I recently moved to Florida and bought a home. In the process of making minor repairs and making…read moresure the systems in the house are in good repair, I have called on three or four contracxtors. The pattern of many of the larger contractors is truly disturbing. For example, I called a plumbing company to repair a leak in a toilet, The plumber did a few minor things and then declared that the toilet needed replacement. He charged $125 for the call. He offered to install a new toilet for $650! When I asked him to repair a leaky shower faucet, he said the hardware needed replacement at a cost of $850. I then bought a name brand toilet for $169 and had a licensed plumber install it for $75, I had the same kind of experience with two other fairly sizable companies in other service specialities.
About a month ago, I bought a service contract on the air conditiong system. The contract covered specific repairs over 12 months. It also included one annual checkup and tuneup.
They came this week for the annual service call. AAfter a few minutes, the technician declared he could not clean the coils because they were so old they would deteriorate. When I asked hium why the heat was not working, he blamed it on the coils. I explained that the cooling was working perfectly and that my electric bills were very low. He then said his cell phone was not working so he neeeded to go outside to the call the office, When he returned, he said the unit neeeded replacement at a cost of $4,100, payable with no interest in 12 months or over an extended period at $60 a month.
I have learned to not fall for these scams. I called a good friend who is a realtor and asked what I should do. His answer was tto "call Randy," who he described as very honest, very knowedgeable and reasonable. Randy is a licensed HVAC contractor doing business as RPM Cooling, Inc.
He arrived on time, inspected the unit and explained the options. To se the cleaning process the other company referred to, the coild would be removed and immersed in a very strong chemical to draw the accumulated dirt from between the coils. He explained that there are actually about 400 welds in the coils and, with the age of the unit, it is likely that the chemicals will affect the weaker welds, causing leaks. He suggested a different approach. Don't remove the coils. Use a different cleaning agent sprayed in and around the coils. The agent is not as strong but does an adequate job.
The pressure in the lines was adequatre, No need for a recharge, When I told him the amount of my monthly electric bill, he said it was very unlikely that there were any leaks. As for the heating, he explained that the coils have nothing to do with this function. He reprogrammed the digital themostat and the heat kicked on! First time since I moved in.
He then noticed that electrical connection on the water heater located in the same closet, He wasn't being paid to service the water heater. But he removed a dangerous connecting cable and reinstalled it to code because he said a leak from aboive the water heater could cause damage.
In less than three hours, he had everything working. Then he gave me the invoice. I thought it was a mistake because it was so low compared to everything I had experienced since moving here.
I said, by the way, how much would it cost to replace the A/C if that ever becomes necessary. $2,800 - $3,000 he said for a name brand quality unit of the same capacity.
A breath of fresh air!
