Let's clear the air here first – Yes, I sell Amana products. I also sell Trane, Rheem, Maytag, as well as others. All of these companies make decent equipment, some designs better than others. All of these companies purchase many of their components from the same suppliers such as Copeland compressors, Emerson or ge (now Genteq) motors, electrical components such as contractors, relays, and capacitors from foreign companies. Many of the unfavorable reviews for any of these products are NOT a result of the manufacturer. Most of the problems are related to the installation of the equipment. If you have part of your house that does not cool well, it's not the equipment, it's the installation and/or final balancing. Compressors and metering devices (pistons/txv's) can be damaged if the installers do not purge the lines with nitrogen when soldering. Poor cooling because of a clogged piston/txv or a compressor prematurely failing due to debris entering it is again, not the manufacturer's fault. Poor cooling because hot air is being pulled into the return from unsealed platforms or ducting- not the equipment manufacturer. I read a lot of reviews that start out with, "we bought this equipment/house 5 years ago and have nothing but problems", etc. How many times did you have any preventative maintenance done on your system in those 5 years? Was it a REAL preventative maintenance check up or a $29.95 special? Many problems can be spotted before an actual failure happens during a preventative maintenance visit. Would you drive your car for 5 years and never check the oil, brakes, or tires and be surprised when something happens? All of these manufacturers have decent warranties, again some better than others. Many of the horror stories about warranty problems are the result of poor actions of the service companies, not the manufacturers. NONE of my customers have ever been without air for more than a day or so due to "waiting for parts". A reputable company will have enough experience to find a work around to at least temporarily keep you running with a loaner motor/capacitor/whatever until the warranty part comes in. We have had instances when a specific condenser motor was on back ordered, we've gone as far as ordering a complete condenser, pulling that motor out and installing it in our customer's unit, and when the warranty motor showed up, installed it back into the new condenser and sending the whole thing back to the supplier. It's called customer service folks. Do the manufacturer's have issues with some of their equipment from time to time? Absolutely. Any of them could have a rash of failures due to parts supplied to them or their own manufacturing flaws. How well these issues are handled at the customer level is a direct reflection of your servicing company. Hopefully you'll get the idea that I'm not some hack "Chuck in a truck" one man Bubba's A/C and Heat company. I actually have over 20 years experience in residential and commercial HVAC. I can get ANY equipment at dealer cost. Anyone wonder what I put in my own home when it came time to replace my system????? Amana 18 SEER heat pump. Best performance and warranty for the money – Period. Remember, I do this for a living.
