Table of Contents
Trane Air Conditioner Reviews - Consumer Ratings - Trane offers nearly a dozen different models for air conditioning systems ranging from 13 SEER to 21 SEER models that can be matched with their air handlers or gas furnaces. Furthermore, if done properly you may also integrate these air conditioners with other manufacturers systems such as air handlers or gas or oil furnaces (Always consult a professional and the manufacturer’s recommendations). Additionally, some of the features for air conditioners are:
Trane Air Conditioner Reviews - Consumer Ratings | Select Features
- Communications ability via special equipment in the top air conditioner models.
- Trane compressors
- Spine fin coils on air conditioner condensers
- Two-stage cooling of selected air conditioner models
- Multi-stage and/or variable speed blower motors on select air conditioning systems including variable speed motors on select condensing units
- R-410A refrigerant on select models
- Louvered panels that protect the coils from damage
- Lastly, sound insulation on compressors
- Trane Warranties as Compared to Other Brands 93%
- Trane Quality as Compared to Other Brands 95%
- Consumer Opinion based on Field Experience 77%
- Trane Efficiency Compared to Other Brands 93%
- Overall Trane Opinion from a Technical Perspective 89%
Top Model SEER Rating
Warranties - Trane Air Conditioner Reviews
They also offer various warranties on their air conditioner condensers. Always check for the warranties specifics when selecting a model because warranties differ from model to model. Additionally, check for an extended warranty, especially with the higher SEER equipment. Furthermore, this equipment has all the bells and whistles, and if it breaks down will need the attention of a skilled technician.
Moreover, most warranties in the HVAC industry only cover parts. That means you will have to pay for labor unless you have a labor warranty. Additionally, labor warranties, if available, cost extra when the system is purchased. In some cases, the extra cost is worth it.
Trane Air Conditioner Model Comparison Guide
| Trane Air Conditioner Model Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| XV Series (Premium Model) | XL Series (Mid-Range Model) | XR Series (Economy Model) |
| Up to 22 SEER | Up to 16.5 to 18 SEER Performance | 14.75 to 17 SEER Performance |
| XV Model Trane Warranties vary with available extended parts and labor warranties for additional costs (recommended) | Trane Warranties vary with available extended parts and labor warranties for additional costs (recommended) | Trane Warranties vary with available extended parts and labor warranties for additional costs (recommended) |
| Variable-speed fan motor | Variable-speed fan motor | Single-speed condenser fan motor |
| Trane Climatuff® Variable Speed Compressor | Climatuff® compressor staging depends on model | Single-stage Climatuff® compressor |
| Trane Heavy-duty steel louvered panels with an appliance-grade finish | Heavy-duty steel louvered panels with an appliance-grade finish | Heavy-duty steel louvered panels with an appliance-grade finish |
| ComfortLink II Communicating Capability | Conventional Controls with optional communicating system | Conventional Controls with optional communicating system |
| Meets ENERGY STAR Air Conditioner qualifications | Select models meets ENERGY STAR Air Conditioner qualifications in select models | N/A |
| Trane Spine Fin coil | Spine Fin coil | Spine Fin coil |
| Trane offers no data for refrigeration pressure switches. Ask Salesman before purchase. | No data available for refrigeration pressure switches | No data available for refrigeration pressure switches |
Air Handlers | Trane Air Conditioner Reviews
Trane air handler configuration is horizontal flow, up-flow, and down-flow applications for residential and light commercial applications.
Furthermore, they also manufacture large air handlers for commercial applications, and we will review commercial air handlers in a future planned section for Commercial HVAC equipment. Various features of select air handlers include:
- Select air handlers available with variable speed blower motors
- Proper airtight construction in the cabinets
- Air handlers easily retrofitted with an electronic air cleaner
- Rust-resistant drain pans
- Lastly, compact air handlers available for tight-fitting installations
Trane air handler models begin at the top with the Hyperion XL and go to the builders grade air handlers, which is the XB Trane air handler model without the bells and whistles. The Hyperion model has select features such as:
- Double-walled construction offers better insulation with less air handler cabinet heat loss/gain. The double-walled construction and front panels also eliminate air leaks from the air handler. Air leaks cost you energy dollars.
- ComfortLink™ II Communicating Capability - the feature is a state-of-the-art extra that makes everything about the system proprietary. If the thermostat goes out, then you have to go to Trane to get a new thermostat. These thermostats are not available at your local hardware store but only through a Trane dealer. Furthermore, if you get this feature, we recommend you purchase an extended part and labor warranty if available.
Condensing Units | Trane Air Conditioner Reviews
Trane Condensing Units - Trane condensing units offer SEER ratings up to 22 SEER and are available for residential and light commercial applications with air conditioner and heat pump condensers. Furthermore, their condensing units for heavy commercial applications.
With the Trane condensing units from the air conditioner side coming in at 22 SEER efficiency and the heat pump coming in at 20 SEER/10 HSPF, Trane has very high efficiency for their top-of-the-line condensers. Remember, you will only achieve these efficiency ratings if you match the indoor unit with the condensing unit, as recommended by Trane.
