Reliable Air Mechanical

I solicited 4 top HVAC companies. Of those, three responded ... two of the three gave recommendations of Central Heating furnace replacements and they explained the strengths of their brands (all were top brands of furnaces). 'RELIABLE AIR MECHANICAL' stood out from other "estimators" by sending an HVAC Engineer rather than a "sales-marketing representative". Vic came and went through all the same steps of asking "what is the square footage of the house, etc." ... BUT, he also asked if I had a central-air conditioner AND "WHAT TONNAGE" the air conditioner was! It turned out that this was a critical factor in the air-flow for our Central Air HVAC System. If I had used the more-expensive other salesmen's recommendations, we would have restricted the central-air conditioners air-flow during the warm months. SUMMARY: we have now the new system for a winter/summer season, it is a Bryant 80 SEER 2-stage (top of Reliable's three estimated cost-performance levels, which was consistent with the lowest estimates by the two other "salesmen"); the PERFORMANCE of the Furnace is VERY VERY QUIET, VERY EFFICIENT running for much shorter periods with more efficient room-air-flow ... no "burst of cold air" AND MUCH-LOWER-GAS/ELECTRICITY-BILLs!! Also, we were AMAZED at the added benefit of a MUCH MUCH more efficient AIR CONDITIONING FUNCTION ... our "older" large central air conditioner now runs for very short periods and it pulls the house down to very cool temps in a very rapid/short time where before it would run for long-long times with marginal cooling. VIC & Reliable Air Mechanical are the very BEST because they KNOW HVAC Systems and will calculate the mechanical sizing and performance of the ENTIRE SYSTEM (furnace, air-conditioner, HVAC 'Ducting-Plenum Sizing', etc.). When replacing a furnace or air-conditioner it is ESSENTIAL to have a technical person trained in HVAC ENGINEERING, it makes ALL-THE-DIFFERENCE in gaining efficiency in home-central-air systems. PS> Our PG&E Bill has fallen, with the exact same use year-to-year by from 7% to 10% ... while the Heating & Cooling comfort have risen to an "excellent comfort" level. My wife and I are exceptionally pleased that we selected Reliable Air Mechanical !!! One last comment: they showed up on-time, worked cleanly and quietly. The entire job was fully completed with full-duct-insulation, installation of a an excellent new thermostat and "operating instruction", in one short day!

Late December ’17 our central-air ‘Furnace’ in the garage stopped working. Both ‘retired’, it was urgent to find a repair. After a prior “bad experience” with a (nameless) San Jose Furnace Co., I check with friends and family, consumer resources and ‘ANGIE’S LIST’. I picked the top four companies and sent the same information to all three. 

The first two representatives gave a pleasant and similar evaluation and replacement offer. They said the existing (original) furnace was “oversized” and they quoted a price for replacement with of of 2-options. One company also recommended “duct cleaning” and “earthquake gas valves”, boosting the cost significantly. The THIRD representative, Vic Lunt with “RELIABLE AIR MECHANICAL” evaluated the existing furnace, then {important} he asked if we had an ‘Air Conditioner’. I said “yes” … he checked the size (tonnage) of our central-air-conditioner and then explained that the furnace size may have an important impact on the co-operation with the central-air unit depending on how the HVAC ducting plenum is constructed. Vic Lunt is an HVAC “Designer” … his keen knowledge and “Design” knowledge PREVENTED a BIG problem during the next “summer” due to restrictions in air-flow from going to a much smaller BTU furnace. Mr. Lunt provided THREE (“3”) OPTIONS and provided clear detailed reasons for all three. His top-level recommendation was for a ‘TWO STAGE’ gas valve and “Variable Speed” blower, resulting in MUCH HIGHER EFFICIENCY and SUPER QUIET (gentle) operation. This (Reliable Air) PRICE was BELOW the other companies LOWER estimates … and we really have a much superior, well “designed” HVAC furnace & thermostat. We are now two months into using the new Bryant Furnace and we LOVE IT … it has proved to be SUPER EFFICIENT with much lower gas bills, and it is SUPER GENTLE & QUIET without the previous “cold bursts” of air that the older furnace. The installers were excellent, THANK YOU “AL” and “CHARLES” and again, THANK YOU Mr. VIC LUNT of Reliable Air Mechanical … it was really a pleasant and highly productive experience have RELIABLE AIR MECHANICAL do this work for us. To people reading: I’m retired, a very technical and mechanically “scientific” person … if you are getting estimates or evaluations, be sure to gain the advice of a ’HVAC DESIGNER’ not just a salesman!! Vic Lunt and the installers “Al” and “Charlie” are highly competent professionals … they saved me from a very expensive and “uncomfortable” mistake (the other companies did not consider the “whole” HVAC system function, they considered only the furnace function and failed to consider the air-conditioning part that was not being replaced).

