Reliable Air Mechanical

Anthony quickly determined that there must be a leak in the refrigerant line.  He explained why that was so, looked at the path of the line, figured out how much time he would need to find the leak (two weeks).  His office needed another week from then to schedule him for the return appointment.  Anthony came back and found the leak almost instantly, repaired it, refilled the refrigerant.  The A/C works fine now.  Anthony was most impressive, and quite a character, enjoyable to have around.  Since it was home warranty service, our charge was $75 for the service call, plus the co-pay on the refrigerant ($250).

We had four companies bid for this job. The first one took pictures and would email a quote (never heard back from them). The second took pictures and emailed the quote. We were not given a choice of units. (This one installed our neighbors A/C - they were happy with them.) A third gave me the pricing for the units and would email a full quote when we chose the unit we wanted. Their pricing was several thousand more than anyone else. (This one installed a friend's A/C - they were happy with them.)
Reliable was the only one who gave us a full quote the day of the walk thru. Vic was very informative, he gave us the education we needed on an HVAC system so that we could make the right decisions/choices. Rick did the actual install and he was professional and pleasant to work with. We did have to enlarge the return air opening. In addition to the heater and A/C we also added a duct to our enclosed patio. Since they would already be under the house we included running an additional power line for a future purchase of a spa. Did it take longer than the projected time to complete the project - yes, but we expected that. Whenever you have work done on a house there's always something that will delay the completion. Part of our delay was due to the difficulty of crawling under our house (which we know isn't easy - there are a lot of obstacles under ours, including very large rocks). The only thing not discussed before the job was the thermostat (except that it needed to be replaced and relocated). That resulted in our getting one that we don't like. It's a one week program and we would prefer a 7 day or 5-2 at minimum. A larger, back lit display is another thing we would prefer. The work was just finished yesterday so I have left a message requesting an upgraded thermostat. I'm sure they'll take care of it.

I've known before that we had a mismatch between the air capacity of the A/C system's coils and condenser and that that's the reason it gradually freezes up in hot weather when the system is working hard, but I've never actually *understood* the issue until now. For the first time, I had not just a statement of the problem and some handwaving that went by too quickly, but a proper explanation that came with real attention to my layperson's understanding of what was being said! I've suspected for a while that we'll just need to replace the whole coil, but now that I truly understand the issue I can move forward with confidence. We also had some ductwork leaks re-taped, and got an estimate for adding another vent to the kitchen which gets ridiculously inadequate cooling, but the condenser/coil explanation alone was more than worth this service visit!

Quote was for work to be 2 1/2 days - job lasted over a week.
Quote was for a fixed price, based on quote and system review.  Contractor raised price after work started, due to his proposed fix to increase return air flow not being doable.  Recommended second change still did not work and they made yet another change to get more return air for system.  We are now stuck with an air flow 'NOISE' in the system, that was not present before the job.
Cleanup around site was deplorable.  Sheet metal screws in house and driveway; aluminum shavings found throughout house, insulation stuck in registers AND contractor filled MY recycle bin and garbage bin rather than taking trash to their site for disposal.

They were quite good and they were here on time.  I would use them again in the future.

I got them through Sears, and I will comment on that on a separate review, so for now I want to focus on my experience with them during this installation.A week before the installation, Phil Dore, the current owner came by to perform a pre-install inspection. He took notes and walked thru with me on the details of the job. He did recommend a change to the scope of work, as in his professional opinion the existing furnace required a better exhaust flue. He discussed it with the PM at Sears and the agreement was to include it in the job at no additional charge. This job was complicated by the fact that a new return duct had to be added through the ceiling.

On the day of the install, two people, Charles and his brother Damian, showed up at 8:30am, as expected and started work. The worked really hard all day and did it very carefully. I really appreciated the fact that they did not rush the work, as for me quality was more important than speed. They ran a bit behind and one other person came to help catch up. Phil also stopped by to check on the crew and provide guidance. In the end they spent almost 13 hours (initial estimate was about 8) but got everything done. The small inconvenience of the late end, was not a big deal compared to the fact that they worked overtime to make sure I had a fully functional HVAC system by the end of the same day.

Was it all perfect? Of course not, but the minor issues were dealt with diligently and immediately and they kept going until they finished. There was a bit of a surprise trying to get a condensate drain pipe out to a drywell in the front lawn and I wished they had cleaned up a little better around that area. However, I understand that projects many times face surprises and delays and what matters is how the team recovers and gets it done.

Inspection passed with flying colors yesterday, and I pleased with the result. I take my hat off to Charles and Damian and the rest of Phil's crew, who worked really hard and made sure things were done right the first time. I would recommend them, no problem.

They came out as a result of the warranty.  They fixed it and did a good job.  With the homeowners warranty every service is charged at $60.  It was probably $400 worth of work.  They appeared to be reliable, prompt and thorough.  They were courteous and did a good job as far as I can tell.  It's a very old furnace and they got it running again.