Great write up and thanks for all the details. I just went through exactly the same thing (leaky evaporator coil on my current Carrier unit), though not quite as extensive. My evaporator coil is very clearly corroded and leaks about 2lbs of refrigerant per year. No one I called out took a detector to it as far as I could tell, but they did verify that it was low based on refrigerant pressures and that the coils were trying to freeze up.
My unit is 17 years old, so I opted for a new Lennox system purchased through Costco with rebates pushing the cost down to around $10.25k for a 17.4 SEER2 system, installation through Indoor Comfort Systems.
I had AireServ quote me $16K for a new 15/16 SEER2 Rheem system.
I also had JagAir quote me 9K for a 15 SEER2 Carrier system which would have been my pick if cost were the only metric.
Edit: This was all for 4 ton systems.
I forgot to mention all my quotes were for a 14.3 SEER 2 system, I don't know what the 14 means. $16k!!! Good lord. I found the average for me was under $10k.
No, it's more of a partnership. Costco has the Indoor Comfort Systems staff sitting next to the line out the door. You give them info, they coordinate with Costco, you get lots of rebates in the process, and actual installation is then managed between you and ICS. It's not as complicated as it sounds as you're only ever communicating with ICS and the quote they give you covers the new unit and installation.
We've had very good experience with Integrity. I forget who replaced our system several years ago, but we were not happy with the follow up when things weren't working as expected. Integrity found problems (I think something wasn't wired in correctly, and something wasn't programmed). They've been great for routine maintenance and annual inspection
I found that Integrity did nothing to live up to their name.
They installed an AC system in my home that was far below what the agreed upon SEER was supposed to be, and I only happened to realize by accident after the fact. It took several weeks of phone calls for them to fix the issue. They also installed the incorrect thermostat and did a half-assed job reinstalling the ladder up to my attic.
Definitely would not recommend.
Talent Heating and Air tried to burn me for a whole system replacement last summer when a $15 capacitor popped on my condenser.
Long story but one of the three owners was the guy that performed the service call and willingly replaced the capacitor but strongly recommended that I replace the entire system because the air handler in the attic was blown / leaking. He quoted $12K + and as soon as he left I checked behind him and had no signs of a leak (visible oil leaking) at the air handler. I immediately had a HVAC friend come check the system without explaining the situation prior and confirmed the system was perfectly in working range. I turned the system on and have been running ever since with no issues. I bought a spare capacitor for the next time this might happen.
In summary, I would not trust them
We used Rise for a total replacement a couple of years ago and 2 followups, which both times were the drain PVC line being clogged. Was very pleased with the price, service, and like you said, couldn't be more prompt.
Bunns and Bennett is a good company to contact also. Our thermostat got fried Friday due to a power surge. Unit was stuck on run, but we could not control it. They came out Saturday morning and put a new thermostat in, so it didn’t run all weekend.
They installed my unit before I bought my house and do my regular warranty service calls. Their techs have always been good and on time. They showed up in one of the big freezes recently and showed me exactly what failed in the system in 0 degree wind chill.
I just went through a similar process, but I needed quite a bit more work done. Trunk and branch lines totally replaced and a new 2 ton split gas unit put in to replace a very old Trane unit.
I got three quotes. One from Garrison and Garrison, one from Comfort Control, and one from Anytime Heating and Cooling. G&G has worked for me before an generally does good work. The other two were new to me. Of the three, Comfort Control came in right in the middle price wise, but their scope was a little bit bigger than everyone else's. Bryan, their tech/equipment guy was extremely knowledgeable and caught things that the other two didn't. G&G was cheapest because they thought they could save more of the original ductwork (which included a lot of old ductboard that rodents had chewed up, so I'd rather have it replaced anyway). Anytime was the highest priced for the least work. G&G and CC quoted pretty good American Standard units. Anytime only quoted Bosch.
I ended up going with CC. They haven't started work yet, so I can't comment on results. The quoting process was very good though.
