In Hayward homes we find every mix of equipment: a Lennox furnace paired with a Goodman condenser, a Mitsubishi Electric mini-split in an addition, a Rheem system in a newer townhome. We are an independent service company, not affiliated with any manufacturer, so we work on all of it. The 24 brands below are grouped as premium, standard and value. The grouping describes where a brand usually sits on price and features, not how long a given unit will last.
Premium brands
Carrier central air and heat pumps, Trane and its sister brand American Standard, Lennox high-efficiency systems, Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric ductless mini-splits and multi-zone systems, and Bosch heat pumps.
Standard brands
Furnaces and central systems from Rheem and Ruud, Bryant, York, Armstrong Air, Comfortmaker and Maytag, plus ductless equipment from Fujitsu, LG and Samsung.
Value brands
Goodman, Amana, Heil, Tempstar, Payne and Coleman for central systems, and Gree for value-priced mini-splits.
Sister brands
Many of these names come from the same few manufacturers, and their equipment often shares designs and parts. If you own one, the sister brand’s page is a useful second read:
- Carrier, Bryant and Payne, plus Heil, Tempstar and Comfortmaker from ICP, which Carrier owns;
- Trane and American Standard;
- Rheem and Ruud;
- Daikin, Goodman and Amana;
- York and Coleman, long part of Johnson Controls and built on shared designs;
- Armstrong Air, from Allied Air, part of Lennox.
What the brand changes, and what matters more
The name on the label matters in two practical ways:
- Parts. Capacitors, contactors, igniters and many motors are common parts that fit many brands. Control boards, inverter boards on mini-splits and heat pumps, and communicating thermostats are often specific to one brand or model line and may have to be ordered. The model and serial number tell the technician which.
- Warranty registration. Many manufacturers require new equipment to be registered within a set period after installation to get the full parts warranty. If your system is fairly new, check the paperwork. Replacement parts follow the manufacturer’s warranty, and our repairs carry our own warranty.
Three things matter more than the brand:
- Installation: the right refrigerant charge, airflow set for the house, a properly run condensate drain.
- Sizing: a load calculation for the actual house. A hill home exposed to wind and a flatland ranch of the same size rarely need the same system.
- Ducts: leaky attic ducts or failing slab ducts waste capacity, whatever brand sits on them. See ductwork repair.
Comparing new equipment? AC installation and furnace installation explain how a replacement is sized and fitted, and efficiency ratings explained helps you read the labels.