The crew showed up on time. I hate to admit it, but when JD came by Tuesday, we shook on the plan and I did not ask for a written bid. I called into there office later, and asked that the crew present me one before they started the work, so we were all on the same page.. The leader of the crew not only had the written bid, but agreed that it was for their protection and mine, and later in the day went on to tell me a story about how JD was victimized by a customer with whom he did not have a written agreement. I think it is nice that there is a businessman out there who will do business on a handshake. I wish more of life was like that.
The crew worked till noon, took a lunch break, and returned in the afternoon. One person worked outside to replace the compressor, the other worked inside to replace the coil and furnace, and install another air exchange. They predicted they would be done by 3 PM, but the outside worker was called away, so it took the crew leader a little longer to clean up.
After the installation was complete and functioning was tested, the technician showed me about my new unit. He even tested the condensation pump. He told me the filter I had in reserve was the correct size for the new unit but said the pleated filters I had been using made it harder for the air to pass through the system, and the easier the air passed through, the better, so to use a plain filter (which is less expensive.) He showed me how to change the filter, and said that was the only maintenance I needed to do. He also explained that there was no pilot light, that there was a some kind of hot spot and that would ignite the gas when the heater came on, so that would save a small expense as I left the pilot on during the summer (I hate dealing with pilot lights). He showed me the indicator light that showed the system was working properly. He asked me about looking at the compressor outside and told me what the various hook ups were for. He put all the serial numbers for the units on the receipt, gave me the owner's manuals, and said basically the parts are warrantied for 10 years, but the labor is not. That makes sense. He said they were an authorized dealer, so if I had trouble, to call them, and they would deal with the company. He said that the furnace would have a slight burn smell, the first time I turned it on, and if I was uncomfortable with that, they would come out and turn it on for me in the fall, free of charge. I told him every season, the first time a turn on the air conditioner or the furnace, I make a point to do it when I will be present, in case there is a problem, and I would do so again this fall.
He cleaned up so well, I probably could have gotten away with not vacuuming the work area, but I did, and returned everything to its place.
So, I was presented with a bill for the exact amount JD and I had agreed to. I paid by check, having previously move the money to my checking account.
The new system has a different sound than the old one. JD said it would be louder. It is not, it is just different, and I think that is because the old system worked so hard so long to cool the house. Immediately when the new system was turned on, I could feel the increased force of the blowing air. It took a while to get the house cooled, and the system to shut off, but we could feel the cool air in the process, after the house became hot while the system was being replaced.
This was good.
I then returned everything to its place.
No comments:
Post a Comment