Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning and Electrical

The repair man was very friendly. He spoke with me about the problem and explained to me what happened and how he would fix it. He said a drain line from the AC had become clogged and it caused a backflow to overflow. He said he would install the correct fixtures to prevent it from happening again, and he also installed a clean out so that I could perform maintenance more easily in the future to avoid a similar occurrence. He then asked for my approval before he started the work. I highly recommend this plumbing service.

as usual our tech from Abacus was timely, professional and knowledgeable. We will continue to use them!

Technician was professional and did exactly what I needed.

Worked patiently trying to locate the drain pipe, discussed with us, and provided reasonable price when they realized they would not be able to trace the drain pipe all the way due to mud in the drain. Very professional and took their work seriously using up-to-date technology.

All repairs were done very quickly and with no mess left behind. My plumber Sebastian was very thorough about explaining the repairs that were needed and my options.

Their work was excellent but their prices are atrocious. I had nothing to compare them to because we needed it done and we just let them do it. We didn't go out and get bids. The man that came out was nice, he was courteous, he did a good job, he was conscientious about how he took care of the property here. They did wonderful work but we think we were over-charged. We were pleased with the work, we were pleased with the person, we unhappy with the cost.

Manny came over. He cleaned out the filler valve. It had a little debris in the top of the valve. He even showed me how to take the cap off & check that it doesn't get any debris in it again. He said if I didn't want to mess with it , I can always call & he will come over again. So nice. Problem solved. I fills up perfectly just as it should.

It went great. It was all fixed the same day I called. I will use them again. I am very happy with their work.

Great! The plumber was very thorough. Explained everything that was wrong, told me what he needed to do to fix the problem and gave an estimate. He cleaned all up and did a great job!

Excellent. I will continue to sign up for the yearly service program to have my water heater flushed and all plumbing checked.

Great - Especially responsive to contact after the repair

He spent a couple hours checking out all the fixtures and testing for leaks and water quality. At the end, he offered three suggestions and explained what they would do to enhance my systems. He also gave me prices. I opted to do one of them and will keep the others in mind. Very professional, knowledgeable and friendly!

ABACUS HVAC CUSTOMERS BEWARE! HOW DISAPPOINTING…. As this is a very detailed and scathing review of my experience with ABACUS, I will post the “BOTTOM LINE” first. Read beyond that for full details. BOTTOM LINE: The system that was supposedly 3lbs low on refrigerant with the cause being a “fairly substantial condenser coil coolant leak,” with an accompanying repair bill of $2600+, turns out to be absolutely false! How many people will simply accept the diagnosis given by the ABACUS Tech and write the check to do the recommended repairs? If it wasn’t for the fact that I had a home warranty that pushed me into engaging with 2 recommended and independent technicians, I would have likely done the same! I know ABACUS is a big company, and one terribly negative experience doesn’t mean the entire company is a bad egg. However, my one and only experience with ABACUS could not have been much worse. I will be requesting to get all of my $99.00 back for the BAM Program and no representative from ABACUS will ever set foot in my house again. DETAILS: I recently bought a 3.5 year old home and joined the ABACUS BAM (Bi-Annual Maintenance) program for 2 HVAC Systems in the first week of May, 2017. This appeared to be a great deal as I get 2 System "tune ups" (one in the Spring and one in the Fall), for BOTH of my HVAC home systems for a grand total of $99.00! What appeared to be a good deal, turned out to be exactly the opposite. On Tuesday, May 9, Master Certified HVAC Tech Matt L. arrives on time to perform system tune ups on 2 systems. The technician asks me to join him in the attic and begins to paint a bleak and expensive repair scenario for me. He informs me that I am “3 lbs low on refrigerant” and the culprit? He tells me that I have a leak in my condenser coil and “it’s a fairly substantial leak, so much so, you can actually see the leak!” He then pulls back an access panel from the top and shines a flashlight downwards towards the bottom of the panel. He then points out and says. “Can you see the rust at the bottom? That is where it is leaking! The corrosion is a sure fire indicator of the leak.” I could see a rust stain in the bottom corner of the box. He then goes to the outside unit and tells me my outside fan motor is pulling 0.8 amps instead of the 0.5 amps it should be pulling. He then goes on to say “you should change this fan motor as this indicates it is on its last leg and could go out at any time.” He concluded by saying, “You should NOT run this system until it is repaired, because if you do, you could cause a great deal more additional damage!” Below are copied directly from the ABACUS report: +++++++ ABACUS REPORT++++++++++ ISSUES FOUND UPON ARRIVAL: Cooling tune up on 2 carrier gas systems found upstairs 3 ton box coil with refrigerant leak..found upstairs outdoor fan motor at 0.8 amps rated for 0.5 amps. RECOMMENDATIONS: Qty 1 - Labor refrigerant shipping filter dryer and new drain systems for evap coil $1,762.00 (My Note: The part is free as system is still under warranty…this is just the labor.) Qty 1 - Labor for fan motor at condenser $382.00 (My note: Again, part is free – this is only labor.) Qty 1 - Attic tent installed $443.00 TOTAL RECOMMENDED REPAIR of above Items - $2587.00 (tax not included) +++++++ ++++++++++ JEEZ! $2587.00!!! Well, this guy seems very credible as he did claim to be the youngest Master Certified Technician in Texas! So at that point, I am TOTALLY convinced I need that I have a high pressure leak on my condenser coil that needs to be repaired - no doubt about it! I even saw for myself the corrosion caused by the refrigerant leak! The GOOD NEWS is that I remember I have a Home Warranty that the seller of the home provided for me that should help with the repair expenses. So, I immediately shut down the system and call the Home Warranty Company and they send a technician from Coleman Air Services. At the same time, I find a highly recommended HVAC Service Technician on Angie’s list (Ronnie Harris of Houston Air Design) to come out as well. When it is all said and done, I spend an additional $140.00 total for both of these technicians to spend a total of more than 2 hours at my house, and the bottom line is and they both agree: I HAVE NO COIL LEAK! They pull the panel in front of the box coil off and show me that the corrosion that was shown to me by flashlight was that of a rusting screw that is not part of the high pressure coil. Also, they confirmed that ”You CANNOT see a refrigerant leak unless you put some soapy material on the coils and see the gas bubble through (demonstrating a leak) OR, use an electronic “sniffing” instrument to sniff for the leak (which the ABACUS tech did not do either of them)! In addition, they pointed out to me that the coil is all-aluminum, and then ask me, “Have you ever seen aluminum rust?” Of course the answer is NO! Both independent technicians also confirmed that my system was not even low on refrigerant! Here’s what the formal report says from Ronnie Harris at Houston Air Design (this is copied directly from the report): Performed system inspection on UPSTAIRS Carrier unit. Compressor Operating Amps - 9 - Rated at 14 Outdoor Fan Motor Amps - .8 - Rated at .5 Operating refrigerant R-410/A Suction Pressure - 140 psi Head Pressure - 310 psi Super Heat - 13 degrees Sub Cool - 6 degrees Suction Line Temp - 59 degrees Inside Supply Temp - 56 degrees Inside Space Temp - 74 degrees Delta T (inside temp split) - 18 degrees Performed visual inspection of refrigerant lines and outdoor coil as well as indoor evap coil. Found no signs of oil stains or corrosion. System is clean and in good condition, ODF motor is operating slightly above rated amps but motor is not hot to touch or show any signs of weakness during start up or full operation. Temp split is 18 degrees from return air to the supply air inside with great airflow. System is operating ok at this time. NOTICE: The report above from Houston Air Design (Ronnie Harris) has all the detail in it that demonstrate the system in fact is “operating ok at this time” as opposed to ABACUS diagnostic report that was short on detail and LONG on recommendations. BOTTOM LINE: The system that was supposedly 3lbs low on refrigerant with the cause being a “fairly substantial condenser coil coolant leak,” with an accompanying repair bill of $2600+ turns out to be absolutely false! How many people will simply accept the diagnosis given by the ABACUS Tech and write the check to do the recommended repairs? If it wasn’t for the fact that I had a home warranty that pushed me into engaging with another 2 independent technicians, I would have likely done the same! I know ABACUS is a big company, and one terribly negative experience doesn’t mean the entire company is a bad egg. However, my one and only experience with ABACUS could not have been much worse. I will be requesting to get all of my $99.00 back for the BAM Program and no representative from ABACUS will ever set foot in my house again.

