Get matched with top ducts & vents installers and replacers in Palermo, CA

"It went smoothly, beautifully and quickly!  I had been waiting for 10 days for Gallagher's to do  repairs with no success, just me calling them and them telling me that I can only speak with the technician.  Since I was getting nowhere with Gallagher's, I called Bob's Air Repair.  Their team came within 2 hours.  I gave them the information that I was told from Gallagher's regarding what was looking bad, (i.e. the fan motor).  Then Jon, from Bob's Air Repair diagnosed a problem which was not even mentioned from the tech from Gallagher's. He stated that a capacitor was bad and that he'd like to replace it first to see if that is all that is wrong with the unit, to avoid unnecessary costs.  But the unit was still only blowing warm air so Jon informed me he would need to replace the fan motor as well. It was at this point that I want to stress how much I appreciate Jon.  Since I knew a fan motor was on order from Gallagher's and that I did not want to deal with Gallagher's for this, Jon stated that I may want to call them to see if I would be getting charged anything before I cancel an order for a part that I ordered.  Gallagher's would NOT even give me an answer to that question, again stating that I had to wait to speak with the tech who came out to my house originally.  I told them that was unacceptable to wait any longer and that I am canceling the order.  I then gave Jon the OK to install the fan motor that was already in their truck!  I also needed a new thermostat installed and I made 2 requests about that.  It had to be digital and have a very easy way to change the batteries.  Bob's Air Repair had one that matched my standard.  Within minutes of all these repairs, I had cool air blowing through the house and it was just in time for the triple digit heat!  I've told my neighbors and now I'm telling those on Angie's List, Bob's Air Repair will take care of you!
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"Keith came over for an estimate the previous Friday, took one look at our old tank water heater, and let us know what a liability it was.  We were then persuaded to go with a tankless water heater -- I have to say that I wasn't hot on the idea initially due to cost recovery being nearly impossible on them due to high installation costs having to rejigger the plumbing, add electrical, and update the venting.  However, we had decades of code violations which would have added up to a monstrous cost (especially for the vent) to replace with a normal water heater.  The NPE-240A that we were persuaded to purchase uses PVC venting, which is routable through older metal vents -- thus is a cost reduction over installation of new, up-to-code metal venting.
Note that Gallagher will have a promotional first-visit price.  If you don't sign the dotted line to purchase a major service from them on that first visit, the price may increase by several hundred dollars on the next visit.  That is a little bit of a pressure tactic and we would have done a bit more homework had we known of it.  However, in this case, we had a potentially disastrous situation on our hands with that 23 year old water heater and didn't much feel like tempting fate by checking with other contractors for their costs and quality of service.
 After Keith left, I began to do some additional research.  I came to find that flush valves are a huge convenience with tankless water heater.  They allow you to easily isolate the house plumbing from the tankless water heater, connect two hoses to the heater and a pump, and circulate a lime scale dissolving solution (such as house-hold vinegar) to remove the scale from the heater exchanger.  I was worried that the install wouldn't come with these flush valves.  I called Gallagher at 9am on a Saturday morning and asked if they would be installing flush valves.  The initial answer from the on-call plumber was no.  Fortunately, Keith provided his personal/work cell phone.  I called to verify the no answer.  He assured me that the flush valves would be installed (and yes, they were -- and high quality valves too; single ball-valve, cast in Italy!).  Thanks, Keith, for taking my call on your off day.  That saved everyone a lot of grief :-)  So my nerves were soothed and I waited patiently for Monday to get that old, possibly leaking, tank water heater out of my house.
 On Monday, two technicians came out on time (Travis and Chad).  I don't recall which one was the experienced plumber, but one of them was definitely new and needed the experience (we all start from somewhere).  Both set out to do their work and were fairly efficient.
Only one mistake of note was caught.  The lesser experienced technician did accidentally cut a hole through my gas furnace vent cap, believing it to be the water heater vent cap.  The mistake was caught, and some sheet metal was cut and the cap was repaired with some mastic and water repellant stuff.  I don't know if that's code but I suppose I'll find out when the code inspector visits to close the permit... certainly the last thing I need is CO entering the house because the cap was reinstall or repaired incorrectly.
The copper pipes were completely reconfigured, and even shortened (which is always good for water pressure and heat retention).  The PVC outlet vent was installed through the old vent and spray painted black.  It can hardly be seen from the highway.  The experienced plumber ensured that the system worked well at full firing.  He didn't have a Manometer that worked with the unit, so we didn't get our gas pressure tested.  He said that the inspector should be able to do that; should I have made him come back to test the pressure?  Well, it seems to work with the gas stove going, but I haven't had a chance or a cool day to test the furnace plus the water heater and the oven.  Backing up a bit, they did install an outlet into the water heater closet, tying into the bathroom electrical on the other side.
The final result looked nice; the valves were mostly positioned in an accessible way.  The hot water flush valve is a little hard to access with the gas trap in front of it.  But everything got insulated, and a bit of PEX tubing was installed for the condensation line.  That was also insulated, so UV degrading the PEX shouldn't be a problem?   The heater was installed in an exterior water heating closet with a vented outside door.  The condensation line was linked up with the A/C condensation line.  The A/C condensation seems to still make it out.  Bonus that the PVC was extended off my patio, but the condensation does now exit just behind the A/C unit. I've read that the Navien produces somewhat acidic condensation so I'm only slightly concerned that large amounts of condensation could cumulatively affect the A/C metal footings.  We'll see what the inspector says (I'll update this review after that is completed).
Overall, the experience was nice, and we were not bothered too much with the Gallagher membership plan like last time.  The techs were personable and willing to explain what they were doing.  They even let me see what a bad idea it is to have galvanized piping interact with copper piping.  Yuck!  It is nice to get rid of all those corroded galvanized stub outs between the old tank water heater and the main service to the house.  They didn't mind that I was looking over their shoulders the entire time; personally, I hate when others do that to me, so good on them.  The experienced plumber graciously repaired some of the busted out dry wall with some of my left over dry wall, which was great, and helped complete one of my DIY items.  Only other thing that comes to mind is, ensure that the techs clean the cold water inlet filter after testing the tankless water heater.  I had to do that myself (per the install instructions that came with the unit) and it had some debris from the performed work.  The tech did explain how to clean that out as it is regular maintenance for tankless water heaters.  He also let us know that there is an inlet air filter that is easily cleaned.
Good experience overall; a few minor (?) issues cropped up.  I'll update this review when the inspector checks on the work.   The heater works great, even without a recirculation line.  I'm much happier to be serviced by a tankless water heater!

