Universal Heating Air Conditioning and Plumbing

The technician arrived on time and the scheduler called 30 minutes in advance to confirm the time of arrival. Once on site, the technician thoroughly checked out each part of the A/C system to confirm it was operating properly. He logically progressed through his troubleshooting procedure and eventually found the source of the problem and repaired it. He kept an old heat pump working for a low price instead of giving up and simply recommending to replace the unit.

Our emergency/auxillary heat would run constantly and the system was not heating the house properly. Most of the time the vents were just blowing cold/warm (rather than hot) air. We had Universal come out to look at it and perform the repairs. They replaced the compressor and a belt in the outside unit. They did an excellent job and all the work was completed in one day. Since the repairs, our electric bills have dropped by about 35%. I wish I had called them sooner! Universal is an excellent company. They do quality work and reasonable prices. I would definitely hire them again for any HVAC needs and would ABSOLUTELY recommend them without hestitation!!!

The service technician was very knowledgeable and helpful answering my questions about the unit. He did not rush through his job and was very neat and considerate of my house. I will use this company again for my heating unit. The technician has been witht he company for twenty years. Good sign!

I had to follow up with them to receive the quote by mail. They told me the letter was mailed the week before, but the stamp from the post office was not from that week. He was rated as the top service provider in the area, but he took some time in getting me the estimate and then was not honest with the date it was sent to me. He was also not the cheapest quote either.

Job was very professionally performed.

The whole process took longer than any of us wanted, because we had to wait for the city to run the new gas line to our house. However, working with Steffen couldn't have been better. From the first time he cam out to look at the house and discuss the specifics, to coming back and re-explaining everything again, to giving us price and performance specifics on various boiler and water heater options, to the actual work itself, we got more than we expected from Universal and from Steffen in particular. When I called in concern because the city was taking forever to run the line, he reassured me that he was staying in contact with the city and that all would eventually be taken care of. When I asked him to leave the old boiler so a friend could salvage the motors, his team removed it and dismantled it so the pieces could be easily retrieved. He explained every piece of the installation, and dealt patiently and cheerfully with every glitch that came up. Now we have a safe and efficient gas boiler instead of that clankly, cranky oil thing. We're delighted with our purchase and would definitely recommend Steffen and Universal to everyone.

We have a yearly contract with them. They were polite, prompt, cordial and very nice. The job was not terribly complex but, as far as I can tell, they did a good job. The price is probably what everybody would charge; it did not look bad.

We have used them twice. They are always on time and they always return our calls. They always know what they are doing and fix the problem. They have given us some tips for future reference. The same guy always comes out and he is really good. He has been doing this many years. He is very professional, knowledgeable and nice.

They called me back in a quick amount of time, they arrived when they said that they would. Very nice with the tech. who came to my house to the person I spoke with on the phone. Kept me informed on what they were going to do on the quote and kept me informed with that they were doing.

A technician came to our home to evaluate our air conditioning system. He was very knowledgeable, punctual, communicated with us well. He explained the options to us and after we chose to replace our air handler, he made phone calls to determine if one could be found which would work with our current system. He was successful and we made an appointment for the work to be done. Two men came to do the work. They called prior to their appointed time to let us know they would be somewhat late; really appreciated the call. When they arrived they worked steadily and completed the job in a reasonable amount of time. They were very neat, bringing their own drop cloths.

The work was completed on schedule and without fuss.

Our 20 year old AC system developed a refrigerant leak that was not repairable. We solicited bids from 3 companies which we found on Angie's List. Steffan, the President of Universal, came out and did the walk-through of our project. He was the only person to suggest that we move the upstairs return, and gave a very logical explanation for doing so. Universal's quote came in somewhat higher than we budgeted (was the middle quote of the 3 we received), but was for the most energy efficient unit and included the extra work to remove the return. We were able to get a $1,000 manufacturers rebate from Rheem, and get a free programmable thermostat since we were referred from Angie's List. Russell and Scott, the gentlemen who installed our system, showed up on time, worked diligently (2-1/2 days), cleaned up after themselves, and in general were very polite and professional installers. We were extemely pleased with our experience, and would highly recommend Universal to anyone in need of a heat pump replacement.

The relationship started in a somewhat rocky fashion when after having called and set up an appointment, I learn that there was no entry in the system. However, they managed to fit us in the next business day (original was for a Friday, came on Monday). They blew out drains, cleaned and sanitized the evaporator coils, added refridgerant in one of the systems and checked motors.

Wonderful! Thanks to Angies List for clueing me in to Universal. They were an after thought and my fourth quote from the local area before i signed up for Angies List and saw the reviews for Universal. The owner came out and was by far the most knowledgable and best prepared for the project. Not just a salesman, but someone who knows his business. Pricing was very competitive, quality of work was superior (as a civil engineer who specializes in custom equipment production I am very fussy). Could not have been more pleased with the work completed. Thank you Universal. I will be using you for the rest of my system upgrades from now on!

