Looking for an HVAC Installer

Infosec Guy · Feb 12, 2014

Since the Infernal Revenue Service has decided to return their excessive thievery again this year, I've decided to do a full replacement of my HVAC system.

I've found a great set of components online, but need a qualified and licensed technician to actually do the work.

The house is in Columbia. I want to swap the old generic gear for a new 3.5 ton 16 SEER Goodman AC & a new 92% Goodman gas furnace. I'd like to do it as soon as it warms up, as I don't want to risk spending the money on everything else on my shopping list.

Interested? Qualified? PM me, please!
Perry

Infosec Guy · Feb 12, 2014

I should clarify that I plan to buy the equipment myself, and only want to pay for labor & incidentals. I'm looking for a private deal, involving cash. My interest is in paying a man for his work, not a company for their advertising.

jr88 · Feb 12, 2014

I have 2 family members in the business and have learned one thing from them; Goodman isn't the route you want to go. It is a builders grade with a poor reliability history. You can save money having a system put in by someone on the side, but most legit guys rely on making a little from the equipment and can purchase cheaper than you can online. So they aren't likely to install your equipment. How would a warranty problem be handled? Either let them sell and install, or at least buy a better grade equipment from the start, you save a lot of trouble in the long run.

engineerbrian · Feb 12, 2014

jr88 said:
I have 2 family members in the business and have learned one thing from them; Goodman isn't the route you want to go. It is a builders grade with a poor reliability history. You can save money having a system put in by someone on the side, but most legit guys rely on making a little from the equipment and can purchase cheaper than you can online. So they aren't likely to install your equipment. How would a warranty problem be handled? Either let them sell and install, or at least buy a better grade equipment from the start, you save a lot of trouble in the long run.

pbharvey · Feb 12, 2014

Infosec Guy said:
I should clarify that I plan to buy the equipment myself, and only want to pay for labor & incidentals. I'm looking for a private deal, involving cash. My interest is in paying a man for his work, not a company for their advertising.

Some advice from a guy who owns an HVAC company.
1. Make sure the person doing the installation holds at least a Maryland State Journeyman's HVAC license and Maryland State Journeyman's Gas Fitters license.Ideally they should hold Master's licenses in both.
2. Installation of a gas furnace in Howard County requires a permit and inspection.
3. Some HVAC systems qualify for a BGE rebate. The system you have selected may be eligible for an $800 rebate. You will not be able to get this rebate unless you use a contractor enrolled in the BGE program.
4. Installation of the hardware is more critical than the hardware itself. Proper evacuation of the refrigeration system, proper charging of the refrigeration system, setting the proper air flow, etc. are critical to the system's performance, energy savings and comfort.

Good luck. Some advertising guy's kid won't get new tennis shoes this spring.

Robert · Feb 12, 2014

pbharvey said:
Some advice from a guy who owns an HVAC company.
1. Make sure the person doing the installation holds at least a Maryland State Journeyman's HVAC license and Maryland State Journeyman's Gas Fitters license.Ideally they should hold Master's licenses in both.
2. Installation of a gas furnace in Howard County requires a permit and inspection.
3. Some HVAC systems qualify for a BGE rebate. The system you have selected may be eligible for an $800 rebate. You will not be able to get this rebate unless you use a contractor enrolled in the BGE program.
4. Installation of the hardware is more critical than the hardware itself. Proper evacuation of the refrigeration system, proper charging of the refrigeration system, setting the proper air flow, etc. are critical to the system's performance, energy savings and comfort.

Good luck. Some advertising guy's kid won't get new tennis shoes this spring.

This x 1 Bazillion.. I would just add longevity also...

Infosec Guy · Feb 12, 2014

pbharvey said:
Some advice from a guy who owns an HVAC company.
1. Make sure the person doing the installation holds at least a Maryland State Journeyman's HVAC license and Maryland State Journeyman's Gas Fitters license.Ideally they should hold Master's licenses in both.
2. Installation of a gas furnace in Howard County requires a permit and inspection.
3. Some HVAC systems qualify for a BGE rebate. The system you have selected may be eligible for an $800 rebate. You will not be able to get this rebate unless you use a contractor enrolled in the BGE program.
4. Installation of the hardware is more critical than the hardware itself. Proper evacuation of the refrigeration system, proper charging of the refrigeration system, setting the proper air flow, etc. are critical to the system's performance, energy savings and comfort.

Good luck. Some advertising guy's kid won't get new tennis shoes this spring.

I just look at the systems that are advertised at Lowe's, Sears, etc., and cringe at the pricing. An $800 rebate on a $4000 overcharge just isn't worth the paperwork, ya know?

The supplier I want to use will honor the warranty as long as a licensed contractor signs off on the install. And why does that spoiled brat need $200 sneakers?

t84a · Feb 12, 2014

I have an Amana made by Goodman. Its far from builder grade and it also has a 10 year warranty.

pbharvey · Feb 12, 2014

Infosec Guy said:
I just look at the systems that are advertised at Lowe's, Sears, etc., and cringe at the pricing. An $800 rebate on a $4000 overcharge just isn't worth the paperwork, ya know?

The supplier I want to use will honor the warranty as long as a licensed contractor signs off on the install. And why does that spoiled brat need $200 sneakers?

