O'Brien Heating & Air Conditioning

Having never had a boiler replaced before, I tried to do some homework. What I found was this is more time-consuming than it looks. You have to wait for the estimates (a few companies didn't even bother coming back with an estimate & one company subjected me to a bizarre lecture on why I should remain an oil customer). Russ at O'Brien came in with the lowest estimate. In addition, he would periodically check in to see how the bidding process was going; not to the point of being a nuisance. There were hurdles such as asbestos removal from our ancient oil boiler and removal of the monstrosity itself and the oil tank. Russ was forthcoming all the way. I signed the contract and the work was done very quickly. The crew was extremely professional and courteous. They cleaned up everything on the spot. Since we were having the boiler replaced, we decided to replace our hot water heater as well since it was getting near its expiration date. This went extremely well. In the middle of this, the a/c went on the fritz(the timing really couldn't have been any worse from a cash outlay point of view) and we had that replaced as well. After the excellent experience with the boiler and the hot water heater, we had O'Brien handle that as well. That also went extremely well. In addition, Alice, in their home office, handled all the paperwork with PECO for applicable rebates and send them to us for us to sign and mail. Thanks to Brian, who headed the installation, we got a rebate we had overlooked. All in all, this was a professional job from beginning to end. I have told Russ that if I have problems with the boiler this winter, I am retracting everything (just kidding).

The main problem was to get the owner Russ to cough up an estimate: this took considerable coaxing and he never did give me a copy of the heat-loss calculations as he promised---which made me wonder if he had done them. But we needed the A/C fixed, and once I paid the deposit, the date for installation was quickly agreed upon. On the agreed-upon day, the technicians who came to remove and install equipment were polite, worked hard, didn't cuss and swear, and accomplished what they said they would in the time they had allotted. It wasn't an easy job because access to the attic required some athleticism. Only complaint was that they didn't place the thermostat exactly level and in-line with other fixtures, but I can move it. Unit includes a two-speed air handler and is very quiet and seems to work well, although warmer weather will be the acid test.

I signed up with them through the co-op and they gave a discount to the co-op members. They were highly rated by everyone that I looked at. I've had two encounters with them and they have been very good. The last time was an emergency call and they were really good. The service contract is for cleanings and they gave a discount for other service work. The repairman was the most professional I have ever seen and I've had a bunch of repair guys over the years. He was a young guy and he was very good. I would highly recommend them. They are a bit higher than their competitors but they have the quality to back it up. Their prices were reasonable. I will definitely use them again.

PECO responded to our initial report of a gas odor , tightened some gas pipe joints , but missed the actual cause of the gas odor ( a hole in the furnace gas pilot assembly ) . We then called O'Brian early in morning of our service date , reporting a gas odor . Alice promptly sent Bob out to check our furnace . Bob found the defective pilot assembly and efficiently replaced it . He was extremely thorough and professional . He took the time to explain his repair and showed me the holes in the defective pilot assembly . He was very careful and respected our home and carpeting by wearing shoe booties and doing very neat work .He was very enthusiastic and showed a great deal of pride in his superb workmanship ! Bob also repaired our A/C unit on 9/14/11 with the same outstanding quality of workmanship . Within 10 minutes , he found and showed me the defective capacitor ( cost of A/C repair =$246 ) . Both of Bob's repairs were of the highest level of expertise , quality and professionalism . We have been using O'Brien for our heating and A/C for 16 years , since the original installation of our system ( excellently designed, and very professionally handled , by Russ DiFuria ) . We have been extremely pleased with O'Brien's honesty , fairness of price and excellent workmanship ethics for all of these 16 years . We have recommended them to many of our friends .

I observed water leaking from the pressure relief valve on my boiler on a Sunday. I called O'Brien's emergency line and left a message. A technician called me back promptly and spent about 15 minutes talking about the problem with me. He was extremely helpful, informative, and polite. He tried to save me money in several ways. First, by telling me some things I could do on my own that might fix the problem, and then by telling me that my problem was not really an emergency, and it would be much cheaper to have them come out to my house during normal business hours. I was very appreciative of this. The next day, I called and asked them to come to my house, as I had not been able to resolve the problem myself. They were able to come the same day, and they came exactly when they said they would. The two technicians were very polite, professional, and helpful. They answered my dozens of questions about my system and what they were doing. They explained all of my options to me and helped me to decide what repairs to make. They replaced a leaky valve and drained the expansion tank. I was a bit surprised that it came to $300 for a couple hours and to replace what I believe to be a $20 part, but I don't really have a lot of experience with what fair labor costs are. Overall, I was very pleased with O'Brien. I will definitely be calling them for my future heating and A/C needs.

