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Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators

About us

We have been serving Birmingham and the surrounding community since 1987. Our main goals are quality work and reliable service. Asked what single attribute distinguishes Sentry, Charlie Conklin, owner and president, doesn't hesitate in responding, "Follow-up". The royal blue shield emblazoned with "Comfort Guard" is the symbol of Sentry's commitment to, as Conklin puts it, "taking the time to do every job right the first time and then going the extra mile to ensure that our customers stay satisfied."

Business highlights

Emergency services offered
38 years of experience

Services we offer

A/C repair, Residential, air conditioning, commercial, gas piping, generators residential & light commercial, heating, indoor air quality, industrial, light commercial refrigeration & attic insulation., plumbing, ventilation

Amenities

Emergency Services

Yes

Accepted Payment Methods

  • CreditCard
Reviews
4.648 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
83%
4
4%
3
4%
2
4%
1
4%
Showing 1-25 of 48 reviews
Bradford S.
Apr 2020
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
It was very good. They are not the cheapest, but they do high quality work. I would highly recommend them to others.

James B.
Apr 2018
2.0
$4,000
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! SCAM SERVICE AGREEMENTS! Sentry scammed us into signing multiple expensive maintenance agreements then amazingly found all sorts of expensive repairs to do each time they came. We own a home built in 1966. It's old and is being renovated. We know there are going to be issues so maintenance agreements seemed to make sense. Our first call to Sentry was due to their sticker being on the furnace. I assumed they installed the furnace since it had their sticker. (Later I realized they stick their decals on everything when they visit the home.) I called them to have the furnaces serviced and cleaned. The rep did a better job trying to upsell me on maintenance plans than he did actually servicing the furnaces. Two days later the gas valves on both our furnaces went out to the tune of over $3000. Bad luck or something else? Of course we called Sentry to come back because the agreement gave us a small discount. The rep looked at the furnaces and said "boy these sure need to be serviced. They are really dirty." This was two days after Sentry had been there to service it. Spring HVAC paid maintenance rolls around and they find a burned relay on the condenser. $300 to repair, but wait he also says your tankless hot water heater urgently needs to be flushed. He shared I need to buy a plumbing maintenance agreement because that will be covered. I repeated back to him twice "the plumbing agreement will cover flushing out the hot water heater?" I was told "yes" twice so I signed. Today the plumbing rep from Sentry arrived to do the "maintenance" agreement visit. His only tool to do our maintenance was a flashlight. He found various issues that could cause problems any day. Each issue had a $300-700 price tag. Total for repairs he found was $2042 and I'm sure that would be plus plus. I reminded him that the hot water heater needed to be flushed and he notified me that "repair" would be $680. New hot water heater costs about $800. He said we would probably be better going with a new tank hot water heater because the tankless are so expensive to maintain. Our Sentry maintenance agreement visit was nothing more than a glorified PAID visit for them do estimates at our home. The plumbing rep did do his best to convince me we needed a Sentry full electrical maintenance agreement to handle many electrical issues he saw. Do yourself a favor and find a company that will be honest, do the work required and not have every technician looking to sell you a "bundle".

Susan G.
Jan 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
.

Lea C.
Feb 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$950
The Sentry technician was very helpful and professional in detailing what needed to be done and answering all my questions.  The price was reasonable and the work was done quickly and everything was left very clean.  All equipment was in excellent working order when I arrived home.

Ian D.
Nov 2015
1.0
$8,000

There was a major gas leak shortly after they left.




Lisa R.
Oct 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
.

Mark W.
Oct 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
They come when they say. They're ontime. They're polite and friendly and wear the footies over their shoes. They're neat and clean up after themselves. They're very professional .

Teresa D.
Oct 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,700
My 15 year old water heater was leaking water in the basement. I called them and asked that they install a new water heater.  They were friendly and professional.  They said they would call me back with a price and time they would be there.  I requested they call me on my cell phone and gave them the number.  They called my home number and left an message on the answering machine.  Fortunately my husband was home.  They gave a price up front.  The first water heater was too big, so they had to go back and get another one.  They installed the new water heater and then later on that night , it began to leak around some tubing.  I called their emergency number and they came right out and fixed it.   Everything has been great since.  Would recommend them to anyone.

Teresa D.
Oct 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$20,500
Everything went very well.  They were friendly, professional and did everything they said they were going to do.  They gave me the cost up front with no surprises. The only thing that went wrong was that one of the systems was not set up right and they came back and re-set it.  Other that that I was very well pleased and would recommend them to everyone.

Paul D.
Aug 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,300
All perfect.

