Stokes Comfort Systems Heating & Cooling

On June 28th I went to the property to look over an air conditioner that was not workingUpon arrival I noticed that the air conditioner was well past its lifetime and made it clear to them that any possible fixes to the air conditioner could very well be temporary but would do my best to help them
fix this situation anywaysI noticed when I powered on the ac unit that the fan motor failed to power onI then removed power and then checked the capacitorThe capacitor was still reading goodKnowing then that the motor was the main issue and knowing that I was not going to be able to resolve the issue that evening I decided to install a larger capacitor onto the unit to try and get it running in the mean time so that they would have cold air in their home in this heatI then returned the next day with a new motor and new capacitor for that motorI also want to note that anytime you ever buy a new fan motor it will never come with a new capacitorThose are always sold separatelyYou can ask any hvac technician to fact check thatI have never in all my years of servicing hvac systems been given a free capacitor for buying a motorI then removed the existing motor and fan blade from their extremely old and outdated air conditioner of which everything is rusted over on so you can imagine the amount of work it took to remove the partI then installed the new fan motor, blade, and capacitorThe unit was then powered on and working properlyDue to the age of the unit and how long it has been sitting in the same spot which is completely out of level the air conditioner did have a wobble to itBefore I left I helped shim it to the best of its ability of which helped a bit but knew it was not going to last foreverBefore doing all of this work I warned them that they were in need of a new air conditioner over installing a new fan but due to financial situations they were not able to buy a new unit at the timeSo I did the best I could to help with the budget they were able to work withOnce everything was completely installed and cleaned up I left for the dayThe next day I had to leave to go complete a project out of town and had left my work phone at the office as I was going to be in an area with no cell serviceIn the meantime she had contacted me and left a message explaining that the ac unit had stopped working againI was not able to get this message until I returned from out of town to find out that she already hired someone else to come out and look over the projectOnce I came back in to town I tried to contact her and even stopped by her property to see what there was that I could do to helpthere was no one home when I stopped by and the ac unit was workingI then got a message saying that the ac technician that she had come out said I installed the capacitor incorrectlyIn her complaint she says that the ac tech noted that I had installed the capacitor metal on metalWell to inform whomever is reading this is you install a capacitor metal on metal then it will short out that capacitor and trip the breaker for the acThat means that the fan would have never worked from the beginning of the installationThis is a clear sign of what certain unprofessional ac technicians do when they come to look over a job of a competitorThey will come out and try to fill the homeowners head with as much negative information about the previous worker so that the homeowner will get comfortable with them and use them for their work instead of the previous companyIn reading this complaint, which I want to also note is the first complaint I have ever had in my plus years in the hvac field, I can see the in experience in the technician who came out to the property after meBefore I explain the next part I want to inform you of my credentials in this fieldI received my degree in and graduated in the top of my class, second highest grades out of students I went to school withI was offered a teaching and mentoring position with the school due to my knowledge and dedication to the fieldI can back any of this information by any of my former teachers as I work along side them in the field from time to time as well servicing hvac systems as small as residential units to some of the largest hvac systems manufacturedI dont want to talk into my education to much but want everyone to know that I know the ins and outs of your heating and cooling systemsNow back to the technician who came to repair the shorted out capacitorWhen a capacitor is running and in good condition there is no temporary fix which she states he completedIf he re situated the capacitor so it would not be touching metal anymore then the ac unit will work fine and is not a temporary but permanent fixOn the next section she states that the technician told her that there was damage to the motor due to the shorting out of the capacitor which is a statementWhen a capacitor gets shorted out there is a split second time in which the electric shorts out and shuts off your breaker from the panelIn that split second when the electricity spikes there is a safety device on the motor in which cuts the coil of the motor out of the circuit to protect any over heating of the system similar to a surge protector in your homethis protects the motor from situations that they are explainingWhen installing a fan motor into an ac system there is a mounting bracket in which you rest the motor in which is screwed into the ac unit itselfThere is only one way to install it as it is a part of the ac unit when it comes from the manufacturerYou loosen a bolt, pull the motor out, slip the new one in, and then screw the lid back down to the top and that is itThe fan blade that is attached to the unit is the same age as their outdated unit which is most likely the cause of their wobblingI cannot guarantee something that Is not brand new and unpredictableI used the existing fan blade onto the new motor as we were already getting on the higher end of their budget to repair the ac unitI am not one to try and sell customers everything I possibly can to get the most money out of themI was just trying to replace the part that was actually broke with them understanding that this may be a temporary fix due to the overall age of their systemIf you notice the new technician they had come out to their property it says nothing about him getting rid of the wobbling of the ac unit because there is not a fix for itEverything was installed correctly and effort was made to cause a year old ac system to be as stable as possibleOnce I got back into town I made an effort to go and resolve the issue but having the other technician come over had caused their warranty to be void with meAs with any company whom I have ever worked for or with, if someone else comes out to perform work on a project you completed then that automatically will void any warrantyIf any part comes with a warranty then it is up to the manufacturer to decide what to do with the warrantyI only cover labor in my warrantiesIf they want to get rid of the wobble in their system the next thing that they would want to try and complete is to get a new fan blade installedEven then I cant guarantee that will workI explained to them that a new ac unit is the recommended way to go but that is all I can do is offer my adviceTheir new hvac technician should have informed them of that when he was there if he in fact was experienced enough but due to some of the comment he made in regards to how the ac system works I dont believe he even knew what to do at the time he was thereWith the hundreds of customers that I deal with each month I know that there is always a few that cant seem to see eye to eye but will always try to remain professional and reliable to everyoneIf you are looking over this complaint please dont hesitate to contact me and let me know your thoughts or concernsI can get you in touch with several clients whom I have worked with for years and continue to work with day for references.