is amana ok with 10 year parts and labor?

11 years ago

I'm still balking at this njcleanenergy decision I have to make. (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hvac/msg0613455019230.html)

The firm I like the best was just out to discuss the quotes he had emailed me. This is the only company out of the 3 that actually did the blower door test as part of the energy audit. He had the manual J calculation with him as well.

I am not planning to live my life out in this house, though it is still possible. It is equally as possible I will move in 5 years...I want to get the most bang for my buck. I don't need hybrid infinity deluxe system...just something more efficient and more even than I have now.

Amana came up. He seems to prefer Carrier and did mention that Amana will sell to anybody. He said the sheet metal is thinner and they are louder. He also said that many of the problems people have with Amana are probably related to the installers because any unqualified person can install them, wrong ducts, wrong size etc. He doesn't see where I'd have a problem. The 10 year warranty would cover parts AND labor. It would be 20--25% cheaper. He will write it up for me for similar equipment to the Carrier he has already quoted.

If Amana is installed by a qualified contractor, in the right size etc and has 10 yr part/labor warranty, how bad could it be?

Probably looking at the ASXC16 or ASX14 A/c and the AMVM96 or AMV95 furnace. Not sure if I want or need modulating over 2 stage. This a/c would be 2-stage where I'd only afford carrier 1 stage a/c. Brochure refers to ti as the "premium comfort" line.

Note: Claim based on .96 eff tankless water,, 96% furnace, 15.2 SEER AC, air sealing, insulation should bring a 26.597 over my current systems. That seems remarkable!

Comments (3)

Greg__R
11 years ago
"I am not planning to live my life out in this house, though it is still possible. It is equally as possible I will move in 5 years...I want to get the most bang for my buck."

Despite what a salesperson will tell you, A/C & Heating upgrades do not represent a large return on investment. In other words, if you're spending $15k don't expect to magically get that money back in a couple of years. The real comparison is between a basic system and a premium system (say a $3k price difference). If you're saving $500 a year in utilities with the premium system then you'd need 6 years to break even over the basic system. However, it would take 30 years to "pay for" a $15k system based on energy savings alone.

When people buy a new home, they rarely look @ heating and A/C equipment quality. If they do anything it's to note the age of the equipment to see if a replacement might be needed in the near future. I would not install premium equipment if you're going to be moving and expect the buyer to pay a premium for your home due to the install (e.g. it's not granite counter tops!).

R.E. Amana; I'm in the middle of replacing an Amana (builder grade) furnace in my home with Carrier equipment. The Amana system had poor air filtration, was loud, and had an 80 AFUE score. In 16 years, the igniter was the only repair ($150 or so IIRC) so not bad from a durability standpoint.
Greg__R
11 years ago
I should mention that I'm getting a new system because we want whole-house A/C and it was a good time to upgrade the furnace/air-handler @ the same time.
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User
11 years ago
How bad can Ammana be? I'm replacing a 4 year old heat pump that has cost me the original cost in repairs. It's had a major repair twice a year since I got it. ammana would not even talk to me about warranty. The business I originally bought from sold out a month later and Ammana said so sad, too bad. The business who bought them out said my contract was with the original installer. The original business had been around forever. My parents used them and I'm 65. And on top of it all, the original business never sent in any of my paperwork. The business I have now has spent hours and hours trying to fix the heat pump. I don't know how much they ate in time, service calls and parts. No matter who answers the phone they greet me by name and don't ask for my address. They've been here so often they don't need to. My 2 cents.....RUN don't walk to someone who has nothing to do with Ammana.