We wanted to add air conditioning to our existing heating system. Several contractors proposed solutions that would involve an overhaul of our entire existing system. Reliable Air Mechanical’s sales engineer Mr. Vic spent some significant time assessing the condition of our existing system and discussing our options, always considering the return on investment of each option. We ended up with a simple and straightforward project. He gave us a complete quote while he was at our house, and the following week his team completed the project in less than 7 hours. The two technicians who executed the installation were professional and courteous. The work was performed neatly and skillfully. And the sales engineer came to the job site twice to monitor the work. Immediately after the installers left, I suspected a possible minor issue for which I called them. In less than 15 minutes the technicians were back and explained everything to me. Both my wife and I were impressed by the professionalism and customer focus of Reliable Air Mechanical team. We recommend them without any reservation.

Our 26 year old furnace finally went out and needed to be replaced. We obtained several bids, and requested pricing on 80% single stage, 80% variable speed, and 96% variable speed models. Reliable Air Mechanical stood out for several reasons. - Their Sales Associate, Tamim, responded quickly, sized up the job, and wrote up the estimate right away. He is also the only one who took a quick look under the house when we discussed duct work. - Their pricing was the best by far for the same (or equivalent) models we were quoted by other companies. Because of this, we were able to go with the 96% high efficiency model, and also able to replace all of our aging and undersized ductwork. They also offered us a 2 year warranty on labor to go along with the standard 10 year warranty on parts. The others only offered a 1 year warranty on labor. - The installers were punctual, friendly, knowledgeable, and very efficient. The business owner also stopped by to check in and introduce himself. There was clear communication throughout the installation, and they finished much sooner than I thought they would. -The old furnace and ductwork were hauled away for recycling, and they cleaned up and vacuumed everything on their way out. I would highly recommend Reliable Air Mechanical to anyone needing HVAC work. We will definitely go back for any of our future needs.

The technician was polite, on time, fixed what was wrong and spent some extra time double checking the heater and explaining some general information to us. Very helpful.

Worked for two weeks then went out again

Competitive price. Smooth and quick. Good communicators before and after; installers were diligent/careful and hard working. They were new to Nest thermostat but learned quickly. Had to clear exhaust flue of dead hornet's nest which they did cheerfully in spite of steep 2nd story roof. Installers took pride in their work.

Extremely well. Knowledgeable technicians, timely, and efficient. Anthony and Alberto did a super job determining Furnace Issue and replaced it. Highly Recommend.

HVAC Tech, Antonio, did an excellent job returning it to service, checking for CO2, and making recommendations without being pushy. I would use this company again. I used the coupon from this website.

Knowledgeable rep sized job and generated quote on site, Monday. Pointed out options, but no hard up sell. Scheduled job for Thursday. Furnace is located in elevated closet 18" above the upper floor of two story house. Access is only from the front reaching thru closet door. Two techs arrived as scheduled, laid drop cloths from entry to 2nd floor location, cut old unit into pieces to extract thru door, installed new unit and sheet-metal to adapt to existing plenum/duct work. Job took about 5 hours.

Their estimate was much higher than a second furnace repair service. As I recall they were efficient. They charged me $50 for the estimate. They came out quickly. Their price was the only reason why I did not go with them.

The job was to replace a furnace. I have a system that includes furnace and A/C that operate under zone control. I was told that the furnace replacement would take one day. The old furnace was removed and the new furnace was installed and working in one day. However, something was done that disabled my A/C which had been working before. The installer told me that he was the wrong person to fix this problem and that I needed to have the repairman come out. The company required me to pay in full that day, and I did so, expecting that there would be a timely remedy for the damage done to my A/C. I see now that I should have refused to pay until everything was working properly. Trying to get this company to honor its responsibility to make a timely repair of the damage that they did to my A/C has been a nightmare. The office people say they will check on something and call me back and then they don’t call. When I demand an appointment, I’m given one, but then it’s a no-show and (with only one exception) no one calls to tell me the appointment won’t be kept. I’ve had 4 no-show appointments and only once did I get a phone call. This is outrageous. A repairman came out twice and neither time was he able to fix the problem. On his first visit, he told me he needed a wire that had to be ordered. Did they order that wire and then call me back to make an appointment when it came in? NO! I was totally ignored until I called in and demanded an appointment. On the repairman’s second visit (15 days later), he still couldn’t fix it. He said he needed a diagram. After another 5 days, I called and got another appointment which turned out to be the 4th no-show appointment - again, with no phone call. This is an abysmal way to treat a customer. I must add that if it hadn’t been for the damage done to my A/C, and the outrageous lack of commitment on the part of the company to fixing it, I would have given the company very good grades. The estimator, Vic, was very helpful and I felt I he gave me good information and advice. I appreciated that he came on the day of the furnace replacement to make sure the workers fully understood what was to be done. The work was to include sealing of duct joints and covering of holes in the furnace enclosure room with sheet metal to prevent entry by rodents. Francisco did those tasks and I was pleased with his work. Unfortunately, those good parts of the job were so overshadowed by the negative repair experience that my overall view of the company is a grade of F.