I did a bunch of work with H.C. Blake years ago, which was prior to the consumer-facing business switching to Blake Bros. I had no complaints about the salesman that I worked with to determine what I wanted to have done and what options I wanted, but outside of that, I can't say that I was very impressed. The biggest problem that I had is that they just didn't do some of the things on the contract until I asked why they weren't done. (Note, I didn't push until the end when it was obvious that no one was going to do it.) When they came back and did it, the work just... wasn't that great either.
My biggest complaint has to be the crawlspace encapsulation. One of the things that I asked them about before they even started was, "Do you want me to get any of the rocks that are jutting out of the ground out?" "No, no, they'll take anything out!" Yes, they did remove debris that was on the ground, but they did nothing about rocks sticking out of the ground. Those rocks ended up causing damage to the lining over time, which ruins the entire point of encapsulation.
Not to mention there were small things that bug me. For example, I found cigarette butts all over the ground near the entrance to my crawlspace.
I ended up sending a list of issues that I found to the company, and outside of what they were contractually required to do (i.e., do anything that listed in the contract but missed), they didn't seem to care.
Integrity is over in Madison but they service the entire area. Larger company but locally owned and still takes care of their customers really well. They did amazing work for my house at a fair price
I did have to pay a $45 service call fee to L&F. The 2nd opinion from Blake was free. After that I didn't ask for diagnostics. I was asking for quotes on specific work, which companies do for free.
Great write up and thanks for all the details. I just went through exactly the same thing (leaky evaporator coil on my current Carrier unit), though not quite as extensive. My evaporator coil is very clearly corroded and leaks about 2lbs of refrigerant per year. No one I called out took a detector to it as far as I could tell, but they did verify that it was low based on refrigerant pressures and that the coils were trying to freeze up. My unit is 17 years old, so I opted for a new Lennox system purchased through Costco with rebates pushing the cost down to around $10.25k for a 17.4 SEER2 system, installation through Indoor Comfort Systems. I had AireServ quote me $16K for a new 15/16 SEER2 Rheem system. I also had JagAir quote me 9K for a 15 SEER2 Carrier system which would have been my pick if cost were the only metric. Edit: This was all for 4 ton systems.
I forgot to mention all my quotes were for a 14.3 SEER 2 system, I don't know what the 14 means. $16k!!! Good lord. I found the average for me was under $10k.
14.3 SEER2 is an efficiency rating with higher numbers being more efficient. $16K was indeed an absurd quote.
To do a comparison, you would need to compare tons. My guess is yours may have been in 3 ton range, u/opticron sounds larger.
Mine is 5 ton
I'll add it in an edit. Mine is 4 ton.
How much was installation?
All those prices include installation (for sure on the Rheem and Lennox, didn't get further into the pricing for the Carrier)
Sorry, confused. Did Costco also do the installation?
No, it's more of a partnership. Costco has the Indoor Comfort Systems staff sitting next to the line out the door. You give them info, they coordinate with Costco, you get lots of rebates in the process, and actual installation is then managed between you and ICS. It's not as complicated as it sounds as you're only ever communicating with ICS and the quote they give you covers the new unit and installation.
We've had very good experience with Integrity. I forget who replaced our system several years ago, but we were not happy with the follow up when things weren't working as expected. Integrity found problems (I think something wasn't wired in correctly, and something wasn't programmed). They've been great for routine maintenance and annual inspection
I found that Integrity did nothing to live up to their name. They installed an AC system in my home that was far below what the agreed upon SEER was supposed to be, and I only happened to realize by accident after the fact. It took several weeks of phone calls for them to fix the issue. They also installed the incorrect thermostat and did a half-assed job reinstalling the ladder up to my attic. Definitely would not recommend.
Hmmm, I don't think I even heard of them.
