central a/c install

[steel]

hi all, i am in central alberta and need to know what brand of central air is recommended. i have a 2000 sq ft 2 story with a lg bonus room above garage. the house was built in 2002 and there is a carrier furnace (natural gas) most people say stick with the same brand as the furnace ? any one in the biz

thanks, steel

[Mr Hanky]

If you do your homework many brand names are owned by Carrier(Keeprite,Airco-aire,Heil etc)and are basically the same equipment for less $.

[satchick]

Carrier makes good stuff, as does Lennox, Trane, York, and others. Stick to a reputable brand and you'll be fine. I'd personally stay away, far away, from Goodman, Payne, and other hardware store brands.

Just as important as the make of the unit is the quality and reputation of the company doing the installation. If you've had good experience with your current service provider, see what they can get for you. A top of the line unit installed by a fly-by-night company will never perform well or last long.

[aquadave]

For starters 600sqft per ton, i'm way down south with 100f/100% so I go 400sqft per ton. All units are pretty much the same you get lemons in every brand but facts are, the compressor is either Copeland or Tecumseh, the coils are made in Texas or Tennessee, the fan motors are GE, Emerson, A O Smith. the boards are TI So the main components are the same with all brands. The main difference is the brand name sticker on the case. With the new 410A freon working pressure went from 275psi on R22 to 450psi. So use HARD solder or brazing rod. If it were me I'd get 3 1/2 ton for the house and a mini split for the room over the garage. You will add a coil to your original unit (just a box added to the duct) so the brand you have has no bearing. One thing I prefer is separate units upstairs and down, but that probably won't be worth it in your case. I know just as many people that love a certain brand as do hate certain brands