Trane Vs Ameristar

Bstash13 · Mar 14, 2017

I purchased my home about four years ago. At the time the outdoor heat pump unit was inoperable so the old owners had to replace it in order for the home to pass inspection for sale...needless to say they didn't do a stellar job of ensuring a quality product was installed...so there has been a mis matched heat pump and air handler for the last few years...heat pump is 4 years old air handler is probably 20+ years old...long story short I will be replacing my entire heating unit. I spoke with a respected local hvac company who said I could replace everything or just run my unit into the ground as it still works but compressor makes loud squealing noises off and on...they are a Trane dealer and gave me a few options should I decide to replace everything...one of them (the least expensive being) an Ameristar system made my Trane...same parts warranty and specs as a Trane unit but for less money...I've already decided to replace the system as I'd rather fix an inevitable problem before it occurs...my instincts always tell me not to automatically go for a cheaper system but I'm torn here because as I read reviews and forums some say Trane and Ameristar have the exact same guts and are, in essence, the same system and some say Trane is much better...so my question is who is right?

Units I'm comparing are:

Ameristar Heat pump M4HP4030A1000A

Ameristar Air Handler M4AH4032A1000A

Ameristar heat pack MAYHTR1A10BKRA

VS

Trane heat pump 4TWR4030G1000A

Trane air handler TEM4A0B30S31SA

Trane 10kw electric heat package

Bazooka Joe · Mar 14, 2017

I believe the Ameristar outdoor unit is made 100 % in China and exported here. Not sure about the indoor section if that means anything to you.

BaldLoonie · Mar 14, 2017

Yes, Ameristar is made by Midea in China. Only the gas furnaces are American Trane units, unpainted. I was not impressed with the 1 HP I was looking at. They did some weird things. Can't get a much better heat pump than Trane.

buttwheat · Mar 14, 2017

Ameistar is Chinese junk simple as that

James Colver · Mar 14, 2017

I've installed a number of Ameristar units and overall I've been really happy with them. Yes the heat pumps are made in China, but frankly the quality of the units are a lot better than many of the units I see made in the USA. The biggest advantage to the Ameristar line up is that they are using copper tubed evaporator coils. Trane and many other USA manufactures have switched over to a cheap aluminum evaporator coil and these cheaper coils can cause bad odors in the home. The copper coils are naturally antimicrobial and I rarely ever see a problem with them. The ameristar cabinets are constructed well with heavy gauge steel, that is insulated and has a nice coat of paint. The heat pumps come standard with Copeland compressors, and crankcase heaters and whisper fans. These are features that are usually reserved for the higher end equipment made in the USA.

Many of the members of this site reject Amerstar because it's imported, but I personally keep an open mind. As an engineer I'm more concerned with the details of how well the equipment is made rather than who or where it's made. I personally think if you go with Ameristar and it's installed well, then you'll have a system that will work great for 20 years easily.

BaldLoonie · Mar 14, 2017

Most brands have switched to aluminum indoor coils to avoid an epidemic of leaks. Not sure what bad odors aluminum coils cause. We've never had a complaint from any customer of any brand.

James Colver · Mar 14, 2017

It's funny because some people on this site think the aluminum coils are fine and others hate them. I don't know maybe the aluminum coils do fine in the Midwest region, but do poorly in other parts of the US.

Trane Vs Ameristar

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