Lba Air Conditioning Heating & Plumbing Inc

I solicited several local companies for an estimate on replacing our 15-year old system with a new high-efficiency system to take advantage of 2010 tax break. LBA was very timely/punctual in responding, setting an initial appointment to look at our current system and in delivering an initial estimate. I was a little disappointed that they didn't do a full air flow diagnosis, but they recommended a few options for us to consider - at differing price levels and benefits. We selected the combination York TM9X120 D20 single stage, and YCJF48 4 ton 16 seer AC. I was very impressed with the overall installation process and the professionalism of the crew. I was on hand throughout the day, and the guys were very polite, knowledgeable and didn't mind explaining things or answering questions I had. After the system was installed, and they started it up, we did have an immediate issue with a loud whining noise coming from the furnace/blower. After nearly an hour of examination and discussion, they determined that the blower speed was set too high, and that the 3M filters we were using were too restrictive on air flow. So, they backed down the speed and put in an inexpensive filter, which seemed to stop the noise. Things seemed fine at that point, and they wrapped up the install. However, that's when our problems started. Within days, the whining noise started back, and the unit's system warning lights started flashing various alert sequences (6, 7 and 8 red flashes), and then the furnace would simply refuse to come on unless it was "rebooted" requiring the system to be turned off and then back on. We called - this time over the Christmas weekend, and LBA again was very good about getting someone out -- though the gentleman that came out was certainly not the friendly, professional type we had experienced previously. He was rather gruff and grumpy, and was only able to get the system restarted, and assured us there was nothing major wrong, but another service technician would need to come out to look at the unit. So, two days later, we had another technician out -- this time, Rusty and Chris were dispatched -- much better representatives of the company. Rusty acknowledged that LBA was not that experienced with the York systems, but was able to identify several issues: 1. the bottom of the unit was simply not sealed well by the factory (if at all), and that was the source of the initial whining noise. 2. the original installers deciding to back down the blower speed as a fix to the whining noise was not a good decision - and this resulted in poor/improper air flow and the error warning codes, which shut down the furnace. - His solution was quite simple - amble silicon sealant on all joints/seams of the furnace unit, including the bottom pan, and then take the blower speed back up to the high setting. He then reinstalled the higher quality 3M filter, which was not a problem or too restrictive on the air flow. Generally, the system has worked very well in heating, and now cooling our house. We've since had several occasions where the York system has had similar error messages - and then refused to start a cycle. I notified LBA of this issue just prior to them coming out to charge and start the AC and they looked at the unit, but nothing seems to be obviously wrong. And again, the tech that just came out in early April, said they just don't install that many York systems. We'll continue to watch and see if we have problems with the unit. Overall, I like working with LBA, and believe they've done a pretty good job. The only reason I can't give them a higher grade - is I believe they should be more knowledgeable about this system before they install and service it. There are clearly some issues, and I want to be confident in its reliability.

Excellent response time. I called one day and they were there the next for the quote. The fellow was very pleasant and professional. Their quote was nearly 3x what Lutz Plumbing gave (and performed). $5400 vs $1800 for the same services. I'm sure they do quality work, as I've read on Angie's List, but in today's times their prices need to be more reasonable.

The appointment turned out very differently than I thought it would. My husband and I had been discussing the evening before whether or not to renew our maintence contract with LBA or not since money has been tight. After our appointment the next morning we will never miss a regular maintence appointment again! The techinician arrived and I had a headache like have had so many mornings lately. I showed him to the basement and he went about his checking business. A little while later he said to me (I was still down there doing the laundry) we have a real problem here, your carbon monoxide levels are high. He checked again and yep high they were. Now mind you I have a hardware store carbon monoxide tester plugged in and it was not making a sound. Next he said I need to turn off the gas. I was not happy about this since it was cold out. He said they would be back to put in a new unit the next day. Then the most amazing thing happened, within 20 minutes of the gas and furnance being turned off my headache went away!! And I never had another headache the entire winter. I was sick from the carbon monoxide. I spend all day in the house since I work from home. I had said to my husband a few times " It sure is interesting that when I leave to pick up Madi from school and run a few errands my headache goes away" Well since the carbon monoxide detector never went off I had never even made a connection. Our furnance was only 8 years old but it was rusted out inside completely.( We did not know this until they took it out and looked it over completely) I love our new unit, this past winter the house has stayed more evenly heated. I also now own a low level carbon monoxide detector which I did purchase from LBA. I HIGHLY recommend you always have your regular maintence checks and purchase a good quality carbon monoxide detector from LBA. THANKS LBA FOR SAVING MY LIFE!!!!

Service was good. However, prices were very expensive. For example, part of the service and tune up included replacing the contactor in the heat pump/AC unit (Which was needed. The contacts on the contactor were pitted.). It is a common occurrence and a simple piece of equipment to replace. The contactor itself only costs about $10 - $20, tops. They charged me $184 to replace the old one, and that was over and above the service call fee. I felt ripped off by this company. The service provided by the HVAC technician was good. But I will not use this company any more because of price-gouging.

