TLDR:
My AC went out and we have to replace the condenser unit and evap coil. Do any of yall know a trustworthy HVAC crew in the Denton area? The service company that the home warranty people have lined up are quoting about $2500 for a Goodman 4 ton 14 SEER system, and about $3800 for an Oxbox system. I checked with a couple companies that came up in a quick google search and their quotes were significantly higher.
The longer, more action-packed story:
So I've personally maintained my air conditioning system since moving in back in 2017, and for the first time I decide to have a "pro" do a checkup back late february. I found out he partially threaded a screw into the condenser coil putting the panel back on after certifying everything was fine. It was a slow leak and took 6 months before it evacuated enough to cause the AC compressor to shut off due to low pressure. This happened monday 8/24 around 4 am.
I figured the system was on its last legs when I moved in, so I've maintained a home warranty with One Guard (that I do not recommend) for just this occasion. They call in a tech, who showed up the next day 8/25 around 2 pm. He spends a total of 3 minutes on it to verify the leak in the condenser coil, says he will send in the report and they'll have to wait for the warranty company to approve any work, and leaves. Before he leaves, he tells me that the part can't be fixed (I expected as much) and that it would have to be replaced, except that it's R22 and can't be replaced so they'll have to upgrade the entire system to 410a (also expected). I check with the warranty company 3 times a day until friday 8/28 when they call me around 330 with their decision and plan.
They said the condenser coil has a hole in it and can't be repaired, and because it's so old it can't be replaced (duh, I told you that when I called 4 days ago!). So they say they will cover the replacement of the entire condenser unit. Okay cool. Then they say that my since my evap coil is not compatible with 410a it'll have to be replaced too and that's on my dime. They said that my policy only covers components that are in mechanical failure and they won't cover parts that function but are not compatible with replacements. I tried with 3 different representatives to get them to explain how it is that the only part that needs replacing is the condenser coil and that justifies replacing the entire condenser unit when the other components are fine, but they won't replace the evap coil? Not a single one of them seemed to even understand the questions I was asking. I'd lead them on until we got to the point where they were supposed to see the massive inconsistency, but then they'd just say their line about not replacing incompatible parts. I eventually gave up trying to explain after I literally ran out of new ways to try to point out the inconsistency. Are there any TBHers that can explain this? I figured if they have to draw the "incompatibility" line somewhere that replacing the condenser makes sense but they wouldn't even give me a "just because" answer.
Also, is 3 full business days to get a report and quote generated normal in a situation like this? The tech that visited knew what was wrong and what it would take to replace it in under 5 min but the warranty company took 3 full days to call me with the plan. As you may expect I'm not at all too happy about it. I may be part of the unwashed masses when it comes to most HVAC stuff but it seems to me that the service company should have their information prepared and ready to go immediately. I think the service provider sent over the report and the warranty company sat on the report for 3 days while me and the fiance sweated it out.
Anyway, rant over. If you made it this far I appreciate you letting me vent. Any advice on how to handle warranty companies would be greatly appreciated.
My AC went out and we have to replace the condenser unit and evap coil. Do any of yall know a trustworthy HVAC crew in the Denton area? The service company that the home warranty people have lined up are quoting about $2500 for a Goodman 4 ton 14 SEER system, and about $3800 for an Oxbox system. I checked with a couple companies that came up in a quick google search and their quotes were significantly higher.
The longer, more action-packed story:
So I've personally maintained my air conditioning system since moving in back in 2017, and for the first time I decide to have a "pro" do a checkup back late february. I found out he partially threaded a screw into the condenser coil putting the panel back on after certifying everything was fine. It was a slow leak and took 6 months before it evacuated enough to cause the AC compressor to shut off due to low pressure. This happened monday 8/24 around 4 am.
I figured the system was on its last legs when I moved in, so I've maintained a home warranty with One Guard (that I do not recommend) for just this occasion. They call in a tech, who showed up the next day 8/25 around 2 pm. He spends a total of 3 minutes on it to verify the leak in the condenser coil, says he will send in the report and they'll have to wait for the warranty company to approve any work, and leaves. Before he leaves, he tells me that the part can't be fixed (I expected as much) and that it would have to be replaced, except that it's R22 and can't be replaced so they'll have to upgrade the entire system to 410a (also expected). I check with the warranty company 3 times a day until friday 8/28 when they call me around 330 with their decision and plan.
They said the condenser coil has a hole in it and can't be repaired, and because it's so old it can't be replaced (duh, I told you that when I called 4 days ago!). So they say they will cover the replacement of the entire condenser unit. Okay cool. Then they say that my since my evap coil is not compatible with 410a it'll have to be replaced too and that's on my dime. They said that my policy only covers components that are in mechanical failure and they won't cover parts that function but are not compatible with replacements. I tried with 3 different representatives to get them to explain how it is that the only part that needs replacing is the condenser coil and that justifies replacing the entire condenser unit when the other components are fine, but they won't replace the evap coil? Not a single one of them seemed to even understand the questions I was asking. I'd lead them on until we got to the point where they were supposed to see the massive inconsistency, but then they'd just say their line about not replacing incompatible parts. I eventually gave up trying to explain after I literally ran out of new ways to try to point out the inconsistency. Are there any TBHers that can explain this? I figured if they have to draw the "incompatibility" line somewhere that replacing the condenser makes sense but they wouldn't even give me a "just because" answer.
Also, is 3 full business days to get a report and quote generated normal in a situation like this? The tech that visited knew what was wrong and what it would take to replace it in under 5 min but the warranty company took 3 full days to call me with the plan. As you may expect I'm not at all too happy about it. I may be part of the unwashed masses when it comes to most HVAC stuff but it seems to me that the service company should have their information prepared and ready to go immediately. I think the service provider sent over the report and the warranty company sat on the report for 3 days while me and the fiance sweated it out.
Anyway, rant over. If you made it this far I appreciate you letting me vent. Any advice on how to handle warranty companies would be greatly appreciated.
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