American Vintage Home Heating Cooling & Plumbing
About us
American Vintage Home's purpose is to provide our customers with an unparalleled level of service 24 hours a day. Our perseverance for complete customer satisfaction will be reflected not only in our technical knowledge and attention to detail, but also in our genuine concern for our customers' best interests. This statement is the foundation of our company. It is posted at the front door of our building to remind each and every one of us, on a daily basis, what we aspire to.
Business highlights
Services we offer
& sewer. Drain cleaning and pipe relining. Install and service of SpacePak system., Service and installation for heating, cooling, plumbing
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 84% | ||
| 8% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 3% | ||
| 3% |
The service technician, Anthony P., was very professional. He called when he was on his way and arrived on time. Once I explained our issues, he explained how the system worked and what was likely wrong. He confirmed my suspicions that the old expansion tank was likely part of the reason why our system was air-locked. He didn't have one on his truck (he explained that they carry "normal" parts with them, but that a radiant system expansion tank wasn't normally something they needed to carry). However, he called the main office and arranged to have one delivered to the house while he was working on the other parts of the system.
Since part of the work would involve sweating new copper pipes, Anthony made sure he temporarily removed the smoke detector in our boiler room. Once he was done, he put it back in place.
With the installation of the expansion tank, the job took longer than Anthony had planned. However, he never seemed rushed, cleaned up after himself, and remained professional and upbeat throughout the whole process.
I also talked with Anthony about our ancient water heater. Actually, he brought it to my attention that it was well past the normal life (it was 23 years old, and he said they normally last 12-15 years). It was a shorter/squatter 75 gallon unit, so they would have to special order it. The next business day, American Vintage Home followed up with an email and a call to discuss options. While we didn't end up going with American Vintage Home for the water heater (due to their quoted price being relatively high compared to another highly-reviewed service provider), they were very responsive.
He offered us an ongoing service contract and left that information. Very professional.
They identified several recommended updates and simple improvements for updating our 1960's furnace and radiant heating system, and also provided quotes for replacing the system completely. We chose not to do anything at this time but American Vintage will be first on the list when we choose to do so.
Proof is in the results. Happy!
Tried sell me a more expensive steam humidifier (plus these cost significantly more annually to run--on the order of $2/day vs pennies a day for evaporative models.) He told me that the square footage capabilities listed by the manufacturer were overstated. I didn't find this reported this to be the case in online reviews of the models.
Furthermore I was disappointed that he mentioned they'd install a saddle valve. They're also a plumbing company and I would have expected they know about the likelihood of leaks with those vs. tee valve.
"Mr. [Member Name Removed] I want to thank you for your feedback on your recent experience with American Vintage Home, Inc. I would also like to apologize for any confusion there may have been with your interaction with Scott our Engineering Consultant, and take a moment to explain his proposal and recommendations. The price for the installation was $680.00. In this proposal the price included the installation of the Aprile-Aire system, the wiring and installation of an outdoor sensor, a control wire to the thermostat, and also final programming of the Ecobee thermostat to ensure the system was operating at your expectations. You are correct that the installation was to take half the day. American Vintage Home, is an Upfront Pricing company, we stand behind our proposals and should the Technician take more time then is needed there will be no additional costs to you. Just like you most consumers today go to the internet to find pricing on items. Please keep in mind that these products are not backed by any warranties, or representation. We not only honor Manufacturers warranties we also back each installation with a 1 year warranty on parts and labor. Also April-Aire will give you a five year warranty on parts when installed by a licensed contractor is performing the installation. In response to the Saddle Valve; American Vintage Home does not and will not introduce a Saddle Valve when installing a Humidifier. It was our plan to install a tee valve to ensure that your system was properly installed, but also minimize the risks of any leaks. If Scott may have presented his intentions in a different manner I am sorry for this confusion. I hope that this does clarify your concerns and opinions on the proposal. Should you have any other concerns or comments please feel free to contact me directly at 847-251-5255. Sincerely, Richard Eberle Operations Manager American Vintage Home, Inc."
They did what they promised to do at the agreed to price at the agreed to time and met the agreed to schedule.
They were courteous, professional, knowledgeable, and hard working.
They took time to answer our questions and make sure we were comfortable with everything they did.
They also cleaned up nicely and left our basement in good shape.
I can easily recommend them.
Before the problem was fixed, I had a small leak under my kitchen sink which I did not notice until the area in the basement right beneath the kitchen was full of water. Thanks to Sylvester and American Vintage Home, everything is back to normal now.
