Enercare installed a new high-efficiencey furnace for me in February, 2016. It has had three issues in the past two years.
Immediately following the install, I had a substantial water leak in the furnace room. The tech who investigated didn't correlate the leak with the install. He insisted that I replace the rental water tank (it was not the problem) and otherwise suggested that there was a water leak in my home's foundation (there wasn't). He said there was nothing more he could do and left. I asked for a second opinion and John, the installation manager, came out and found the problem right away - a water hose inside the high efficiency furnace that hadn't been connected correctly. I had been mopping the floor for days before the situation was resolved.
On the plus side, I needed a new air conditioner that summer, and Enercare was able to send out the same knowledgeable senior manager to install it, which I appreciated.
December, 2016 (10 months after install), the furnace blower failed and the computer board was also replaced. I was out of heat for three days until the parts were available. No answers as to why these parts failed so soon.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve day, December, 2017. The thermostat indicated that the furnace was not achieving the set temperature. It was short cycling. This took four days to solve, with three techs involved. The first tech ran a few computer tests and concluded that a new gas valve needed to be ordered. I didn't feel confident about his diagnosis, so asked for a second opinion. Two days later, a second tech ran computer and manual tests and concluded that the issue was not the gas valve. He ordered a new computer board. He was kind enough to arrange for delivery of two space heaters as an interim solution, as parts needed to be ordered after Boxing Day. Early on day four, a third tech arrived with both parts. Joel did a thorough investigation and advised that the new parts were not required. He correctly noted that there was a problem with a wire on the thermostat (one of the first things you check, although when I suggested it to the first tech, I was brushed aside). He did a quick trim and installed a new thermostat.
I get that diagnosis can be difficult with the complexity of modern furnaces, but I feel as though the issue could have been fixed on day 1 with Joel's "Occam Razor" analysis, eliminating multiple tech visits, holiday delays for unneeded parts, and salvaging Christmas.
Luckily, I was on the radar of the regional service manager who was working during the holiday period, who was monitoring the situation to ensure that the requested parts were ordered and finally, that I had heat.
The house has been toasty since Joel's visit. I give him 10 out of 10 for his persistence, analytical skills, "can do" attitude and getting this fixed. Thank you also to John, the regional manager, for his proactive concern. And to the other John, the knowledgeable install manager who had quickly diagnosed the water leak and deserves 10/10. Unfortunately, I can't assign a 10/10 overall to Enercare, given days of dealing with water, lack of heat, and scheduling multiple tech visits that did not solve the problem. I don't have a warm feeling that it will not fail again in the coming year. Warranty is nice but 4 days of deep freeze is not.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $5,400.00