The big box stores are generally the highest prices. They give sales leads to contractors and charge them 6% +/- for the contact. Plus there is added overhead expense dealing with the paperwork and manning the store. Sears just subcontracts out the installation. Generally it isn't pretty.

There are some very good contractors who bring value to your purchase and others who are just interested in selling boxes. The main thing to keep in mind is that you are purchasing an installed product. If you are replacing an existing gas furnace vented with a PVC flue the termination port of the new furnace may or may not be compatible with the new furnace. If you are replacing a furnace vented with a metal flue pipe and the hot water heater is tied into the same vent, then the flue may need to be modified to accommodate the water heater only. These may seem like minor things but are areas where we typically see problems when jobs are bootlegged. Obviously any improperly vented gas appliance can be dangerous and even result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Of course this is rare but something you should keep in mind when taking tennis shoes from a small child.

RileysDad · Feb 13, 2014

If you still need someone, shoot me a PM. I manage 11 condo associations and I've got a guy I use for nearly all my HVAC work - one-man show that's been in the business for decades, does work any time of day and is super reasonable.

joemac · Feb 13, 2014

t84a said:
I have an Amana made by Goodman. Its far from builder grade and it also has a 10 year warranty.

We install Goodman/Amana and I even installed an Amana 16 SEER 2 stage heat pump in my own home a few years ago since sold. I was fairly happy with the equipment.

We have very few parts related call backs. Some for installation issues but far less factory issues.

In the past, yes Goodman was not known for quality production. It is as good or better than most of the competitors today. There might be two or three exceptions.

Brad · Feb 14, 2014

Goodman these days makes very good equipment. In the past they may have lacked a little on quality control and what not but have fixed thier issues. They also have recently been bought by Daikin which is one of the biggest HVAC company's in the world. Goodman has great warranties and getting replacement parts is very very easy as compared to say Carrier for example which is a nightmare trying to get warranty covered parts.

I actually just did a Full Goodman install for a co-worker 2 weeks ago and we he went the same route you are planning on going. Ordered the equipment himself offline, had it shipped to his house and only paid me for the install. We installed a full 3-ton heatpump system for around 3,300 including price of the equipment and my labor cost as compared to the 6,200 quoted by 3 different HVAC companies.

In my opinion get a free quote from any HVAC company and compare that price the what you will pay getting the equipment yourself and paying just for labor and misc materials. It will probably be close to 1/2 the quoted price.

pbharvey · Feb 14, 2014

Brad said:
In my opinion get a free quote from any HVAC company and compare that price the what you will pay getting the equipment yourself and paying just for labor and misc materials. It will probably be close to 1/2 the quoted price.

No offense or anything but if you're going to buy the equipment yourself and hire an individual to install it, don't take up a contractor's time. Free estimates are only free to consumers, they are not free to the contractor. I despise it when people call out a professional to get design advice, load calculations, etc. with no intention of ever hiring them.

Brad · Feb 14, 2014

pbharvey said:
No offense or anything but if you're going to buy the equipment yourself and hire an individual to install it, don't take up a contractor's time. Free estimates are only free to consumers, they are not free to the contractor. I despise it when people call out a professional to get design advice, load calculations, etc. with no intention of ever hiring them.

I totally aggree with you in most circumstances. But when it comes to companies like Sears that claim they do HVAC but then charge 1/3 more then turn around and pay a sub-contractor less than what they would normally charge to get the job.... That just rubs me the wrong way. I do see your point though.

pbharvey · Feb 14, 2014

Brad said:
I totally aggree with you in most circumstances. But when it comes to companies like Sears that claim they do HVAC but then charge 1/3 more then turn around and pay a sub-contractor less than what they would normally charge to get the job.... That just rubs me the wrong way. I do see your point though.

Sears is on an island all by itself :lol2:

People who buy from them pay the most and get the least but are perfectly happy in their ignorance.

Brad · Feb 14, 2014

pbharvey said:
Sears is on an island all by itself

People who buy from them pay the most and get the least but are perfectly happy in their ignorance.

Very True. I used to do alot of sub-contract work for sears several years ago and it was very frustrating trying to do a "good job" with the materials/prducts they sold. The salesman didnt have a clue and would sell whatever they could regardless if they needed it or if it made sense. Almost every job had a chimney liner (regardless if it needed it), humidifier, electronic air cleaner and whatever else they could sell them. Then provided us rolls of copper that were too short or the EXACT perfect length to where we couldnt route them the way they should have been.

Most of their jobs were in the "hood" and the only reason they got most of thier jobs is because they provided financing to people who probably shouldnt be allowed financing. They were willing to pay whatever becasue no one else would finance them....

AK-47 · Feb 14, 2014

Just sent you a PM with information.

Robert · Feb 14, 2014

Daikin just acquired Goodman Manufacturing. So having the expertise of largest HVAC/R manufacture in the world involved should bring big improvements to the line.

RIGGS · Feb 14, 2014

Hvac for 14 years. I have goodman at my house, 4 years no problems what so ever. I'd take goodman over trane and carrier any day and that's what we mainly sell/service.

Mark75H · Feb 15, 2014

37 years, but half the HVAC guys on here say I'm stupid so, years don't mean much

Looking for an HVAC Installer

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