Absolute Comfort Heating and Air

Another update 2/23/2024 Steve helped me with a HVAC upgrade and helped me finish a coax install. Update 8/3/2023. They are super. Steve just serviced the AC. Fantastic people. In 2018 we hired Absolute Comfort heating and air to replace a compressor. They are an excellent company. I noticed them because of their good reviews on other sites. The other company who installed our heating and air system in 2004 really only wanted to sell me a new full system. I wanted the old one fixed because the system has many more years of life left. When I called Dave at Absolute Comfort heating and air he got back to me back promptly, listened to my description of the problem, and made a quick verbal bid to replace the compressor. A couple days later they were out with the new compressor - an exact Carrier (Copeland Scroll) replacement for the original. The technician Steve did the work. Very skilled technician. I watched a little and with what I know about AC (I still have an EPA certificate to work on automotive AC), I could see he was doing everything the right way, and he had the right equipment to do the work. Everyone in the house slept all night last night for the first time in months because the AC was so quiet. If you are looking for a company to work on your AC, I highly recommend this company. The price was reasonable, the technical work superb, and the customer service outstanding. Their office manager Jennifer was quite pleasant to work with also. Thank you .

Absolute Comfort Heat and Air was sent to my rental property to check a furnace that wasn’t holding an even temperature, and at times would shut off. They were also asked to check for any other maintenance-needed items and for an estimate to replace an old, unsightly intake grill.

Absolute Comfort diagnosed a “faulty hot surface igniter” and replaced it for $250.

They recommended cleaning the “dirty indoor coil” at a cost of $250. Their estimate for replacing the grill was $275. If done at the same time their charge would be $450. This seemed high, so I declined both items.

Two weeks later, the tenant reported that the furnace still wasn’t holding an even temperature. The igniter was not the problem---$250 wasted.

A friend recommended Mark at Southern Comfort Heating and Air. I met Mark at the property. The indoor coil was in a closed compartment behind pipes and coolant lines. Opening the compartment would require disconnecting  and moving some of the lines, an expensive operation. Mark was able to pry open the left side of the panel just enough to squeeze a bore scope (a flexible tube with an eye-piece on one end and an illuminated lens on the other) into the compartment. Looking through the scope, he said the coil had only a very light layer of dust. Surprised, I asked to look; the coil had so little dust, it reflected light from the bore scope.

I doubt if Absolute Comfort looked at the coil; first, it was difficult to access and second, if they did, why the $250 bid? The coil was clean!

Mark also found a capacitor which was wet from leaking oil plus a malfunctioning thermostat. Absolute Comfort missed both items.

Southern Comfort’s bill was only $418, which included:

Check out the heater: $89.

Replace capacitor: $61.

Replace thermostat: $182, which was the source of the uneven temperatures.

Replace intake grill, $86 ($126 less than Absolute Comfort, even including the discount).

I had used him several times in the past, as far back as 2010.  I had him out to change the air filter on my old Lennix system, and he then came out for bi-annual checkups.  It was just wonderful to work with him.  He actually made videos to show me the before and after of the system, since it was up in the attic and hard to reach.  He helped me do some research online to look through the regulations and possibilities for rebates.  Afterwards, I got to see the video of how the system was running.  All the inspectors and everyone who has seen the system agree that it was a very good job.  He also installed a new thermostat that is cutting edge and can be controlled via my cellphone.  I was totally pleased with the experience.  Afterwards, he brought me some homegrown oranges from his back yard!