Alright A/C Company recommendations

5,664 Views | 41 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by EcoZapp.AC&Air.Purifiers
91_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
All,
I hate to bring this up based on a certain sponsor on here.

But my unit is old... very old... I'm living on borrowed time.
I will be replacing in the next 30 days.

I want honest recommendations for A/C replacement companies.

I have 3 estimates already.. they are all in the same ball park and all for the A/C brands that are considered top-notch.

Here's my criteria:
I don't want a company that is selling cadillacs to everyone. I know the value of the dollar i.e. I don't have enough money to where $10K to $15K is nothing to me (yeah, I'm an lolpoor, for the general board lurkers )

I want a company that is honest, will not oversell me, and will be there in the future.
I want a company that's main business is the A/C business. They aren't out there posting facebook polls about what other types of services/products they should look into offering that have nothing at all to do with A/C business.

So, hit me people of Aggieland forum. Tell me who you trust to do the job well, at a fair price, and will be there in the future.






Fonzie Scheme
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Airtech of Brazos Valley. Bought a new unit from them 7-8 years ago (?).
91_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Fonzie Scheme said:

Airtech of Brazos Valley. Bought a new unit from them 7-8 years ago (?).
tell me about them.. haven't heard of them at all
halibut sinclair
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Superior Air Repair - Carl Walthall.

Stay far away from Climate Masters/Doctors. Owner presents himself as a good Christian man, but he's a tool.
montegobay
How long do you want to ignore this user?
In the past I would have recommended Marco at AireCool , but after buying a new unit from him a couple of years ago and having problem after problem, we realized he might be good at repairs but not for an entire system. We were quite disappointed.
91_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
halibut sinclair said:



Stay far away from Climate Masters/Doctors. Owner presents himself as a good Christian man, but he's a tool.

Tell me more about this. I am getting conflicting reports
JP76
How long do you want to ignore this user?
montegobay said:

In the past I would have recommended Marco at AireCool , but after buying a new unit from him a couple of years ago and having problem after problem, we realized he might be good at repairs but not for an entire system. We were quite disappointed.



Tell me more about your experience. What brand was the unit he installed ?

I've had him install at least 8 systems now for my customers as well as friends and family and no one has had any issues like you did.
TellMeMore
How long do you want to ignore this user?
+1 for Air Tech, have used them for years, 696-6030. They are busy, it's that time of year, but they will shoot straight, and not oversell
txgardengirl
How long do you want to ignore this user?
BCS Air Solutions

Karl & Coulter are stand up guys who shoot straight. They don't recommend over-repairing and see systems they wot have to work on
halibut sinclair
How long do you want to ignore this user?
91_Aggie said:

halibut sinclair said:



Stay far away from Climate Masters/Doctors. Owner presents himself as a good Christian man, but he's a tool.

Tell me more about this. I am getting conflicting reports
Long story short - stay away from an a/c guy that tries to tell you that water in the secondary drain pan is normal, and then gets in your face when you want them to fix a brand new system to make it run properly.
EcoZapp.AC&Air.Purifiers
How long do you want to ignore this user?
It's always interesting to see people's perspectives of HVAC companies in this area VS. what I've seen in thousands of attics in this area over the past decade now..

( many A/C installs are often bad, and the way these systems were put in ~15-20 years ago is often a bit worse - and ppl defend those companies all days long.. )


  • Polls on Facebook about what other services homeowners want us to offer, semi- directly relate to HVAC. Having a Plumber comes in handy, Having an Electrician is good, and hopefully next year we'll be hooking a couple Solar panels up to A/C Systems ( to really kill the energy usage) . Managing our HVAC installs is one thing, but having to deal with all the other trades around our HVAC systems has proved to be the most frustrating thing.


