Back in March I mentioned that I filed complaints with not only the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation but also the Virginia Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection. This was a result of them not properly registering our HVAC unit for the full ten year warranty like we were told they would do. As of last month our complaint with the Attorney General's office is closed and I'm happy to say we got the result we asked for.
In mid-April (I'm a little behind on writing this up) we received word through the attorney general's office from Ryan Homes' general counsel and the current service manager that they were purchasing us an extended warranty through AIG. The coverage and conditions were essentially the same as what we would have received if they had simply registered the unit to begin with; namely it only covers parts and excludes things considered normal wear and tear. It does however have a ninety day waiting period and won't take effect until early July. Because of that I have it in writing via an email from the service manager that Ryan Homes will cover any issues under the same conditions as the purchased warranty until then.
When we were first told about the solution being provided to us I was skeptical about it. I'm wary of home warranty companies owing to a less than stellar experience years ago on our old house. Because of that I went back and forth with the service manager with questions to make sure we wouldn't have an issue when the time came to utilize this one. Mainly, I wanted to be absolutely sure that we would not have an issue using our own contractor and I wanted to be clear on how the process would work when we needed a repair. Along with getting answers to these questions in writing, the HVAC contractor we use also looked over the service agreement for us to make sure there was nothing questionable in it. With all of that being satisfactory we ultimately closed the complaint with the two state agencies.
There are ultimately two takeaways from this. First off, I have nothing but profound gratitude for Virginia Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection and the dispute resolution specialist I dealt with there. I feel like if it wasn't for them we would not have gotten a positive resolution on this.
Second, I am still angry with Ryan Homes about how this whole process played out. Not only the stress I felt, but the time and energy I had to waste getting this resolved. I said from the beginning that all I wanted was a guarantee in writing that we would be reimbursed for any parts that would have been covered had the unit been properly registered years ago. Because Ryan Homes and the service manager refused to do this (instead telling me they would handle things on a "case-by-case basis") I had to file the complaints with the state. In the end they gave me what I wanted but I shouldn't have had to go through all of this to get it.
Showing posts with label HVAC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HVAC. Show all posts
Monday, May 27, 2019
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Filing a Complaint with the State
Last week I filed complaints with the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation as well as the Virginia Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection. Back in the fall we discovered a refrigerant leak on our outside air conditioning unit. In the process of getting it repaired we discovered that due to Ryan Homes not registering our HVAC unit with Comfortmaker like we were told they would do, we did not have the extended ten year warranty like we expected. Instead it was only five years. (Initially we were told by Comfortmaker this warranty started from the day the unit was bought by the installer, but their own paperwork included with the house states on new builds it starts from the day of closing.)
I spoke to Ryan Homes and their current service manager about the issue. The details of those conversations are included in the complaint copied below but I let it be known that I expected them to reimburse us for any parts that otherwise would have been covered had the unit been registered like it was supposed to. His response repeatedly was that it would be handled on a "case-by-case basis." He would not, however, commit to putting it in writing. Because of this I filed the complaint with the state. I've opted to redact the names of the service managers mentioned.
"My wife Jennifer and I built a house with Ryan Homes in early 2014, closing on the purchase and taking possession on April 24, 2014. We were told at the time that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit installed in our house would have an initial warranty of five years on parts from the date of closing, but we would receive an additional five years warranty (for a total of ten) because Ryan Homes would register the unit with the manufacturer, Comfortmaker. It was stated on their website (I have a saved image of the page verifying it) and was also verbally told to us by their service manager [name redacted] (after I specifically asked during our ten month review in February 2015) that Ryan Homes would handle the registration and there was nothing we needed to do.
In late September 2018, we discovered a refrigerant leak on the air conditioning portion of the system. In the process of obtaining the parts for repair our contractor told us that we did not in fact have any warranty at all. After some research with Comfortmaker, it was discovered that contrary to what we were told the unit had never been registered for warranty at all. We were then told that the unit was only covered through late February of 2019, the date the installer purchased the unit from the manufacturer.
Upon finding this out, I immediately called Ryan Homes and over the course of two weeks had several phone calls with their current service manager for our area, [name redacted]. He conceded that at a minimum the warranty should have started from the date of our closing. He then went on to say that Ryan Homes was aware of a period of time in 2014 when a number of HVAC units were not registered for warranty as they should have been. It should be stated here and emphasized that although they were apparently aware of this issue prior to us discovering it, NOTHING was ever communicated to us that we did not in fact have the warranty we believed we had. In addition, none of the neighbors we have spoken with whose homes were built in the same time frame received any sort of communication to this effect either.
During these phone calls, I expressed my frustration and anger to [name redacted] that the unit had not been registered like we expected. I was worried that we would have to put out money we would not otherwise have to spend once the initial five year warranty ran out. He stated that past the five year mark Ryan Homes would handle requests for reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs for parts that would have been covered on a case-by-case basis. He also told me that Ryan Homes was no longer using Comfortmaker, not only because of the way they handle warranty registration, but also due to a high number of issues they found with the units they were installing as well as the limited availability and poor performance of the one parts supplier in Richmond. (A similar sentiment about that parts supplier was told to us by our HVAC contractor as well.)
