air handlers have very simple designs, nothing fancy. Easy to purchase, not difficult to work on like Carrier residential units. You need less parts in the truck to complete most servicve calls. Good long life.

Marc

[randynavarro]

I recently had a friend and his father (30 year HVAC tech) install a Goodman unit on a project.

Supposedly, Goodman is able to beat Trane on warranty issues. Whatever that means.

[Jim Katen]

Goodman condensers and air handlers have very simple designs, nothing fancy.

That's one way to put it. Another would be to say that they're stripped down beaters with poor fit & finish.

Easy to purchase,

Yes and, historically, that's been one of their biggest problems. Any homeowner can buy one and install it himself. Goodman equipment has always been low-grade but the real problem has been crappy installations. Hacks who can't qualify as installers for the big name brands can always buy Goodman & Janitrol. Even some of the better shops carry Goodman so that they can sell them to the cheapskate customers and not lose business to the hacks.

not difficult to work on like Carrier residential units.

I don't know what you're referring to. A Carrier cat I furnace is just as easy to work on as a Goodman cat I. Likewise for the basic cat IV equipment. Carrier offers some features on some models that Goodman simply doesn't offer. But those aren't like-for-like comparisons.

You need less parts in the truck to complete most servicve calls.

Like what? Can you give an example of a part that you would need for a Carrier furnace that you wouldn't need for Goodman furnace of the same tier?

Good long life.

That's absolutely not true for my area. I've yet to see an old Goodman furnace.

It's true that Goodman was the first in the industry to offer a 10-year. In that, they're kind of like the auto manufacturer Kia. But a long warranty doesn't equate to a superior product.

It's also true that, since they bought Amana several years ago, they're ramped up their quality. But they're still the value-engineered, budget-minded choice.

Besides, has anyone else heard the awful noise that their draft inducer motors make?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Brandon Whitmore]

Is Goodman's furnace equipment good or bad or

After looking into it before buying my furnace, I decided that quality of installation is more important than the product manufacturer. Being a cheapskate when possible, I chose Goodman. I just couldn't pass up the 700 and some odd dollar price tag on their cat. IV furnace. If it doesn't last as long as some of the others, so what? I can buy another one and still have money to spare.

[Terence McCann]

They're junk. Goodman, Coleman, Junkatrol = crap [:-thumbd]

The GMP model was one of the worst. This was the model I had in my home and the heat exchanger failed after 13 years of service. When it was working, and I use that term loosely, I would have to replace at least a few parts during heating season to keep it going. When the heat exchanger failed I was stuck with a induced draft assembly, two flame rods, two hot surface igniter's and numerous safety limits. Contractors use to love them because they were dirt cheap - with good reason.

Our condos were built in '96 and there are 52 homes with these furnaces installed. At least half of the home owners have had to replace theirs.

Google GMP furnace problems.

If memory serves we discussed this once before here.

[Les]

cheap

[Phillip]

Terry I like the tree

[Bain]

I'm not disagreeing, but it's sort of like the Yugo Mike O. mentions every once in a while. It just is what it is, and it doesn't make any claims to the contrary.

Greg Goodman, who owned the company till he sold it to Apollo Management four or five years ago, lives in Lexington. I don't know him well, but I've looked at properties for him and we've talked several times. He's a good guy( no pun intended).

Thing is, all the manufacturers mix and match each other's parts, as well as parts from independent suppliers. Buying a Trane condenser, for instance, doesn't mean that the coil and compressor were produced in a Trane factory. I, personally, would prefer a Trane over a Goodman, but I'm not certain I'd want to guarantee that the Trane would outlast the Goodman, 'cause who really knows what's inside the cabinet?

Lexmark is here, too. You'd be amazed by how many of their products and gizmos are inside Canon, Epson, and other copiers. It's just how the manufacturing bidness works.

[Scottpat]

Goodman products have drastically improved over the past several years. They are now making a pretty good product. One thing I have noticed is that you really never see a Goodman advertisement or commercial. Could be that the reason they cost less is that they don't have all of the fancy marketing that the others have.

[esch]

"Besides, has anyone else heard the awful noise that their draft inducer motors make?

- Jim Katen, Oregon"

Lord yes, I have a goodman in my basement. It's either a 91 or 01 model (HWH is the other, haven't had to look at them in a while *knock on wood*) But the squirrel cage is worse when it kicks on. Its a 135k incoming BTU. It does its job for now, but it is terribly loud and I think it's on its last leg.

Sorry, I'm listening to it as I type =P

Matt

[Neal Lewis]

Buying a Trane condenser, for instance, doesn't mean that the coil and compressor were produced in a Trane factory.

I thought all Trane models used their exclusive ClimaTuff compressor. Is another manufacturer using that, too?

[Marc]

Original quote by Neal Lewis:

I thought all Trane models used their exclusive ClimaTuff compressor. Is another manufacturer using that, too?

That's what I thought too. Most condenser manufacturers use compressors made by Bristol, Copeland, etc but Trane/GE has their compressor.

Marc

[Bain]

I used Trane as an example because my neighbor's unit was in the corner of my eye through the window as I was typing.

According to a quick Google search, Trane's scroll compressors, used in the larger units, are produced in association with, and by, Copeland and Heatcraft/Lennox, but have to "perform to Trane's tough standards."

But . . . the thread is about Goodman, and I was trying to point out that they use the same compressors--probably Copeland or Bristol--that most all the other manufacturers do.