Terrible. They were not helpful at all.

The whole crew was great. I called several companies for estimates. The estimate process was straightforward and uncomplicated with these guys. O'Brien responded quickly and began consulting intelligently from the start. Alice, who answered the phone on my first call, impressed me right away with questions she asked, information she provided about rebates, the process and scheduled an appointment immediately. Ron, who did the consultation and estimate a few days later, and Brian, who led the installation, all came when they said they would, did what they said they would do, and did it promptly, called back if I missed them and left a message, let me know promptly when the installation was extended a half day, etc. As a homeowner with a busy job, I need good contractors and high quality work, AND I also need contractors to be reliable with communication and timeliness. I engaged a few other contractors, but these guys were much more reliable from the beginning, offered a high quality brands (Lennox) and were very well versed in the rebates and tax breaks available for the various models. And they fill out all the paperwork for you. They filled out the rebate form for Lennox and sent it in, sent me the paperwork, filled out, for PECO rebates, and the receipts for my taxes. They just lead you right through the process and make it as easy for you as possible.

The company was impressive at all levels from Russ (President) on down. I was impressed during the planning and installation phases with punctuality, communication, ideas, and professionalism. Adam (Installation Technician) worked hard and installed the new systems with an eye for detail.

They're terrific. They came the same day we called and replaced the inducer motor. Along with doing that, the price included a 1 year contract with them for maintenance on the furnace and our central air. The guy was very professional and efficient. I've had to call the office a few times to reschedule the maintenance for the A/C and the secretary was wonderful. Very down to earth and understanding of our needs. Very happy with the service.

Was very impressed with Owner's consultative and non aggressive sales approach. Very responsive. Installation crew was very responsive and clean throughout process. I would highly recommend them for future work to anyone.

We have used them for a couple of years and they are really good! The A/C is the highest efficiency one you could buy.

The guy who gave the estimate was pretty knowledgeable and professional. We didn’t go with them because I think we got a better estimate that was lower and realistic. They would have been our second choice. We may use them in the future if needed.

Woke up to cold radiators and a furnace that wouldn't start. After trying a few things on my own, I called O'Brien because they're right down the street from me and I've seen their trucks. They were super nice over the phone and were able to get someone out to the house in under 2 hours. Mike was awesome- he explained everything, tried to get me the best price possible, and triple checked the problem and found that he only needed to replace a wire instead of the whole relay. Couldn't be happier with the service! Will use them again for sure!!!!

My old AC condenser finally stopped working at the end of the long hot summer. The condenser was 22 years old. The coil and the furnace were relatively new, but it is the older R22 model. I discussed with quite a few top rated companies in the Angie's list. I also talked to some local companies that are not in the list (only because I received their coupon in the mails). Through those conversations and my own research online, I found a lot of people tried to make a bigger sale by using misleading information. Walt only gave me the right information and offered me the options in my best interest. He found the condenser that matched to the coil. The price was very competitive. Once I paid deposit, two technicians came to my house next day. Matt and Jim looked young but are very confident, efficient, and professional. I am very satisfied at their work.

I called that afternoon, and the young woman who answered was very helpful as I described the problem. She also went out of her way to tell me about the potential for a more difficult fix with the recent new laws in effect regarding the use of Freon in the system. She scheduled someone to come between 3 and 5 in the afternoon. At 3:15, John came up and went right to work. He was professional, thorough, and immediately identified the issue with a burned out old contactor unit. He replaced and tested it and it was perfect! He also mentioned that our system was fairly old, and we should consider a proactive maintenance in the early part of the year before we fire it up again for 2011. He cheerfully completed the evaluation, the repair and was on his way! I'd highly recommend John and O'Brien for their responsiveness, professionalism and quality.

On Sunday we noticed that our AC was not putting out cold air. I called O'Brien Monday morning at 8:00 am. They indicated they could have someone at our house within an hour. However, an adult wasn't home at the time. We agreed that a technician would arrive between 3:00 - 5:00 pm that same day. The technician arrived at 2:45 pm (15 min early). He quickly determined that our AC unit was down about 2 lbs of freon. He said they often run a diagnostic test to determine if the leak is in one of the coils, and that test costs $300. However, he didn't recommend that we jump to the $300 diagnositic test since our home is only 4 years old. The technician explained that sometimes the service valves don't get tightened when a unit is originally placed into service. So, he added 2# of freon and he tightened the service valves. We agreed that we would see if that solves the problem. If the same issue comes up later this season or the beginning of next year when we turn the AC back on, we'll know we have a leak elsewhere and will need to have the $300 diagnostic test then. The technician explained O'Brien's service contract to me but was not high pressure about it. Overall, it was a good experience.