In February of 2019, a bearing on our furnace's blower motor went bad, causing our heat to malfunction. During the course of our contractor obtaining the parts, we were again told that per Comfortmaker our warranty would end during the end of February. I again had another discussion over the phone with [name redacted] at Ryan Homes. I expressed that I was concerned about the longevity of the unit given the repairs we had dealt with already (along with another repair the HVAC technician has told us to expect on the outside air handler motor) and again emphasized that I expected Ryan Homes to reimburse us for parts costs should something fail that should have been otherwise covered. Just like in October, he said this would be handled on a case-by-case basis. When I asked for clarification, he stated that this meant things not considered wear and tear items, but those that would have otherwise been covered by the warranty in years 5-10. He also told me that should something fail that would result in it being more cost effective to replace the unit versus repair to please contact him first because he would talk with the HVAC subcontractor they now use to see about getting us a new unit installed at a lower price.
At a bare minimum I would like to receive in writing a declaration from Ryan Homes that any parts that would have been covered under warranty from April 24, 2019, to April 24, 2024, had the unit been properly registered will be covered in full without objection and repairs performed by a contractor of our choosing. While we appreciate the gesture made by [name redacted] to have Ryan Homes’ subcontractor install a new unit for us at a cheaper cost our concern is that in order to get parts covered they will make us use their contractor instead of ours as well."
At this point we've received confirmation of the receipt of the complaint by both state agencies and are waiting for it to be processed/investigated. I will update on here as this process plays out.
On a side note, I'm convinced the Comfortmaker brand is total junk. In addition to the aforementioned repairs we also had to replace the capacitor on the outside unit in April 2018. That at least was caught during routine maintenance before it could become a bigger issue. I have no doubt at this point that the clock is ticking down towards the next repair or premature replacement. It's especially frustrating because in addition to doing the recommended twice a year (spring and fall) preventative maintenance, we keep the temperatures around 67-68 in winter and 73-74 in summer. The unit has been taken care of yet it's still given us multiple problems. By contrast the Trane system at our old house, that ran far more, gave us one problem in the almost seven years we had it before moving and the Goodman system installed in my mom's home in late 2007 has given her zero issues since then.
I spoke to Ryan Homes and their current service manager about the issue. The details of those conversations are included in the complaint copied below but I let it be known that I expected them to reimburse us for any parts that otherwise would have been covered had the unit been registered like it was supposed to. His response repeatedly was that it would be handled on a "case-by-case basis." He would not, however, commit to putting it in writing. Because of this I filed the complaint with the state. I've opted to redact the names of the service managers mentioned.
"My wife Jennifer and I built a house with Ryan Homes in early 2014, closing on the purchase and taking possession on April 24, 2014. We were told at the time that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit installed in our house would have an initial warranty of five years on parts from the date of closing, but we would receive an additional five years warranty (for a total of ten) because Ryan Homes would register the unit with the manufacturer, Comfortmaker. It was stated on their website (I have a saved image of the page verifying it) and was also verbally told to us by their service manager [name redacted] (after I specifically asked during our ten month review in February 2015) that Ryan Homes would handle the registration and there was nothing we needed to do.
In late September 2018, we discovered a refrigerant leak on the air conditioning portion of the system. In the process of obtaining the parts for repair our contractor told us that we did not in fact have any warranty at all. After some research with Comfortmaker, it was discovered that contrary to what we were told the unit had never been registered for warranty at all. We were then told that the unit was only covered through late February of 2019, the date the installer purchased the unit from the manufacturer.
Upon finding this out, I immediately called Ryan Homes and over the course of two weeks had several phone calls with their current service manager for our area, [name redacted]. He conceded that at a minimum the warranty should have started from the date of our closing. He then went on to say that Ryan Homes was aware of a period of time in 2014 when a number of HVAC units were not registered for warranty as they should have been. It should be stated here and emphasized that although they were apparently aware of this issue prior to us discovering it, NOTHING was ever communicated to us that we did not in fact have the warranty we believed we had. In addition, none of the neighbors we have spoken with whose homes were built in the same time frame received any sort of communication to this effect either.
During these phone calls, I expressed my frustration and anger to [name redacted] that the unit had not been registered like we expected. I was worried that we would have to put out money we would not otherwise have to spend once the initial five year warranty ran out. He stated that past the five year mark Ryan Homes would handle requests for reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs for parts that would have been covered on a case-by-case basis. He also told me that Ryan Homes was no longer using Comfortmaker, not only because of the way they handle warranty registration, but also due to a high number of issues they found with the units they were installing as well as the limited availability and poor performance of the one parts supplier in Richmond. (A similar sentiment about that parts supplier was told to us by our HVAC contractor as well.)
In February of 2019, a bearing on our furnace's blower motor went bad, causing our heat to malfunction. During the course of our contractor obtaining the parts, we were again told that per Comfortmaker our warranty would end during the end of February. I again had another discussion over the phone with [name redacted] at Ryan Homes. I expressed that I was concerned about the longevity of the unit given the repairs we had dealt with already (along with another repair the HVAC technician has told us to expect on the outside air handler motor) and again emphasized that I expected Ryan Homes to reimburse us for parts costs should something fail that should have been otherwise covered. Just like in October, he said this would be handled on a case-by-case basis. When I asked for clarification, he stated that this meant things not considered wear and tear items, but those that would have otherwise been covered by the warranty in years 5-10. He also told me that should something fail that would result in it being more cost effective to replace the unit versus repair to please contact him first because he would talk with the HVAC subcontractor they now use to see about getting us a new unit installed at a lower price.
