Mechanical Air LLC

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I have used Mechanical Air before when I have had issues with my furnace. They have always shown up promptly, been courteous and friendly, and taken care of my problem for a fair price. This time was no exception. By noon my home had heat again. I will use these guys in the future. They recommended that I replace the furnace when I am in a situation to do so and am not under pressure to make a quick and possibly stupid decision. When I replace, I will certainly go to them again for help.

I am very happy with the results I got and the price I paid. I felt like the furnace professional took the time to explain to me what my options were and what the advantages and disadvantages were for each option. He worked very hard to make the installation go as smoothly as possible. He is very responsive if I have questions or problems. He will be my furnace guy for many years.

Superb! It began with the first phone call. I inquired about American Standard products, so Jason knew I was looking at the expensive stuff. Somewhere in our conversation he mentioned that he had been in the business twenty-some years, and in his experience Amana was just as reliable as American Standard. He also told me of Amana's unique lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger and compressor. He was the only dealer I spoke with who suggested anything but the most expensive line he sold. When he presented a bid, I asked about filtration, and he said it included a standard one inch pleated filter. I asked if a better filter might be advisable. He replied that he didn't think anything else was significantly better, short of a $1400 Trane electrostatic unit. He described this unit as "life-changing" for people with pulmonary disease, but since I was healthy he didn't think I would find it worth the cost. A dealer who recommends the most cost effective solution instead of the most profitable! I did some further investigation of the Mechanical Air and Amama, and decided to go with them. (Other dealers derided Amana as junk. Yes, Amana is made in the same factory as Goodman. But in the experience of Consumer Reports subscribers, Amana respectably ties Carrier and Lennox for reliability, while Goodman comes in at the bottom. Same factory, different products.) Jason's installation was entirely professional, indeed meticulous. As the condenser was to be far from the furnace/evaporator, plumbing and wiring were considerable. It was all neatly laid out and secured with straps. Ditto the plumbing and ducting in the furnace room. When a job expected to take three days stretched out to six, the quality of the work did not falter. If it took six days to do it right, Jason took the time to do it RIGHT. When we decided that a concrete pad would be preferable under the condenser, Jason interrupted his work for two days while the pad was laid. After the plumbing was complete, he evacuated the system, and only after it had held the vacuum overnight did he consider it leak-free and ready to charge. Then, with the system operating, he spent an hour measuring temperatures and adjusting flows around the system for optimum efficiency. I doubt if you can find a better furnace/AC dealer/installer than Mechanical Air and Jason. If you find a better price, be careful. I learned from my reading that improper installation is a leading cause of A/C failure, and proper installation takes time. Shortcutting installation is an easy way to lower a bid. BTW, if you look at my other reports you will see that I have written very few rave reviews. I am quite willing to be critical if warranted. Jason earned this rave. Gratuitous note on AC sizing: Manual J is a standard for sizing residential ACs. It calculates the size unit needed to maintain an inside temperature of 75 with an outside temp of 95 and the AC running continuously. There is no margin for hotter days or rapid cool-down. People with such units have told me that they cool their houses continuously during the summer because, if they let them heat up while they are away, it takes until sometime that night to get the house back to a comfortable temp. Manual J says I need 1 1/2 tons. Because different dealers were giving me different numbers (I did not yet know about Manual J) , I retained an HVAC engineering firm to calculate what I needed. Using a commercial program (not Manual J) they calculated that I needed 2 tons, but added that they thought I would be happier with 2 1/2. Quite a jump from Manual J. I decided on 1 1/2 tons with another 1 1/2 in reserve, aka a 3 ton 2 stage. The first stage handles the load with Manual J efficiency most of the time (advertised SEER for a two stage AC is for second stage; on first stage it delivers higher than advertised SEER), while the second stage is available for hotter days or rapid cool-down. (Some say that it is more efficient to keep the house cool at all times during the summer, but this violates the laws of thermodynamics. No one recommends keeping a house warm at all times during the winter, and, according to thermodynamics, it makes no more sense to keep it cool at all times during the summer.)

Company responded in a very timely manner. Mr. Spencer arrived at the time specified. Preformed the required work in a very professional manner and at a competitive rate.