Last Updated May 26, 2011 1:57 PM EDT Here are the top budget picks, by size: Before you buy any model, CR recommends the following tips: An air conditioner that's too small (5,000 to 6,500 Btu) may fall short when it comes to cooling an entire room. If your room is greater than 300 square feet, consider sizing up. If you have a room that's between 250 to 400 square feet, consider a midsize air conditioner (7,000 to 8,200 Btu) and finally, large rooms with 350 to 650 square feet usually require a large air conditioner (9,800 to 12,500 Btu). If you want your AC as quiet as possible, get into the details on the Consumer Reports ratings. The models that got an excellent or very good rating in CR's noise tests have minimal sound. The only noise might be the sound of the fan running. Others that didn't score at least "fair" for noise could keep light sleepers awake! Psych Yourself Rich, Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life Photo courtesy: RedJar's photostream on Flickr

Welcome to New Central Air Conditioner Warehouse central air conditioning - Rudd or Trane system? I am thinking of replacing my old central air with a new one. I checked with Consumer's Report and Rudd/Rheem were shown as the one with the least repair incidents, then Trane. I went to a website to see reviews and each manufacturer had more negatives than positive. I would like to know from those who have had these brands within the past five years what their experience has been. The only thing of importance, is the hvac professional you choose to use. Alot of manufacturer's pieces are built relatively the same, and will last about the same amount of time. The thing that matters most is what you can not compare between companies, and that is the installation. Purchasing a system is not like purchasing a car, where no matter where you buy it, they are all the same. Each installation is different, and usually what you are paying for is the level of expertise, and quality of the installation, the company who will actual give you the warranty, and the comfort that you will receive.

Manufacturers warranties disappear every day. They always have a loophole where they can get out of paying, but your local dealer wants to keep you happy for future work, and to protect his reputation in the communiy. Look up 4 year old Nordyne and Goodman warranty problems. Choose the HVAC professional first. It will cost you the least in the long run. I have had to totally redo plenty of installations that were just performed because of an uncomfortable customer, and a system that keeps breaking down. can ac unit freeze upThe equipment is only as good as it's installation, and over 70% are not installed correctly.small ac and heat units Answered 5 years agohow long do ac units last in texas Hi Meowcats,Angie's List doesn't offer ratings on products, but our members do rate the service companies that work on them.

You might check with at least three highly rated HVAC companies who have no direct affiliation with a specific vendor for their unbiased opionion on which brands have the most or least repair incidents.Paul from Angie's List by Paul from Angie's List Almost all AC units use the same parts on the insides. They almost all use the same heat exchanger engineering. That being siad just go with the one with the better warranty.You should be more concerned about the installation quality. This is what makes or breaks the system.Get a contractor who uses the "Energy Star Quality Installation Guidelines."This will include sizing the system correctly, a look at and replace or repair of the duct system, post installation testing, etc.Use the link provided below to help you with this. I have a Trane which was installed in 2008. I have had nothing but trouble with it. The cooling coils have been replaced three times. IT made it about three years this last time and tonight it is not cooling again and the outside unit is making a grinding sound.

I have HAD it with this system - the repairs each time are in excess of $400. I will be getting a new systme this time and it WON'T BE A TRANE!!!!! Answered 1 year ago I strongly suggest no one purchase a Ruud. I had one installed in 2010. When it arrived the outside coil had a hole. No problem sometimes that happens. I said to myself. My installer fixed it and off we went. In the four years I have had it the unit I have replaced:inside coilcompressoroutside fanevaporator motor. If you are thinking it is my installer... NO. I thought the same and had 3 other installer take a look. At no time did any of the installers say it was an installation or technician issue. The unit is horrible!!!! So after 4 years I have paid $3,000 in service calls and Freon. Yes the equipment was "warrantied" but what a joke to spend this much maintaining a 4 year old unit. When I called Ruud they give me the normal manufacturer run around saying it is the technician and I should be happy the equipment was "warrantied" DO NOT GET A RUUD!!!

Replacing my central air conditioning I need a service technition for my Rudd central air conditioning systemConsumer Reports tested the top brands of heating and air conditioning systems for durability and gives you some best buys.LISA GONZALES HAS A CONSUMER REPORTS TEST ON WHICH SYSTEMS WILL HOLD UP FOR YEARS TO COME. LISA: WHEN THE HOT WEATHER SETS IN, PEOPLE GET DESPERATE. WE GET A PANICS PHONE CALL AND HAVE TO RUN OUT. LISA: THE KEY TO HAVING YOUR AIR CONDITIONING THERE IS GETTING OF IT. CONSUME AMERICAN STANDARD IS MORE RELIABLE THAN OTHER BRANDS. CONSUMER REPORTS ESTIMATES 30% YEARS. >> A LOT OF THINGS CAN AFFECT HOW WELL THINGS WORK. EVEN THE SIZE OF THE HOUSE. CHOOSING A MORE DEPENDABLE BRAND WILL BOOST YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING A SYSTEM THAT LAST. >> THERE IS POSSIBILITY IS ON YOU TO -- RESPONSIBILITY IS ON YOU, TOO. CHECK AND CLEAN FILTERS MONTHLY. CHECK FOR BLOCKAGES IN THE DRAINPIPES. The perfect theme song for the whole house air purifier controversy is Tobacco Road, written by John Dee Loudermilk in 1960, and covered by numerous artists:

A central "whole house" air purifying system, added to existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, is NOT the cost effective solution for household air quality. Unless you are wealthy and/or building a new, carefully custom designed home, this cash is best spent on other aspects of the indoor air situation. I do not claim a whole home air filtration system, beyond a simple furnace filter upgrade, is not a good idea for those with extra cash. Note that everyone, including apartment dwellers, should install a furnace filter upgrade. A MERV-7 filter or better is highly recommended. Ordinary fiberglass furnace filters cost just $.75, and upgrades are $5-20. I'm pretty sure anyone reading this thinks their health is worth more than the cost of a furnace filter upgrade. But no wholehouse HVAC system is a substitute for properly selected room air purifiers placed close to our breathing zone. This article will focus on the shortcomings and cost effectiveness of air purifiers for an entire home that add on to existing HVAC systems.