Elizabeth S.
Aug 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$340
Darryl arrived on time and was extremely professional.  He initially inspected the second floor unit and the drain line inside the wall to determine the origin of a leak that was coming through the wall and ceiling of the first floor condo.  After not locating the leak, he proceeded to inspect the third floor unit and determined the drain line was completely disconnected.  He cleared drain lines in all three units and re-connected the disconnected line.  I was impressed that he did not give up and was able to find and repair the issue.  I would definitely recommend Sentry for HVAC service and plumbing.  They did a very thorough job and helped remedy a significant issue.

Matthew S.
Dec 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$720
They are very punctual, professional, and responsible.

Marilynn L.
Dec 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
unknown

Chris P.
Oct 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$12,000
Very well. We would recommend.

Lynn G.
Oct 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$10,600
It never fails that when something goes wrong, Sentry is there to help quickly.  We were in need of replacing our units and every price range and unit was discussed with us, clearly giving us our options.  We will never us anyone else, as they are now like family and are very trustworthy.  Other companies may quote a lower price, but in this case you do not want to take any chances with a large purchase.  You do get what you pay for!

Brett C.
Sep 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$750
My 15 year old AC unit went out. I called Sentry and they were very quick to respond. The technician arrived as promised and promptly repaired unit. He advised that system was getting old, but could be repaired easily. He completed repair and all is working great. I would also like to add that they have been outstanding to my 88 year old father in law. He has used both their plumbing and AC services over the years after getting scammed by another local provider. I would highly recommend them to anyone in need!

Lea C.
Sep 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000

The service appointment went very well.  The technician was on time and very friendly.  He did the work in a very timely manner and let me know all along the way what would be happening.  I was very pleased with everyone. 

I have recommended them to many friends and several of them have used Sentry as well and been equally as pleased.  They are very professional.

Eric W.
Aug 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$560
I called first thing in the morning and they came right over that same morning.  The technician was able to repair the outdoor unit right away.  He was very quick and professional.  I will use them again next time I have a problem.

Steve S.
Jul 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$275
unknown

Beth A.
Apr 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,500
They have always been courteous and quick to fit me into their schedule even when I needed to reschedule at the last minute. If ould not have asked for better service of a better product.

Theodore B.
Mar 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$279
Went very well and done in good time -- no problems

Georgette L.
Dec 2013
2.0
$1,700
The service technicians showed up on the same day the call was made. Both individuals were extremely nice and polite to my wife upon entry and wore booties and gloves while servicing the unit. Only one unit was malfunctioning, however these two individuals took it upon themselves to inspect both units and make assessments about each. These individuals also preyed upon my wife's lack of experience with these types of matters. They installed approximately $100 worth of new equipment, $80 worth of filters, sprayed some water on our outdoor units and wiped them down, and then they pressured my wife into signing a worthless service agreement. I would warn anyone from using these people as they seem to take advantage of people who do not know the exact cause of their problem.

Paula A.
Sep 2013
3.0
I called Sentry to come out because my inside unit was leaking (and water was dripping from my ceiling). The service technician came out promptly. He was able to easily and quickly detect my problem which was simply that my drain line was clogged from the outside. The technician simply blew air into the base of the line and it was open. Done. Even with his sitting in the truck for about 10 minutes after he "checked" the system (which I don't think he actually touched), he was in and out of my house in half an hour. Before he left (and after sitting in his truck about 10 minutes) he brought me the bill which was $99 for the diagnostic fee and an additional $130 for blowing out the line! I was shocked. I am upset that the fee was exorbitant considering little was done and I am also upset that he did not inform me what it was going to cost ($130 on top of the diagnostic fee) to blow a puff of air into my line. I could have (and should have) done it myself. I feel the service technician should have told me the fee before doing the work. Then on top of the ridiculous fee, which I wrote a check for, I wrote the company to complain about being charged such a high fee for what very little was done. I have heard absolutely nothing. I will not make the same mistake again and I just want to urge others to find another HVAC provider because there are many other companies out there looking to do good business. I do give good marks because the office staff was friendly and the company was able to provide a technician in a timely manner.

MV H.
Jul 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
unknown

SHARON T.
Apr 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
see above
Showing 1-25 of 48

Licensing

State Contractor License Requirements

All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.

*Contact business to see additional licenses.

FAQ

Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators is currently rated 4.6 overall out of 5.

Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard

No, Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators does not offer free project estimates.

No, Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.

No, Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators does not offer a senior discount.

Yes, Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators offers emergency services.

No, Sentry Heating, Air, Plumbing & Generators does not offer warranties.