The short answer
RunTru is Trane’s lower-priced line of air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces and air handlers, built by Trane and covered by a Trane U.S. warranty. In Northern Virginia it makes the most sense for a rental, a house you’ll sell in a few years, or a tight budget. What you give up is mostly comfort and efficiency, not the parts warranty: every RunTru outdoor unit is single-stage and tops out at 16 SEER2, while Trane’s own line runs to two-stage and variable-speed. Register it within 60 days and parts, the coil and the compressor are covered for 10 years.
What RunTru makes
From RunTru’s own pages for its air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces and air handlers:
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| Type | Models | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioners | A5AC5, A5AC4, A5AC3 | Single-stage; 16, 14.3 and 13.4 SEER2 |
| Heat pumps | A5HP5, A5HP4, A5HL5 | Single-stage; the A5HP5 is 16 SEER2 and 8.5 HSPF2, the A5HP4 14.3 SEER2 and 7.8 HSPF2, and the A5HL5 is a side discharge model at 16 SEER2 |
| Gas furnaces | A952V, A951X, A801X | The A952V is two-stage with a variable-speed blower; the A951X and A801X are single-stage (the three compared) |
| Air handlers | A5AHC, A5AHV | Multi-speed or variable-speed blower motors |
The current A5 outdoor units run R-454B, the refrigerant new systems moved to (what R-454B means for you). Its twin on the American Standard side is Ameristar: Trane’s own XL824 installer guide puts RunTru by Trane and Ameristar by American Standard on the same wiring diagrams, single-stage cooling and single-stage heat pump alike.
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RunTru vs Trane
Same company, different job. RunTru’s own site says it’s designed, built and tested by Trane. Here’s where the two lines split:
- Stages. Every RunTru AC and heat pump is single-stage: full speed or off. Trane adds two-stage and variable-speed units that run longer at low speed, which evens out the temperature between floors and pulls more humidity out in summer.
- Efficiency. RunTru stops at 16 SEER2. Trane’s top units go well past that.
- Compressor warranty. RunTru’s registered term is 10 years on parts and the compressor, the same as Trane’s single-stage units. Some of Trane’s higher-end outdoor units carry 12 years on the compressor; RunTru has no 12-year tier.
- Price. RunTru is the lower-priced line, built for the homeowner who doesn’t need every feature.
Weighing Trane against other brands too? We wrote up Carrier vs Trane, Lennox vs Trane and Goodman vs Trane, and ranked the best heat pump brands for this climate.
The system we put in first
Built to take a beating. Put in by our crew.
Heat lamps, snow and rain on one outdoor unit: that’s Trane’s own film. We’re a Trane Comfort Specialist, on Trane’s own dealer locator, and when you pick a Trane, our crew puts it in.
Films: Trane’s own.
Is RunTru any good?
For the right house, yes. It’s a plain single-stage system from a company with a long record in this business, and the install decides more than the badge does. A system sized wrong, or with its refrigerant charge set by guesswork, runs worse than a cheaper one set up right.
- It fits a rental, a house you’ll sell within a few years, or a budget where the choice is RunTru now or nursing a dying system through another winter.
- Spend more if one floor is always hotter than the other, if noise bothers you, or if you’ll stay 15 years and want the power bill savings of a higher efficiency system.
Common RunTru repairs
A RunTru fails in the same places as any single-stage system. From our price book: a capacitor runs $240 to $370, a contactor $290 to $425, and a heat pump defrost board $450 to $1,150. A diagnostic visit is $99, and you get the problem and the price in writing before any work starts. More on our AC repair and heat pump repair pages.
The warranty, and the 60 days
Per RunTru’s warranty page, the base warranty covers parts for 5 years in most cases. Register the system within 60 days of installation and it goes longer: on the outdoor units, 10 years on parts, the outdoor coil and the compressor. It covers parts, not the labor to put them in, so ask whoever installs it what their labor warranty covers. Trane’s written warranty also excludes units bought direct, like at auction or uninstalled.
One RunTru that isn’t a Virginia install
The A5AC3 is rated 13.4 SEER2. Virginia sits in the Southeast region, where a new split air conditioner under 45,000 Btu/h has to be at least 14.3 SEER2, so the A5AC3 can’t go in here. If a quote lists it, ask why.
Pricing a new system
Our estimator shows installed prices for a new system with the $1,500 off already in them. On the visit we price the options side by side, so you see what a step up from single-stage costs before you pick. Already holding a quote? A free second opinion tells you what the system actually needs. Call (703) 997-9757. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Is RunTru made by Trane?
Yes. RunTru is designed, built and tested by Trane, and Trane U.S. Inc. writes its warranty, the same company behind Trane and American Standard.
Is RunTru as good as Trane?
On the parts warranty it matches Trane’s single-stage units: 10 years on parts and the compressor when registered. What you give up is comfort and efficiency, since every RunTru outdoor unit is single-stage and tops out at 16 SEER2.
What is RunTru’s warranty?
In most cases five years on parts if it isn’t registered, and 10 years if you register within 60 days of installation. It covers parts, not labor.
Is RunTru the same as Ameristar?
They’re twins. Both are value lines from the company behind Trane and American Standard, one sold under each name, and Trane’s XL824 installer guide wires them on the same diagrams.
Can SwiftPro fix a RunTru?
Yes. A RunTru fails in the same places as any single-stage system, like the capacitor, the contactor and the defrost board, and a diagnostic visit is $99.