Vic Lunt from Reliable Air Mechanical worked with us last week to install the AC unit at our home. He gave us a great deal and finished the project as promised and with great customer service. Not only did he give us a great deal, his pleasant interaction made it even better. He gave us some very useful, money saving suggestions too! He delivered what he promised. Efficient and reliable.

Let me first start by talking about the bid process, as I did more than due diligence in this space since we did our first HVAC replacement project 15 years ago. Much has changed, so questions were many, and product quality and reliability a high priority. Vic was one of the last people I met, after receiving quotes from 5 others. I kept going because I just didn't feel warm and fuzzy about any of the quotes, or did I have all of my questions answered by any one representative. But, we continued on and learned much about the manufacturers and their equipment as we went. Vic delivered a "complete" quote that covered our requirements to replace the duct, identify the "right" furnace, and then match that with an efficient air conditioner. There were many "ISSUES" following the 2001 replacement job and we wanted to correct many of those mistakes and sloppy work. Vic was kind enough to listen to all of my questions, get back to me on those he needed to research (only 1 or 2), and provided his mobile number should we have any further questions before making a decision. He also provided reliable reviews on all the equipment we were considering. They were awarded the job and like many construction or remodeling projects, we had some challenges. All of them were addressed in a timely manner, and completed to our satisfaction. From a price, quality and labor perspective, the experience was nothing short of excellent. The only reason for not making this rating a 5 star is that I reserve that for "perfection" and I rarely give such a mark, as there is usually always room for improvement. With all this said, I would highly recommend Reliable Air Mechanical for anyone looking for Heating and Air installation or services. These guys know their stuff and we appreciate their time and patience working through our decision making process. My advice would be to have your questions ready and trust them as you decide about the brand and quality aspect of your equipment selection. They are a wealth of information and I found it to be unbiased and honest.

Ok pretty quickly as this was a Big Deal, the Company responded quite promptly to set up a 3 best dates to do the furnace check up. We chose the 5th as one of the dates and agreed that 9am would work out best. Just about on time the company rep showed up. After some questions and answers on why we thought we needed the furnace check up. Our man(I lost the biz card and he didn't write his name on the service order) drats. He preformed a C/O Check, Checked all the connections, checked the gas pressure, temp rise, flame quality, t-stat performance. All checked out ok. He also checked and fixed our thermostat, explained how to better program it and changed the time and day. Commented how we had a Williams Furnace and for the money and how old it was, did not have to buy an new one. Still in great shape. I mentioned that the grill covers were needing a replacement bc you could see visually that the heat had scored the paint. He said oh those will cost you at least 2-300.00 dollars. He then told me if you put this certain substance and repaint them with high tolerant paint they will be good as new. He new his stuff, very efficient and thorough. Within 40 minutes he was on his merry way. And we were very happy too.

Reliable is the name of the game! I needed to switch from my wood burning stove back to my furnace, and after not being in use for the last several years, wanted it tuned up. One of my better decisions! My questions were answered, and not having to lug wood inside (on the days I could burn) is wonderful. I plan on having Reliable take care of my furnace from now on!

Excellent! Only thing that has room for improvement is they didn't come in the time window provided. A phone call before hand of a late arrival would have been appreciated. He did call and say he was coming, but it was past the apt window. Otherwise, excellent. It wasn't a deal breaker, but merely something that would be appreciated.

The technician did a very thorough job on both units. He took the time to discuss his finding and areas for concern. On our downstairs heater he found a crack and hole in our firebox that could potentially be releasing CO into our house. I was very please with his knowledge, professionalism and speed of his work. I would definitely use them again.

Anthony quickly determined that there must be a leak in the refrigerant line. He explained why that was so, looked at the path of the line, figured out how much time he would need to find the leak (two weeks). His office needed another week from then to schedule him for the return appointment. Anthony came back and found the leak almost instantly, repaired it, refilled the refrigerant. The A/C works fine now. Anthony was most impressive, and quite a character, enjoyable to have around. Since it was home warranty service, our charge was $75 for the service call, plus the co-pay on the refrigerant ($250).

