Amana and Goodman are the same company, is there any difference?
One of the best-selling brands is the Goodman gas furnaces, they have an intriguing mix of low prices, good quality and excellent warranties.
The furnace warranty on many models is even better than the one offered by Goodman.Do these facts show that the two are different?Is the furnace better than the other one?
You might know that Daikin became the parent company to both of them.Does that mean they are the same?Why two brands?
Many readers want to know if the furnaces are the same or different.The answer is short.
Almost all of the gas furnace models are the same, except for the cabinet around them and the name tag on them.
A man named Harold V. Goodman started a company in 1975.His first product was cheap.In 1982, the company did so well that it was able to buy Janitrol, a company that made a full line of furnaces and air conditioners.
The purpose of the company was to make good equipment at the lowest prices in the industry.In just a few decades, it became a multi-billion dollar company.The company was very strong and competitive.
Amana was acquired by Goodman Manufacturing in 1997.There were two brands that were almost identical except in name.
There is a simple reason to have two brands.There are a lot of pieces.Goodman Manufacturing had a chance at two pieces of the pie by having two brands.It gives the company a chance to increase its market share.
Did you know?Carrier and Bryant are two brands that are shared throughout the industry.
Daikin is the largest manufacturer of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment in the world.It didn't have a presence in the US market.That made the acquisition attractive.Daikin mini split systems have been available here for a long time.
Here is a summary of the tiers, their efficiency range and features, rather than listing all models in each tier.
There are three efficiency options here.That is a limited selection.The secondary heat exchanger in the 96% furnaces captures additional heat from the exhaust gases.
The condensation on the way out the vent allows the gases to cool.Because of the carbonic acid in the water, the secondary heat exchangers are made of steel.
The best selling furnace is one that runs at full capacity.You can get Energy Star efficiency as high as 97 percent with efficiency gains in the last 10 years.
Prices start below $700 for 80% single-stage furnaces and below $1,100 for single stage furnaces that are up to 98% efficient.Buying an efficient furnace will pay for itself quickly if you live in a cold climate.Many homes spend a lot of money on heating.A 96% furnace is more efficient than an 80%, so it would save you money.The extra cost of the furnace would be repaid in a few years.
Running at full capacity can cause slight overheating because the system still has a lot of heat in it when the set temperature is reached, and that heat is dispersed.You might see temperatures of 73F if your thermostat is set to 72F.Most homeowners don't notice the swings.
A furnace that runs at 100% all the time is noisier than a two-stage or variable-capacity furnace, which runs mostly at capacities between 40% and 70%.
When the furnace isn't at full heating capacity, they start and end at a slower speed to avoid pushing cool air into your home.
Goodman/Amana single-stage furnaces are available in upflow, downflow and multi-position, which means they can be installed for horizontal flow too.
In the industry, the efficiency options are limited to 80% and 96%.The two efficiency levels offered by Carrier and Lennox are the same.
Two stages of heating are 70% and 100%.The indoor temperature will be maintained when the furnace runs on low fire.When that doesn't keep up, the furnace will run on high fire to bring up the temperature, reverting to low to keep it there.The advantage is quieter operation.
The disadvantage is higher.The indoor comfort offered by a two-stage furnace will be more expensive.
Some two-stage furnaces have variable-speed motors that gradually ramp up at the start and end of the cycle to reduce noise and cold air from being pushed into your living space.
The most efficient furnaces have two options: 97 and 98%.In order to maintain an even temperature in your home, they need only the precise amount of heat needed.
They use variable-speed blowers and are very quiet.The heating is balanced.
The upfront cost is higher than single-stage furnaces.It takes more time to recover the energy savings compared to single stage and two stage furnaces.Because the gas burner and motor are more sophisticated, repair costs can be higher.
If you enjoy the technical details like we do, you can download the Product Specification for any model.The example covers the variable-capacity Goodman furnaces.
At a glance, you can see how many stages of heating, blower type and configuration are included in the model numbers.
A list of furnace sizes, their high-fire and (if applicable) low- fire inputs and outputs are just some of the information contained in the Spec documents.The input is the efficiency of the furnace.A 100,000 BTU furnace with 92% efficiency has a high-fire input of 100K BTUs and an output of 92,000K.100K x.92 is 92K.
The output number is important.This furnace will do the job if a load calculation shows your home needs more than 90,000 BTUs of heat.An 80% furnace with 100K input would only produce 80K output.If you were to upgrade to a 120K furnace, you would get 96K output.
Both the Goodman and Amana furnace warranties were among the best available before Daikin entered the picture.
The past few years have seen that change slightly.All models from both brands have the same general parts warranty of 10 years.
Information on each model can be found on the 80% and 90+% pages.The top models in each efficiency range have the best warranties.
The main difference is that Amana offers the best warranty, the lifetime replacement warranty on most of its furnaces, while Goodman only offers it on a few.
Same furnace, better warranty: This means that identical furnaces have different warranties based on where you buy them.
Why?This is part of Daikin's plan to keep the brand alive.The low-cost leader is backed by better warranties than most.
The better warranties on some of the models mean that they cost more.The risk of replacing a furnace in the future is covered by the upfront cost.
A furnace replacement warranty is very attractive.A heat exchanger replacement warranty is not worth much.
Here is why.There are two reasons.In the first 10 years, heat exchangers rarely fail.The heat exchanger replacement warranty doesn't cover labor.If you didn't catch it, you should not cover labor.
You will have two problems if you don't have furnace replacement coverage.You will have a huge repair bill if your furnace is more than 10 years old.
The labor charge will be between $1,000 and $1,400.The core of the furnace is where the heat exchanger is located.It is necessary to disassemble the unit to replace it.Buying a new furnace complete with full warranty coverage is the most cost-effective choice at that point.
Amana has better warranties on some furnaces.That is what it comes down to from a brand perspective.
Few within the industry disagree with that point.They have a brand they want to sell you.
4.Interview three companies.The crew that will install your furnace has qualifications and experience.
5).Select a qualified furnace installer with a fair price after comparing all the information you have gathered.
Many installers now offer both.It comes down to saving money on a Goodman or getting a furnace replacement warranty on an Amana.
That is a long process.It can take a long time to do your due diligence.You can replace your furnace if it is old during the summer.You might not have time for such a lengthy process.
Two weeks is too long in the winter.We can shorten the process to a few days with our service.You will get written estimates in a couple days.All contractors that use the service are insured.
The Guide has helped you make a decision.It is helpful if you are planning a complete split system replacement.