Garrhs Heating and Air Conditioning

My impression is that a lot of shoddy work has been done in the area by un-licensed repairmen, my condo included. It took a great deal of trouble shooting - and patience - to repair substandard work in my attic. I'm grateful that Garrhs employs licensed and knowledgable people and highly recommend them for residential and commercial work. Big shout out for Eric (and Paul too)!

I am a firm believer in annual maintenance since my 14 year old furnace stopped working properly last winter. I had guests staying in my home; I was out of town. They called another HVAC company which told them the furnace needed to be replaced. I told them to call Garrh’s who have serviced the furnace since it was installed. Garrh’s was able to repair the furnace for $400 (much less than replacement!), and it has been fine ever since. This fall I had my annual routine maintenance; now I’m ready for winter.

Garrhs was great to work with. The guy (Tim) came by to look at the unit that day ( a friday) and we had someone out the following Monday to get the unit replaced after it quit working. The crew that came out was polite and kept the area clean which is more than most construction companies I've hired have done. They took the time to show us the filter and explain how to change it ourselves and when, to limit needing a service call for just that. Garrhs was reasonable and very helpful in getting my furnace back up and running ASAP. They even gave us several space heaters to get through the weekend until they could come and replace them. If I move again Garrhs is who I'm calling for HVAC help, no question.

Garrhs installed our Carrier Infinity heat pump and furnace in November 2014. We had a service call for no heat in January 2016 (took a week to get it fixed, but problem was resolved) and again in June 2016 when a neighbor's cows knocked the heat pump off its base. Same technician installed the heat pump and responded for the 2 subsequent calls. He was a very pleasant, personable young man with whom we conversed and joked. Heat pump stopped working again in February 2019, still under warranty. Called Garrhs and receptionist would not allow us to place a service call. Said that technician placed us on a 'do not service' status after the January 2016 service call. If this were the case, then why did the same technician service our heat pump again just 5 months later, in June 2016? The receptionist would not allow us to talk to the supervisor, Sean, nor would she allow us to talk to one of the owners of Garrhs. We asked her to have Sean call us back, but he never did. We doubt she ever gave Sean the message. It is extremely unprofessional for a business to allow a RECEPTIONIST to decide who is allowed to be a customer. We got our heat pump fixed in February 2019 by another firm. We will never call Garrhs again.

They did the work but they weren't well informed about the rebates for high efficiency units and I had to badger them for the information I needed. They did not adequately balance the system and when I called back to have them rebalance and install the ac I litterally couldnt get them to return the call. I called and left messages for the owner at least 5 times. I thought it was strange but discovered why when I had another contractor give me a quote who said he would have to rebuild the system in order to install a coil. Another 5k. 3 years later my furnace isn't working properly and I called for warranty info. They said they were the only ones who could do the work which, according to the manufacturer, isn't true.

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Our furnace went out and I called first thing on Monday morning to see if they could help.  The receptionist was pleasant and took all our information but then informed me that it would be a week before they could come out.  At that point I thanked her and hug up - when it is cold out and you are trying to heat your house with a gas fireplace, you can't wait a week.  Garrh's seems like a large HVAC dealer so I was surprised they were not able to address a urgent repair situation sooner.

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The service is good but it is costly

They were lousy. I paid them and my furnace still does not work. I was not getting heat through my whole house. They came out and told me I needed to put new waste gates in. I had them install the wastage and it still did not work. When I called them they back it was like pulling teeth because I second guessed their professional work. They have a bad attitude. I had another company replace the valves again and it still did not work. They have plenty of work and do not care about customer service or price.

They are pretty good.

If you do not air condition at the onset of construction then you may, as we did, determine that the need to do so is based on more than obtaining a cooler environment.

Note: Although the chief prerequisite for air conditioning is to reduce temperature of your environment, temperature reduction is only one of a host of impacts. 
When you are unable to keep windows of your residence closed it is not possible to keep out:  
Dust – We live in Durango, CO, an area classified as “high desert.”   Along with this dry, windy environment comes the airborne dust that is not only creates the constant need for cleaning but that gets “ground into” flooring surfaces causing considerable damage.   Moisture – The “mountain storms” that come up unexpectedly can cause considerable damage to interiors from driving rain that seems to happen when you “…just stepped out to run an errand…”  
Unexpected Sounds – Impacts light sleepers the most but this is a leading cause of sleep deprivation.  It reduces performance in the workplace and causes even the most pleasant of personalities to become irritable.  It is also a leading cause of feuds between neighbors when they are inconsiderate of the disturbance they cause.  
Other Impacts –
Home Cooking   High temperatures indoors also limit other essential activities, not the least of which is preparing home cooked meals.  It is necessary to cook outdoors (an enjoyable option until it becomes a daily obligation) during hot weather,  change to a diet that does not require cooking inside, or of course, eat out.  
Cost Impacts –   Installation cost - Impacted the least when air conditioning is installed at the time the residence is initially constructed.  If installed initially it can also be concealed in the construction, adding more value to the residence.  Local builders who discourage installation of air conditioning often do so simply because it is outside their area of expertise, often voicing that “…air conditioning is not needed in Durango…”  This simply is false.  When you work with a qualified air conditioning contractor during the planning stage of new construction, the incremental cost to include air conditioning can be very small.  
Operating costs – The electrical costs of operating an air conditioning system are greater than for a structure that is not air conditioned so the costs need to be budgeted.  Efficiencies of equipment in use today are far greater than with older equipment, resulting in energy efficiency tax credits and lower operating costs than ever before.

Advance planning with Travis Oliger, V.P. of Garrhs, and involvement by the owner largely contributed to a successful outcome.

Do's: Become involved in the "details" of the installation beginning with understanding "where", "how", and "when" the components are to be installed.  Before accepting a written quotation, carefully go over what your expectations are with respect to the completed installation.  If "holes" need to be cut through existing walls, make sure that they are fully closed after the piping and wiring are installed.  Do not take it for granted that the installer will "close up" the openings as they need to be to maintain the same integrity of the wall that existed prior to the penetration.  Provide "expanding foam penetration sealant" and have the installer use it to secure the penetration(s).   Take care to properly cover and protect or remove and store articles that would otherwise be damaged by dust prior to the installer beginning work.  Provide the paint and select the paint colors of components that the contractor will be installing that need to be painted.  For protection of wood flooring and/or carpeting, make sure the installer plans to wear shoe protection

while moving around the inside of the home.

Don'ts: Focus too much on the "journey" but rather on the "destination."  Many things outside your or the contractor's control can happen to impact the installation.

What we would do next time:  Begin planning early enough to permit installation to be completed in the spring before the cooling season begins rather than at the end so you can enjoy it right away.