We've built a business which solely focuses on Home A/C Systems & Replacing them at this point, It's the one thing we have to do best at- and I hope our good reviews help show that- with our extreme lack of negative reviews. ( Many HVAC companies juggle Commercial, Residential, and Home Builders - thats 3 major different categories IMO to consider when shopping for a new A/C company)

Btw- If you think it'll be really warm on Christmas day.. - we may be able to reimburse a lot of ppl their full purchase price over the next few months and get their A/C replaced for free.. Paying for systems is expensive and financing + being warm on Christmas day might enable us to help homeowners even more. ( details coming next week )
trouble
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I used Barker's a million years ago when I lived here before and had no issues at all. That unit is still at my old house although it's got to be on its last legs by now since it's about 20 years old.

They'll be who I call again when this system needs to be replaced because they made such a good impression on my before when I was young, poor, and inexperienced with house type stuff. No one tried to oversell me or push for upgrades that I didn't need.
TxSquarebody
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Call Adam with Morgan A/C. Fantastic guy, honest with his assessments, competitive pricing. Been using him for years!
979-696-2297
JimInBCS
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Recommend Marco at Aire Cool. He worked on one of our A/C units that went out a few days ago and we were pleased with the service we received.

I got Marco's name from a previous A/C thread on the Aggieland forum.
Goose83
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Mize.
src94
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I've always had good experiences with Malek.
src94
Crusader
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Marco with Aircool installed a new unit just two months ago. Our old unit was over 18 years old and was shot.

Marco was quick, efficient, and gave what I thought was a great price. I'll use him again and recommend him to anyone.
wasntme
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Had a great experience on a new AC install from Patrick w, Dr. Kool
lockett93
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
src94 said:

I've always had good experiences with Malek.


Malek charges exorbitant prices. They charged me $280 to come determine why my 3 year old system under warranty (purchased from them by prior homeowner for $14,000) was acting up and replace a start capacitor (parts only warranty). $280 for labor to diagnose and replace a warrantied capacitor. I called and talked to mgmt and they weren't interested in lowering the price...

3 weeks later another unit had the exact same issue, called F5 Air and the total including the capacitor (out of warranty) was $150.

Avoid Malek...
EBrazosAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
lockett93 said:

src94 said:

I've always had good experiences with Malek.


Malek charges exorbitant prices. They charged me $280 to come determine why my 3 year old system under warranty (purchased from them by prior homeowner for $14,000) was acting up and replace a start capacitor (parts only warranty). $280 for labor to diagnose and replace a warrantied capacitor. I called and talked to mgmt and they weren't interested in lowering the price...

3 weeks later another unit had the exact same issue, called F5 Air and the total including the capacitor (out of warranty) was $150.

Avoid Malek...
Second the avoidance of Malek. Ripped my parents off big time - I have no patience for taking advantage of the elderly. Was totally unresponsive when confronted about the issue. Charge was completely out of line for 15 min clearing a plugged drain line from AC unit.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Fleen
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Marco basically upgraded my whole system piece by piece, over the years until I finally had to replace the outdoor unit 3 years ago... Never had a problem with price, response, quality or service...
CS78
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Are you replacing just because your existing unit is old? I wouldn't replace unless it can't be fixed. They don't make em like they used to.
Txmoe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
TxSquarebody said:

Call Adam with Morgan A/C. Fantastic guy, honest with his assessments, competitive pricing. Been using him for years!
979-696-2297
Can second Morgan. Good local company that charges fair prices. Could have swindled me a couple of times with an older unit but kept it going instead.
91_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
CS78 said:

Are you replacing just because your existing unit is old? I wouldn't replace unless it can't be fixed. They don't make em like they used to.


It cant keep up with the heat. Wont get below 80 in the afternoon.

21 years olds
And sounds like an old prop plane taking off
EcoZapp.AC&Air.Purifiers
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Before you replace, would you like a very discounted Arctic Blast service ? - bet it would cool better & hold up to the heat for a little while longer, and you could review to see if it actually works to the forum.

