TL;DR: I think this company failed to thoroughly check my system for leaks and ignored clues that…read moreindicated a leak may have been present. During due diligence, Fresh Start documented that the system was 1 lb low on refrigerant. Refrigerant is not consumed in normal operation, so a low charge points to either a leak, improper charge, or prior refrigerant loss. Their explanation that the refrigerant may have escaped while they, and previous techs with no records, were hooking up equipment to the system is speculative. A leak check that finds no leak does not conclusively prove the system is leak-free, especially with a slow leak. Now the system is showing poor cooling performance, which makes Fresh Start's earlier dismissal of the missing refrigerant much less reliable. When I approached the company via my realtor, because the leak check was ordered during due diligence, they refused to back up their claim.
I think the most fair way to leave this review is to just lay out the facts.
In late summer, we decided to move forward with purchasing a new home. I am a very thorough buyer, I made my poor realtor (Brennan) show me the home probably 15 times.
I noticed on an earlier trip that the HVAC did not seem to cool the home very efficiently, so we ordered an inspection of the HVAC system, and they said they needed to perform a leak check (which incidentally was not cheap).
Omar was the tech who came out on behalf of Fresh Start Heating and Cooling. He said the system was 1lb low. I am aware from doing DIY automotive repairs that HVAC systems are closed systems, and refrigerant is not a consumable item. Therefore, if a system is low on refrigerant, that indicates there is a leak in the system. That being said, Omar failed to find a leak in the system. He assured me that the refrigerant must have escaped while he, and previous tech's (that there was no record of) were hooking up their equipment to the system (like when you hook up a pump to a car or bike tire, some air escapes).
Like a sucker, I bought this explanation. Later I come to find out when talking with a friend who is a HVAC tech in another state that 1lb of missing refrigerant is substantial (10-15% of the total required), and had another tech come out to check the system (which Fresh Start claims "must have happened"), they would have noticed 1lb missing, and it would be extremely likely that they would have topped it off after discussing it with the owner.
We had an unusually mild fall and spring, so fast forward to the end of May when we needed to run the A/C. In case you haven't guessed it yet, our system that was verified to not have any leaks was blowing cool air. Not cold air, cool air.
There should be about a 15-20°F temperature drop between the return/intake air and the supply air. Mine has measured at 5°F. Because this system has a history of being low on refrigerant, we can now safely assume there is a leak. Because the system is now low on refrigerant, and was low on refrigerant at the time that Fresh Start Heating and Cooling performed a leak test, I give less credence to the explanation given by Fresh Start Heating and Cooling, and find it more plausible that there was human error when Fresh Start performed the leak test.
Of course, there is no way for me to prove that the leak did not occur since we bought the home at the end of last summer, but given that the system was 1lb low when Fresh Start checked it, and it is low now too, it seems obvious to me that there was a leak from the start that they missed.
When we contacted Fresh Start via my realtor (because he handled all of this during due diligence), he was informed that there is no warranty, and there is nothing we can do about it.
I am writing this review so you can see my experience through the evidence given to me by Fresh Start, and make up your own mind about using them for any sort of leak testing.
