I have been in the apartment industry for 30 years. I've had more success with Goodman products than Trane or Carrier. When I start a job on a property that may be 15 to 40 years old, most of the issues are the service guys, and not only in the apartment industry. The worst are the a/c contractors, as their job relies more on the sale of a complete system, even if yours is less than 5 years old. Now, I have worked properties that have had 20, 30, and 40-year-old units still running, some in bad shape and some in excellent shape. The brand didn't matter as usually they were all mixed, including air handlers. An a/c is an a/c, period. They all function exactly alike. If installed correctly, they will work efficiently. Those here that complain of a high electric bill, well, $250 to $300 is quite normal and very good for a 2000 sq ft home. If it is higher than normal, it could be the heat running at the same time. The relays sometimes weld themselves in the closed position. On any brand this can happen. It could be undercharged or overcharged. Those that say it's not cooling enough, somebody suckered you. They probably undersized the unit or just didn't do the correct installation, such as not enough Freon, or too much. As far as leaks, that's debatable, too. It could have been vibrations, or manufacturer's defects. The person that said it was Goodman's seals at the regulator piston is full of crap. He sold you a new unit and made a ton of money on it. I bet he took that older system and sold it to someone else and it works fine. Any of the brands can experience issues right out of the box. I've been there and seen it with my own eyes. I've been doing air conditioning so long, I can set up a mismatched unit and make it work just fine. See, in the apartment industry, a tech doesn't have much choice when 99% of the management companies cut your expenses to the point that all you can do is work with what you have. That's the first reason apartment communities have a/c issues. The second reason is the techs are not taught correctly nor have the ability to really understand a/c. Third, is the outside contractor come in and do a lousy job because they are not making the money they think they should. I promise you, I have more experience on a/c's than the contractors do. I have done more a/c troubleshooting, repairing and installs in one day than any single person working for a contractor, as their time is spent driving from one place to another. All of mine are usually within walking distance. So contractors, don't put all of us maintenance techs down, as you usually do. A very few of us really do know and understand a/c. Contractors are more of the salesman type than they are the repairman type. A contractor's philosophy is replace, not repair. In my eyes, you're not much of a tech if you have to replace a working unit. If it works, it can usually be corrected to do the job it was intended to do. An old maintenance tech once told me, "Randy, you don't need gauges to charge a unit, you only need them for troubleshooting." And I learned he was right. If you learn the tricks, it is true. So, the brand name is only something you pay for. Goodman is just as good as the big names. I've installed hundreds of them and others like Bryant, Rheem, York, and Trane. Actually, I've seen more Trane units blow the terminals out at the compressor than I have any other brand. Confusing, ain't it? So, contractors, if your company got a really good deal on Goodman products, you would sell them to your customers just like you do any other brand and you would put down brands like Carrier, Trane, GE, etc. I'm right, ain't I?
