
AJ Michaels
About us
A. J. Michaels AC, Heating and Home Performance has been serving greater Baltimore and Annapolis since 1978. Long recognized for contributions to energy efficiency measures in HVAC, and winner of multiple awards from Carrier, the Department of Energy and BG&E, AJ Michaels is expert in all heating and cooling applications. We’re also specialists in making your home healthier by improving your ductwork, reducing dust, purifying your air and killing viruses. And, we offer more rebates and discounts than competitors. See us for increased home comfort and happiness!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Residential & commercial air conditioning-maintenance, repair & installation. Heating. Plumbing. Electrical systems. Home performance. Duct sealing. Bathroom remodeling.
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 78% | ||
| 9% | ||
| 5% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 7% |
I had them service the boiler in the summer before heat was needed. They did a full boiler servicing and replaced an old pipe. They left pieces of the old pipe and all kinds of bits and pieces from their work all over the boiler room. They also drained the boiler out of the front window and stained the sidewalk with black gunk.
In the fall, when the boiler was first needed for heat, the boiler would run for about an hour and then turn off and not come back on. I called Aj Micheals and they had a guy come out and check on the problem. He told me that it most likely was a bad roll-out switch that needed to be replaced. However, a roll-out switch is supposed to trip when it gets too hot, which it did, each and every time after the switch was reset.
I asked them how the switch could be bad if its working exactly how its supposed to be working and they had no answer for me. They said they would send someone else out to take a look at the issue. So a different guy came out and he then told me that my chimney flue was blocked and not drafting properly. This was in complete contradiction to what the last guy they had come out told me, who said the draft was more than enough. This 2nd guy advised I have the chimney people come back and take a look, even though I just had a completely new chimney lining done earlier that summer, and the last AJ Micheals guy said the draft was fine.
So I call my chimney guy who graciously came back out to take a look. He found nothing wrong with his job and even showed me the standards for BTUs, chimney lining size, and chimney height, etc. and his work was well within those standards.
So I call AJ Micheals again and ask that they come out a third time to take a look and figure this out. They are still pushing hard to sell me a new roll-out switch even though they admit that it works as its supposed to. So the 3rd time they come out, again its a completely different guy. After about an hour examining the boiler, he realizes that the metal heat guard that goes between the roll-out switch and flames is laying against the wall, most likely mistakenly not put back in to place when the boiler was originally serviced months before. After this heat guard is put back, the roll-out switch ceases to trip, and the boilier works fine.
If it wasn't for my own research and persistence they would probably be still working on my boiler. Even though a faulty roll-out switch wasn't the logical solution, they still pushed for it. Most likely because it would be easier to just keep trying different easy fixes and charging me ridiculous fees, instead of sitting down and using the brain to figure out the true cause of the problem.
The 3rd guy that came out was very friendly and did solve the problem, thankfully. But in my experience, its best to go with a smaller plumbing company that is owner operated and has the same guys on the job so they have a working knowledge of the problem and don't have to reinvent the wheel every time they come out.
Lastly, since the job got sidetracked with the whole roll-out switch debacle, they never cleaned my sidewalk or the boiler room they dirtied. And a smaller water pipe in another room that they were supposed to fix was never fixed, even after 3 different attempts. After the 3rd time they said we would need to replace more pipes, etc...I just cut my losses and got another plumber to do this small fix who did it right and without all the upsell that AJ Micheals recommended.
Buyer beware...
"Due to the age of interior and exterior drains, we can clear a blockage but with the deterioration of piping and root invasion it is only a short term solution. We also will not warrant a drain cleaning if we find objects that have been flushed in the drain. To address the heating call...we were extremely backed up, it was the beginning November and we were swamped with calls. We were up front with the customer and didn't mislead. We can't get to everyone promptly in peak times...We apologize for that."
".....well here it is Monday, we just completed this job on Friday. I do apologize for this missed schedule time frame. Not all jobs go as scheduled and run over (our $ loss). Unfortunately some other customer gets bumped if we don't have the coverage. As far as the price, this customer has obviously forgotten we did reduce her price down. We will call her and remind her of that fact. We price a job for the average cost it takes to complete the task. Some jobs go well, while others may take twice as long to complete. We would not be running to her and asking for more money if it took longer than estimated, we simply provide a secure contract to protect her and us for the job. Ex. the automotive industry also works on flat rate, if your car goes in for a transmission replacement and they tell you it will take three days but they get it completed in two days.....are you demanding money back or are you happy you got your car back in two days?????? ...for some reason this customer feels our price is negotiable after job is completed. And yes her job went well, good sense will tell you that good jobs balance out the bad jobs. It all averages out."
"We know for a fact that Burnham steam boilers are not lasting beyond 7 years....they have the same corrosion point on are their boilers. We have spoke to the manufacturer and they continually say it is fresh water. In the last 3 years we are replacing countless amounts of burnham steam boilers. Most of which we didn't install and show NO signs of leaking anywhere in the system. This customer will find out, I incourage her after 4 years to take the flue collector off of the boiler and look at the two end sections. There will be corrosion points about 4 inches above the water line. This criticism from this customer will have to stand for a couple of years, we can only hope she will be honest and re-submit a response when this boiler fails....and it will. We have reduced the warranty period we offer on these boilers and have pleaded to Burnham to reduce their cast iron warranty down to 5 years instead of the current 10 years, that way customers can understand they will fail. None of these Burnham steam boilers are making it to 10 years old. We see boilers that are close to 100 years old that have leaks are throughout the system, still they don't leak!!!! It is the cheap cast iron, and reduced wall thickness."
"All he had to do is call us, we would've taken care of him. We strive to be perfect, however we aren't. But we will stand behind all our work and correct ANY problems."
"AJ Michaels is a full certified and licensed heating, air conditioning, and plumbing company which has been in business, successfully, for 30 years. Our company strives to maintain customer satisfaction with all facets of service, from cost estimate to finished work. Regarding timeliness, AJ MIchels makes every effort to arrive in a timely fashion for appointments. Like all service businesses, however, AJ MIchaels provides a timeframe within which technicians will arrive because the company can never know for certain how long some repairs may take. Our records indicate that our technicians reliably arrived within our stated timeframe for this project. Our records also indicate attempts to notify the customer regarding maintenance calls, but we were not always successful. Regarding our water heater installation expertise, AJ MIchaels has installed, successfully, thousands of water heaters in our 30-year history. A home inspector, while having general home improvement knowledge, is not a certified water heater mechanical contractor. Nonetheless, AJ Michaels attempted to work within the requests of a home inspector on behalf of this customer. To meet the inspector's demands, AJ MIchaels determined that the company had to replace the existing (and functional) water heater with a new one. This replacement would be done under manufacturer's specifications, warranties, and knowledge. As the existing water heater was functional and was being replaced at the inspector's and home owner's requests, AJ MIchaels thought it appropriate that the home owner pay for the labor, with AJ Michaels and the manufacturer paying for the equipment. The homeowner chose not to accept this offer."
Licensing
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