We had four companies bid for this job. The first one took pictures and would email a quote (never heard back from them). The second took pictures and emailed the quote. We were not given a choice of units. (This one installed our neighbors A/C - they were happy with them.) A third gave me the pricing for the units and would email a full quote when we chose the unit we wanted. Their pricing was several thousand more than anyone else. (This one installed a friend's A/C - they were happy with them.) Reliable was the only one who gave us a full quote the day of the walk thru. Vic was very informative, he gave us the education we needed on an HVAC system so that we could make the right decisions/choices. Rick did the actual install and he was professional and pleasant to work with. We did have to enlarge the return air opening. In addition to the heater and A/C we also added a duct to our enclosed patio. Since they would already be under the house we included running an additional power line for a future purchase of a spa. Did it take longer than the projected time to complete the project - yes, but we expected that. Whenever you have work done on a house there's always something that will delay the completion. Part of our delay was due to the difficulty of crawling under our house (which we know isn't easy - there are a lot of obstacles under ours, including very large rocks). The only thing not discussed before the job was the thermostat (except that it needed to be replaced and relocated). That resulted in our getting one that we don't like. It's a one week program and we would prefer a 7 day or 5-2 at minimum. A larger, back lit display is another thing we would prefer. The work was just finished yesterday so I have left a message requesting an upgraded thermostat. I'm sure they'll take care of it.

I've known before that we had a mismatch between the air capacity of the A/C system's coils and condenser and that that's the reason it gradually freezes up in hot weather when the system is working hard, but I've never actually *understood* the issue until now. For the first time, I had not just a statement of the problem and some handwaving that went by too quickly, but a proper explanation that came with real attention to my layperson's understanding of what was being said! I've suspected for a while that we'll just need to replace the whole coil, but now that I truly understand the issue I can move forward with confidence. We also had some ductwork leaks re-taped, and got an estimate for adding another vent to the kitchen which gets ridiculously inadequate cooling, but the condenser/coil explanation alone was more than worth this service visit!

Quote was for work to be 2 1/2 days - job lasted over a week. Quote was for a fixed price, based on quote and system review. Contractor raised price after work started, due to his proposed fix to increase return air flow not being doable. Recommended second change still did not work and they made yet another change to get more return air for system. We are now stuck with an air flow 'NOISE' in the system, that was not present before the job. Cleanup around site was deplorable. Sheet metal screws in house and driveway; aluminum shavings found throughout house, insulation stuck in registers AND contractor filled MY recycle bin and garbage bin rather than taking trash to their site for disposal.

They were quite good and they were here on time. I would use them again in the future.

I got them through Sears, and I will comment on that on a separate review, so for now I want to focus on my experience with them during this installation.A week before the installation, Phil Dore, the current owner came by to perform a pre-install inspection. He took notes and walked thru with me on the details of the job. He did recommend a change to the scope of work, as in his professional opinion the existing furnace required a better exhaust flue. He discussed it with the PM at Sears and the agreement was to include it in the job at no additional charge. This job was complicated by the fact that a new return duct had to be added through the ceiling. On the day of the install, two people, Charles and his brother Damian, showed up at 8:30am, as expected and started work. The worked really hard all day and did it very carefully. I really appreciated the fact that they did not rush the work, as for me quality was more important than speed. They ran a bit behind and one other person came to help catch up. Phil also stopped by to check on the crew and provide guidance. In the end they spent almost 13 hours (initial estimate was about 8) but got everything done. The small inconvenience of the late end, was not a big deal compared to the fact that they worked overtime to make sure I had a fully functional HVAC system by the end of the same day. Was it all perfect? Of course not, but the minor issues were dealt with diligently and immediately and they kept going until they finished. There was a bit of a surprise trying to get a condensate drain pipe out to a drywell in the front lawn and I wished they had cleaned up a little better around that area. However, I understand that projects many times face surprises and delays and what matters is how the team recovers and gets it done. Inspection passed with flying colors yesterday, and I pleased with the result. I take my hat off to Charles and Damian and the rest of Phil's crew, who worked really hard and made sure things were done right the first time. I would recommend them, no problem.

They came out as a result of the warranty. They fixed it and did a good job. With the homeowners warranty every service is charged at $60. It was probably $400 worth of work. They appeared to be reliable, prompt and thorough. They were courteous and did a good job as far as I can tell. It's a very old furnace and they got it running again.