COST PLUS HEATING & AIR

We only had one problem with them, it is not taken care of yet but it is a non issue.

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Excellent, was installed within 2 weeks of accepting bid, Very professional install.

Oh my word. I cannot say enough great things about this whole transaction. My thermostat and furnace started acting off a few days ago but my house was still heating so I figured maybe it would keeping working. This morning though, nothing. I changed the battery in my thermostat, the filter had been changed a few weeks ago, I reset my thermostat. Nothing. Similar thing had happened a few years ago and had another company out to fix it. They were very nice and helpful and showed me how to fix and keep the furnace clean. It being a few years ago, I forgot. I called the other company this morning but they couldn't see me til 6 days from now. I know it's a busy season so while being really disappointed at potentially having a cold house for a week, I decided to call around. The next call was to Cost Plus Heating. Steve told me that he had a meeting and then 5 other calls today. The earliest would be after 3 today or tomorrow. I said "perfect!" He calls before 3 and says he's on his way. Shows up, gets to business, knows exactly what to fix. Shows me how to do it (again since I had forgotten) and is gone in half an hour. Steve was extremely courteous, prompt, professional, efficient, and reasonably priced.
I would absolutely positively call him again if my heating or cooling goes out.

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Cost Plus is a small shop. I dealt exclusively with Steve, the owner. He is was extremely knowledgable and thorough. He was the only one to offer to get a city inspection (he set it all up and did it himself) for the conversion. The inspector was impressed! The cost was less than the other estimates from bigger companies, with sales people. Steve did not try to up-sell. He did everything to code, and the work was excellent. He said to call him whenever on his cell if there are problems. I'd highly recommend him for gas heating and duct work.

There is a lot I would like to say but will keep it as short as possible. The new heating portion of the system started having service related problems the second winter. Steve attended to the service issues for the first two or three years. I asked why I was having so many issues with a brand new system and he said that he didn't know why. Year three a third expansion tank failed inside one of the Navien heater boxes. Steve ordered the parts and said he would be out on a certain day. I stayed home from work and waited - no show - no call. When I finally reached him he barked and quot;the parts didn't arrive, they will be here Fridayand quot;. Friday comes around, no Steve, no call. I called to ask why he didn't communicate. He said and quot;find someone else to fix itand quot; and hung up on me. Dumbfounded, I tried to reach him several more times. He wouldn't answer and didn't reply to any of my messages. The system was still under warranty.
It took several months to even find another company to work on the system because of the complexity of what was specified. An elapsed time of 18 months and getting opinions from three separate companies about what was wrong and how to resolve it I learned the following (all three companies came up with the same prognosis and I didn't tell any of them what the other said):
1) The Rinnai instant hot water heaters specified by Cost Plus were not recommended for the purpose that they used them. This was confirmed by all three companies and by the manufacturer themselves. I asked and quot;why would they be specifiedand quot;? I was told and quot;we see this all the timeand quot;. The application requires a boiler, companies that don't have a boilers license use water heating equipment that isn't up to the task to sell a system that they can legally install. GREAT!
2) The pipes running to the heater coil in the attic were specified with too small a diameter. This did not allow adequate flow and enough heat to get the heater coil. A pump was added to try to draw enough hot water to compensate but it never overcame the fundamental issue of inadequate flow. This explains why we could never get adequate heat on the upper levels even when in the relatively rare instances that the system was working and quot;properlyand quot;.
3) Cost Plus did not specify oxygen blocking piping as required. Evidently there is special piping used in heating systems. Cost plus specified standard plumbing piping in the heater lines. Oxygen permeated the pipe and got into a system where it should not be present. This explained the three failed expansion tanks in just three years and the incessant need to backflush gunk out of the Rinnai's.
4) SAFETY: Cost Plus fed the outlet of the heating system water to our laundry room sink. This is a code violation. All of the solder, flux and heavy metals from the system were being allowed to go to a household sink! This stunned all three companies that independently determined the situation.
5) ANOTHER CODE VIOLATION: Cost Plus did not install a backflow valve on the system to keep it from pulling heater system water into the rest of the house or the city supply in the event of a pressure drop. This is a code requirement.
There were more issues but you get the idea. So, after throwing good money after bad. Losing heat at least twice every winter after Cost Plus installed a complete new system and then abandoned the faulty installation barking and quot;get someone else to fix itand quot; I just paid a fortune to have it all ripped out (the heating system part of the system) and replaced. Less than seven years after installing a brand new system and 6 winters with no heat and multiple service visit expenses, a complete reboot. Thanks Steve!
I never take the time to write reviews. Indeed the reason I joined Angie's list was to read up on the companies that I was considering for replacing the disaster that was my dealing with Steve Sanderson. This really happened. There are no mitigating circumstances - Steve Sanderson installed a monstrosity in my house and then abandoned it. I have the bills and a lot of communication to prove it.

