Im wondering what you might do in this situation....


Purchased a new furnace and AC less than a year ago. Already the following has had to be done....

new gas valve.
new parts on inducer.
new contactor on AC.

There were also minor issues with the installation that I took care of myself to save me the hassle of waiting for service including sealing of ducts, lineset insulation replaced due to sloppy work. There were also some minor wiring issues that needed to be addressed.

So essentially the furnace has been taken apart twice in less than a year. Labor warranty is quickly running out.

Would you be crying foul? Im not sure that will get me anywhere if I do... what do you think? Is this abnormal for all this to be done with a new installation?

 

Its not normal for those parts to fail in one year. What brand do you have?

 

I agree that the failure of those parts in a year's time is abnormal. However, I can also state that failure could be due to a very poor installer. An installer that failed to blow the chips out of piece of gas piping could be the reason for the gas valve failure. An installer dropping a sheet-metal screw down the flue could be the reason for the ID fan failure and poor connections of the incoming power to the contactor could be the reason behind the contactor failure.

 

I should be clear that these parts weren't complete failures. The gas valve was leaking an amount of gas, likely tightening the "vent" screw on the valve would have fixed it but since it was under warranty they just swapped it out. The contactor on the AC was cracked because whoever tightened the lugs overtightened them. The inducer has a coupling on it that developed a slight leak.

The other stuff was indeed installer doing sloppy work.... but I have no proof now as I took it upon myself to clean up some of the mess on my own dime/time.

This installation was never permitted/inspected (however, this is a rather large reputable co. in the area).

Whats the chances of getting an extended labor agreement out of a company by saying "hey.. I don't have much faith in this equipment or your installers, I would like an extended warranty..." Well they will likely tell me to go get bent I assume.

My other option is contacting the manufacture and explain the situation but again, I don't know where that would get me....

I can also ask why it was not a permited job or call my AHJ, but I am afraid of opening up a can of worms for myself and again it likely wouldn't get me anything more than a headache....

any ideas?

 

Yes I think you are asking for a headache. It's obvious that you picked the wrong contractor. I really hate to see that. Try to get everything corrected before the warranty runs out.

 

Some companies will offer an extended warranty as long as the first year point hasn't passed.
We still don't know what brand of equipment we are discussing here.

 

If I were to write a letter to the installer expressing my dissatifaction, itemizing all the repairs that I have done or have had done under warranty and send it over to them certified mail (also asking why it wasn't permited work) do you think that would do any good? Obviously they aren't going to refund any money nor give me something for free (free extended warranty). And they are responding with the warranty repairs... so im not sure any of that would be beneficial?


p.s.= we are talking about Armstrong equipment however that's doesn't really matter as I am one to feel that the installation/installers are more important than the brand.