Effective Air

They’re very good. I’ve used them for several years. I have a contact with them to come out twice to check the AC and the furnace. The professionalism, service, and cleanup is excellent. They’re very reliable.

This was for an HVAC diagnostic following the floods in April 2013. The unit was completely submerged, and the tech who came told me that any underwater unit is a total loss. And while I didn't need to pay $60 to learn that information, it was the professionalism and courtesy of Brad and his team that sold me on using Effective for all the work once we were ready.

In the flood of April 2013, our HVAC unit was submerged in 42" of the Des Plaines River that entered our basement. Following a $59 Angie's List diagnostic special, Brad from Effective came out to quote on hanging a new unit from the ceiling to avoid having to replace it again. He trudged through the mess following the flood, and didn't even seem fazed when his khakis got some sludge on them first thing in the morning. Unfortunately we did not have flood insurance at the time, so all expenses were going to be out-of-pocket; the work would have to wait until we could afford it. Thankfully, Brad was patient with us, and quite accommodating. He sent a revised estimate in August, and the work was done in late September. He even completed the Nicor rebate paperwork to ensure everything was buttoned up. There were only a few minor hiccups that needed to be addressed: two windows are being partially blocked by the new ducts, but I can reconfigure them to open differently; and there was a minor misunderstanding about insulating ducts in the crawl space. Brad worked with me to find a time to send a man out to finish up. Brad is an outstanding representative for the company, and I would absolutely use Effective Air again.

They cleaned and checked the furnace. They said we needed a couple of new parts. Then said due to the age of the funace it should be replaced. My furnace is 12 years old. It has continued to run through the season. My husband replaced one of the parts. Effective Air didn't even give an estimate for the repair...just said to replace. We used a big deal. In March we received a 2nd notice for payment. They did apologize for the oversight.

Excellent, professional service.

It was very good. There were no additional charges; it was just a straight service. They came when they said they would and they did it. They answered the questions I had.

It was wonderful and everything is working fine. They came out a day or two after I purchased the big deal. I had to pay extra for the Freon. It was $125 for the Freon. I think the price was in line with the cost of Freon. I will use them again.

Effective Air was able to get me on the schedule the next business day and kept in contact with me to let me know what time they were coming out. Good experience, I would use them again.

There was a lighting strike near my home which caused the air conditioner fan to run continuously. Effective Air came out to look at the unit and immediately diagnosed the issue as a stuck contactor. They charged 286 to replace the contactor (plus the service call charge of $59), which seemed high but I just wanted the issue fixed so I agreed to the charge. The service worker (Carlos) replaced the contactor then began checking air flow and the rest of the system (which I did not request). As he was about to leave I thought to turn the thermostat back on to check the initial issue, the fan immediately turned back on. I yelled out the door for Carlos to return. He came back in and told me the thermostat was shorted out and to replace the thermostat would be 288! I questioned Carlos on the fact he was wrong on his initial diagnosis and he said both the contactor and the thermostat were faulty. Basically he would not admit he misdiagnosed the issue. I passed on the $288 thermostat and picked one up for $60 at a home improvement store. After receiving a ''thank you for your business'' card in the mail I wrote a letter about my disappointment but did not hear a response.

The service technician did a thorough test of the unit and concluded that the A/C unit needs to be replaced.

The repair tech was able to diagnose and solve my problem (basically the boiler connection (I believe) needed cleaning. The last place ordered the wrong part for me after a $125 service call. We were told we could order it online and it was simple to install ourselves. Well it was but the part was not what was wrong, and the part was not refundable. so we ended up spending 200+ bucks needlessly. So I was grateful to find Effective Air to do it right for the least cost.

We were referred to Effective Air by our home inspector after purchasing a coach house in Chicago. We were pleased with the initial work -- cleaning the system & repairing a damaged filter compartment. When we needed the motor replaced, the Effective Air tech gave us an unusually high bid. Subsequent conversations with the owner, Jonathan Smith, revealed we had been given the wrong price for the part needed for the repair. He later came to our home personally to consult with us on revisions to our current system that would keep it running more efficiently until we decide to replace the furnace in the future. Highly professional and intelligent HVAC service and consultation.

Had a carbon monoxide leak in which the water heater was the source. Effective Air came out the same day I called. Installed a new Rheem tank, inspected and cleaned my furnace and tested for any further CO leak. Overall, great job

Gary came and was great! Very concise in the estimate. There was some discrepancy between the phone estimate and the written estimate but overall seems like a very diligent company.