At a bare minimum I would like to receive in writing a declaration from Ryan Homes that any parts that would have been covered under warranty from April 24, 2019, to April 24, 2024, had the unit been properly registered will be covered in full without objection and repairs performed by a contractor of our choosing. While we appreciate the gesture made by [name redacted] to have Ryan Homes’ subcontractor install a new unit for us at a cheaper cost our concern is that in order to get parts covered they will make us use their contractor instead of ours as well."
At this point we've received confirmation of the receipt of the complaint by both state agencies and are waiting for it to be processed/investigated. I will update on here as this process plays out.
On a side note, I'm convinced the Comfortmaker brand is total junk. In addition to the aforementioned repairs we also had to replace the capacitor on the outside unit in April 2018. That at least was caught during routine maintenance before it could become a bigger issue. I have no doubt at this point that the clock is ticking down towards the next repair or premature replacement. It's especially frustrating because in addition to doing the recommended twice a year (spring and fall) preventative maintenance, we keep the temperatures around 67-68 in winter and 73-74 in summer. The unit has been taken care of yet it's still given us multiple problems. By contrast the Trane system at our old house, that ran far more, gave us one problem in the almost seven years we had it before moving and the Goodman system installed in my mom's home in late 2007 has given her zero issues since then.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Spring HVAC Maintenance
I've stated on here before the importance of doing twice-a-year preventative maintenance on your HVAC system. About a month ago I had the local company we've used for years, James River Air*, out for the spring check up on our air conditioning system. During the course of the visit the technician discovered a problem with the capacitor on our outside condenser unit. Had it not been caught when it was it would have failed in the near future resulting in a miserable wait in the heat for a service visit to repair it.
This is the second time over the years these preventative maintenance visits have caught issues
ahead of time. I also have to believe it's prevented additional problems from occurring. It's a good reminder of the need to have it done and that it's not wasted money to do so.
*I make nothing off the link above but I've used them for years and recommend them. The handful of times I've had issues with service they've been quick to make it right. They even sent my mother flowers after she had to postpone a scheduled HVAC replacement after my father died unexpectedly in 2007. They're a good company with good people.
This is the second time over the years these preventative maintenance visits have caught issues
ahead of time. I also have to believe it's prevented additional problems from occurring. It's a good reminder of the need to have it done and that it's not wasted money to do so.
*I make nothing off the link above but I've used them for years and recommend them. The handful of times I've had issues with service they've been quick to make it right. They even sent my mother flowers after she had to postpone a scheduled HVAC replacement after my father died unexpectedly in 2007. They're a good company with good people.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Furnace Heartbeat
Last week I had a local HVAC company out for fall maintenance on our system. The technician showed me something useful on the system that I wanted to share. Our unit is made by Comfortmaker but this apparently applies to other manufacturers as well.
On the front of the system is a light that they refer to as the heartbeat. Normally it will be a steady flash when everything is working correctly. In the event of a malfunction that flash will change to a pattern. If the issue is intermittent (or you shut the unit off/restart it) that code can disappear before someone can get out to look at it. So he told me if I ever experience a problem to write down the pattern just in case. When a technician arrives it will assist with figuring out and correcting the problem quicker.
On a side note, I've said this before in previous posts but I'll say it again. if you’re not getting your system checked out twice a year, in the spring and fall, start. I’ve been doing it for years and at least once in the past at my last house it caught an issue before it became a larger problem. With the company I use at least it also gives me priority service in the event of a problem. It's money well spent.
On the front of the system is a light that they refer to as the heartbeat. Normally it will be a steady flash when everything is working correctly. In the event of a malfunction that flash will change to a pattern. If the issue is intermittent (or you shut the unit off/restart it) that code can disappear before someone can get out to look at it. So he told me if I ever experience a problem to write down the pattern just in case. When a technician arrives it will assist with figuring out and correcting the problem quicker.
On a side note, I've said this before in previous posts but I'll say it again. if you’re not getting your system checked out twice a year, in the spring and fall, start. I’ve been doing it for years and at least once in the past at my last house it caught an issue before it became a larger problem. With the company I use at least it also gives me priority service in the event of a problem. It's money well spent.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Don't Cap the Vent!
Similar to how our heat went out on the coldest night of the year in 2015 (the first winter we were in the house) our air conditioning went out on the hottest night of the year last weekend. I had heard it shut off at one point mid-evening and when I looked over at the thermostat it was completely blank. Based on what happened with the heat I knew immediately this meant that the moisture sensor in the back up drain pan underneath the HVAC unit in the attic had been tripped.
Sure enough once I climbed into the attic I discovered the pan to be full of water. I hauled my shop vacuum up there and once I had sucked up enough water to get it below the sensor the unit came on again. (We’ve had the thermostat set at 74 and thankfully it had only climbed to 76.) Between my vacuum not being very big and getting heavy with water it took me three trips up there to remove all of it.