Furthermore, when comparing Trane with other HVAC brands, make sure to compare the warranty also as it is crucial to get a good warranty with the equipment. A few other essential factors to help you with the purchase decision are the quality of the contractor. Importantly, the installation and the efficiency level of the equipment is necessary to achieve ratings. Lastly, the most critical factor being the quality of the HVAC contractor installing the new system.
Condensing Unit Features | Trane Air Conditioner Reviews
Various features of select Trane condensing units include:
- Condensers use corrosion and rust-resistant materials for durability
- Select Condensers are Energy Star rated
- Condensing units offer multi-speed or variable speed ECM condensing unit motors
- Select condensers offer two-stage scroll compressors for energy efficiency
- Condensing units have an optional communications module for control and diagnostics in select systems
Air Conditioner Pricing, Efficiency, and Return On Investment Factors
| Pricing Versus Efficiency Return On Investment | ||
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | Pricing Range for Initial Purchase and Subsequent Repairs outside of Warranty | ROI (Return On Investment) |
| 19 SEER Plus | $$$$$ | 5 to 7 years depending on efficiency* |
| 15 to 18 SEER | $$$ | 7 to 10 years depending on efficiency* |
| 13 to 14 SEER | $ | Over 10 years* |
| *Many factors depend on ROI such as house insulation, personal usage preferences, duct work integrity, and other basic efficiency factors. SEER level efficiency is very important to ROI. The higher the SEER, the quicker the return. | ||
Trane Air Conditioner Reviews - History
In 1910 James Trane and his son Reuben began manufacturing a low-pressure heating system to heat homes. They have a long history of innovation dating back to its founder and his son, including changing the concept of air conditioning for large buildings when, in 1938, they introduced the Turbovac, which was the HVAC industry-first hermetic centrifugal refrigeration machine.
Trane Air Conditioner Reviews - Your Review
If you have HVAC equipment, you would like to review, and please submit your review for that particular brand and model. It will help others when purchasing HVAC equipment. We also give priority replies to those that do reviews as we are swamped here. We get over 100 email requests every day.
See our other Trane HVAC Reviews: Trane Package Unit Reviews | Trane Heat Pump Reviews | Trane gas Furnace Reviews | Goodman Versus Trane Air Conditioners
Furthermore, for more information on Trane and their latest models and efficiency ratings visit the Trane website.
Trane Air Conditioner Reviews - Consumer Ratings
Following the installation of a 2T and a 5T Trane unit in 2011, I experienced problems within 6 months. Various parts were replaced under warranty on the 5T unit, within the first few years, and then other parts in later years. The 2T unit died about a year ago, and repair was too costly to justify. I replaced it with a Carrier, which has worked flawlessly. Two weeks ago, I replaced the chiller on the 5T Trane unit, with the parts (only) covered under warranty. Today (only 2 weeks later), and now about 10 years after the original purchase date, the control board has fried, also causing damage to other parts. Unless the board is covered under warranty, it won’t pay to fix it. The Trane units have been nothing but a costly and time-consuming headache. I live in Florida, where the AC runs all year long. The Trane products I purchased were either poorly made, poorly designed and/or badly engineered. I will never purchase a Trane unit again.
I would HIGHLY suggest NOT buying anything by the Trane brand. Here’s why:
I purchased 2 new systems from them thinking I was getting “better equipment”, but that could not be further from the truth.
Keep in mind that I live in Arizona where the temps are 115º plus.
Now, the first issue is that one of the 2 units went out immediately. It broke when I was out of town forcing the heater to run indefinitely, even though it was set to cool only. As it turns out, they cover all of their wring with peanut oil!?? Well guess what, mice LOVE peanut oil and they were attracted to that lovely taste (probably why we set traps with peanut butter and it works so well). This to me is just simply a bad business decision. Needless to say, everything in our room melted as the temperature was kept above 118 for 3 days straight, while we were gone. Now none of our drawers close correctly, our doors do not shut right and all of the oil in our wood furniture is gone.
On to #2!
Oh, Keep in mind, these are less than 1 year old! I am still paying $20,000.00 for these two “lovely” babies!!
This time the coil went out, causing us to live in the peak AZ heat for almost a week. I was told that this is uncommon for any brand. I guess we are just lucky.
#3
This time the control module went out in the air handler!
I was told this never happens unless it is just a bad unit… Again, I guess I am just lucky.
#4
This time the Thermostat broke. This is their proprietary thermostat, so their own technology on that thing. Good luck with these things, they have some convoluted method of resetting and joining the network or adopting to your account that is a real treat.
#5
Did I mention that I still have a good year or more to go on my payments for these gems!!!
Now, the coil went out and leaked out all of the refrigerant. back to 100º in our house!
