jimindm
Well-known member
A year ago July we had an out side central air unit give up, and we had a new furnace and AC unit installed. We have an older two story home and looking and talking to contractors decided on Rheem units. Multi speed fan and outputs, dependent on needed load.
Now I do not know about the original installer. Seemed like he knew what was going on, talked the same talk as others who came and sort of told us what we needed. Condensate pump and thermostat was all part of it.
As the installer was installing it, it installed like most, but when it came to sort of fine tuning it, he commented that he was just not that knowledgeable about it and would get through it.
Right after installation I called about the blower speed did not seem to ramp up enough. They came out and agreed that it did not seem to blow sufficiently and changed something in the controls. It worked great for cooling.
Winter came and it again worked great. You never really heard it on, but our house was overall just more comfortable. Did not matter whether you were in the basement or the second floor.
So thank giving time last year. House heats up to 90 degrees. Dealt with that a few days until they can come. It was the thermostat. The new one they installed at the time they did the unit.
This summer the outside unit starts sounding like an arc welder. Lights dim and finally it shuts off. It was hot out, but again waited a few days and out come the guy. He gets out of the truck and asks if I have replaced the filters, and cleaned the outside unit. I told him I am good about the filters, but had not done anything with the outside unit.
Now I am no HVAC tech, but I am not clueless either. I had thought about the outside unit being dirty. I would even say that it did have sort of have a pollen dirt filled sweater on it. But it did still move leaves on the trees, 20 ft above it, when on.
He was by himself and I was sort of helping him remove the cage of the unit and cleaning it out. I even mentioned to him that while there was a sweater on it, it certainly moved a lot of air, and I thought he maybe wrong on his diagnosis. He went on to say that if I would have had them come do there summer service this would have all been done including a furnace filter.
Well we got it back together and he topped it off with just a shot of freon. They really had not been back since it was installed, and it was apart of the summer service.
Worked great a few hours and back to dimming lights and arcing sound. I actually made a video on my cell phone and called again. It was late that day but he returned. At which point he headed to the furnace and said something was interrupting the outside unit operation. He found the condensate pump bad.
He asked why it had mud in it is and sort of asked how deep the water was in our basement. Not a bad thought as we do live next to a river, and it had been higher than usual. Normally our sump pump would have been running but they were installing a deep sewer line behind our home. That contractor had wells dug and pumps of their own, running for weeks, to drop the water table enough for them to do their work. Our sump basins did not get a drop of water in them.
I told him since it was all new during the install, what ever was in there came from the equipment he installed the year before. He said that it was to late and the place they get the pumps was closed. I told him I would run to the box store and get one. I figured at that point, I wanted cool AC and the pump may or may not even be warrantied.
I went and got one, and while I was gone, the wife commented that he was in the basement and asked if she could cycle the thermostat. She did and pretty soon he was up and was replacing it, while I was gone. When I got back, it was well into the evening, and he put the pump on and everything worked well.
The last few weeks, there are times the house just feels cold. Kind of just thought it was me and for the most part it sounded like everything was working ok. Yesterday we got up to the house at 62. the furnace sort of started, but never really fired off. Having never really went through and set the thermostat that he installed a few months ago, I went through and set all of the times and programmed it, and also replaced the batteries. It worked the rest of the day. Went to bed last night and it was 72. Which is where I set every setting that morning.
Woke up this morning and its 64. Again furnace is sort of coming on, not firing and shutting down. It appears the thermostat is commanding heat. I went to the furnace and it seems to be flashing a code. Looked in the owners book and the code is for venting. I looked at the outside pipes and they appear to be clear. It list several other causes including sensors and control boards.
That brings me up to my question. At this point I think it is something with the furnace. I am not going to freeze to death tonight, so I will deal with it in the morning. The company that installed it does heating and cooling, along with being an electrical contractor. I sort of think the heating and cooling is sort of a side deal with him, as he has a fleet of electric trucks, but only one HVAC truck-guy.
At this point I maybe questioning the the ability of the service guy. Every trip he has made it seems that he knew what was wrong when he got out of the truck, to find out he was wrong in the end, the sort of trying to push it off on us. Then throw in he never seems to know what the cost is, is always going to work it out and send a bill. Which come several months later and we have to call and work through that.
While the problems in the past appear not to be the units themselves, but the add ons that go with the installation. I get that you need to let the guy make it right, and I think I have.
Is it now time to call some one else? Someone that is an installer for Rheem products. I think the units are still under warranty of some sort, would that warranty carry over to another service company that deals with Rheem products.