So how did it happen? The day before this happened a local HVAC company had come out to check over the unit and make sure everything was working properly. I’m on a twice a year preventative maintenance agreement (which is cheap insurance against bigger problems) but I had been worried the last few days that something wasn’t right and with the temperature scheduled to nearly 100 degrees for several days with even higher heat indexes it was worth the $57 cost for a little extra peace of mind. (Everything ended up being fine.) When the technician came out I had asked him about how there was cold air blowing out of the condensation drip tube and if it should be capped. He agreed but said it should be left loose so it could vent and still allow the water to drain. But the cap ended up being on too tight and prevented the tube from venting. From there the water backed up to the secondary drain and out into the pan.
Arrow marking the vent where the cap was placed.
Back up drain pan underneath the HVAC unit.
So the lesson learned from this, while it might seem like it makes sense to cap the tube, don’t do it. On the flip side, I know for sure once again that the back up drain pan and moisture sensor work that keep water from overflowing and leaking through the ceiling.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
HVAC Maintenance
One of the things I learned from parents was the value of preventative maintenance on the HVAC system. For as long as I can remember, twice a year they had someone out to check the system out and make any necessary adjustments. As such they lasted much longer and it's safe to assume repair costs were far less because potential issues were caught early before they could become bigger problems at a far more inopportune time.
Because of that, as long as we've been homeowners I've had someone out every spring and fall. Several years back at our old house the fall check caught one of those aforementioned potential issues when a voltage check revealed a circuit board on the verge of going bad. Had it not been caught when it was it's very likely we would have lost our heat and needed a far more expensive emergency service call to fix it along with sitting in the cold. (It was also caught while the system was still under warranty which was a plus since we only had to pay the labor cost to fix it.)
While I held off for the first year on our new house because of the warranty, now that it's over I had James River Air out this afternoon to do the winter check up. While I figured everything would be fine given the young age of the system, the peace of mind in knowing for sure was worth the expense.
On a related note, if you're served by Dominion Virginia Power they offer a heat pump tune up rebate program that will cover the cost of the service if you qualify.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Condensation Line Fix
As I noted in this post from last month our furnace broke down on the coldest night of the year due to the condensation line getting bumped and broken and had to be fixed. Our service manager had come out the following week and agreed with my feeling that it was a poor design and combined with needing to climb over it to adjust the dampers several times a year would make it likely it would get broken again. Initially he thought that a separate access point could be installed at the other end of the attic (similar to how houses without the pull down stairs like we have are configured) but he discovered that due to the way the HVAC trunk lines are run that wasn't possible. Instead he spoke with the HVAC company that had done the original install to see if they could reroute the condensation line. Yesterday afternoon the an HVAC tech came out and was able to do this:
A few weeks ago the service manager had also adjusted the metal hanger that was holding the gas line and the tech was able to further move that over as well. This is the result I was hoping for and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I will no longer have to worry nearly as much about breaking something when I go up in the attic to adjust the dampers. A big thanks to our service manager and the HVAC company (Superior Plumbing, Heating, and Air of Ashland, Virginia) for fixing this for us.
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A few weeks ago the service manager had also adjusted the metal hanger that was holding the gas line and the tech was able to further move that over as well. This is the result I was hoping for and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I will no longer have to worry nearly as much about breaking something when I go up in the attic to adjust the dampers. A big thanks to our service manager and the HVAC company (Superior Plumbing, Heating, and Air of Ashland, Virginia) for fixing this for us.
Before/After Comparison
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Sunday, March 1, 2015
10 Month Review Part II
A few weeks ago I posted about the list of issues we submitted to get addressed during our 10 month review. The day of our appointment ended up being two days after a snow storm and with school being out I didn't need to take off work to be home which worked out well for me. I'm just going to copy and paste the same list I posted before but now with how these things were addressed.
1. Thorough check of the HVAC system - major temperature difference between upstairs and down.
Around the same time as I submitted the list I did what I should have done earlier and went to Lowe's and bought a digital thermometer. This showed that the temperature actually was within a degree of upstairs and down and in different spots on each floor. We've since discovered what we thought was an issue with the HVAC is actually an issue with our windows instead. (See below after the list.)
2. Light above the master bath tub is intermittently working.
This required an electrician's visit a few days later and I'm actually embarrassed to say ended up being a defective light bulb that I hadn't checked.
3. Nail pop (or bulge) in the floor of the kitchen.
Fixed with a mallet tapping down the popped nail under the linoleum.
4. Soft spot in the floor of the doorway of bedroom #3.
This is going to require a carpenter to come out and fix. They'll need to pull up the carpet, cut out the wood subfloor underneath and replace it. (What really should have been done originally.) This is going to take a few hours to complete so it was scheduled for the week I'm on spring break from work.
5. Major popping of the floor in the hallway upstairs in front of bedroom #2.
Just like the kitchen floor issue above this was simple fix with a few nails to secure the floor better. It's still creaking a bit and when they come out to fix #4 above I'll have them look at it again.
6. Re-caulking around the tubs and sinks in both bathrooms.
This is a standard part of the ten month review. One of the guys that was present went around the entire house checking the caulking and resealed anything that had cracked. (He also checked cabinet and room/closet doors for adjustment as well.) This will end up being a periodic routine maintenance issue.
7. Intermittent buzzing from the microwave.
If there's one thing I'm genuinely irritated about it's this one. The person I spoke with at Ryan Homes when setting the appointment specifically asked me to include the model and serial numbers so they could arrange to have a GE repairman out during the review to fix this. Despite that however no one was present and I had to go to GE's website and submit a request to get someone out at a later date. I was also a bit surprised to learn that the warranty on the appliances is only one year and according to the service manager GE is a stickler for that so it was best to get it addressed right away.
