SJJohnson

On time, quick and neat.

Perfect. On time and prompt

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Have used for 8 years. always shows up on day requested. Fast, efficient, professional. drove truck on grass tearing up ground only once in 8 years. water quality almost always very good.

They serviced by oil furnace, and explained what was wrong and made it right and at a great price.

The original 60+ year old boiler for the house finally quit and with the constantly rising price of oil, it was time for a change. The fact that the oil tank was located in the basement next to the boiler and also 60+ years old did not instill confidence in its reliability. To add insult to injury, the DHW (domestic hot water) heater was likely on its last legs after 13+ years, and had started to show signs of aging (failed pressure relief valve, etc.) The replacement and consolidation of all of these items into one energy-efficient system was not a task for the inexperienced. I could have saved some money by simply replacing the pieces involved - I'm a fairly competent DIY-er and no stranger to sweating solder onto copper pipe, so the DHW heater alone would have been a simple weekend project. But I knew that to truly upgrade and bring the house into the 21st century would require a substantial investment, and a project that was well beyond my skill level and experience. Part of the headache of the existing system was that the original boiler was, underneath the metal case, wrapped in an asbestos jacket. I had a separate environmental firm do the asbestos abatement so it made removal of the boiler itself a bit easier, although it was still close to 750 lbs of iron for the contractor to drag out of the basement. Estimation (Price) This process started in October 2011. I called a total of 10 companies to start - some didn't want to touch the system, some wanted to talk me into keeping an oil-fired boiler, and some wanted to pitch me into converting to forced-air (the house has no ductwork to speak of). I actually like my baseboards - it's a warm, even heat, and after growing up with a forced air system I've enjoyed having them. So, out of the 10 companies I contacted I only was able to get 5 to come out to give an estimate. Out of the 5 that came out, only 3 actually sent estimates. The first thing that impressed me with SJ Johnson was during the estimate process. The day I called to schedule an appointment, the owner (Saquane) happened to be in the area and ended up stopping by just a few hours later. He took a look around and seemed very comfortable with the existing system to be disconnected and familiar with the new system I was looking to have installed. This was on a Friday, and by early the following week I had a comprehensive quote emailed to me. I had a few questions, and spoke with both Saquane and the tech who eventually did the installation, Eddie. We discussed different manufacturers, options, and ideas for the system and eventually worked out a second system design with a few extra options. I understand the pitfalls of accepting the lowest bidder (buyer beware), and SJ Johnson fell right in the middle of the pricing of the 3. But after considering the scope of work and detailed list of tasks they included, I felt they had the best grasp on the project and least likely to require any change orders. Scheduling (Punctuality & Responsiveness) Due to my work travel schedule, the holidays and the fact that it was the peak of the heating season (albeit a mild winter), we had to reschedule the start date a few times. I hesitated to give a 'B' rating here for punctuality as I certainly had to adjust the schedule a couple times myself, so it would really be close to a 'B+'. The first crew from SJ Johnson was just for the removal, and as expected it took the better part of 2 days. But they even came out on a Saturday to finish! And in these days of constant communication, if I had a question or issue, I sent a quick email to Saquane and always had a response within 24 hours or less - most times within just a few hours. On actual work days, Eddie was there early and worked full days on the system. His assistant was present on the first day for the tasks that were a 2-person operation, but for the rest of the project he was efficient and neat. And, he kindly put up with my overly friendly dog that did his best to distract Eddie with a tennis ball or squeaky toy. Installation (Quality & Professionalism) Since I am an engineer by trade, I can only describe the installation as an engineering work of art. The boiler - a small, sleek (compared to the old iron behemoth) wall-hung unit with front-panel LCD display and controls. Mounted on the same frame, the copper piping, zone pumps and valves for the 2 current and 1 future heating zone. And next to it, the short, stocky indirect DHW tank that is amazingly efficient. During the installation, Eddie had to shut off the water at the valve at the house entrance. He noticed that the valve had a slight drip so he was able to tighten it up a bit, did the work and reopened the valve. However, at some point later that night the valve developed a bit more of a drip which I didn't discover until almost midnight - by that point it required a shop vac to clean up, and a couple buckets to contain the steady drip. I was finally able to tighten it up again (the packing bushing was failing) but the next day as I mentioned it to Eddie he took the time to help me shut the water off at the street and replaced the valve in the house, also adding a pressure gauge and a low-point drain valve. It was above and beyond the scope of work, but only took him about 15 minutes and he helped secure the peace of mind that I wouldn't have a flooded basement the next day. On the final day of installation and commissioning, Eddie stayed a couple hours late (7pm) to complete the job instead of returning the following day, which I appreciated. To have heat in the house again and now seemingly endless hot water is an amazing feeling. The boiler and pumps are exceedingly quiet, and unlike the old DHW heater (which you could touch the sides and tell it was warm), the new indirect DHW tank is ultra efficient. Summary (Overall Experience) I am very satisfied in my choice to use SJ Johnson for this project. Although they are a small company, every person I dealt with took pride in their work and was helpful with any questions I may have had. I appreciated that they had the depth of knowledge and experience to install a system like this, and are embracing new technologies and products in the HVAC field. I've even discussed with them the possibilities of adding a central air conditioning system to this house and they've got some interesting ideas and technologies they suggested, so I look forward to working with them again.