I looked up A#1 before calling for service, and the reviews were stellar. I hate to be the one to ruin that perfect streak; however, I have just learned that the issue I hired A#1 to fix was not fixed and could not be fixed.
I had a new air handler installed in June 2022 by another company. I started having issues with it in the spring of 2023, so I called A#1 to service it. The problems persisted, and I realized I had a home warranty (I'd forgotten I had one). The warranty company sent out its contractor, and I was told the issue was that the air handler was sitting level, so the condensation could not drain. When he fixed that, it still would not work.
At this point, I was frustrated, so I called a third company. According to the third company to look at my issue, the problem is that the new air handler is 3.5 tons and uses R-410 coolant, but the condenser is 2 tons and uses R22. There can only be a half-ton difference between the two units, and they should both use the same refrigerant. The entire system should have been changed when the air handler was changed. It took what looks to be a teenager to tell me what two seasoned technicians did not find.
A#1 checked the air handler and the condenser and overlooked this issue. Refrigerant was added to the outdoor unit in April or May of this year by A#1, and it is empty. The new technician said the two units are trying to work together but cannot.
A#1's owner was courteous and professional, but unfortunately, I paid a great deal of money for an issue that was not fixed. I strongly believe this issue should have been caught by a seasoned HVAC technician.
The third company felt so bad for me that it didn't charge me a service fee. I asked what I needed to do and was told that I needed to change the entire system at some point. I will definitely let this company install the new system. read more