8. Re-caulking of the trim on the right side of the stairway.
See #6 above.
9. Readjustment of the seal around the front door.
The door ended up needing another piece of gasket around the top edge to fully seal it.
10. Air register in the ceiling at the top of the stairs does not close all the way.
This was an easy fix.
11. Floor on the right side of the morning room by the dining room has a bad squeak.
Just like with the other floor squeaks this was also an easy fix with a few nails.
12. Creaking noise coming from the area of the wastewater pipe between floors behind the wall periodically when water is used upstairs.
In talking this over with the service manager we figured out this probably had something to do with the temperature change outside. We hadn't noticed it until early November right around the time it got cold. It seems that it's most likely caused by contractions from the change of different temperature water running through the pipes. If we don't hear it again once it warms up outside we should know for certain this was the cause. If it continues we'll just have to keep an eye on it.
A few other things:
-Going back to #1 above about the HVAC. Even after establishing with the thermometer that the temperature was the same upstairs and down we still kept feeling drafts and being cold, especially downstairs but couldn't figure out why. The weekend before the aforementioned snow storm hit a cold front swept through resulting in heavy, house shaking wind. We discovered in the midst of it that we had air leaking in through the sides of the windows where hole for the track is. We then found that this isn't limited to just a few windows but rather nearly all of them in the house.
1. Thorough check of the HVAC system - major temperature difference between upstairs and down.
Around the same time as I submitted the list I did what I should have done earlier and went to Lowe's and bought a digital thermometer. This showed that the temperature actually was within a degree of upstairs and down and in different spots on each floor. We've since discovered what we thought was an issue with the HVAC is actually an issue with our windows instead. (See below after the list.)
2. Light above the master bath tub is intermittently working.
This required an electrician's visit a few days later and I'm actually embarrassed to say ended up being a defective light bulb that I hadn't checked.
3. Nail pop (or bulge) in the floor of the kitchen.
Fixed with a mallet tapping down the popped nail under the linoleum.
4. Soft spot in the floor of the doorway of bedroom #3.
This is going to require a carpenter to come out and fix. They'll need to pull up the carpet, cut out the wood subfloor underneath and replace it. (What really should have been done originally.) This is going to take a few hours to complete so it was scheduled for the week I'm on spring break from work.
5. Major popping of the floor in the hallway upstairs in front of bedroom #2.
Just like the kitchen floor issue above this was simple fix with a few nails to secure the floor better. It's still creaking a bit and when they come out to fix #4 above I'll have them look at it again.
6. Re-caulking around the tubs and sinks in both bathrooms.
This is a standard part of the ten month review. One of the guys that was present went around the entire house checking the caulking and resealed anything that had cracked. (He also checked cabinet and room/closet doors for adjustment as well.) This will end up being a periodic routine maintenance issue.
7. Intermittent buzzing from the microwave.
If there's one thing I'm genuinely irritated about it's this one. The person I spoke with at Ryan Homes when setting the appointment specifically asked me to include the model and serial numbers so they could arrange to have a GE repairman out during the review to fix this. Despite that however no one was present and I had to go to GE's website and submit a request to get someone out at a later date. I was also a bit surprised to learn that the warranty on the appliances is only one year and according to the service manager GE is a stickler for that so it was best to get it addressed right away.
8. Re-caulking of the trim on the right side of the stairway.
See #6 above.
9. Readjustment of the seal around the front door.
The door ended up needing another piece of gasket around the top edge to fully seal it.
10. Air register in the ceiling at the top of the stairs does not close all the way.
This was an easy fix.
11. Floor on the right side of the morning room by the dining room has a bad squeak.
Just like with the other floor squeaks this was also an easy fix with a few nails.
12. Creaking noise coming from the area of the wastewater pipe between floors behind the wall periodically when water is used upstairs.
In talking this over with the service manager we figured out this probably had something to do with the temperature change outside. We hadn't noticed it until early November right around the time it got cold. It seems that it's most likely caused by contractions from the change of different temperature water running through the pipes. If we don't hear it again once it warms up outside we should know for certain this was the cause. If it continues we'll just have to keep an eye on it.
A few other things:
-Going back to #1 above about the HVAC. Even after establishing with the thermometer that the temperature was the same upstairs and down we still kept feeling drafts and being cold, especially downstairs but couldn't figure out why. The weekend before the aforementioned snow storm hit a cold front swept through resulting in heavy, house shaking wind. We discovered in the midst of it that we had air leaking in through the sides of the windows where hole for the track is. We then found that this isn't limited to just a few windows but rather nearly all of them in the house.
We brought this up during the review and it turns out they simple need small pieces of felt placed at the top and bottom to completely seal them. In the meantime I've stuffed paper towels in the holes to keep them from leaking. (If it's stupid and it works it's not stupid.) The service manager put in a call to the window company who in turn called me about it. According to the person I spoke with the excuse I received (which sounded more like a cop out) was that the windows are built for all areas of the country, some of which don't need the felt, and passed an inspection in the factory. It just seems dumb to not include these on all the windows and instead spend more on a service call to fix them along with annoying the customer. I'm still waiting to find out when this will be fixed but have been told it may take a while given the number of windows that need to be fixed. (Also stupid to me.) I'm going to be following up soon with the service manager if I don't hear anything about this in the next couple days.
