The Payne PA12 air conditioner is a discontinued model once manufactured by Payne. Payne is owned by Carrier, which is a subsidiary of United Technologies. The model is still available through various HVAC distributors, and is often used in new construction as a builder’s choice.
The PA 12 has a SEER value of 12, and operates with R22 refrigerant, also known as Freon.
Units are available in a range of sizes varying from 1.5 to 5 tons. The design of the PA12 air conditioner allows for easy access for maintenance and service personnel.
I had this unit (5 ton – 60,000 btu) installed in the Spring of 1999 in my 3,300 sq ft home in the Carson City, NV area. Yes, the unit is undersized for the size of my home considering how many 90-100 degrees days we get per year, but it normally cools off at night and I open the house up at night and cool it down to about 60 before I close things up each morning. I typically run this unit for about 10 hours/day for about 4 months of the year, about half that much for another 2 months and then occasionally throughout the rest year. After 18 years of use, I had to replace a $19 starting capacitor (did it myself) and now after 20 years of fairly hard use it looks like the scroll compressor motor has gone out. I haven't decided yet if I will try to replace the compressor, or go ahead and replace the entire condenser unit (the outdoor part of an a/c), but I doubt that I will get this many years of trouble-free service out of whatever I replace it with.
T Alan
Carson City, NV
"Not happy"
1.0 rating
Very Unsatisfied
Had this unit installed 9-4-2014. Had to have the outside unit motor replaced twice @ $89 labor a pop . 4 years later the inner coil started leaking. Coil, under warranty. $ 400 labor to replace. Got this just before retiring and did not expect this.
Wayne Davis
Ohio
"Excellent service"
5.0 rating
Very Satisfied
My AC has run for 15 years without a single problem with the unit. Checked the charge three years ago.
C. Carroll
East Texas
"Unit Does Not Cool Off Enough"
1.0 rating
Very Unsatisfied
Horrible. Doesn't cool off at all. Waste of money!
shirin
irvine
"Cut Electric Bill in Half"
5.0 rating
Very Satisfied
Had an 8 year old Goodman unit, changed out to a 5 ton Payne, compressor, coil, everything. First month, electric bill went from $240 the previous August to $120.00. 16 seer, much more quiet and efficient. A year later, the bill for July was $102. Live in South Louisiana, keep it at 75 during the day, 70 at night. Our installer is so confident in it he gave us a 2 year labor warranty along with Payne's 10 year parts warranty. Getting a Payne unit installed in our home in North Louisiana this week.
A post on city-data.com refers to the fact that Payne is a subsidiary of Carrier. The writer
mentions that the two brands have the same inside components, and that Payne is the “generic” version of a Carrier. A contractor that posts on hvac-talk.com states that Payne is Carrier’s cheap line, and that he would not recommend their products.
A homeowner asks a question on doityourself.com about his Payne air conditioner making
a “buzzing” noise. The experts say to look under the cover outside to find the source of the noise, but it is probably an easy fix. The homeowner reports that there are no other problems with the operation of the air conditioner. Searches of various forums did not reveal many problems with Payne air conditioners.
Payne PA12 Model Numbers
The PA12 is available in different models which vary in efficiency and capacity.
Model Number
SEER
BTUs per Hour
PA12NA024-A
12
23,200
PA12NA024-B
12
23,200
PA12NA030-A
12
29,000
PA12NA030-B
12
29,000
PA12NA036-A
12
35,000
PA12NA036-B
12
35,000
PA12NA042-A
12
40,000
PA12NA042-B
12
40,000
PA12NA048-B
12
47,000
PA12NA048-C
12
47,000
PA12NA060-A
12
57,000
PA12NA060-B
12
57,000
PA12 Warranty
The original owner of a Payne air conditioning unit receives a ten-year limited warranty upon
registering the unit online within ninety days of installation. If the unit is not registered, the
warranty period is five years. Apartments and rental properties also receive a five-year limited
warranty. Payne warranties do not cover labor costs, and the original installation must be by a
licensed HVAC technician.
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