Most importantly, Steve did exactly what he said he would do exactly when he said he would do it. No surprise costs. No excuses. No misunderstandings. I would hire Cost Plus Heating and Air again without hesitation.

Steve at Cost Plus came over the day that I called to look at the job. I had a firm bid two days later. He originally indicated that it would be about 10 days before he could get to the project, but fortunately for us one of his jobs was delayed and he was able to start a week earlier. He estimated that the job would take two days from the start until the installation was complete and the gas meter was set and the furnace functioning. The project went as expected. He started Monday morning, Furnace was functioning Tuesday afternoon. City inspector came on Friday and approved the installation. The inspector said that the work was and quot;done welland quot;.

During the estimate Steve mentioned the need for a permit and that his quote for the work performed was firm. He was on time, which seems to be unheard of, professional and courteous. He kept me up to date on his progress and was thorough, including meeting the inspector on the weekend and showing me how to change my filter. He worked with me and met my needs. Steve is an honest rarity and I would hire him again! Plus the man rescues cats when he's not working 15 hour days...

It was great. They came in, did the job and left. The fireplace work was included in the bid and they didn't want to do it until we were about done with the house, which was fine. They did a really nice job. We would absolutely use them again.

We had two issues: we were wondering what replacing our inefficient furnace would cost, and were hearing what could best be described as a clanging noise in the return vent. We called the NW Naturals number for a reference for the estimate, knowing that we could probably find a serviceman in the same place. On the phone Steve commented that he's a technician so he could take a look at the banging noise.

The day of the estimate, Steve walked in and heard the banging and said, and quot;you have an electric filter.and quot; We went to the garage where the furnace and filter are and he took a moment to try to straighten out where the filter was arcing. He was able to get one of the filters to stop arcing, but not the other. He took some time to advise me on how to clean them (we had done so only once since buying the house and used a dishwasher per the owner manual, he advised us not to use the dishwasher in the future). He then looked through the existing furnace and took notes for the estimate.

On the way back from the garage, I asked him to take a look at an old wall furnace in one room. We had been a little scared of it since buying the house (the previous owners said they never used it). He looked at it and commented that he used to install them and that they are great machines. He said that it's probably still usable, but probably could use servicing and went over a couple of common major problems (for example, the knob is rigid and if forced can break requiring an expensive replacement).

After the visit, we arranged for him to come back and service the wall furnace and replace the still-arcing cell. He was unable to find a used cell at first, but shortly before the service date at our house replaced an identical electric filter at another house and bought those cells off that client. We ended up replacing both cells for half of what one new cell would cost. We also realized that we could only hear the clanging in one of our return vents and asked him to check to make sure the other was connected, so he climbed through the attic to verify that it was. It's connected with flexi-duct, which is why the clanging wasn't audible. The wall furnace was serviced and provides excellent warmth for the room.

On the estimate, Steve was very honest and up-front. He mentioned some options and then added that they weren't going to provide enough savings to justify the price. I asked him about a more modern and efficient wall furnace and he said it wouldn't be worth the money because the savings would only come from the change from a pilot light to electric ignition. Overall, we felt that whatever price we would get would be fair.