-I'll mention here too that during the same period of crazy wind we also discovered air leaks coming from the electrical outlets and light switches on the exterior walls. This was solved by spending about $10 on gaskets from Lowe's that are made to fix this specific issue.
-Before the review meeting was over we spoke with the service manager about the one-time drywall repair. He gave us the certificate to fill out and send in to the contractor for scheduling. It will be done in two parts spread over two days so it'll be another thing that will have to wait until spring break to get done. We've got numerous nail pops and cracks but none of them are major.
Overall Jenny and I are very satisfied with how the meeting went. We really like our service manager and have found him to be very responsive with issues that have come up in the time we've been in our house. On that note too outside of the nightmare over how the fence issue was handled we're really happy with how things have gone since moving in. We knew there would be some issues but everything that has happened so far (*knock on wood*) has been addressed quickly. Even the furnace problem was no where near as bad as it could have been. (I'll have more on the follow up about this in a few weeks but a fix is in the works to keep it from happening again, thanks again to our service manager.)
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Furnace Breakdown and Fix
As I've mentioned in several previous posts including this one from last summer we have dampers in our attic that have to be adjusted in the spring and fall to maintain the temperature upstairs and down. Getting to the levers to do so requires climbing over the furnace condensation and gas lines while ducking underneath the roof truss.
Along with the snow we had earlier in the week a bitter cold front swept through the region bringing with it record low temperatures. On Thursday evening I had gone to bump the temperature up on the thermostat a bit when I noticed the display was blank. I checked the breaker which was fine and then realized I could stick batteries in it as a back up. Even once it came on the heat didn't so I immediately called the emergency number for the HVAC company to get a tech out here. In the meantime one of my awesome neighbors (who has also had heating issues) lent us a space heater.
Around 9:15pm the tech arrived and after taking a look at our furnace in the attic discovered that the condensation line had broken off from inside the furnace. From there water had dripped into the pan underneath tripping the moisture sensor and shutting the unit down. Earlier in the day we had had our 10 Month Review (more on this in another post) and the service manager and I had gone up in the attic to look at the system. While up there he had climbed over the lines and must have bumped it enough to break it. (I'll emphasize here that I don't in any way blame him for this. It could have just as easily been me that did it any of the other times I'd been up there.) Unfortunately the technician didn't have the parts nor could he obtain them so late at night to fix it. Facing not having heat I asked (pretty much pleaded) if there was any way he could at least patch it for the night. Enter our friend and miracle worker, duct tape. Using a copious amount of it he was able to reattach the drain trap the pipe connects to back to the furnace and get it running but with no guarantee that it would hold. He also installed a less sensitive moisture sensor that should the patch fail would allow more water into the drip pan and buy us additional time before it shut the furnace off again.
How it looks in the attic where our HVAC system is located.
Every time I've gone up there to adjust them I've mentioned to Jenny how I don't like how this is set up. Getting through there is a bit of balancing act and I've been afraid every time I do it that I'm going to slip and fall into them. Going around the other side of the system isn't any easier and would require wiggling underneath insulated ductwork and I'm not sure I'd actually fit through there. The poor design of this was borne out this week when, on the brink of the coldest night we've had in years, our furnace stopped working.
Along with the snow we had earlier in the week a bitter cold front swept through the region bringing with it record low temperatures. On Thursday evening I had gone to bump the temperature up on the thermostat a bit when I noticed the display was blank. I checked the breaker which was fine and then realized I could stick batteries in it as a back up. Even once it came on the heat didn't so I immediately called the emergency number for the HVAC company to get a tech out here. In the meantime one of my awesome neighbors (who has also had heating issues) lent us a space heater.
Around 9:15pm the tech arrived and after taking a look at our furnace in the attic discovered that the condensation line had broken off from inside the furnace. From there water had dripped into the pan underneath tripping the moisture sensor and shutting the unit down. Earlier in the day we had had our 10 Month Review (more on this in another post) and the service manager and I had gone up in the attic to look at the system. While up there he had climbed over the lines and must have bumped it enough to break it. (I'll emphasize here that I don't in any way blame him for this. It could have just as easily been me that did it any of the other times I'd been up there.) Unfortunately the technician didn't have the parts nor could he obtain them so late at night to fix it. Facing not having heat I asked (pretty much pleaded) if there was any way he could at least patch it for the night. Enter our friend and miracle worker, duct tape. Using a copious amount of it he was able to reattach the drain trap the pipe connects to back to the furnace and get it running but with no guarantee that it would hold. He also installed a less sensitive moisture sensor that should the patch fail would allow more water into the drip pan and buy us additional time before it shut the furnace off again.
It's hard to tell from this photo but this is the duct taped drain trap.
Needless to say I didn't sleep very well Thursday night worrying that the patch would fail and we would lose our heat. I got up multiple times to go in the laundry room and to make sure I could still hear the condensation dripping down the pipe that runs through the wall. Luckily the patch did hold and we made it through to Friday morning with the heat still running. (Good thing because it was 0 degrees with a negative wind chill outside.)
