The Brand Story
Payne: A Los Angeles Furnace Shop That Became Part of Carrier's Family
In 1914, in Los Angeles, D.W. Payne and his son went into the heating business. They built gravity furnaces, the kind with no blower at all, relying on the natural rise of warm air to carry heat through a house. More than a century later the Payne name still sits on the side of condensers and air handlers across the country, carried there by a long chain of mergers that ended inside Carrier, the company founded by the man credited with inventing modern air conditioning.
Chapter 1 · 1914
A father, a son and a gravity furnace
Payne Heating & Cooling began in Los Angeles in 1914, founded by D.W. Payne and his son. Their first products were gravity furnaces, simple heaters with no blower that warmed a home through convection alone. They were heavy, slow and needed generous ductwork, but in an era before reliable household fans, they were how much of America stayed warm.
Chapter 2 · 1933
Pushing the air downward
The Paynes kept refining the furnace. In 1933 the company introduced a forced-air downflow furnace, using a blower to push heated air down into ducts below the floor rather than waiting for it to rise on its own. Forced air would become the standard way American homes were heated. In the 1950s Payne expanded into air conditioning, a natural step for a company already moving air through people's homes.
Chapter 3 · 1945 to 1974
Bryant, Day & Night and the road to Carrier
Payne's ownership changed several times in quick succession. Dresser acquired the company in 1945. In 1949 Dresser sold Payne, along with the Bryant and Day & Night heating brands, to Affiliated Gas Equipment. Then in 1955 Affiliated Gas Equipment merged with Carrier, and the three brands became part of the company Willis Carrier had founded.
For nearly two decades the brands kept their own identities. In 1974 Carrier combined them into a single operation called BDP Company, the initials standing for Bryant, Day & Night and Payne. Sharing engineering and factories, the three names began to offer closely related equipment under different badges, a structure that still shapes the Carrier family today.
Chapter 4 · 1979 to 2020
The value line in a large family
In 1979 United Technologies Corporation acquired Carrier, bringing Payne along with it. Within the Carrier family Payne settled into a clear role as the simpler, affordable line. When the distributor Comfort Supply added Bryant and Payne to its lineup in 2020, replacing the Ruud equipment it had carried, it described Payne in exactly those terms: a straightforward line of efficient, dependable equipment at an approachable price.
Chapter 5 · Today
A name in transition
The Payne story is changing again. Payne's own website now says that Payne has become WeatherMaker by Carrier, directing current owners to their installing dealer and pointing future replacements toward WeatherMaker. Equipment already sold under the Payne name, including the Payne by Carrier models in our catalog, continues to be supported through its warranty documents and owner's manuals.
The Lineup
What Payne builds today
Payne equipment covers the core of a ducted split system: outdoor condensers and heat pumps, indoor air handlers and coils, and electric heat. HVAC365 carries these Payne by Carrier products:
- Air conditioner condensers: single-stage 14.3 SEER2 condensers on R-454B refrigerant, along with matching 14.3 SEER2 heat pump condensers for homes that heat and cool with one system.
- Multi-position air handlers: ECM air handlers that install upflow, downflow or horizontal, including variable-speed models with InteliSense technology for steadier airflow and humidity control.
- Air handlers and coils: FT5 series air handlers and multi-position cased evaporator coils sized up to 5 tons for R-454B systems.
- Electric heat: heat strips for FT5 series air handlers and WJA5 series electric heater kits for 2 to 5 ton packaged units.
- Matched systems: air conditioner split systems and central split systems built from Payne outdoor and indoor sections, plus individual replacement components.
The Next Chapter
The move to R-454B
The newest Payne by Carrier condensers, air handlers and coils in our catalog are built for R-454B refrigerant, part of the industry's move away from R-410A. Because the two refrigerants cannot share a system, a Payne R-454B condenser should be paired with indoor equipment rated for R-454B, and a full changeout is the usual path when an older R-410A system reaches the end of its life.
At a Glance
Payne at a glance
- Founded
- 1914, Los Angeles, California
- Founders
- D.W. Payne and his son
- First products
- Gravity furnaces
- Forced-air downflow furnace
- 1933
- Joined Carrier
- 1955, via Affiliated Gas Equipment
- Sister brands
- Bryant, Day & Night
- BDP Company formed
- 1974
- Current brand status
- Transitioning to WeatherMaker by Carrier
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Payne
Who makes Payne air conditioners?
Payne is a Carrier brand. It joined Carrier in 1955, when Affiliated Gas Equipment, which owned Payne, Bryant and Day & Night, merged with Carrier.
When and where was Payne founded?
Payne was founded in Los Angeles in 1914 by D.W. Payne and his son, who began by building gravity furnaces.
What is the difference between Payne and Bryant?
Both are Carrier brands that came together in the same 1955 merger and were combined into BDP Company in 1974. Payne has been positioned as the simpler, value-focused line.
Is Payne now WeatherMaker?
Yes. Payne's website states that Payne is now WeatherMaker by Carrier, and it directs existing Payne owners to their installing dealer for product questions.
What refrigerant do new Payne systems use?
The newest Payne by Carrier condensers, air handlers and coils use R-454B refrigerant, which replaces R-410A.
