With the colder months and winter around the corner, it is important to talk about heating for your home. There are different heating systems people use for their house; it is either the oil, gas or electric furnace. But, regardless of the type of furnace one uses, we all expect a furnace to do one thing, and do it properly; at that is to heat.
So, if you’re looking to buy a new furnace to keep you warm during the upcoming winter months, you’re at the right place. In order to buy a high-quality furnace, it is important to know which furnace brands to avoid in the first place. In the following paragraphs, we’ll talk about the worst, low-quality furnaces you need to avoid like the plague. So, without further ado, let’s get right into this topic!
Reasons To Avoid The Following Furnaces
- Because they’re made from cheap components and materials, they require frequent, costly repairs, which can amount to hundreds of dollars in repair costs.
- The following furnaces have really short warranties, which are up to only 5 years. Some of the companies don’t even have warranties for certain furnace parts and repairs.
- Cheap or low-quality furnaces generally have issues with loud, buzzing, or whistling noises while they run. These noises can quickly become annoying, and you basically have to listen to them throughout the whole winter.
- Some of the following furnaces experience issues with heating up; they either take too long to heat up or they don’t heat up properly ever.
- Some of the following furnaces experience issues with water leakage inside the furnace, which can generally cause damage and failure to work properly.
- These furnaces have full-speed fans, which are generally pretty loud. However, they tend to, for some reason, blow out cold air, which is a no-go when you actually want to be warm in your own house.
- Some of the following furnaces are just too expensive, considering the number of issues they have. It is important to know those expensive furnaces can also be bad, not just the cheap ones.
- These furnaces have a history of customer dissatisfaction; customers have expressed their worries and cases in which a furnace was damaged, caused heating issues, or talked about cases where customer service was terrible.
The Worst Furnace Brands to Avoid
Buderus
Buderus, owned by Bosch, is one of the most popular manufacturers of boilers on the market. The brand is generally known for its high-quality products, reliability, efficiency, and exceptional performance. After all, it is a German brand. But, despite all of that, it seems that the Buderus furnaces aren’t really on par with the brand’s strive for quality and performance.
When it comes to Buderus furnaces, customers generally complain about:
- Loud, whistling noises while the furnace runs.
- The furnace just stops working. Until it gets repaired, the furnace doesn’t heat for days, which means that the customers spend time in the cold.
- Costly repairs that last too long.
- Heating performance is below average.
So, if you want a high-quality boiler, go for a Buderus one. But, if you want a high-quality, reliable, and long-lasting furnace, then stay away from this brand. Their furnaces simply have too much going on to be a good, reliable choice for household heating.
Tempstar
Tempstar is a well-known manufacturer of residential heating and cooling systems. Generally known as reliable and efficient, it is weird seeing Tempstar on this list, but here we are. Their furnaces simply do not meet the quality standards customers have and expect such brands to have as well. Generally speaking, Tempstar furnaces are probably some of the worst on the market, with pretty disappointing customer reviews.
Some of the major complaints in regards to Tempstar furnaces include;
- Overall poor heating performance
- The Circuit board makes annoying sounds while the furnace runs
- A tendency for pressure code errors
- Cases of injector oil leakage
- Loud, buzzing noise while the furnace runs
- Overall, unreliable unit and poor customer service
If you want to waste our money and deal with a poor product which you’ll have to replace and spend more money on, then go ahead and purchase a Tempstar furnace. Otherwise, we’d recommend you stay away from this money-wasting unit and invest in another, better furnace.
Lennox
One of the most popular companies for heating and cooling residential devices is Lennox, without a doubt. So, what is Lennox doing on this list? Well, even though the company builds high-quality home heating systems, their furnaces aren’t that good.
For example, customer reviews in the past few years have been pretty disappointing, stating that Lennox furnaces generally don’t heat properly, and are overprices.
Here are some other things customers complaints in regards to Lennox furnaces;
- It takes a Lennox furnace too long to heat up.
- The heating is uneven; one part of the house is heated, while the other is cold.
- Customers experience premature damages with Lennox furnaces.
- Repair costs are too high, alongside the fact that Lennox furnaces are super expensive.
- Lennox customer service is pretty bad as well.
We generally recommend people avoid specific Lennox furnaces, like Ducane (high-cost repairs and parts), as well as Elite and Merit Series furnaces, which are also costly to repair, and only have a 5-year warranty. So, save your money and avoid Lennox furnaces this winter. Sure enough, Lennox as a brand provides high-quality products overall, but their furnace models are pretty disappointing.
ArcoAire
ArcoAire provides heating and cooling equipment for residential use. They’re mostly known for their air conditioners, heat pumps, and of course, fas and oil furnaces. Now, when it comes to the ArcoAire furnaces, they’re pretty disappointing, just the overall production of the furnace and customer care is.
The Internet is full of negative customer reviews regarding ArcoAire furnaces. One of the reviews said that an ArcoAire furnace broke and caused a fire, which almost harmed the women in the review.
