Do not use Trane
 

Don't use Trane! I'm on my third service call in 4 years. Stopped cooling. Blown starting capacitor. $194 Stopped cooling. Compressor won't run. Out of Freon. $125 Leaking Cooling coil. $1000 Replace Cooling Coil. I have more than 1 Carrier HVAC system, just not here. 20 and 24 years old and NOT 1 Issue. Never touched after install. Trane=Junk.

I have never heard of having to replace a coil unless it had hail damage, was near salt water, or had been acid cleaned. Just curious, where were the leaks?
It's Hard to Stop a Trane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRQa1JxNcrI

Read unbiased reviews and you will see that from the standpoint of durability, Trane is slightly better. Here is just one review below and there are others if one researches.

Trane Vs. Carrier: The Insider's Guide to Choosing Wisely - Comfort Time Plumbing & Air

There are two coils, an outdoor coil (condenser coil) and an indoor coil (evaporator coil). If a coil leaks, it is usually at a welded connection point, due to corrosion. Personally, I think both Trane and Carrier units are equally reliable. In The Villages, I would opt for Carrier because they are the more commonly installed brand.

Regarding your comment about hail damage, I suspect they were referring to an evaporator coil leak in the air handler (inside the house) and not a condenser coil leak in the outside unit (with the compressor). Evaporator coil leaks are not uncommon.

My Trane XR18 has had zero issues in 8 years
The thing runs (really slow) about 80% of the day in the hottest months
Lowered my AC usage 40% energy wise
My only regret is paying an extra $750 for a10 year warranty.
5tons 4 zones I paid mid $11k

Living in Brownwood your system is not old. I’m curious to know if you had the 6-month service maintenance checkup all the time you had it? Munn’s comes every 6 months to service ours. I’m guessing this should extend its life. We have a Carrier.

Used MUNNS and bought very high end Carrier unit. If you can afford it, recommend a 19 SEER rated unit because the payback is a little over 5 years due to the lower electric bills. High end units have significantly more complex electronics and can thus cost more to repair. We required 12 year parts and labor warranty to mitigate higher repair costs. Our electric bills are under $100/month. Approx. $14K for entire removal and installation of new system.

I have never paid a company to perform any maintenance on an HVAC system because I don't think there is anything a technician can do that will extend the life of the system. I change the filter and make sure the condensate drain is draining. Why would you pay an HVAC company $75 to $100 every 6 months to do a checkup on a system that has a 10 year warranty?

We had our system replaced in November. Got bids from Kalos - Sunshine & Munds. The first two were close to the same price but Munds was very much higher. We went with Kalos because we have been using them as our service company for years and they always do a good job. As for price it depends on what you are getting and are you going to upgrade your thermostat (recommended).

We live in the Brownwood area, Village of Pinellas. Out of eleven homes on our cul-de-sac, six have replaced their heat pumps in the past year. Our homes are eleven years old. Coming from Vermont, our furnace lasted 30 years and was still going strong! Like everything else here, refrigerators, microwaves, roofs, nothing lasts!
We used Sunshine for the ‘better’ unit, newer Freon and variable two stage motor. We paid $11,780. Outrageous, I know. There is a $2000 tax rebate available. We’ll be lucky to get that!

If your a member of Costco, I would look into them. Saved $10k on heating and air conditioning system in CO when we used them to replace our two heaters and two A/C units. Great install by local contractors. Backed by good warranties.

Sunshine can tell you right away if your new unit qualifies for the rebate. I'm guessing it does. Luck has nothing to do with, it depends on your tax status. You'll have serial numbers for your Air handler and compressor that you include on your tax filing (If purchased in 2024) . We just did this on a unit we purchased in December.
If you replaced your unit in 2025, file for the rebate next year.

That was pretty stupid of me.

I know evap coils rust and can leak especially the ones that are installed by the builder. But they usually last at least 10 years.

I have heard of people doing this. Curious how many interior units do you have? Ceiling units or wall units or both? I am of course, assuming you’re talking about a multiple mini split type system as opposed to a Mitsubishi system that used your existing ductwork?

My BIL has a new build townhome in Seattle that is all Mitsubishi - 4 interior units, one large external.

Thanks