Friday morning I followed up with Superior Plumbing, Heating, and Air of Ashland, Virginia to make sure the parts to fix it would be available. About an hour later I got a call that they were and they'd be out by midday to fix. True to their word they were there a few hours later and within 20 minutes had the unit fixed. The only thing I'll need to do in a few days once it warms up outside is haul my shop vacuum up into the attic to remove the water from the pan once it thaws.
I also followed up with our service manager in several calls during Friday as well. I feel like this set up is a poor design that is way too easy to break. Given that adjusting the dampers is a routine maintenance item and that I will have to continue climbing over this line to get to them I'm worried that eventually this situation could happen again. He's going to meet with me next week to look at it but I've told him that I would like for them to install an additional access panel at the other end of the attic. In houses without the pull down steps like we opted for the access panel is located in the laundry room and allows for access to the dampers without climbing over the condensation and gas lines. It seems to me that this could be done very easily and even though I'd have to haul a ladder upstairs when I need to get up there to adjust them it'd be worth the extra effort to avoid breaking the line again.
All of that being said we really appreciate Superior's quick response to our problem along with the service manager's efforts at getting it fixed quickly as well. He mentioned to me on the phone that he had called the HVAC folks Friday morning and told them that if the parts were not available they were to go pull them from another house under construction so we could get it fixed by the end of the day and not have to wait any longer than necessary. I wish it hadn't happened on the coldest possible night but it worked out as best as could have been expected.
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Sunday, February 8, 2015
Ten Month Review Part I
A few weeks ago we received a letter in the mail about scheduling our ten month review. It also included a sheet to send back to Ryan Homes listing anything that needed to be fixed. I spoke with the contact listed on the form and he told me it was so they could arrange to have everyone needed to complete the list at our home at the same time to correct everything at once. That being said this is the list we sent them:
1. Thorough check of the HVAC system - major temperature difference between upstairs and down.
This continues to be an issue for us. I've gone up in the attic and adjusted the dampers numerous times along with adjusting the registers (I closed the ones in the laundry room and master closet) but still can't seem to achieve an even balance between the temperature upstairs and downstairs.
2. Light above the master bath tub is intermittently working.
This we only noticed recently although it may have been happening for a while. Fiddling with the fixture makes it comes back on leading me to think there's just some of issue with the wiring.
3. Nail pop (or bulge) in the floor of the kitchen.
This might be covered under the one time nail pop and drywall patching certificate but just in case I included it on here.
4. Soft spot in the floor of the doorway of bedroom #3.
The project manager came out last June to fix this with putty to even it out but it's soft and sunken again underneath the carpet.
5. Major popping of the floor in the hallway upstairs in front of bedroom #2.
This is also a fairly recently issue that started a few months ago. It's annoying but we decided to just wait until the 10 month review to get it fixed. It seems to extend underneath the wall and into the bedroom as well.
6. Re-caulking around the tubs and sinks in both bathrooms.
This was expected and will probably end up needing to be done every year but I might as well get them to fix it now.
7. Intermittent buzzing from the microwave.
This has been occurring since we moved in but without any sort of consistency. I took video of it to document it but the microwave still works so just like with #5 we decided to wait on getting it fixed. The person I spoke with at Ryan asked me to send him the model and serial numbers so they can arrange for a GE repairman to come by the day of the 10 month review.
8. Re-caulking of the trim on the right side of the stairway.
This was also fixed back in December and expect just like with #6 to be a regular maintenance thing but I might as well get them to fix it again while the house is still under warranty.
9. Readjustment of the seal around the front door.
I've adjusted the strike plates on the door and have had Ryan out to fix this in the past year. They've told me it's a settlement and seasonal issue resulting from temperate changes but periodically a small amount of light can still be seen around the door.
10. Air register in the ceiling at the top of the stairs does not close all the way.
I discovered this when I was trying to adjust the temperature.
11. Floor on the right side of the morning room by the dining room has a bad squeak.
This one is not quite as bad the one upstairs but still fairly loud and annoying.
12. Creaking noise coming from the area of the wastewater pipe between floors behind the wall periodically when water is used upstairs.
Jenny and I aren't totally sure on this one. It might be nothing but several of my neighbors have had plumbing leaks since moving in so it concerns me a bit. We're also used to strange noises on our old house resulting in costly repairs so we might just be paranoid too. Just like with the microwave issue it's not consistent but seems to happen when the hot water is used in the washing machine or hall bath. (But not the master bath.) I've only been able to capture on video a slight recording of it. The plumbing warranty lasts two years at least so we've still got time if it really is something that needs to be fixed.
One additional thing we're going to bring up that isn't on the list is an issue with the hot water. We have a tankless system but the only spot in the house where it warms up quickly is the hall bath shower. Everywhere else, including the kitchen and downstairs half bath sinks that are closest to the water heater take a long time to receive hot water.
We will also need to get the one year drywall patching done soon. We've got a number of nail pops and settlement cracks around the house but it's nothing major and not as bad as I expected.
Overall, we continue to be really happy with our house. We expected we'd have some issues this first year but nothing we've encountered defect wise has been major. And everything that has been a problem has been addressed quickly by either the project manager (the first month or so) or the service manager.
1. Thorough check of the HVAC system - major temperature difference between upstairs and down.
This continues to be an issue for us. I've gone up in the attic and adjusted the dampers numerous times along with adjusting the registers (I closed the ones in the laundry room and master closet) but still can't seem to achieve an even balance between the temperature upstairs and downstairs.
