Avalanche HVAC Services

TLDR: I learned an expensive lesson today. Don’t trust the company just because they have good reviews online. Avalanche does not respect your time. Shows up late, then when you ask questions and try to understand what is going on with your HVAC they threaten to leave. This is after I booked them 2 weeks out and took days off work to be available to them to ask questions. They rely on you not knowing anything about HVAC. After having other HVAC companies come over to inspect their work I have found that they really did not know what they were doing. I was having an issue with a new HVAC unit making a lot of noise. I chose Avalanche to try and fix it. Andy overbooks his staff so they show up late and rush the job, throw away pieces of your HVAC system that are necessary for it to function properly, damage your house, leave a mess and then don’t stand behind their work when you ask them to fix it. The way they communicate to clients is unprofessional and the team also does not communicate well to each other, which leads to problems occurring on the job. Initially they communicate great and have a great sales pitch, but once the job is booked their demeanor totally changes. All this frustration and the original problem Avalanche came to solve wasn’t solved. This whole thing is probably going to cost me $4k+. It’s really frustrating and all of this could have been avoided with better communication and caring about their customers, not just making as much money as they can and packing as many jobs into the week as possible. Avalanche puts profits before their customers and doesn’t stand behind their work when they make mistakes. If you’re reading this looking for a good HVAC company to work on your house, you don’t need to read this entire review, just call Elkhorn. I unfortunately have had the chance to work with many HVAC companies this year and they were the best. This is the full story below… I had a new unit installed in my house and it was very loud. I had three companies come out to look at a possible fix. They all said increasing the intake ductwork would help get the new system more air and decrease noise. Avalanche seemed to have the best knowledge, Jacob had a really convincing sales pitch, and their proposal involved the least amount of dry wall work. They came in middle of the price range, so I choose them. They were booked out 2 weeks but I was happy to wait because I felt like Jacob really knew what he was talking about. Fast forward to the night before the work is supposed to get done, they call me saying they will be 3 hours late because of another job getting extended. I took two days off work so I could supervise and be available for questions. Jacob finally showed up but seemed a bit stressed. I wanted to communicate clearly what our goals were for the job so he could get started. We’d also talked on the phone the week before about seeing if this one extra duct is possible when the dry wall had been removed from this wall. After talking for 20 minutes and trying to communicate what I wanted done, Jacob goes outside and calls Andy (owner of Avalanche and also Jacob’s father) and says “I think we are just going to walk on the job. I have been here over an hour and we are just talking. I haven’t even started the job.” This was going to be a two-day job from the beginning but they only booked one day and showed up late. At that point I got pretty frustrated and told them I had picked them because I trusted them and they had great google reviews. How I’d waited 2 weeks because I felt they were the best fit to get this thing fixed. I told Jacob he could walk but I’m definitely writing a google review. They decided to stay if I sacrificed the idea of the extra duct for the extra airflow, which I understood as the scope of service had slightly changed. Jacob finished the day then sent a different employee to finish up the next morning. Now this is a lesson to me being a new home owner. I just trusted them to do good work without watching what they were doing. Without talking to me, they dismantled an entire shelf next to the HVAC unit, which housed all of my TV and surround sound equipment, along with a PC. This shelf was built into the wall, not a standalone shelf, and was ripped out. A simple question could have been asked, “is this shelf used for anything? Can we take this shelf out?” There is no solution I can come up with to put the equipment anywhere else without ripping out all the drywall to reroute the wires. All the wires for the surround sound are built into the wall and come out right at that shelf. The pipes could have been directed in a different direction to not have the shelf taken apart. But unfortunately since Jacob was so rushed and I was “talking too much”, this was not communicated. As you can see in the picture, the room has become completely unusable for the purpose of the entertainment set up or even maintaining the unit due to all the flexible ducts he installed. I have had another HVAC company come in since their work and they said “wow, that company screwed you over.” They also used flexible ductwork instead of the higher quality metal I had before. Other companies have pointed out this is something used for jobs that are rushed and metal is much better functionally for airflow. Typically flex work is used in attics where it isn’t visible and it is also less effective and less durable than metal. Second major part that they damaged/dismantled was removing a humidistat device that was connected to a vent that controlled outside air coming in and out of the house. The sensor would send a signal to the vent to open at certain times and close. In retrospect, why they were messing with devices connected to the system when I was just getting ductwork done, makes no sense to me. He actually did communicate this to me, he said he was sure that it was a control for an old humidifier and was not needed. I expressed to him that I thought it controlled the vent in this tube that controls inflow of outside air. He convinced me that it was old and not in use so I said he could take it off. Later I talked to the original installer and original home owner and it was absolutely in use within the system. Finally, a smaller issue but just felt unprofessional. The other HVAC team always cleaned up after they left. Because Avalanche was so rushed there was a huge mess in the furnace room. Screws, debris and dust everywhere. An electrical outlet that was connected to the unit was hanging freely (see pictures). One of the vents they installed had a large visible ding (see pictures). And after all this, the system is still loud. The original problem we were trying to fix was not fixed and now I have all these other issues to deal with. To be fair, Avalanche did forewarn me that their work wasn’t necessarily going to 100% fix the problem, but would decrease the noise. Jacob really sold it to me as a very good chance it would greatly decrease the noise. The noise has not been fixed. I wrote this review and was about to click submit, but then I realized I should give Avalanche the opportunity to try and make it right. I called them again to get things resolved and get the house functioning like it used to (re install humidistat and the shelf). Andy finally returned and cleaned up the mess and reattached the electrical outlet. Andy told me that Jacob had thrown away the humidistat and said it was a “homemade device” and that they did me a favor by throwing it away… no. But he said he would put a new one in. Then we started talking about getting the ductwork changed so I could have the shelf put back into place so my TV would function again. At this point Andy got agitated and said he was not a stereo guy he was an HVAC guy. I said I understand that, but if Jacob would have communicated with me before doing the job and had not been so rushed then we could have had a conversation about the shelf’s functionality within the house. The ducts could have been built in a different way that didn’t involve taking apart that part of my house. The other HVAC company I talked to said that whenever they even move a client’s belongings to work, they ask first. Taking apart an entire shelf without asking would be unheard of. Andy and I discussed a new way to route the ducts that would give me the ability to reinstall the shelf. I told him I would pay for material costs, but I felt like he should do the labor without charging me more since this wasn’t done correctly on their part. I thought we were getting somewhere and going to get to a resolution, but mid conversation Andy says “the shelf isn’t my problem, I’m gonna go.” Then he just walked out. During this visit he also took 3 phone calls for other jobs. Seemed like as soon as he realized I was asking him to fix his mistakes without paying, he checked out. All around just extremely unprofessional. They were super professional until they had the job, then their whole demeanor changed. So now I’m out $2500 for the Avalanche duct work and dry wall repair, and now I have to pay a different HVAC company to come change the ductwork so I can get the shelf back in and get a new humidistat, which will likely be another $1-1.5k, so around $4-4.5k total. It’s really frustrating knowing all of this could have been avoided with better communication and caring about their customers, not just making as much money as they can by packing as many jobs into the week as possible.