They said it would be at least a week before they could get the part to me (which I thought was a bit long for such a well know brand with distribution) so I wrote them a letter on their website asking why Amazon can get me anything I need in 2 hours, but they take a week, even though they are installing hundreds of these daily, in my city. I also asked is this the type of “QUALITY” that I should expect from my purchase decision to go with them?
Guess what I received back in response to that letter? Well, if you guessed NOTHING, you would be correct.
Par for the course here with Trane.
#6
The vents and 2 stage motor never really seemed to be very productive, so I called my dealer locally and asked them to investigate. They found that this unit was shipped with malformed flashing on the air handler and it was blocking 80% of the air flow. He trimmed it out and got it back to normal. So, again, I write another letter to Trane on their website asking if this is something that should be replaced or if it is common and again asked if this is the “Quality” I should expect from their brand. My Answer?
Ding Ding Ding, if you guessed NOTHING again!
#7
Still waiting on my coil to be delivered after 2 weeks and the installer just called to tell me that Trane sent the wrong coil, so we will need to reorder it from them, AGAIN, and I need to wait.
So, moral of the story?
If you want really bad quality, tons of headaches, appointments, ruined furniture and pay at least 4 times as much as other brands, you should absolutely buy Trane.
Or if you simply want the indoors of your house to be like this, then you should also buy Trane! Otherwise buy ANYTHING ELSE.
I gotta know why was there oil in your wood furnace
My TRANE system needed 2 new compressors and a new coil within 6 years of installation. To make it worse, installing dealer couldn’t diagnose the need for replacements and labor warranty loopholes socked me with cost to replace defective units! Cost me $4000 extra in labor because they wouldn’t honor their labor warranty! Stay away from TRANE.
Bought a top of the line Trane XV20I heat pump. All the bells and whistles. The unit is currently approximately 3 yrs old.
CONSTANT problems. Bad install and the Trane Certified Comfort Dealer went out of business a little less than 2 years after installation.
Trane has made an effort to get my unit straightened out. However I have had out of pocket expenses close to $2,000. That doesn’t even count the headaches of the unit being down numerous times.
Parts are covered but labor and freon are not.
I always tell my wife, IF I hit the lottery I’m going to have this headache taken out and thrown on the street with a sign on it. A $11,000 LEMON.
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I have a TRANE and it is still running good It is 24Years old.Has been repaired 2 times, but nothing over $50.00 for parts.
Minor things.
Still using it.
We’ve had our Trane for 12 years now and had it repaired once for a bad motor in the air handler. I recommend Trane all day long. Don’t know why others have had such bad experiences. Maybe they got a bad contractor to install their system??
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After one year needed parts replaced, within two years needed new evaporator coil. Parts were covered under warranty, but had to pay $800 in labor. Do yourself a favor and stay away.
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reliability of trane airconditioners
Reviewed by N. Mysore November 05, 2010
reliability of trane airconditioners
I had a Rheem central A/C system installed by the builder in our new home. died twice within 3 years and when the homeowners warranty ran out, I had a Trane (13 seer) installed. After almost 7 years, it is still working well. Planning to replace my second Rheem unit with another Trane.
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Trane Air Conditioners
Reviewed by Richard July 28, 2009
Trane Air Conditioners
Do you own a Trane Air Conditioner? If you own a Trane Air Conditioner then make a review and let others know what you think of Trane Air Conditioners.
I purchased a Trane system in May 2014. One of the reason I purchased a Trane was for reliability, another was energy efficiency. I have been happy with the performance and energy efficiency, but I was very disappointed that after only 3.5 years the coil had to be replaced. (I have had a Trane certified service company provide regular preventive maintenance as recommended.) The coil itself was under warranty (thank goodness), but the labor is not. It cost $257.00 for a service call and freon to get through until it could be replaced and $774.00 for the coil replacement. (I got quotes from 3 companies and they were all within $50.00.) I did not expect to have to pay over $1000.00 in repairs on a 3 year old unit.
We are having the EXACT problem. We have two units and just paid close to $1300 for the labor and repairs two weeks ago and now the other unit is having the same issue. These units are only 3 years old and I am NOT happy with having to pay what is going to be $2600 for both units when I have had them maintained appropriately. I am NOT ever recommending this brand to anyone,
I would implore, beg anyone reading this to never consider buying a Trane Air Conditioner or Furnace. After just getting off the phone with Trane “Lack Of” Customer Service, I want to make others aware.
* Suction King Valve was bad at install
* Replaced the TXV
* Suction Service Valve was bad 2 years later–needed to replace–no coolant
I am honestly not sure what other problems may have existed from the beginning. Admittedly some of the problems may have been related to the install. I know I have basically had no air conditioning for three years–using two window units, and essentially limited, if any heat in the winter. I cannot keep paying $1339 every spring for 7 lbs of 410-A due to problems with Trane parts or equipment.
Do not buy Trane!! (I plan to create a video and will plan to create a Web Site if available–“DONOTBUYTRANE.COM”
Jim K.