A huge waste of money, and my family was in danger because of incompetence.

I was impressed that they honestly addressed the issue and didn't just come out unable to perform the servic

Workers were on time, on task, efficient and thorough. They completely cleaned up after themselves inside and out. They followed up one week later by checking the units to make sure they were operating correctly and answered all our lingering questions.

The 30+ year old boiler on our hot water heating system was on its last legs. I solicited bids from several suppliers and LBA — which came recommended via a contractor friend — proved superior in every aspect. They came to the house — a couple places would only give "blind" estimates over the phone — and did a free energy usage load analysis before even submitting a bid (no other company did this). They provided a bid which was not only the lowest of all the suppliers, it was also the clearest and most complete. The work was performed on schedule and with high professionalism. It being a 100+ year old home, certain complications naturally arose during the installation. LBA simply took those in stride and never even implied their should be additional charges. Indeed, they went the extra mile and addressed a couple of problems with the old plumbing that were, by rights, not their responsibility. If you look on-line you'll find that the unit they installed (A Munchkin 199M) gets mixed reviews because they are often calibrated improperly at installation leading to decreased energy savings. Vern, the lead rep from LBA, made a significant personal effort to get the system calibrated and explain it to me. He also went through all the basic maintenance the system will require and provided all documentation for our records. Results? Our annualized heating bill went down over 40% this year despite it being one of the coldest winters in the last 20 years. Moreover, the house "feels" warmer since the new boiler heats more evenly. Overall a 100% happy experience (well... other than the need to get a new boiler in the first place) and I would recommend LBA unreservedly for hot water heating installation and service. -- Dr. Thomas L. Marchioro

The servicemen are excellent. They have even come in the middle of the night to start my furnace. They wear booties over their shoes to keep the floors clean. Actually, if they don't wear the booties, the service call is free.

It worked out fine. The pricing was fairly reasonable. They responded and were right on time.

It was a pretty big project. The price is generally high but all plumbers really are.

They are very regular and they remind me when it is time because I have a four-year maintenance agreement with them. I’ve had some issues with them where I complained about them not telling me everything. A technician came out and told me that the water pressure going into my house is too high and that he could put a valve in so the water doesn’t damage my water heater. I don’t know why it’s never been measured before because all of the technicians are supposed to have the equipment to check this. I ended up having to pay a couple hundred dollars to have them replace a valve somewhere in my system. If they had told me sometime sooner, we could have addressed the situation. I think they are fairly high priced but that isn’t too much of a knock on them because I don’t know any plumbers that aren’t high priced. They are very good about reminding me when it is time for a maintenance visit and they are very responsive on the phone. A year ago Christmas, my furnace went out and someone came out on Christmas Day to fix it. I had a little bit of a round with them about the intake and exhaust pipes because they installed it wrong and it caused my furnace to go out. They are very polite and professional and they always put the little booties on their feet when they come in. I’ll have to think about if I want them to replace my current furnace but I’ll keep using them for maintenance.

The serviceman was friendly and on time. He determined that the problem was with my kitchen faucet and the root of the issue was with a failing dip tube in my water heater. My faucet diverter was clogged with debris from the disintegrating tube. I was pleased until he told me that it would cost just as much to replace the faucet as it would to have the clogged diverter replaced. He also said screw that held the faucet spout in place was stripped as well. Fortunately he had a faucet on the truck and could do the job right now for $850 to $1,000,depending on which service plan I choose as part of the installation. Of course I also should replace the water heater right away, at a cost of $1150 to $1350. I declined. Later that morning I called the plumber who had installed the faucet, who later replaced the diverter for the cost of the part, $10, plus a service call. He said the screw had to have been stripped when the LBA serviceman tried to remove it as it was in good condition when he installed it two years ago and it had not been touched since then. I also am having the water heater replaced for over $450 less than LBA's quote. This is the second time LBA has quoted exorbitant pricing to us. I was also dismayed that the repairman had resorted to blatant hard-sell tactics with my faucet. I will not be calling them again.

Our experience with them was fine.

I went with them because I saw my neighbor’s use them and they had also got good reports. Everything was fine with them except the price was high. I will use them but I would not use them to purchase anything but I will have them install it.

They came out. I don't feel the tech was familiar with the system. He said they would either have to shut it off, or I would have to pay $1000 for him to maybe be able to fix it. I sent him home and had another company that was able to come out and fix the problem. I feel the tech from LBA either didn't know what he was doing or he was trying to make a sale.

They two guys were very professional, courteous and clean. They explained things during the installation and the supervisor even helped me set up an old thermostat. The overall experience with this company was very positive and I highly recommend their services to others.