I also was impressed by how knowledgeable he was. From immediately diagnosing the noise in the intake vent to his familiarity with the wall furnace. It's obvious that Steve has been doing this a long time and has earned and maintained good knowledge of products on the market. Replacing the furnace is probably not going to happen right away (so long as the current furnace keeps going), but we now can anticipate the cost when that happens and know who to call. Likewise, I imagine we will call him again in the future for service calls.

Job went very well. I've known Steve professionally over 20 years and would recommend him to anyone.

They did an excellent job and really went above and beyond with their service. He was very professional and very informative. The information I learned was very important.

He showed up on short notice and worked very quickly and competently. I know a bit about furnaces and motors and talked with him at length. He obviously understands furnaces and motors very well; he was not just following a set procedure. Excellent knowledge and service.

Steve was very responsive in all aspects of the job. He came out and prepared a quote the day I called. He explained exactly what he would do and why (with respect to the furnace, the gas line for the existing water heater and the furnace, the venting system for the water heater). He took his time to make sure I understood why the work was required. He did not try to push upgrades that I didn't want. He and his co-worker completed the job within a few days of the original quote. The job was completed under the quoted price, and Steve provided the necessary paperwork for various energy efficiency rebates. When I asked him about strategies for future changes to the heating and cooling system (including expansion of the ductwork, upgrading the water heater), he was very helpful and knowledgeable (and, again, didn't try to push us to do any of this work now rather than at some time down the road). We are totally satisfied with every aspect of the job and Steve's knowledge and responsiveness. He's just a straight-shooter.

Steve was on the ball. He returned our call quickly and was able to come and look at our project to provide a bid. He communicates exactly what needs to be done in terms anyone can understand. He spent time researching and talking with the manufacturer of the tankless water heater to make sure the venting was done correctly for this model. On the day work was schedule to be done he and his co-worker showed up on time and took precautions to protect the flooring areas. He had other challenges with our house and was able to meet them head on and solve the issues quickly. He is number one in our book. Thanks Steve for the great job!

Project was no more then satisfactorily completed. One more additional add-on cost to go. A new gas line for the 2nd floor dryer. Gas line was then installed in an incorrect location. I requested the gas line to be re-located. It was but still ended being in the way of another future mechanical system. This was not known till such other mechanical system was being installed. By now enough-is-enough, this gas line was sawed out of the way. A call to Cost Plus Heating and Air brought Steve, the proprietor, out to the job site when after a short conversation obscenities where spoken to me by him. Thirty years in construction and I've never experienced anything like this. Someone swearing at me because he screwed up and installed a gas line in the wrong location! He was informed at this time that $1800.00 is way to steep for an extra. Which had approximately $500.00 in materials. This only infuriated him to slamming the door on me on the way out. Beware of a volatile personality.

Steve with Cost Plus is outstanding! I had a number of bids, and he was the only one that wasn't a slick salesman. In-between running his business and doing the jobs, he's the one that provides the bids. His bid was straightforward, clear, and the best price. He hadn't even received the job yet, but he fixed my electric water heater for free because he said I shouldn't have to be without hot water for 3 weeks. I had asked for a one-stage 90% furnace, but the wholesaler made him aware of a two-stage 90% furnace that would only cost me $50.00 more! Removal of the oil tanks was more than what Steve thought it might be, but he didn't charge any more than the estimate. He also saw that my dryer vent needed fixing, so he did that as well. He and his assistant, Jeremiah, were friendly and on-time. They did outstanding work and left the job site cleaner than when they had arrived. Not only would I recommend Cost Plus to anyone, I would beg them to have Cost Plus do the work. Thank You Steve.

I chose Cost Plus after getting five estimates. Their estimate was by far the fairest of all the estimates given the type of equipment that I wanted to purchase. They were consistently on time and completed the work without any complications.

Steve was great. He knows his stuff, explained what he was doing, gave me some recommendations for further upkeep, didn't upsell me with things I didn't ask for.

Prompt and affordable.