A Plus Heating & Cooling

Since we did not know how to program the T.stats it was very helpful . They are coming back out to instruct us on how to set the programming.

When I turned on the heat for the first time this fall, it made a fairly loud sound: kind of a cross between a firecracker and a small explosion, and it shut off. My thermostat indoors went a little crazy: it said it was 88 degrees in the house when minutes before it was in the 60s (which is why I turned on the heat), then it would flash off for a few seconds before coming back on again. Needless to say, I turned off the system at the thermostat.
I called my and quot;normal HVAC guyand quot; to ask him to come check it out. When he arrived, he opened the front panel of the unit, and we could see melted, black wires (that didn't used to be black), and blown capacitors on the circuit board. He said my heat exchanger probably had cracks in it which allowed heat and/or fire to come back into the front area where the wires are located. This was very disappointing news because we had the heat exchanger replaced 3 years ago for $750. My and quot;normal guyand quot;
showed me some spots on the heat exchanger and said those were probably where the cracks were. He said by the time we replace the heat exchanger (again) and the circuit board and some other blower motor and wiring, it could cost as much as $2000. Our unit is 15 years old, so he recommended a new system. Later that day he gave me a quote of $3650 for a new unit (including installation).
To ensure I was getting a good price I wanted some other quotes, so I looked on Angie's List for recommended HVAC companies that service my area, and I called 3 of them. One of them, the subject of this review, A Plus Heating and Cooling, offered to come out the same day and look at my unit. The other two scheduled visits for the following day, and they told me they offer financing on new units.
When the guy from A Plus Heating and Cooling arrived, I repeated the scenario and what and quot;my normal guyand quot; said, and he proceeded to open the unit to evaluate it for himself. After reviewing it, he told me, and quot;You know, the damage isn't really that bad. You may have leaves or wasp nests or ants or other blockage in your heat exchanger which caused the blowback. Your heat exchanger doesn't look rusted or cracked. We can clean it out and replace the burnt wires and the circuit board and then, if it starts working, we can check for cracks and leaks in the heat exchanger.and quot;
REALLY? You may be able to fix it instead of installing a whole new unit?! Hurray!
So that's what he did. He went back to his office and found a compatible circuit board and several lengths of wires, then he proceeded to change it out. When he turned it on (with the gas off) to test it, we heard the familiar bubbling sound that we always hear when the heat comes on. It sounds like someone blowing bubbles into a softdrink. It always has. However, he seemed really surprised that the heater would make a bubbling sound. and quot;Oh, that's not normal for a gas heater?and quot; I asked.
He took off the side and top cover and determined what the REAL problem was -- the problem that caused the heat blowback that fried my circuit board and wiring: the people who installed the heat exchanger 3 years ago did not do it correctly. It is (apparently) supposed to be mounted at an angle (there is a bracket included with mounting screws) so that RAIN WATER DRAINS OUT OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER. However, the previous installer simply slid the new heat exchanger (which is just a few metal pipes -- I don't think it's worth $750 or anywhere near it) into my unit and hooked it up without mounting it correctly. Therefore, all the rain from this summer and fall had collected into the pipes of the heat exchanger. As I said, it always made bubbling sounds when we turned on the heat; I assumed this was normal. Apparently it's not.
He corrected the installation of the existing heat exchanger as we watched several cups of water drain out the front of the unit. Then he turned on the blower again. No bubbling sounds!
He then turned on the gas and attempted to test the heat itself, but it didn't work. He returned to his shop for a replacement gas valve, replaced it, and turned it on. SUCCESS!
Yes, this is a long story... and I left out some details of course. But the point is this: thanks to A Plus Heating and Cooling, I have heat for $376 (parts and labor) instead of $3,650 or more for a completely new unit. They could have given me a quote on a new unit and not attempted to repair my old unit, as and quot;my normal guyand quot; did.
I'm VERY HAPPY, and A Plus Heating and Cooling are now and quot;my NEW normal guy.and quot;

My air conditioner wasn't working. I called them and they came out later the same day. It didn't take them long to figure out the problem and fix it. I haven't had any more problems with it since. This company was recommended to me several years ago and I have been using them ever since. I would recommend them to others.

A Plus Heating and Cooling did good work. I give him an A overall.

They did a very good job, had a good price, and listened well to what I was looking for. I was looking for something that was better than average, more efficient. They responded well. I would highly recommend them.

They called me before they came so that I could leave work and meet them. They were a little later than expected but not unreasonably so. They determined that someone had installed a head pressure control unit and that it was not working properly. They told me the head pressure control unit was not required but that it was intended to prolong the life of the unit. I could either replace the unit or they would have to do some rewiring. I decided to replace the unit so they ordered it and came back and installed it without me having to be there. They also made a temporary patch so the unit would heat until they came back. They tried to get the part under warranty, but since it had been added on it was not covered by the warranty.