JAY GRESS INC

Jay Gress performed a service inspection/cleaning around September 2009.  As I was to learn later, they did not perform a CO test because the tech's CO detector wasn't working (my first issue with the service).  As the fall temperatures dropped during the month and the heater was in use more often, I began to notice that the air quality seemed off.  Around the beginning of October, I suspected a CO leak and called the company to have it checked.  To their credit they responded that morning and sent a different tech with a working detector, who immediately verified a CO leak.  At that point I shut the furnace off and scheduled them to replace the furnace, which they did at the end of October.  That was when I learned that a CO check had not been done at the annual inspection.  The furnace install was a bit sloppy in some respects - the plenum they constructed was not sealed at the joints for example, and also he scraped some floors and walls getting the old furnace out due to carelessness.  The lead tech doing the install was the same one who did not perform the CO test at the annual cleaning earlier.  The install was otherwise successful and the furnace has performed properly since.  However by summer 2010 I was noticing paint peeling away from the walls both inside and outside the house in the vicinity of the chimney.  I called the company, theorizing that perhaps there was a problem with exhaust gases leaking out of the chimney.  The service manager confirmed this hypothesis and recommended a stainless steel chimney liner.  This was my second issue with them - this company doesn't do chimney work, but nonetheless they had the knowledge in their company to know there might be reason to inspect the condition of the chimney when installing a new furnace with different exhaust characteristics that might require a different diameter for proper airflow.  This topic never came up, either from the sales rep or the service rep, until I learned myself the hard way.

Either oversight is reason enough for me not to do business with them again, but the CO miss is especially troubling.  That never should be omitted from an annual inspection.  Manfunctioning equipment is not an acceptable excuse with basic health and safety areas such as HVAC work.  The tech should not have completed his inspection without performing a CO check.

We originally used a different company to deliver oil.  After several winter weekends without oil, we switched to Gress and we've been extremely satisfied.  We have NEVER run out of oil with Gress.  They are prompt and predictable.  One less thing for me to worry about.  They came out to clean my heating system last week, as they do every August, and again I was pleased with the service...punctual, professional, and knowledgeable. 

The two man installation crew (Dennis and Mike) showed up on time and were very knowledgable about the boiler being installed. They had all of the equipment and materials and got the boiler installed before the house dipped 2 degrees below the thermostat setting. The wiring and all of the plumbing work appears top notch and they did a great job cleaning up after the installation. The sales manager providing the quote (Mike Toth) responded quickly to my request for a proposal and answered all of my questions.