** Update post-Inspections **

After waiting a few weeks, and inquiring Gallaghers about the permit, and then receiving it shortly after that inquiry, we had the City inspector over.  He found that the tankless water heater did not have a properly sized gas input.  He caught the fact that the gas line reduced down to 1/2" somewhere after the house furnace.  For some reason the old water heater and adjacent stove had 3/4" pipe connected to that 1/2" pipe.  The installers did not notice this as a potential problem.  The inspector was concerned that if the house furnace were going, there wouldn't be much left over for the house tankless water heater.  Thus he wrote up the install as needing 3/4" pipe all the way to the water heater.  He also detected a hint of natural gas smell in the water heater closet.  We pointed out that the house furnace roof jack had been damaged and repaired.  The inspector took a look and wasn't so sure that the mastic would hold up to the vent's output heat.  So the jack/bonnet would have to be replaced.

It took one night to get a plumber out to fix the gas leak.  It took 3.5 weeks to get plumbers out here to fix the inspector's red tag items for upsizing the gas line and replacing the vent bonnet.  We had called Gallaghers many times during those weeks and were told they would get the installers in touch with us to schedule repa"

I pride myself on my professionalism, as well as my ability to complete every job to the homeowner's total satisfaction. I never leave a job unfinished, or a homeowner not 100% satisfied with my level of service - Call today!

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With over 9 years of experience COOL BREEZE AIR LLC is committed to excellence in every aspect of our business. We uphold a standard of integrity bound by fairness, honesty, and personal responsibility. Our distinction is the quality of service we bring to our customers. Accurate knowledge of our trade combined with ability is what makes us true professionals. Above all, we are watchful of our customers interests and make their concerns the basis of our business.

"Technician came to the house and analyzed the problem. It was determined that the cost of repair was over the allowable Choice Home Warranty limit and it should be replaced. Choice Home Warranty issued their replacement cost. This cost was unacceptable and I challenged their figure. After some negotiation I was offered an increased settlement amount. I still balked at their offer but I was told to take it or repair my old microwave. I finally accepted their amount, even though it is still well below what it will cost me to replace the unit. I might add that the existing microwave has the convection feature and I want to replace with same features. The cost that I will receive also does not include any removal, disposal or installation costs. At this time I am debating whether I will continue with Choice Home Warranty or consider other options."

"A pleasant experience from start to finish. The quoting process was a good two-way discussion, and cordial - no pushy salesman telling you how bad Company X or Y was. Just honest, factual, and straightforward. They quoted us a system with the panels, racking, and inverter which we wanted, not what they were pushing. The quote wasn't the best (hence the 'B' for price) but it did offer the best VALUE when we considered the equipment specification and the stability of the company - an important consideration when looking at a system with a 25 year life! The installation was scheduled by our coordinator, Sherry, and the team showed up when promised and got the job completed on time. Quality of workmanship was first rate and the entire installation was done with care, and tidied away before the team left. Permitting and PG&E inspection were all handled by Sherry, and that was also quick and flawless. Overall, the system they installed easily meets their projections in terms of performance, and it effectively pays for itself. We really couldn't be more pleased with NRG Clean Power and have recommended them to friends and neighbors. We'd recommend you give them your consideration if your looking for solar power."

"The people they sent out came out, they came out , I think about 4 or 5 different times. I talked with the technicians and said, "this is ridiculous, the furnace is old" and he said, "we agree, but they only want to do the patching". They would patch it and it would break, they would patch it, and it would break. Finally, I said, "I want a new furnace. What do we have to do to do a new furnace. You've been out here, this is like the 6th time," and he said, "I'll have my manager write something up", and so they did and they replaced the furnace. They tried. They were more interested in patching things than replacing things. They were willing to send out 4 or 5 different parts. The things that I see that would help the most is if it were easier to get a hold of them on the phone or if their website worked. Just being able to contact someone in person. Sometimes, you can't explain everything online. We were able to get a hold of them, we were able to talk to them. It just takes some time, they had to jump through the hoops with their company, we understood that, but they came through and got us a new furnace. A nice new furnace too."

"First of all their service was phenomenal, their technicians without a doubt have the knowledge and experience to get whatever HVAC project done correctly. Would definitely recommend for your HVAC necessities."

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