Choice Aire was a great find when I started looking for a new furnace & AC. Their people are…read moreprofessional and helpful, and they went out of their way to provide fantastic service when I was in a bit of a crunch. I'd give them 6 out of 5 stars if I could. Buying a HVAC system is complicated and expensive, but at least I had a little time to do some research. Here is what I learned:
12 years ago we bought a new HVAC system from a different dealer from the Kent area who maintained our previous furnace. At that time, I didn't know a good HVAC installation from a bad one, nor was I wise enough to do any research. Therefore, we bought what they told us was a "great" new Amana unit (although it proved to be somewhat of a lemon).
This time around, I DID do a bunch of research when I learned that the Amana furnace's secondary heat exchanger was beginning to plug up and was failing. All articles I read stressed the same thing: the installation is even more important than the equipment you buy. A poor installation will shorten the lifespan of any HVAC unit, regardless of brand or price.
Even before I found out that the not-so-old Amana unit was dying, I had discovered that its installation was done poorly. During a recent renovation, we found that there was a lot of air leaking behind the furnace/AC unit because the installers hadn't sealed the ductwork well. Also, the company that sold us that unit hadn't installed an exterior fresh air intake for the furnace. Later on, even their own service guys told us that their installers should have done so, and it was contributing to some problems.
The point I'm making here is that the installation of my previous HVAC system wasn't done well, and after 12 years, the furnace was dying. Now for the good news:
A few of my neighbors recommended Carrier: top quality equipment, but expensive. Fortunately I learned that Bryant and Carrier are made by the same company, and that most Bryant systems are IDENTICAL to the Carrier brand, but at lower price; just different nameplates. I even found a website that listed Carrier and Bryant furnace and A/C model numbers side-by-side so you can compare apples to apples.
When I looked to see if there was a Bryant dealer anywhere nearby, I found Choice Aire right here in my neighborhood of Ellet. I stopped in at their office and got some excellent information from Jennifer (who's very knowledgeable) at the front desk. As we chatted, owner Eric Morrow returned to the building & offered to come over right then to look at my situation.
Eric gave me a VERY good price, and squeezed my installation into their schedule as soon as possible. Also, he pointed out all the installation errors in my old system, and told me exactly how they would correct them. And they DID.
Choice Aire saved me a bunch of money on the SAME system I had been planning to buy from Carrier. More importantly, their installation was excellent. They also included a flush mount vent that finishes off those pipes outside... something nobody else even offered. Normally you just get ugly, exposed PVC pipes sticking out of the house.
Another important consideration... their sheetmetal work is done beautifully- neat, sealed well, and sturdy; they even sealed existing ductwork. The sheetmetal was cut with precision on a plasma cutter in their shop. In fact- my old company's salesman also gave me a quote to replace the Amana, and bragged that they can do all their sheetmetal work right in the truck with no need to wait for it. Well, their previous worked looked exactly like that- cheap, quickly done, with large flat surfaces that tended to vibrate and boom.
Choice Aire did a much more professional job, and I appreciated that Eric himself came to give the installation a final inspection. Furthermore, we are more than happy with the efficient and quiet Bryant furnace.
