Summary of my experience with Topline HVAC in Skokie
My home AC hasn't been able to keep up on warmer days for a couple of summers and I finally decided to get some expert advice. I wanted to find out if it was sized improperly for my house when it was installed 10 years ago or if it just needed a tune up, Freon or other adjustments. It is a Trane unit so I went to Trane's website for a recommendation.
At the top of their list close to my home was a company called Topline at 4511 Oakton St in Skokie. They had good reviews on Yelp so I called and made inquiries. Topline was very pleasant on the phone and I went over the specifics of the maintenance checklist from Trane (thorough cleaning, wet bulb/dry bulb temperatures, etc.) and the Topline's phone person checked with someone and assured me they were all covered on their $75 maintenance visit.
On the day of service the tech was supposed to arrive between 8 and 9 am. He actually arrived at 9:15 which was not a problem except that I had waited an hour and was worried that he would be a no show so I had to call them to find out what was up. A courtesy call to me that he was running late would have been appreciated. When the Topline service person started to look at my compressor/condenser outside he tried to figure out how to open it up. When he couldn't quite figure out how to get the sides off, he decided he would just hose it down, something I have done many times and didn't need to pay to have done. I helped him figure out how to get the top with the fan off the unit which didn't happen without bending the unit where we missed a screw. The inside of the condenser by the compressor was full of mud and leaves which needed to be cleaned. He didn't have a wet/dry vacuum or any other way to clean out the debris and he was too short to reach it. Being taller I reached down and pulled as much of the mud and leaves out as possible, ruining some clothes in the process, but I couldn't get enough the mud out with just my hands to unplug the drain holes, so I just helped him figure out how to put it back together.
Next the tech put his refrigeration gages on the compressor lines to check the high and low side pressures. He said he wasn't happy with the numbers he was seeing and didn't know what was causing the discrepancy, so he called someone for advice and was told not to worry about it, it was probably OK. When I pressed him for more info, he said he thought the system was overcharged with Freon. When I asked him if he adjusted the Freon to the correct level, he said "Nah, just leave it but don't let anyone put more Freon in it." When I asked him about the rest of the tests Trane recommended and I had confirmed prior to scheduling the visit, he said he didn't have the equipment but he knew someone who could come and figure it all out. I asked if he thought the system was sized right for my house considering its square footage, walls of windows, high ceilings, skylights, etc., he said the only thing that mattered was the square footage and the other stuff didn't matter. He said for the square footage of my house the unit was plenty large enough.
I paid the tech for the service call even though my unit was still dirty and I didn't have any answers as to why I couldn't cool my house to a comfortable level. I called Topline after he left and spoke to another technician about my concerns. This tech at least understood thermal flows and how windows, insulation, etc., not just square footage affected sizing of HVAC units, but he was no more helpful in solving my issues. I explained to him that it was unsatisfactory to me that I was only able to cool my house down to 78-80 degrees on warmer days even though the AC unit ran 24/7 and I would like to know if it was a mechanical problem or a sizing problem. He just kept repeating that I was doing better than a lot of his customers and I should be happy with what I had. He said the heat wave wouldn't last forever and I should just be patient. When I kept trying to rephrase the question to get some useful information, he would just tell me that I could go on calls with him to see what real problems people were having and I should be grateful my unit was working as well as it was. When I asked him about why the numbers on the gages didn't read as expected he said not to worry. I am no refrigeration expert, but I believe the super-heat and sub-cooling numbers should let you know accurately if the charge is correct and within the manufacturer's specs, not a "I think it is overcharged but leave it alone?"
I can't imagine what kind of HVAC licenses or certifications, if any, my Topline technician had, but he was not able to help me solve my AC problems. Everyone at Topline was very pleasant, but my only option now is call someone else and start over. read more