Long story short: Vanderford Air & Plumbing inspected my HVAC system, provided an estimate,…read morerequired payment in advance, and scheduled the repair. The technicians completed part of the work, but the primary issue I had called about was not resolved. When I followed up, I was told that the insulation repair I believed I had requested was not included in the estimate. After discussing the matter with the technician and providing additional information, I was told the issue would be reviewed with management; however, I never received a follow-up call. The work remains incomplete and still requires repair. Based on this experience, I was disappointed to pay in full for a service that did not address the main problem. If you choose to hire this company, I would recommend ensuring the scope of work is clearly documented and considering whether paying in advance is appropriate.
A little more detail: My wife and I purchased an older home in 2025, fully expecting that it would require some repairs and updates. One issue we discovered was significant discoloration on the ceiling of a closet located beside the indoor HVAC unit. The area showed signs of mildew, and the ceiling will need to be removed and replaced.
To determine the cause, we inspected the attic and found that the plenum, the box that distributes conditioned air from the HVAC unit throughout the house, had severely deteriorated insulation. Much of the insulation was either missing or sagging, wet, and deteriorated. The top of the plenum was largely uncovered. Given the high humidity in our area, improperly insulated ductwork can accumulate condensation, and in this case it appeared to be dripping onto the ceiling below.
There was also a section of uninsulated round metal duct nearby. I had already planned to replace that section myself, but agreed to have it replaced with flexible duct as part of the service. That portion of the work was completed as expected.
The issue is that the deteriorated insulation on the plenum, which was the primary reason I contacted Vanderford, was not repaired. It still requires attention to prevent additional damage to other ceilings in the home. After the work was completed, a piece of insulation had been placed on top of the plenum and several smaller pieces had been pushed underneath one side, but the deteriorated insulation remained largely unchanged.
When I contacted the technician who performed the inspection and prepared the estimate, the conversation became contentious fairly quickly. He stated that the insulation repair I was referencing was not what had been requested. I then added my son to the call, as he had been present during the inspection and estimate. He confirmed the same understanding of the requested work, and we agreed to provide photographs to clarify the issue. We were told that the matter would be reviewed with the Operations Manager and that someone would follow up with us. That follow-up never occurred.
After reaching out again, I was ultimately told that the insulation work on the plenum was not part of the estimate and that they had essentially been doing me a favor. The repair remains unfinished and will need to be completed separately.
I understand that there may be differing accounts of what was originally discussed during the estimate. However, the primary issue that led me to contact the company remains unresolved, despite payment being made in full and the work having been marked complete. The photos I am sharing were taken after the repair visit. You can see the newly installed flexible duct on the left side of the plenum, as well as the condition of the plenum insulation itself.
The technician who prepared the estimate spent a considerable amount of time inspecting the attic and reviewing the duct system, which makes the apparent misunderstanding regarding the primary purpose of the service call particularly disappointing. Based on my experience, I would not use Vanderford again and would have difficulty recommending them to others.