My old air conditioner was inefficient. LBA discussed ways to upgrade my system to lower my bills and to take advantage of KCPL's Cool Homes rebate. This entailed removing the outdoor unit and upgrading the structure inside and installing a new programmable thermostat. The old structure was wrapped in something like duct tape. One of the old ducts had small holes which could have caused a problem with carbon monoxide in the future. They arrived early and on schedule. The job took several hours. All the old parts were removed and everything was left clean. The A/C is running more efficiently now.

LBA visited and measured the space and came up with the correct thermal requirements. The installation was neat - perfect with a very small amount of sheet rock work thereafter. Initially I thought the units were differently sized - both were in fact 12K BTUs - a generous amount of heating and cooling for a difficult to manage space. I initially thought the system was not working. To my surprise and delight, JD, one of the owners came on site, and using sophisticated test gear inspected the system from end to end himself, worked with another technician, and isolated a tiny leak which between April and July had evacuated the freon. Once recharged, my system instantly cooled down the difficult-to-cool space and all was well. JD is charming, smart, and patient - his demeanor while addressing my initial concern was spontaneous, generous, and kind. I am very lucky to have chosen LBA for this - my second "major" HVAC project. Bravo - Kansas City is lucky to have companies like LBA and JD!

The blower motor in our junky old furnace died. At first we only wanted that motor replaced. The repairman (Larry, great guy!) was very up-front with me about costs and options; he laid out everything from the $500 motor replacement to a $5k spankin' new furnace, but he never made me feel pressured one way or another. When we chose the cheap repair option, he called the warehouse right away to get the part and was installing it that afternoon. Unfortunately more damage had been done than was detectable at the beginning. Once the new motor was in place, the thing still wouldn't run, and it became clear that a lot more was wrong with the furnace. The repairman once again laid out several options, but at this point simply repairing all the bad parts was going to cost a lot, so we ended up going with a new furnace (an expensive model, but since it is "green" technology we are getting a big tax rebate for it). The repairman also explained, very apologetically, that he was also required to do something about our venting system. Our house is old, and the furnace and water heater both were venting into the ancient chimney. Apparently that's bad because the fumes erode the mortar, and our chimney already lists a bit to the side. He explained that LBA's policy is to always install a modern venting system leading directly out of the house, instead of using chimneys. He said I was free to call someone else if I wanted to keep the chimney ventilation, but that in order for LBA to do the work, they had to get all the venting off the chimney, and that included the water heater. So we ended up replacing the water heater with the cheapest electric model they offered, since it didn't require any venting at all. Once we made the decision, we were scheduled for the installation about 5 days out, but then they called us the next day because they were able to fit us in sooner. So we only spent 3 or 4 days total without AC. The install guys were great, friendly and professional, and explained everything to us. It was a big job but they were done in around 6 hours. One more thing -- when we first replaced that motor, before we knew other stuff was wrong, they charged us the $500 or so for that work. But once we knew we were replacing everything, LBA removed that entire charge, for the part, labor, and service call. That's something I'd expect from a good company, and they didn't give us any trouble about it.

Without permission, LBA ran the intake pipe up to the attic and then did a 90 degree angle and vented it out the side of the house (instead of roof). In the process, they placed 2 holes in my ceiling because their workers lost their balance (twice) in the attic, punching holes in my 2nd floor ceiling. In addition, they installed the humidistat so high up that we need a ladder to reach it. Finally, instead of placing an easy-access "door" to the return filter, they bolted one on. Now, every time I need to change the filter, I have to get the tools out to do it. All of this happened when I hired LBA to install a furnace in our new house. I just purchased an Angie's List subscription for the first time to do some research on a contractor that we're thinking about hiring and to my horror saw that LBA has an "A" rating. This was by far the most unprofessional contractor I've ever hired. To this date, the holes that LBA fixed on my ceiling do not match the rest of the ceiling. Where they terminated the intake pipe on the side of the house is right above our bedroom window, and causes water to drip down the side of the house and on the window. How can this contractor have an "A" rating?

I called about 9:00 am, and they were there by about 11:00 am on the same day. The plumber was extremely knowledgeable, professional, and courteous. He was very conscientious about keeping all areas clean where he was working, and even wore booties to cover his shoes upon entering our house. He explained everything to me in detail. Sometimes having workers into your home is a little scary if you are a woman and there by yourself, but this guy was great and very trust-worthy. I was comfortable leaving him upstairs to perform his work while I was downstairs working in the kitchen. Work performed was excellent!

They are always good! They show up on time and they know what they are doing. They always do a great job.

They were just outstanding. Our A/C went out during the night and a service tech came out during the middle of the night. They rigged the A/C until the next morning. They came out the next day immediately. They fixed the problem and gave us a coupon for the furnace this winter. They were clean and courteous, knowledgeable. I could trust them in my home and I highly recommend this company!

They were great! They did the work quickly and efficiently. They will work with my schedule and they are always on time. They guarantee their work and I will always use them.