2. Light above the master bath tub is intermittently working.
This we only noticed recently although it may have been happening for a while. Fiddling with the fixture makes it comes back on leading me to think there's just some of issue with the wiring.
3. Nail pop (or bulge) in the floor of the kitchen.
This might be covered under the one time nail pop and drywall patching certificate but just in case I included it on here.
4. Soft spot in the floor of the doorway of bedroom #3.
The project manager came out last June to fix this with putty to even it out but it's soft and sunken again underneath the carpet.
5. Major popping of the floor in the hallway upstairs in front of bedroom #2.
This is also a fairly recently issue that started a few months ago. It's annoying but we decided to just wait until the 10 month review to get it fixed. It seems to extend underneath the wall and into the bedroom as well.
6. Re-caulking around the tubs and sinks in both bathrooms.
This was expected and will probably end up needing to be done every year but I might as well get them to fix it now.
7. Intermittent buzzing from the microwave.
This has been occurring since we moved in but without any sort of consistency. I took video of it to document it but the microwave still works so just like with #5 we decided to wait on getting it fixed. The person I spoke with at Ryan asked me to send him the model and serial numbers so they can arrange for a GE repairman to come by the day of the 10 month review.
8. Re-caulking of the trim on the right side of the stairway.
This was also fixed back in December and expect just like with #6 to be a regular maintenance thing but I might as well get them to fix it again while the house is still under warranty.
9. Readjustment of the seal around the front door.
I've adjusted the strike plates on the door and have had Ryan out to fix this in the past year. They've told me it's a settlement and seasonal issue resulting from temperate changes but periodically a small amount of light can still be seen around the door.
10. Air register in the ceiling at the top of the stairs does not close all the way.
I discovered this when I was trying to adjust the temperature.
11. Floor on the right side of the morning room by the dining room has a bad squeak.
This one is not quite as bad the one upstairs but still fairly loud and annoying.
12. Creaking noise coming from the area of the wastewater pipe between floors behind the wall periodically when water is used upstairs.
Jenny and I aren't totally sure on this one. It might be nothing but several of my neighbors have had plumbing leaks since moving in so it concerns me a bit. We're also used to strange noises on our old house resulting in costly repairs so we might just be paranoid too. Just like with the microwave issue it's not consistent but seems to happen when the hot water is used in the washing machine or hall bath. (But not the master bath.) I've only been able to capture on video a slight recording of it. The plumbing warranty lasts two years at least so we've still got time if it really is something that needs to be fixed.
One additional thing we're going to bring up that isn't on the list is an issue with the hot water. We have a tankless system but the only spot in the house where it warms up quickly is the hall bath shower. Everywhere else, including the kitchen and downstairs half bath sinks that are closest to the water heater take a long time to receive hot water.
We will also need to get the one year drywall patching done soon. We've got a number of nail pops and settlement cracks around the house but it's nothing major and not as bad as I expected.
Overall, we continue to be really happy with our house. We expected we'd have some issues this first year but nothing we've encountered defect wise has been major. And everything that has been a problem has been addressed quickly by either the project manager (the first month or so) or the service manager.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Dampers and Energy Efficiency
Since moving in three months ago Jenny has been complaining about how it's hotter upstairs than down. With a single zone HVAC system I figured this would be the case at least to some extent and the reverse in winter since after all hot air rises and cool air sinks. About a month ago I was talking to my neighbors and they mentioned that it was possible to adjust dampers in the attic to change the amount of air flowing to each floor. This was news to us as it had never been mentioned by anyone. (And definitely not at the final walkthrough/orientation like I would have expected.) I went up in the attic a few times looking but never could figure out how to make the adjustment.
I saw our project manager outside last week and asked him about it. He explained in more detail what I was looking for and once more I went up in the attic. I found what I thought was it but still couldn't figure out how to make the adjustment. (I also didn't want to do it wrong and screw it up either.) I ended up calling the service line Thursday and they in turn put in me in contact with a local HVAC contractor that sent a technician out Friday afternoon.
Essentially the damper is a lever secured by a wing nut on the main air ducts running from the air handler. (Two for upstairs and one for down.) Along with showing me how to make the adjustment the tech also labeled everything for future reference. In the summer the downstairs damper needs to be halfway closed and the two upstairs need to be wide open. In the winter it needs to be the exact opposite. He also discovered that the rear upstairs damper was closed which was definitely not helping our situation.
Instructions left on the air handler for future reference.
The lever that opens and closers one of the dampers.
On the topic of the air conditioning I continue to be very impressed by how energy efficient our house is. Ryan Homes really pushes this fact in their sales materials and what I've experienced so far has proved it. Our old house was a mid-1950's brick rancher that definitely was no where near as sealed up as the new house. On days when the temperature hit the upper 90's or over 100 the air conditioning would routinely run all day and never quite reach the 76 or sometimes 78 that we set it for. At our new house we've had the thermostat set at 74 and with similar temperatures the A/C cuts shuts off throughout the day. Even with the lower setting and a 30% larger house our electric bill has so far been roughly the same or slightly lower than it used to be at the old house. I'm curious now to see what happens this winter with our heat especially with it running on gas now.
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