Twin Palms

We were called out to Ms. [redacted]’s home by [redacted] Home Warranty for a claim on the air-conditioning.  On June 27, 2016 the technician arrived at the home and Ms. [redacted] told him that it was a problem with a crack in her heat exchanger located in the furnace and not an air conditioning...

issue.  We contacted her warranty company, [redacted] and they changed her work order to a heating issue so that we could replace Ms. [redacted]’s furnace.  An inspection of the air conditioning system was not done since the work order was changed from air conditioning to heating.  [redacted] provided the new furnace, a [redacted] model #[redacted] and the labor to install the new furnace. The unit is located in a closet and attaches to the air conditioning evaporator coil by a transition.  The furnace is part of the heating system and evaporator coil is part of the air conditioning system and are two separate pieces of equipment. Ms. [redacted] had some costs that were not covered by [redacted] to properly install the new furnace.  These items included disposal of old unit, platform decking, gas flex and stop, vent pipe, cap & collar, return air modifications, drip leg, transition and access door for $1,475.00.  The furnace was installed on July 29, 2016 and Ms. [redacted] paid the amount for the additional work to the furnace provided by her home warranty company.  On August 1, 2016 Ms. [redacted] sent us an email stating that her furnace was running really loud and that the “gas was shut off and never turned back on.  No hot water since installation.”  She submitted a recall work order to [redacted] who requested we go back out to the home. The technician returned to the home that same day to address her concerns.  Technician found gas was properly turned on at the furnace.  Occasionally when the gas is shut off to the furnace during an installation, the gas may purge and turn off the pilot light at other gas appliances.  This is the case with Ms. [redacted]’s water heater.   The technician, as a courtesy relit Ms. [redacted]’s water heater.  The technician found no mechanical problems with the furnace and it was operating as designed.  Different manufactured furnaces make different noises.  We did not provide or choose the manufacturer for the furnace installed at Ms. [redacted]’s home.  That decision was made by [redacted].On August 10, 2016 Ms. [redacted] submitted a recall request again through [redacted] complaining of the noise of the new furnace.  The senior technician returned to the home and again found that the new furnace is operating as designed.  The technician did lower the fan speed to help reduce the noise.  The furnace is located in a closet and return air is located in the living room as originally designed when the home was built.   It is common to hear the running of the furnace in this location.Sometime between August 10, 2016 and our recall claim on September 27, 2016, as Ms. [redacted] stated on her Revdex.com complaint, “ I got a second opinion from another HVAC company regarding the noise level and the increase in my energy bill going up double the typical cost. The second opinion found that 4 duct runs were not attached and that the plenum was not sealed and attic was cooler than the house.” The ductwork issue has nothing to do with the work we were contracted and paid for by [redacted] or Ms. [redacted].  This is an issue with her air conditioning system and not the furnace we installed.  It does not attach to the furnace in any way but is attached to the evaporator coil.  We were not contracted to check her air conditioning or ductwork system.  Ms. [redacted] did not send us any information about this second opinion company or their findings.On September 27, 2016 we received an air conditioning claim for Ms. [redacted] from [redacted] only as a recall on our previous work for her heater.  The technician returned to her home on October 1, 2016 and found the transition between the furnace and evaporator had some minor areas where it has come apart.  Nothing was mentioned about the plenum or ductwork.  The installation technician was scheduled to return to make the repair on the transition on October 3, 2016 but Ms. [redacted] rescheduled for October 6, 2016 and then rescheduled that also.  The installation technician returned to the home October 10, 2016 and taped and sealed the transition between the furnace and evaporator coil.     Ms. [redacted] called back on October 11, 2016 letting us know her air conditioning wasn’t working.  Since our work was on the heater and not the air conditioning we let [redacted] know we needed a work order to address the air conditioning.  When we finally received a work order for the air conditioning we attempted to schedule with Ms. [redacted] for October 14, 2016 but she refused.   We had an opening come up for the next morning but the work order was cancelled.Ms. [redacted] stated in her complaint that “ I called the second opinion company back out. They found that the wiring was all off on the board and that it was set up to run constantly and the fuse on the board had blown. The HVAC condenser was not running at all. They also found that the plenum and duct runs were still not properly sealed and the attic was still cooler than the house.” When we received the complaint from the Revdex.com regarding Ms. [redacted] we contacted [redacted] to get the second opinion report from the other company.  Their report stated “Found the duct run needed to be replaced, there is no failure to furnace.  Homeowner complaining about noise. We suggest installing a filter rack under the furnace to reduce noise.”  There was no mention of any wiring off at the furnace.  The lowered fan speed of the furnace to reduce the noise Ms. [redacted] complained about is a common industry practice.  It can cause the system to run a little longer in order to cool the home.  But noise was the most important issue to Ms. [redacted].  We stand behind the work we performed at Ms. [redacted]’s home and will not offer a refund or a new furnace.  Ms. [redacted]’s complaints have no relationship to the work we provided and she paid for.  She has not stated that the items she paid for were done incorrectly.  Her issues are other issues with the air conditioning system.  She should contact her home warranty company [redacted] if she feels these are items that should be covered under her contract with them.  Tell us why here...