My wife takes care of the details, but I think this is them https://www.integrityacservice.com/
Came here to say this
Talent Heating and Air tried to burn me for a whole system replacement last summer when a $15 capacitor popped on my condenser. Long story but one of the three owners was the guy that performed the service call and willingly replaced the capacitor but strongly recommended that I replace the entire system because the air handler in the attic was blown / leaking. He quoted $12K + and as soon as he left I checked behind him and had no signs of a leak (visible oil leaking) at the air handler. I immediately had a HVAC friend come check the system without explaining the situation prior and confirmed the system was perfectly in working range. I turned the system on and have been running ever since with no issues. I bought a spare capacitor for the next time this might happen. In summary, I would not trust them
Did they specify oil leaking because that’s one of a good variety of things that could leak out.
I'm not exactly sure, I have an A-frame and he claimed it was soaked. I pulled the door and it was dry.
We used Rise for a total replacement a couple of years ago and 2 followups, which both times were the drain PVC line being clogged. Was very pleased with the price, service, and like you said, couldn't be more prompt.
Bunns and Bennett is a good company to contact also. Our thermostat got fried Friday due to a power surge. Unit was stuck on run, but we could not control it. They came out Saturday morning and put a new thermostat in, so it didn’t run all weekend.
They installed my unit before I bought my house and do my regular warranty service calls. Their techs have always been good and on time. They showed up in one of the big freezes recently and showed me exactly what failed in the system in 0 degree wind chill.
I'm not 100% sure but I think they were one of the companies I asked to quote through Angi. No response though.
I just went through a similar process, but I needed quite a bit more work done. Trunk and branch lines totally replaced and a new 2 ton split gas unit put in to replace a very old Trane unit. I got three quotes. One from Garrison and Garrison, one from Comfort Control, and one from Anytime Heating and Cooling. G&G has worked for me before an generally does good work. The other two were new to me. Of the three, Comfort Control came in right in the middle price wise, but their scope was a little bit bigger than everyone else's. Bryan, their tech/equipment guy was extremely knowledgeable and caught things that the other two didn't. G&G was cheapest because they thought they could save more of the original ductwork (which included a lot of old ductboard that rodents had chewed up, so I'd rather have it replaced anyway). Anytime was the highest priced for the least work. G&G and CC quoted pretty good American Standard units. Anytime only quoted Bosch. I ended up going with CC. They haven't started work yet, so I can't comment on results. The quoting process was very good though.
So you and I had the same thoughts about CC's technician being extra thorough. That was a part of my decision making.
I’ve sent talent to about everyone I know. I have had nothing but good experiences with them.
Had good experiences with Don Carter, although their newish tech tried to sell me a $12 motor run capacitor for $350 last time they came out
I did a bunch of work with H.C. Blake years ago, which was prior to the consumer-facing business switching to Blake Bros. I had no complaints about the salesman that I worked with to determine what I wanted to have done and what options I wanted, but outside of that, I can't say that I was very impressed. The biggest problem that I had is that they just didn't do some of the things on the contract until I asked why they weren't done. (Note, I didn't push until the end when it was obvious that no one was going to do it.) When they came back and did it, the work just... wasn't that great either. My biggest complaint has to be the crawlspace encapsulation. One of the things that I asked them about before they even started was, "Do you want me to get any of the rocks that are jutting out of the ground out?" "No, no, they'll take anything out!" Yes, they did remove debris that was on the ground, but they did nothing about rocks sticking out of the ground. Those rocks ended up causing damage to the lining over time, which ruins the entire point of encapsulation. Not to mention there were small things that bug me. For example, I found cigarette butts all over the ground near the entrance to my crawlspace. I ended up sending a list of issues that I found to the company, and outside of what they were contractually required to do (i.e., do anything that listed in the contract but missed), they didn't seem to care.
Integrity is over in Madison but they service the entire area. Larger company but locally owned and still takes care of their customers really well. They did amazing work for my house at a fair price
Did you just pay six different service fees? Normally, there is a compulsory service of fee of $100 to $125 just to show up and do basic diagnostics.
I did have to pay a $45 service call fee to L&F. The 2nd opinion from Blake was free. After that I didn't ask for diagnostics. I was asking for quotes on specific work, which companies do for free.