J W Brower Heating & Air Cond

Just took over the company did an outstanding job on installation. Has 12 years of experience in installing & fixing systems. Both commercial and residential systems. Saved me about $4,000 on a top-end Daikin sky system. Fixed problem with noise in my ducts as part of the install which saved me another $3,000 to $4,000 because I didn't have to replace my ducts..

Saved me 6,000 dollars, only company that told me I did not need a new furnace, and reworked my old one. Cal showed up on time and is a character, very knowledgeable, explained everything so I could understand how it works, and what needed to be fixed.

Their service was fantastic. He and his brother did a wonderul job. They managed to go through with the work with no problems.

The TXV valve is the only threaded part in an otherwise sealed system. It is an obvious place to look for a leak. The tech did not have the proper equipment to check for a leak on the first visit (although soapy water would have worked) and went right to the TXV valve when checking on a subsequent visit. It is possible that the leak was due to a faulty installation by Brower but I have no way to establish that. It also happens that neither the heat pump manufacturer, Coleman, nor Brower would allow that $150 for replenishing lost refrigerant was due to the faulty part or installation and should be covered by warranty along with the faulty valve.

At the least, this was one too many visits (~ 2hrs at $92/hr) and $150 in refrigerant that should have been covered by warranty.

Sending a tech out without proper equipment, or replacement refrigerant, is a waste of time and money.

Overall, I reluctantly give Brower a C (minus). The unit works well when it isn't leaking and the installation otherwise appears good. The followup and support leaves much to be desired and doesn't differentiate Brower from the run-of-the-mill.

They do a very personalized service. When we called them, they actually remembered installing a furnace in the past. I would use them again in the future too.

He is an excellent electrician. I've been happy with everything he's done. He comes in and does his work. I would recommend him. His price was reasonable. He is thorough and honest.

They were reasonably priced for the job. They sized the system correctly instead of trying to push a and quot;standardand quot; size. They did not try to sell me more than I needed. They were not high pressure at all. The work started a day or two later than planned but they kept me informed of schedule. The work was well done. The performance of the system is exactly as I expected. I am quite satisfied with the results.

Additional information:
The leak could have been found on the first visit and repaired on the second. The failed part, a TXV valve, is virtually the only threaded part in an otherwise completely sealed refrigerant system i.e. if you suspect a leak, where would you look first? The part was covered by warranty, but not the labor, or the refrigerant that leaked due to the failed part (~ $150 of the $776 bill). The tech was not prepared with the leak testing equipment that he insisted on using on the first visit, nor did he have documentation on the unit he installed (to determine operating parameters); fortunately I did. Perhaps not having the replacement part is understandable but not the lack of troubleshooting equipment or documentation. I estimate the cost of the additional trip at ~$184.

I reluctantly give an overall score of C. Brower's original work was generally competent assuming that the TXV failure was not actually due to an installation problem, something that is impossible to determine at this point. Their follow-on work was disappointing: an ill-provisioned tech and minimal warranty support. In other words, don't expect anything special from this company.

I CALLED FOR SERVICE ON FURNACE IN MID-MORNING EXPECTING A SERVICE DATE IN A DAY OR TWO, WAS TOLD THE TECHNICIAN WAS IN MY AREA AND WOULD BE ABLE TO MEET ME AT MY HOUSE WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS. HE DID, WE DROVE IN THE DRIVEWAY TOGETHER. COULDN'T HAVE HAD A BETTER EXPERIENCE.