Rheem ratings are high for all types of water and air appliances, and tankless water heaters are no exception. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and is a measurement of how well the filter removes harmful particulates from the air. With all that said, Rheem is notorious for its poor customer support. MERV also doesn’t have a target percentage for removal, the way HEPA does. (Addenda are continually added between major revisions.). MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and is a measure of how well a filter removes particulates from the air. This means that Rheem air … If you run your system year-round, that’s potentially six filters a year. After another round of testing, the LG LP1419IVSM is now our pick for portable air conditioners. Whether these bad reviews and low durability of parts and compressors are actually Rheem’s fault or the poor installers, that remains yet to be found. Finding a quality HVAC installer has never been easier; all you have to do is scroll and click! She replied in an email: “If I lived near the wildfires and didn’t find the cost prohibitive, I’d probably change a 3-month filter every month during the season. Following are some reviews by people who purchased Rheem AC units. Compared with the cheapest basic filters available, medium-efficiency MERV filters like the Nordic Pure MERV 12 can greatly reduce airborne dust, mold spores, pollen, and even smoke, and doing that can help ease respiratory ailments, according to an NIH review. Never buy a Rheem anything. Other versions of Rheem aren’t as quiet either, at the outer units make a lot of sounds once the condenser fans start blowing air. Owen said electrets’ rise to prominence postdates the last major ASHRAE 52.2 revision, in 2012. So why doesn’t everyone get a MERV 8 to 13 filter? Home – Rheem Air Conditioners Reviewed: AC Price Guide & Comparison, Ian Haynes is a digital marketing specialist, writer, and researcher. To find certified and verified technicians, visit modernize.com. Wirecutter is reader-supported. We have three other new recommendations as well. If it is, there are several examples of qualified filters that we’d recommend—including the Nordic Pure MERV 12, a perfectly good filter that we’d look for first (because it often costs less), as well as two other filters that are also fine. Their capability to slow down lets them conserve energy and avoid those voltage spikes. Compressors are by far the most expensive and important piece of equipment within an air conditioner. Outside of his work, Ian likes exploring Brooklyn with his Labrador. Colder climates suit Rheem air conditioners better as it reduces the chances of the unit breaking down. Air conditioners need to be installed by people with proper training and knowledge about what they are doing. Rheem’s air conditioners, including RA16, RA17 (NC), RA17, and RA20 are all eligible for a tax rebate of 10% of installation costs, up to USD 300. These five useful things were the most-purchased Wirecutter picks in September. They've been making residential gas and water heaters since the1930s. She is currently chair of the ASHRAE 52.2 committee, which regularly updates the standard to address changes in filter technology. The RA20’s body is powder coat painted to ensure that it resists rust and corrosion. Owen almost literally wrote the book on MERV: In the 1990s she helped define the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers’s ASHRAE 52.2 standard that’s used to set the ratings. He has worked on hundreds of articles relating to home cooling, heating and air quality with a vast knowledge of the technical aspects of these types of appliances. **as low as, based on optimum conditions. We focused on filters in the MERV 8 to 13 range because they are good to excellent at removing fine particulates (as small as 0.3 to 3.0 microns in diameter, including smoke and exhaust particles and bacteria), plus anything larger. Their customer service sucks too – R, Miami Beach, FL. If you’re looking for a portable humidifier to help with the dry air in your home, we recommend the Honeywell HCM-350 Germ Free Cool Mist Humidifier. Rheem RH1P3617STANJA - RH1P- Series, 3 Ton, R-410A, Single Stage, Aluminum Air Handler, PSC Motor, 208/240V, 1 Ph, 60 Hz Skip to the end of the images gallery Skip to the beginning of the images gallery Customers who bought Rheem have complained a lot on online forums and have had to pay extra to get them fixed, despite the warranty. What is the best-rated air conditioner? Poor reliability and matching poor customer support, both add up to give customers a reason to stay away from Rheem air conditioners. These are single-stage furnaces, and even though there aren't a lot of models from this series available in Canada, the ones that are available boast excellent efficiency ratings, and at least one is even ENERGY STAR® certified. (For a really thorough explanation of how MERV ratings are calculated, visit the website of the National Air Filtration Association. Some customers aren’t sometimes made aware of this requirement and miss out on this warranty as well. The internet has become one of the most popular forms of pre-purchase research, and customer reviews are often what steer the final decision of whether or not a customer is going to buy that specific unit. Made in the USA. A quality air filter should have a MERV rating of 8 to 13 since filters in that rating range provide the best indoor air quality without restricting the airflow of the HVAC system. These include exposed wires, air vents facing the wrong direction, holes in the side of vents, and many others. They can go up to 82 decibels when under pressure! The main components of a Rheem furnace include a thermostat, electrical controls, burners, blower, gas valve, heat exchanger, ductwork, and ventilation. Usually, this is because of poor installation methods. But homes with certain challenging conditions—if you smoke, frequently use candles or fireplaces, or have pets—will significantly reduce that lifespan.3, Owen also offered a simple way to judge if it’s time for a swap: “If you can get to your filter easily, one simple thing you can do is just go take a look. Do not buy their junk overpriced ACs; they will not last you more than two seasons without needing major repairs. To decide what filter we’d buy, we needed a more pragmatic explanation of MERV, so we turned to Kathleen Owen, a research engineer specializing in air filtration. Answer the questions below to start the process of finding a high-quality HVAC contractor. Through the 1950s, Rheem began to produce space heaters, oil furnaces and air conditioners. It is important to remember that higher SEER or EER means increased efficiency. Single stage compressors only run at full speed to cool the hot air and shut down once the intake is no longer hot. In that way it’s akin to the more familiar HEPA rating used on air purifiers. On larger particles, the two filters performed very similarly. To change a Rheem furnace filter: 1 Locate the Rheem air filter inside of your unit or furnace; 2 Remove any screws or latches keeping the unit/furnace closed (this could require the use of a screwdriver) 3 Take the lid off and pull the filter out; 4 Replace the old filter with the new one and attach the lid back on the unit/furnace Rheem air conditioners have simple names such as the RA14, RA20, etc., that can indicate the SEER of the unit easily.