Some of the other complaints in regards to ArcoAire furnaces include;
- Terrible heating performance; uneven and below-average heating
- The overall furnace is of inferior quality and uses bad materials
- Logic board failure and short-circuit cases
- The heater tends to stop working or just doesn’t work.
- Loud, whistling sounds while the furnace runs
- Confusing manual
- High repair costs
ArcoAire furnaces should definitely be on your list of furnace brands to avoid. Based on everything we’ve seen in regards to these furnaces, you’ll surely be wasting your money if you go with this product. These furnaces aren’t reliable, they do not heat properly and even the customer care isn’t adequate.
Frigidaire
Frigidaire specialized in the production of kitchen and home appliances, laundry appliances, and other accessories. Of course, their refrigerators are exceptional and pretty reliable. However, when it comes to their furnaces, we’re having a hard time believing they’re worthy of anyone’s money. So far, the customer reviews haven’t been the best, and there is generally so much going on with Frigidaire furnaces that we just had to include them on the list.
Some of the major complaints in regards to Frigidaire furnaces include;
- The heating quality or heating performance is overall below average.
- The furnace fails to heat properly during low temperatures.
- Short warranty, and it doesn’t cover furnace damage.
- Annoying, vibrating sound while the furnace runs.
- The furnace tends to shut down out of nowhere.
The customers are overall pretty dissatisfied when it comes to Frigidaire furnaces. They’re of low quality and aren’t even close to being as good as some other Frigidaire appliances. In some cases, Frigidaire furnaces experience issues with the blower fan as well as the whole unit not being able to keep up with the heat. Do not waste your money with this product.
Weatherking
Weatherking is a well-known producer of home heating and cooling products. It has been around since the 1980s and was generally seen as a brand that provides quality heating and cooling solutions. However, in the past few years, Weatherking has become known for poor quality products, like their furnaces, as well as terrible customer service. Their furnaces are far from meeting the market standards, and in some cases, they can even be dangerous.
Here are some of the main complaints when it comes to Weatherking furnaces;
- Overall below-average heating performance
- Uneven heating or no heating at all
- Easily damaged thanks to cheap manufacturing and materials
- Furnace pilot and gas valve issues; gas burner goes off
- Terrible motherboard quality
- Too many repairs and high repair cost
- Terrible customer service
Weatherking furnaces might be the worst on this list. Based on what we’ve found out as well as customer reviews, Weatherking doesn’t just provide low-quality furnaces but also has terrible customer service. There were cases where customers would call for repair just to be blamed by the Weatherking repair technicians for the damage.
So, Which Furnace Brands Are Actually Good?
American Standard
Overall, American Standard furnaces are;
- High-quality
- Reliable
- Quiet
- Energy-efficient
- Affordable
American Standard furnaces are some of the most reliable on the market. They have reliable HVAC systems and provide high-quality, durable, efficient furnaces. Their furnaces are also budget-friendly, which is probably one of the best things you can hear when buying a furnace. For example, the average installation cost of an American Standard furnace is $2,494, and you get a 10-year warranty for every product.
Bryant
Overall, Bryant furnaces are;
- High-quality
- Dependable
- Quiet
- Energy-efficient
- Quick and easy to install
Bryant furnaces are pretty impressive; they ensure exceptional heating performance and have some of the best energy efficiency ratings on the market. The Bryant company is known for its high-quality heating and cooling systems, so it is no surprise to see their furnaces receive such praise from satisfied customers.
If you really want to get your money’s worth, you’ll invest in a high-quality product like a Bryant furnace. Such a furnace will keep your home warm since the unit is dependable, energy-efficient, and quiet. You won’t even notice it’s there. Plus, every furnace comes with a 10-year warranty.
Goodman
Overall, Goodman furnaces are;
- Excellent in build quality
- Durable
- Affordable
- Smart Home Compatible
Goodman Manufacturing is one of the best companies on the market in regards to affordable air conditioning, gas furnaces, and residential heating and cooling systems. The company provides high-quality, affordable products and furnace units, with an average cost of $2,055. The Goodman furnaces have a great build quality and have exceptional heating performance. They’re also energy-efficient and come with a 10-year warranty.
Goodman furnaces are some of the most prominent choices for household heating because they’re affordable, but high-quality choices. So, with a Goodman unit, you won’t be wasting your money, but rather investing it in a durable, reliable, and efficient furnace.
Trane
Overall, Trane furnaces are;
- High-quality
- Super efficient
- Durable
- Reliable
- Pricier
Trane is at the very top of brands that manufacture and sell home heating and cooling systems. The company provides some of the highest-quality furnaces, alongside other heating options. Their gas furnaces are high-quality, dependable, efficient, and durable; basically everything you could ever want from a furnace.
We do have to mention that Trane furnaces have a medium to high cost because of the installation costs. However, because of the quality of their units, you will surely get your money’s worth with a Trane furnace. There is also a 10-year warranty and an 80% AFUE energy-efficiency rating. The online customer reviews are excellent, so make sure to check Trane furnaces for yourself.
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