When we come across systems older than some of our Team- it just works like a charm and can buy you more time. - If you don't want to drop that ~$10k at this moment and add some life back into the system and take some pressure off your compressor / get closer to a comfortable temp inside your home
montegobay
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I can't remember the brand Marco installed. We went with his recommendation. We moved 2 months ago to a new house. Within months, we had leak issues that caused damage. He responded quickly but was less than helpful in paying for damage from poor installation causing leaks. We had a similar issue almost one year later. It was very disheartening because we had always had such a good experience with him.
Fleen
How long do you want to ignore this user?
That is disheartening...
EcoZapp.AC&Air.Purifiers
How long do you want to ignore this user?
- Gotta have that Drywall guy on Stand-by & Be Prepared to eat the cost of sending him out in the HVAC biz.


In the Recent ~2-3 years it's be enlightening just how much moisture/ humidity these newer systems take out of the air and turn into condensation.

The amount of water new systems pump out Vs. Older systems is usually quite a bit of a difference, especially since it's a New A/C System replacement in an older house. A/C Changes, other variables stay the same
( Plumbers and rodent control often help these situations)

The irony behind some water leaks is that in essence, we're providing very clean & cold water for rodents in attics to drink. Rodents drink the water and later the lines clog up.

Is it the A/C guy, the Pest Guy or the Plumber... who knows.. but it's a headache homeowners semi-often see after new replacements

rptsAg03
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Grimes and Galan has been extremely reliable and reasonable for us over the last several years. We have not used them to install, but I would undoubtedly trust them with that should the need arise. Honest, and very good at what they do. Add them to your list!
txxwildcard
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Hands down Marco with Aire Cool, trust worthy and very honest guy 979-777-2520!!!
Fonzie Scheme
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Sorry. I've known the owner of AirTech for nearly 20 years. He's just a decent man. His son is working with him now.
HowdyAg99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We had a great experience with Aggieland Climate Control. They installed a new unit for a rental property of ours last September.

The house seemed very humid immediately after install and the owner tried to sell me a humidity control thermostat over the phone without even verifying the new unit was working properly, so that was annoying.

A couple of techs came over and adjusted the fan speed and all has worked great. The techs were extremely respectful and cleaned up their work space very well afterwards.
BCS-Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Love or hate their marketing tactics, I have to chime in and say EcoZap did a great job for us. I didn't get anything major done, just an inexpensive relay as well as a 2 unit preventative maintenance & recharge. Compared to the other providers I have used in the past, their customer service, communication, and timelines were great. I also had a friendly conversation with the tech and you could tell he was knowledgeable and loved his job. No they didn't push any magic juice or other add on sales

p.s. I am not affiliated with EcoZap in any way.
91_Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
BCS-Ag said:

Love or hate their marketing tactics, I have to chime in and say EcoZap did a great job for us. I didn't get anything major done, as well as a 2 unit preventative maintenance & recharge. Compared to the other providers I have used in the past, their customer service, communication, and timelines were great. I also had a friendly conversation with the tech and you could tell he was knowledgeable and loved his job. No they didn't push any magic juice or other add on sales

p.s. I am not affiliated with EcoZap in any way.
They may be good... but they've ruined any chance of me giving them a chance here.

I need to be able to believe in sincerity, integrity, quality, gonna be around in the long term.

But their "social media" guy (or at least the guy who posts on here) has done everything he can to distance his company from those attributes.

EcoZapp.AC&Air.Purifiers
How long do you want to ignore this user?
BCS-Ag said:

Love or hate their marketing tactics, I have to chime in and say EcoZap did a great job for us. I didn't get anything major done, just an inexpensive relay as well as a 2 unit preventative maintenance & recharge. Compared to the other providers I have used in the past, their customer service, communication, and timelines were great. I also had a friendly conversation with the tech and you could tell he was knowledgeable and loved his job. No they didn't push any magic juice or other add on sales

p.s. I am not affiliated with EcoZap in any way.


-Thanks for the shout out & for being a customer! - Always glad to see & hear good feedback
Page 1 of 2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.