I was disappointed in the cost, which I believed could have been reduced had the company screened my request better, allowed me to obtain needed parts, or sent a runner rather than the plumber to obtain parts.

Kenny from Abacus came out to provide an estimate. Kenny is very knowledgeable and professional. He took his time to educate me as well as answer all my questions.

Work was done in a professional, thorough manner. I liked that the technician offered 3 options and price points for the thermostat. I never felt I was being pushed to purchased additional equipment or services. Technician, Leonard, was prompt and very professional, polite and helpful. One of the best techs I've ever had. Job Well Done and a good value!

Both plumbing and AC worked well together and got the job done. No complaints!

The technician was very nice and completed the job in short order.

The job was done efficiently and professionally by Andres, the technician. He was able to perform all the work needed within a short time span. He arrived 15 minutes early and I appreciate that I was able to place my service call in the morning and receive an appointment the same day!

The price was worth it and I am pleased with the results. The young man who came out was very professional, accommodating, answered all of my questions, and did a good job.

The plumber was knowledgeable but could not find a reason for the drip other than a problem with cartridge. (four Hans Groghe faucets were dripping) He installed new cartridge in one set of faucets, hot and cold, and charged the fixed rate for the installation of a new faucet set. A total rip off.

Service technician was on time and professional, as always!

I really appreciated that I got a call 90 mins prior to the technician arriving and the tech arrived within the first 30 mins of my 3 hr window. The technician quickly assessed the issue and gave me a price. I will say the price seemed a bit high but I was anxious to get the work done. He made the repair and checked with me to make sure I was satisfied. He was courteous and put booties on and off whenever he entered and left the house which was several times. Overall I was satisfied with the experience and would use Abacus again.

Service was excellent and the technician that came out was outstanding.

The technician was on time and seemed to have received the message regarding what I wanted him to do. My wife was at the house and I was on the phone with her from 1200 mies away. The technician said he could replace the valve and then pulled out a book that listed the cost of replacing the valve as $419! Because we were first time customers, they would let us use a $55 coupon that would lower the price to $364. I thought the price was outrageously high and would have sent the technician away if I had been home but because my wife was alone and we needed the valve repaired, I agreed to the price. It took 20 min to perform the repair. The work was fine but the price was unreasonable. I will not use them again. They do not give approximate prices over the phone and charge set fees by the job. I strongly recommend that others hire plumbers that charge time and materials.