HVAC wrong diagnosis

[Jonathan G.]

If you have been a landlord for a while, you start to recognize when your HVAC contractors are way off on their diagnosis. 

Two situations this summer involving one of the properties I manage and a property with a PM

1.  PM property:   HVAC not cooling, they send out their guy, he states that the freon is really low and that the evaporator coil is bad and the entire unit needs to be replaced.  Cost, about $2400.  Seemed inaccurate to me because their prior HVAC guy replaced it already about 5 years ago.  

So I called my company, they went out and found that there was low freon (~2lbs) but there was also a ton of grass/dirt on the outside compressor so they cleaned that as well and also did an extensive cleaning of the inside coils, checked for leaks both inside and out and found none.  There must be a leak somewhere but  unfortunately, the evaporator coil is just past it's 5yr warranty and we have not had another call all summer. Cost be $690 (less than a 1/3 of what my PM contractor was quoting"

2. Property that I manage:  HVAC not cooling. Call my company (the one I have been using for years and very happy with) and they send out one of their many techs (likely dozens of them). Tech tells me the unit is functioning fine. no issues but I have some leaks in the duct work in the attic and that is the likely problem. I communicate to this tech that does not make sense given the unit was cooling just fine in the months prior when it was in the 90s and now that it is in the 80s, the unit is not working. Although possible, duct work typically does not suddenly go bad.  Also, there was only about a 5-6 degree temperature drop at the registers and the air just did not seem cold.  he charges me a $90 diagnostic fee and arranges for the "free home efficiency inspection" for a later date. 

So I called in another guy and sure enough, the unit is 1lb 14oz low on Freon. The outside compressor fins are a bit dirty also. he cleans that and the unit is cooling very well thereafter.  11-12 degree drop and a noticeable cool feeling upstairs.   Total Charge: $140.  

So as you can see, you must remain vigilant with unknown contractors as well as the ones you use and trust on a regular basis. Clearly this particular tech from my regular company was either completely inept or trying to up-sale me on additional home / attic / duct work services.  I think I may have a new HVAC guy in this particular area of town. 

Be skeptical folks and it will save you a lot of money in the long run.