They walked me through the process as I was very cost and time sensitive (having wasted time and money on other plumbers to fix my problem)
- I had to change the original appointment because the technician was ill. This has happened more than once. They sometimes also delay appointments already scheduled because of "meetings" they have in the office before the technicians leave.
The technician said to replace the thermal couples for about $100 each for a total of about $200. I showed him the receipts that showed I had had this done last year for half that amount so he contacted the supervisor and they lowered the price to $99 total. One boiler needed a new gas valve so the price was about $50. The other work was done later.
When I called the supervisor later on an unrelated matter, he told me the previous technician who only charged $99 for two made a billing error. When I pointed out that all of the technicians for the last several years had made the same error - different technicians, he did not respond. This pricing made no sense to me. I have the documents showing they basically doubled the price on this item. I like pricing to be clearly explained and any price changes justified. Its hard to believe that three different technicians made the same pricing error.
My experiences with AVH is that they do good work, but their scheduling is not always reliable. I will continue to use their services because they are good. But I won't get new thermal couples every year if they are $100 each. The technicians are always very polite and seem very competent. Pricing is my only concern. I have a contract with them to do my work every year for heating and for AC.
American Vintage Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing performed a maintenance check on my furnace and a/c units. The gentleman that came out was very courteous and thorough in looking through all of the units. He was very informative during the whole process and not too pushy about getting extra Freon (sp?) put into my a/c units. He informed me that they were 60 or 70% and could use some extra but that they didn't absolutely need any. I very much appreciated the honesty and passed on the extra Freon.
On a second call regarding plumbing I called American Vintage Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing after I had cleaned out my hot water heater and a faucet in my kitchen was not producing water. They could have very easily sent a plumber out and charged me for a service call but they instead were very generous with providing helpful hints on common problems associated with my situation and I was able to work with them to get the faucet working.
Apparently it never occurred to them, when removing the part, to figure out how to replace it. The humidifier i paid for is still not fixed, still not working. Now they say they will send a plumber.
So.....two visits so far, one to remove a part, one to take a picture of what the first guy did.
This is a very inefficient way to runa business, and someone has to pay for it......their customers. Be careful doing business with these people. If you wchedule a service call, be sure they intend to fix the problem, and not simply come to gather information.
"Mrs. [Member Name Removed], I would like to first start off by thanking you for the review you left us on Angie’s List, and secondly apologize for the inconvenience you suffered because of the Humidifier. When we installed the Humidifier we installed a Y Connection to supply water to the Humidifier. At the time this Y Connection appeared to be sound and capable of doing the job. However, it was with regret that our supplier informed us that the Y Connection may fail. Although the supplier told us that it may fail, we felt it was best act quickly and inform all of our customers of this terrible news. We informed our customers that if this part was in your home, we would remove it, and install a new replacement at no cost to them regardless of how old the installation was. It was not the intentions of American Vintage Home to inconvenience our customers. However, we started removing them as quickly as customers informed us they were in their homes. During which time we formulated a plan to correctly and without risk install a new part in your home that proved efficient and reliable enough for your customers. American Vintage Home and all of its employees care deeply about the safety our customers and their homes, and though the resolution may have taken more time then we anticipated, we are thankful for our customers understanding and patience in resolving this matter. If you have any other questions or concerns about this matter please feel free to contact me directly at 847-251-5255. Sincerely, Richard Eberle Operations Manager American Vintage Home, Inc."
American Vintage Home sent Andrew B to check our boiler and heating system
prior to the start of the Chicago winter season. Andrew arrived around 5:15 PM at our home and
immediately began work. He completed the
system check, including replacing the Thermo couple on our boiler system. We reviewed an imbalance in the system
pressure which indicated a reading of 2.0 lbs instead of 12.0 lbs for the
upstairs. He explained that this
suggests a possible blockage in water flow to the upstairs heating system pipes
and radiators. He suggested that AVH
could dispatch an engineer to provide an estimate to replace the 100 year old
galvanized pipes leading from the boiler to the upstairs living quarters. He pointed out that replacing the pipes might
fix the pressure imbalance between the first and second floors of our home,
resulting in better heat levels for the second floor.
Andrew was thorough and very professional. The boiler system was completely replaced in
1986 when we purchased the property and appears to be in good shape; however,
many galvanized pipes that move water through the heating system may be
clogged. We will determine the next step
upon reviewing the cost of replacement pipes (estimate).
Andrew has been with AVH for nine years. He was very professional and appears to be
very knowledgeable about heating systems.
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
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*Contact business to see additional licenses.
FAQ
Contact Information
1523 Payne St, Evanston, IL 60201
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