The house will no doubt get colder as time passes. A new company may not want to service me very timely, if they did not sell the units in the first place. I am sure or would think I would sort of be at the top of the service pile at the original guy.
What would you do.
Now I do not know about the original installer. Seemed like he knew what was going on, talked the same talk as others who came and sort of told us what we needed. Condensate pump and thermostat was all part of it.
As the installer was installing it, it installed like most, but when it came to sort of fine tuning it, he commented that he was just not that knowledgeable about it and would get through it.
Right after installation I called about the blower speed did not seem to ramp up enough. They came out and agreed that it did not seem to blow sufficiently and changed something in the controls. It worked great for cooling.
Winter came and it again worked great. You never really heard it on, but our house was overall just more comfortable. Did not matter whether you were in the basement or the second floor.
So thank giving time last year. House heats up to 90 degrees. Dealt with that a few days until they can come. It was the thermostat. The new one they installed at the time they did the unit.
This summer the outside unit starts sounding like an arc welder. Lights dim and finally it shuts off. It was hot out, but again waited a few days and out come the guy. He gets out of the truck and asks if I have replaced the filters, and cleaned the outside unit. I told him I am good about the filters, but had not done anything with the outside unit.
Now I am no HVAC tech, but I am not clueless either. I had thought about the outside unit being dirty. I would even say that it did have sort of have a pollen dirt filled sweater on it. But it did still move leaves on the trees, 20 ft above it, when on.
He was by himself and I was sort of helping him remove the cage of the unit and cleaning it out. I even mentioned to him that while there was a sweater on it, it certainly moved a lot of air, and I thought he maybe wrong on his diagnosis. He went on to say that if I would have had them come do there summer service this would have all been done including a furnace filter.
Well we got it back together and he topped it off with just a shot of freon. They really had not been back since it was installed, and it was apart of the summer service.
Worked great a few hours and back to dimming lights and arcing sound. I actually made a video on my cell phone and called again. It was late that day but he returned. At which point he headed to the furnace and said something was interrupting the outside unit operation. He found the condensate pump bad.
He asked why it had mud in it is and sort of asked how deep the water was in our basement. Not a bad thought as we do live next to a river, and it had been higher than usual. Normally our sump pump would have been running but they were installing a deep sewer line behind our home. That contractor had wells dug and pumps of their own, running for weeks, to drop the water table enough for them to do their work. Our sump basins did not get a drop of water in them.
I told him since it was all new during the install, what ever was in there came from the equipment he installed the year before. He said that it was to late and the place they get the pumps was closed. I told him I would run to the box store and get one. I figured at that point, I wanted cool AC and the pump may or may not even be warrantied.
I went and got one, and while I was gone, the wife commented that he was in the basement and asked if she could cycle the thermostat. She did and pretty soon he was up and was replacing it, while I was gone. When I got back, it was well into the evening, and he put the pump on and everything worked well.
The last few weeks, there are times the house just feels cold. Kind of just thought it was me and for the most part it sounded like everything was working ok. Yesterday we got up to the house at 62. the furnace sort of started, but never really fired off. Having never really went through and set the thermostat that he installed a few months ago, I went through and set all of the times and programmed it, and also replaced the batteries. It worked the rest of the day. Went to bed last night and it was 72. Which is where I set every setting that morning.
Woke up this morning and its 64. Again furnace is sort of coming on, not firing and shutting down. It appears the thermostat is commanding heat. I went to the furnace and it seems to be flashing a code. Looked in the owners book and the code is for venting. I looked at the outside pipes and they appear to be clear. It list several other causes including sensors and control boards.
That brings me up to my question. At this point I think it is something with the furnace. I am not going to freeze to death tonight, so I will deal with it in the morning. The company that installed it does heating and cooling, along with being an electrical contractor. I sort of think the heating and cooling is sort of a side deal with him, as he has a fleet of electric trucks, but only one HVAC truck-guy.
At this point I maybe questioning the the ability of the service guy. Every trip he has made it seems that he knew what was wrong when he got out of the truck, to find out he was wrong in the end, the sort of trying to push it off on us. Then throw in he never seems to know what the cost is, is always going to work it out and send a bill. Which come several months later and we have to call and work through that.
While the problems in the past appear not to be the units themselves, but the add ons that go with the installation. I get that you need to let the guy make it right, and I think I have.
Is it now time to call some one else? Someone that is an installer for Rheem products. I think the units are still under warranty of some sort, would that warranty carry over to another service company that deals with Rheem products.
The house will no doubt get colder as time passes. A new company may not want to service me very timely, if they did not sell the units in the first place. I am sure or would think I would sort of be at the top of the service pile at the original guy.
What would you do.