Notice that air duct ultraviolet light systems, for defense against microorganisms, are considered separately. Consumer Reports, in a 1992 issue, said portable air cleaners are more effective than a central whole house system. Here is one of the few topics where I agree with CR's air cleaner reviews. Since such a filtration system shares the central system's blower and duct work, the first concern must be the wholesomeness of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning) internals. In my opinion, dirty HVAC systems and duct work are second only to wet, moldy basements, in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” awards. How many of us ever remove our home's vent louvers and inspect our ductwork, raise your hands. So how many want to do it today? Who wants to go first? OK, I'll do it myself. In the photograph, taken in my old Houston apartment, the red arrows point to accumulated fine dust which has come through the fiberglass air filter over the years.

The blue arrow indicates a new section of duct wall which has less dust. Because this dust has been screened by a coarse air filter, whitening of the duct wall is the more dangerous fine particles! The lower red arrow points to dust I piled up with my finger.Are we done yet? Fiberglass HVAC air filters are placed upstream of motors and fans to protect them from sandpaper-grit sized particles and lint, not as air purifiers. No expensive upstream filter or partial bypass whole house air cleaner can do anything about this accumulated mess! HVAC blower systems, while they may seem powerful, with maybe 1000 cubic foot per minute (cfm) airflow, do not set up a strong enough air current in most areas of the household to be meaningful air purifiers. Stand near the airflow from an AC duct, you won't get blown away. The airflow right at the duct is about as strong as a small table fan. A quality portable air purifier creates strong internal pressures.

Air-Purifier-Power is focused on how this pressure is handled in air purifiers of varying quality, and how many builders solve the problem by allowing bypassing. Air from central system registers does not flow evenly through the cross section of the home, it seeks the path of least resistance. Cooled air makes a beeline straight to the bottom, without visiting the out of the way nooks and crannies. Warmed air fans out along the ceiling until it finds a cool surface to start a downdraft. Where corners, steps or obstacles are encountered, eddies form and larger particles fall out. While the house as a whole may receive several air changes per hour, the net result in the lower flow areas is not strong enough. Imagine a meandering stream, with surging bank cuts and rapids, followed by lazy drifts over sandbars; the speed is not uniform across the whole stream. Varying sizes of particles, from silt to gravel, are deposited where water slows accordingly. In a house, dust bunnies collect in corners where air slows.

This is not an effective model for air purifiers. With a central purification system, the blower must run all the time. Residential HVAC blowers are not powerful enough to draw air through a big, tightly sealed, whole house HEPA air filter. In fact they must be protected from overloading which could occur with an ordinary dirty furnace filter. Real HEPA filters create serious static pressure, so they cannot be installed inline with the standard residential system. Vendors have incorporated costly bypassing vent circuits and more powerful secondary filter blower mechanisms to get around this. This is nothing but a high dollar version of the bypassing I cry about every day in cheap, loosely built department store air purifiers! Who'd pay to replace what ain't broke? This has created a marketing opportunity for add-in ionizers, ultraviolet sanitizers, and electrostatic precipitators, which are less restrictive. Some of these create ozone.

Cleaning your whole air conditioning air handler system and duct work could be the best single indoor air quality improvement money can buy. It depends on how old the system is, how much moisture is present (mold loves to hide on AC condensers and in drip pans), and when (if) it has been cleaned before. Don't assume a brand new home has clean duct work. Air ducts will collect dust during construction. Site cleanup is a hidden cost on every job, and with subcontracted crews coming and going, you never know what might be in hidden areas of a new house. You can hire a professional duct cleaning service to vacuum and clean the air vents and ducts. It isn't cheap and must be done carefully without toxic chemicals. Once the system is clean, install an upgraded quality air filter in the HVAC main air return or air handler. I line the edges with polyurethane foam to limit bypassing. Regular maintenance is required to keep the whole house system clean in the future.

Wholehouse air purification runs from just expensive to shoulda-got-the-Mercedes-instead expensive, requires installation by a contractor, and uses significant electricity to run both blowers continuously. Replacement costs of pre-filters and filters will match or exceed room purifiers. Many buyers are disappointed with their central household air filtration installation, only to find that the vendor and contractor each blame the other for the problem. We take our central air conditioning systems for granted, out of sight and mind. Adding purification could change that. When a portable air purifier fails, we ship it back without interruption of heating or cooling. You cannot return unsatisfactory home modifications to a vendor. To get the best indoor air quality, I would; With any funds left over from the alternatives listed above, I suggest installing a central vacuum system for the entire house, which exhausts 100% of all dirty air outside. Or chose a quality sealed HEPA filter vacuum cleaner.