I had a home inspection about a year ago and they said my AC wasn't blowing at full strength. Probably a leak. I did what any responsible person would do and ignored it. I actually had a guy come out (I think I wrote a tutorial on that) and he said my coolant was at 60% and thought I had a leak. I did what any reasonable person would do and decided he was lying. I actually called around and found out that the coolant I had (R-22) was being phased out and the prices were going sky high (up to $100 a gallon). Add in that a bad coil (over 1k to replace) or some other issue could be the cause of the leak and repairing seemed expensive. I had a guy selected to find the leak and refill ($400) after much research and pricing all over the place, but, they went out of business (every one else was 2x as expensive and left room to charge for labor). Then the outside blower failed and maybe the furnace was causing the fuse to trip, so, I bit the bullet. Here is what I found out. I only called guys I pulled from ads from circulars. I needed a 3 ton electric machine with R-410A coolant. I asked for their cheapest models.
Quotes:
The following would not give quotes without a home visit or didn't answer their phone or had a bad number: AmeriCa Air Quality, Air Care Solutions (Jacksonville), U.S.H.A.C. Air Conditioning, Air Techs (surly Indian), Larry Teague & Sons (real grumpy Girt), Mills Air (sales manager would only take a call before 10am and wouldn't call me),
I ended up with three competitors: Ameritech (321-239-9390), Facility Pro Tech (407-608-5382) and AC Services (321-262-8707). I could have done more, but, I just wasn't into a huge audition with the weather starting to change.
AC Services - They were the first to quote. The owner (Tony Duncan) was very responsive and quoted $4200-$4300 immediately for a 14 SEER Bryant (the "business" choice from Carrier). It came with a two year labor warranty and the manufacturer's warranty. No sales tax. Took Amex. No salvage credit for old unit. No down payment required. Permit. New thermostat. They are out of Sanford. I vetted them and they looked on the up and up. I eventually got the price down to $4000.
Facility Pro Tech - They (Willy and Art) are out of McLoed. I think they were Latin. Do alot of business installs. Also vetted out well. They quoted $3727 for a 14 SEER Ruud. It took them a day to respond with it. They had a one year install warranty and five year parts, Everything else was the same as ACS.
Ameritech - Chris called me back the next day. It was a surprise because they told me no phone quotes when I called. He quoted $3700-$3800 for a Goodman (also part of Amana) 14 SEER with a new concrete slab, a two year labor warranty with the manufacturers warranty. Everything else was the same other than they didn't take credit cards. *Note - You will see tons of complaints for a phone company when you google them.
Decision Making Process
I called back and forth and sorted out what was included (copper wiring, materials, etc) and what exact units I was getting. I also checked up on their licenses and reputations and model and brand wholesale prices and ratings. It was kind of difficult. The model numbers weren't always on sites and you never knew if you could trust the rankings. And the rankings varied by models. IE - Goodman was ranked 36 out of 56, but, they had two models in the top five. Bryant was 25 out of 56. Ruud was 21. Also, they sometimes they gave the part number and it would only be for one piece (ie the outside air compressor and not the furnace). All I really found out was they were all acceptable and the Goodman compressor wholesales for $$1367. I'm still not sure if the furnace part was extra. I assume it was. The Ruud sku was also listed as Rheem. All these companies are owned by the Japanese now. At least I made sure I didn't get a discontinued model. And any model obfuscation that the participants did just lost them points in the analysis and maybe cost them the sale.
Decision
I decided on Ameritech. They were the cheapest and local (Winter Park). They threw in that concrete slab and had the warranties. My Amex pay period was coming up, so, the float would have been minimal. Chris didn't play any games when he did the home visit so I let him have the $3800 he asked for and $75 extra for some duct work. Will and Art seemed a little discombobulated or evasive when it came to telling me the sku numbers. Plus St Cloud is kind of far away. I didn't like the look of their unit online either. Tony was great, but, I had just googled the wholesale prices and I was disappointed he didn't price match because it looked like there was enough margin to do so and if there wasn't he may be too small time.
Install
A friendly father and son duo from Poland came on time at 10am. I had to trim the bushes around the old unit over the weekend. They got to work immediately. They told me I had one of six gallons left of coolant and definitely a leak. I won't go into too much detail, but, they stayed until 7pm (that's nine labor hours times two for a professional baked into the negotiated deal) and answered all my questions and cleaned up well. I don't even think they took a lunch or any break. They put in the slab, cut more branches, put in the units, connected the furnace to the duct (it was a misfit and the had to spend a long time cutting material to fit), put in the drain line and copper wiring for the coolant (and removed the old), put in the thermostat, put in a new cover on the furnace "stand", patched and painted and sealed it, took out the old "slinky" in the air intake area and insulated that box instead of putting in a new "slinky" (supposedly will give me better intake), charged the system and checked it. They always knocked before entering and didn't bring in any distractions (music, etc).
Tips and Revelations
Make sure you find out what is included in the quote. Make sure of the model they are delivering. Make sure they patch and paint anything they rip apart. Make sure the unit's automatic sensors turn it on and off. Make sure you get R-410A. Their sealants and such will infiltrate your living room and be a bit noxious. My unit has aluminum coils. Check on that. Chris said they were better, but, since when has anything improved to our benefit? My unit now has an automatic shut off if the drain line gets plugged. That's a good improvement and if it has ever blocked up on you you know why. Business must be good if the rudeness and obstinacy of the companies I called is any indication. I fear it has more to do with keeping you in the dark and squeezing you. Don't let them. Use the "good" guys and let these con men blame Obama for ruining the economy and their businesses. It could never be anything you did.
My unit has worked well so far and the inspector comes in a week. It seems like such a better install than the original system. The drain lines are superior. The wiring is better. The unit itself is way more substantial (although original was put in in 1994). They did "steal" some paint I had in the garage to paint the furnace area and it doesn't match. But, at least they painted. Now my hedge just needs to grow back.
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