They were very personable and quick. They got out there same day, which I appreciate.

Very helpful and helped us understand what to prepare for in the future.

I have worked with them for years, I have used them for years, and they are really nice good people.

we have used them for a few years.

Excellent. They were the best bid, and did a great job. I asked them to do a couple of extra things, and they did so without blinking an eye. Both the gentlemen I worked with proved to be knowledgeable and reliable.

Most of this was already covered in my review. I won't trust anyone else without HVAC systems. Enough said!

We called Avalanche for a second quote after being told we should probably replaced our entire HVAC system for the low low price of $13K! Andy came right away for the diagnostic visit and was able to replace the capacitor immediately and get our system cooling again. He stated we should probably replace the compressor as well, but since it was close to end of season it is really up to us to decide. We decided to having him come back to complete the work. Andy was on time, courteous, trustworthy, and professional. The work was completed quickly and he said our unit was in excellent condition. It was so nice to have a local, honest company helping us this time! Avalanche has terrific reviews on other sites and I will definitely call his first next time.

On a hot Friday afternoon one of my central AC unit stop working. (Luckily there are two systems in my house. ) It's still under a manufacturer's 10 year parts warranty so I went to the manufacture's (Goodman) web site to get an authorized dealer. Noticed Avalanche Home Systems listed and near-by. (I like doing business locally) Call was made Friday afternoon and they gave me a time for Monday. Andy called Monday morning and was able to arrive ahead of schedule, (most welcomed.) He had the need part with him, and the system fixed in minutes. He then took care of all warranty coverage for parts. I was very impressed with his expertise and professionalism in diagnosing the fixing problem quickly, and for taking care of the warranty matters, and taking the time with me to understand all that was done and the charges. He told me about the other services his business provides including the installation of seamless rain gutters. There was a section of roof on my house the the builder had not installed gutters because it overhung a lower roof. This had been causing roof damage, noise and ice cycles so I've been wanting to get a gutter installed. Andy gave me a great price on the spot. I agreed and his team arrived the next morning. The young men doing the work were professional and efficient. They consulted with me in detail, before and after the work was done. The work was done quickly and cleanly, with what appeared to be quality materials. I am very satisfied with the results. I scheduled Avalanche to do a complete heating inspection this fall and won't hesitate to call them for any of the services that they provide.

We called Avalanche for a second quote after being told we should probably replaced our entire HVAC system for the low low price of $13K! Andy came right away for the diagnostic visit and was able to replace the capacitor immediately and get our system cooling again. He stated we should probably replace the compressor as well, but since it was close to end of season it is really up to us to decide. We decided to having him come back to complete the work. Andy was on time, courteous, trustworthy, and professional. The work was completed quickly and he said our unit was in excellent condition. It was so nice to have a local, honest company helping us this time! Avalanche has terrific reviews on other sites and I will definitely call his first next time.

On a hot Friday afternoon one of my central AC unit stop working. (Luckily there are two systems in my house. ) It's still under a manufacturer's 10 year parts warranty so I went to the manufacture's (Goodman) web site to get an authorized dealer. Noticed Avalanche Home Systems listed and near-by. (I like doing business locally) Call was made Friday afternoon and they gave me a time for Monday. Andy called Monday morning and was able to arrive ahead of schedule, (most welcomed.) He had the need part with him, and the system fixed in minutes. He then took care of all warranty coverage for parts. I was very impressed with his expertise and professionalism in diagnosing the fixing problem quickly, and for taking care of the warranty matters, and taking the time with me to understand all that was done and the charges. He told me about the other services his business provides including the installation of seamless rain gutters. There was a section of roof on my house the the builder had not installed gutters because it overhung a lower roof. This had been causing roof damage, noise and ice cycles so I've been wanting to get a gutter installed. Andy gave me a great price on the spot. I agreed and his team arrived the next morning. The young men doing the work were professional and efficient. They consulted with me in detail, before and after the work was done. The work was done quickly and cleanly, with what appeared to be quality materials. I am very satisfied with the results. I scheduled Avalanche to do a complete heating inspection this fall and won't hesitate to call them for any of the services that they provide.