Superb experience. Personnel showed up exactly on time, were very professional, and completed all work as described and ahead of schedule. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the workmanship. Soldering, pipe routing, venting work were all some of the best I've ever seen. On-site personnel reviewed the system after installation and made sure all of my questions were answered. It was quite obvious that they took a great deal of pride in doing top quality work. I have to say, this was one of the best experiences I've ever had with a contractor in the Richmond area.

Very well and the other favorable Angie's List reviews were accurate. Universal understands the basics of good customer service, were on-time, and provided us with an honest opinion for an efficient and economical solution to heating our basement. Although we did not ask them to perform any work, this would only because the solution they presented us with was something I could do myself. I applaud this level of integrity from any company. In the end, I will contact them or refer them to others whenever an HVAC issue comes up.

I needed a problem with my furnace diagnosed along with an annual tune-up. John found a problem with my gas valve and replaced it, but that did not fix the problem. He came back and discovered a problem in the gas line outside the house and told me to report this to the city, which I did. He did not charge for this additional trip. The problem was finally resolved by the city. I can't tell you if I really needed a new gas valve, but I felt I was treated fairly and honestly. I had two previous contractors come out who did not make nearly this effort to diagnose the problem and did not seem to care that they could not find out what was wrong and fix it. All of my contacts with the company were very helpful. I was able to set up appointments via email and have service at a convenient time. When there was a delay, they called promptly to work things out with me. They were very friendly and respectful. They are charging more than other firms to do the annual tune-up, but unlike the others, they saw my problem through to complete resolution.

They were great & we are very happy with the job. We had a couple other people come in and my husband sat down with them to make the final decision. He didn't think that changing the system the way we wanted it would be a problem. He knew what he was doing, understood the product, was always there when they said they would be and we didn't feel like we got the run around.

I asked for and received several quotes to replace a heat pump and air handler last summer. Most of the prices were similar, but Steffen called when he said he would call and showed up when he said he would show up to assess the job. He said he would send a quote and he did. It was going to be a bundle of money regardless of the firm used. I went on line and reviewed some of the equipment he proposed installing. I called him to discuss the quote and insisted on a particular thermostat. He agreed, but said the one I wanted was definitely lacking user friendliness. I expected he wanted to install a different model because it yielded a higher profit or something, but I crossed my fingers and went with Steffen at Universal because he seemed to be the most dependable. The installation of that job went as he said, was completed on time, and the people working the job were respectful and professional. The system also has worked well for the past year with one complaint, the damn thermostat is not very user friendly. About a week later, my water heater failed and they replaced it when and how they said they would. Because I unfortunately have a two zone system, the other heat pump now needed to be replaced. I didn't call any other firms this time. I called Universal Heating and Plumbing. Steffen said when he would show up and he showed. He said he would send a quote and he did. When I called to briefly discuss the quote, I asked him about pricing for some other minor but nagging plumbing issues. He said they would just take care of them while they were at my house. I told him "Let's do it" and his guys showed up when they said they would. They again were respectful and professional. They completed the job when they said they would. I had seen on Angie's List that Universal was offering a free thermostat coupon with this installation. I was going to ask for that after receiving the quote, but Steffen researched my current thermostat which I really like. He confirmed the current one would support the new equipment and didn't include any thermostat in the quote. I learned my thermostat lesson last time and deferred to his judgment. They fixed the other minor plumbing headaches without billing me for them, so I feel like I got my own version of a free thermostat. I hope I don't need any HVAC and plumbing work for a long time now, but if I do, I wouldn't hesitate to call them. They have been nothing but reliable and trustworthy, and those two things are rare commodities anymore.

They did the work on time and the price they quoted were absolutely terrific to work with. They are my new plumbing and heating contractor. They called ahead of time, and did any work with good sense, giving me good advice in what work was worthwhile.

The other estimate that we received was $1000 higher and the other company wanted to do work that was unnecessary. They were very courteous, prompt and they got out to us very quickly, considering the time of year that it was. I was very happy with the service and that they did exactly what they said that they would. Afterward, the owner of the company followed up with us to make sure that we were satisfied.

The estimate was performed after 2 phone calls and the plumber estimator showed up as arranged. He was supposed to call us back with the estimate results but never did. Two weeks later I called the company and left a message asking about the estimate and my phone call was promptly returned. The woman that I spoke with stated that she would mail my estimate to me and I gave her the address to use. It is now over 3 weeks later and I have never received an estimate. It is a little frustrating to invest time and effort in meeting with a company to have them drop the ball and not even be able to follow through with an estimate. But I am glad that it happened, because it is easier to weed out companies who are not able to follow through. Obviously a company that cannot complete an estimate could not be relied upon to successfully complete a job.

Everything was good. I got my money's worth it. I was perfectly satisfied. They answered all my questions and were polite and cheerful. They even were here ten minutes earlier than scheduled! I highly recommend them.

The guy was a very personable person however I didn't like that he installed the cheapest part he could find and I ended up with a plastic spray nozzle. His quality of work was good, he removed everything and cleaned up well. I just feel like I definitely over paid for the service.

They did a great job fixing the air conditioning unit. I am very happy with the results because the leak is gone and I have not had any problems since then. The crew was very friendly. They were very professional and courteous towards me. They also answered my questions and were very honest about the job done.