The technician was very nice person he helped as could as possible but the price was more expensive than other companies. I found some other companies same job for $150 less than their price.

Discussed the issue with dispatch and, given that this was a heating issue in the winter, he scheduled a technician for the next day. The technician was prompt and thorough and determined the problem. He didn't have the part but the office sent someone over so it could be solved in a single visit. We were thoroughly pleased with the results.

I purchased a Big Deal for a furnace cleaning, inspection, and tune-up. The service provider showed up on time and was friendly and professional. The service was excellent and he took the time to answer questions I had about the unit, water panel, etc. He recommended some additional services for the future, but did not try to upsell me or pressure me into doing anything outside of the big deal. I feel like this is a service provider that I can trust and will call them in the future.

They were efficient. They gave a very nice written proposal. They could also give recommendations for electricians to have our amp service increased. They were timely.

We had talked to Brad about a new furnace for about 2 years. He is familiar with our mechanical system having helped us install our air conditoining system about 10 years ago. He came within one or 2 days of our call and brought several options for our review. Since it had been some 30 years since we had purchased a furnace, we needed the help understanding the technological advancements. We decided to purchase the more efficient and technologically advanced system with an indirect water heater. Brad told us about NICOR discounts available to us with this purchase. Within about a week and a half, the crew arrived promptly to begin installation. This took about 2.5 days and we were without heat for one night. They provided us with room heaters and we were comfortable. The crew chief, Miguel, had been to our house previously for routine maintenance on our heating and air conditioning equipment. He was professionable and personable at all times. He answered all of our questions and pointed out any "issues" we might want to be aware of with our old basement area. I can't say enough about the relationship we have had with Effective Air over the last 10 years or so. I trust them to give us the best service and the best price. I can't really speak to the price because we don't call anyone else for an estimate. Miguel is excellent at what he does. He customized the piping to fit our existing systems. Overall it was an exceptional experience considering the understandable disruption.

The technician was Bobby S. It was an excellent experience. Bobby was very informed. I was extremely pleased with the service. Using the Big Deal, it was an excellent price for the amount of service. I would absolutely use them again!

Effective air was recommended from several people I worked with. Effective air was called to check on the heat pump that was installed the year before from a different heating and air conditioning company (no longer in business) as it was running continually and our electric bill was had doubled from the previous month. As they did not do the original install, they had to check the entire system inside and out. They fixed some minor wiring issues and ordering a new mother board. They kept me apprised of the order and scheduled a new date for that install. They are wonderful. They explained the process and timelines. I'm glad they took the time to get things fixed correctly.

We have used Effective Air for a number of years. The ducts had never been cleaned, so after 55+ years we thought it was time. The workers showed up on time, laid down all the protective cloth and were very kind. They spent at least 8 hours cleaning and sanitizing all the duct work. Hauling away 12 pounds of dust. Made a big difference in the air quality.

Excessive noise from the furnace when the blower fan was running. Sounded like a truck engine was running within the house. Called EA and got very prompt service (same day). A blower fan wheel needed to be ordered, and wasn't immediately available. We were advised to switch from continuous operation to Auto to reduce the noise to only when the heater was on. When the part arrived, the service tech installed and tested the new blower wheel, all was fine.

My condo inspector suggested I get my furnace cleaned, as it looked "filthy." I have a friend who works for Effective Air, so he suggested I call. The man I talked to on the phone was very friendly and communicative, suggesting I wait until the end of the summer, since air conditioning calls usually get precedence in the hot weather. We scheduled a cleaning for the end of August, and someone called to confirm this the day before. Bobby came to clean the furnace, and he was incredibly nice and helpful! He finished in a short amount of time (less than half an hour) and even took the time to show me parts of the furnace and explain to me what he did. He even helped me look at a part of my air ducts that I suspected was incomplete, and he confirmed this. I appreciate Effective Air's customer service and friendliness. I would definitely use their services again!

I notice water on the floor of my utility room. After mopping up the floor, i called Effective Air, the water was coming from the Evac pump for my furnace. This pump is used to move the water from the a/c condenser in the summer (also runs in the winter months for the humidifier) to the drain on the other side of the room. They were out in 90 minutes and repaired the connection at no charge.