We have worked with them before. Our contact there is absolutely wonderful. He is very honest and upfront. I think he only charges when he feels like it is appropriate. He has taken off charges when he feels his people had made a mistake. They actually went out of their way to find the air conditioner set that we wanted. We are amusing that the price is okay, because another company was about the same. We also have an annual contract with them, so some services are free.

O'Brien came to the rescue in replacing our oil boiler and went way above and beyond the call of duty. Our 20 year old oil boiler was about to go (leaking water, requiring water refilling every day). Under such conditions, such a boiler can quickly degrade to the point that it leaks water rapidly, leaving the basement flooded with radiator water and the boiler under continuous firing, producing a significant risk of fire. Upon discovering the situation with our old boiler, we were scheduled to leave town within 10 days. We also wanted to convert to a gas boiler system to save money in the long run. We quickly obtained 5 estimates from the best companies rated on Angies list, most were award winners. Of those top 5 companies, O'Brien shined above the rest in several respects. First, they provided the lowest extimate for a high efficiency gas boiler. Second, they were nice, but frank about what would be possible, and what would not. I think this is invaluable at the estimate stage. Third, they were the only company to survey all of our other gas appliances can calculate the required input to our house from the gas company. Fourth, they chose the correct size or a boiler for our house and were clear that was the one we need. I always research on my own as a bit of test for who is giving it to me straight and who is telling me what they think I want to hear. O'Brien had it right. After deciding to go with O'Brien, Walt O'Brien called the gas company to assure that we had a sufficient input to accomodate all of our gas appliances. The gas company said we didn't have enough. This put us in an urgent rush to figure out if they could run a new line to supply enough and how much it would cost. With only 4 days to go before we would be flying across country, Walt called several people at the gas company, was able to confirm that we will be able to install a line that would work, and convinced them to expedite getting us a contract to sign and get us in queue for gas line installation. The cost with discounts was less than $100. Walt was always available to speak with me and advise me on this matter. It was a critical decision, because if the gas company said that we would never be able to get enough gas for a boiler, then we would have to stick with oil and that oil boiler would need to be ordered and installed in 4 days. Obviously, we could not leave town in the middle of winter with our house at risk due to the old leaking boiler. Walt knew this and did all he could to get us what we wanted and keep our house safe, even after we had signed a contract with him. I think this is a clear distinction from what other companies might have provided. After it was confirmed that our high efficiency boiler was possible, O'Brien installed it as promised with the greatest of professionalism. They worked with us on where the exit port would go and were very tolerant of my own indecisiveness on this. They made appropriate adjustments to the output to accomodate the limited supply of gas until the gas company could install our new line. Finally, they remarkably were able to finish the work before we left town. With all the obstacle we faced, this was quite an acheivement. Even after being paid in full, O'Brien has continued to work with us on making the final adustment to our boiler after the gas company comes out to install the new line. They have also come out, free of charge, to tweak small things that we requested after returning from our trip. They also notice that our 19 year old hot water heater was about to go, and they replaced this with equal efficiency and professionalism. I have to say I have never has such a good experience with a contractor as I did with O'Brien. You may think this is too good to be true, but it was good and is true.

They were a little pricey but they were very good. They did a great job. They were very prompt and very polite. They were very fast and they were accurate about how long it would take. They had everything, they didn't have to leave and get anything else. They were very easy to deal with. They cleaned up afterwards and we have a warranty. We have now used it for 2 summers and it's fantastic and it cools our house inexpensively. They were right on time.

O'brien was not awarded the bid. I did not feel comfortable with the fact that the written estimate was not detailed enough. When I enquired about some of the valves, which the other two estimates included, I was told "if you want it (the valve or part) we can install it."

The head guy comes out for the appraisal: he is very knowledgeable, knows how to deal with people and knows how to listen to what my problems are. However, when it is time for the work to be done, they send out young guys who do not have any professional skills and they do not really know what they are doing.

Estimate was well-founded, complete, and promptly provided. Estimate was in top two of 6 obtained.

They are very professional and prompt. They are always immaculate with their work. They came right in with booties on and got right to work. They work hard to leave the home better than they found it. They do not miss anything. I like that before they have to come out they take the time to help me try to troubleshoot everything on the phone. I like it, because it would save me time and money.

I was referred to the company by a friend when I moved into my home in the 80's and I have used them ever since. The experience has always been good. They always come if I have a problem, and there is very little waiting.

It went great. I was told that the service person would arrive between 10:00 and 11:00. To my delight he arrived around 10:00 and we had heat by 10:30. I will sign up for the maintenance agreement.