Hello!!! I am having my central AC repaired, and think I might be getting screwed around with by the contractor. I have American Home shield which is paying for most of the work, but AHS will only pay for a very small portion of the cost to get my unit up to "city code" Basically I am having my evap coil replaced, and repairing the condenser, but they are charging me the following to get me current with code: Door Access 195 Shut Off line 179 Hanging Kit 185 Mastic 185 Float Switch 250 Copper Installation 129 Drain Line Install 159 Are these legitimate requirements, or are they just trying to get more money out of me? I have searched everywhere and can not find the actual city code to validate or discredit this stuff. We could go on and on about AHS being worth it or not, but for now I am just looking to see if any knowledgeable clutchfans friends could give me some insight. If this is debatable, any info on how to fight it would be appreciated. Thanks All!!
I'm confused because you said that AHS will pay the minimum to get the unit up to code, but you are concerned with the estimates for that. Anyhow, you're probably not going to find the mechanical code posted online. You'll have to purchase access from the publishers unless you can find a source. If you're in Houston I think they use the 2012 IRC and 2012 UMC (International Residential Code, Uniform Mechanical Code). As for the repairs, those descriptions leave a lot to the imagination, but could all be legitimate. One thing that sticks out to me as odd is $185 for mastic. That better be a hell of a lot of mastic work. I couldn't even imagine! If you don't trust the tech tell the insurance people you want a another company out there. Besides, that's a pretty expesive set of repairs, so if you are going to have to pay that out of pocket you might want a second opinion on pricing alone even if you have to pay a service call.
Not sure what post you are reading but he said AHS will pay a "very small portion of the cost" to get it up to code.
Thanks for the reply. What I mean by minimum is that of the city code requirements, they will only pay for 250. So I am stuck paying the rest to get it to code. I've done the second opinion route and the second opinion agree with the work that was requireed, but didn't get into city code updates. I am now stuck using the contractor that the warranty company wants to use to do the actual repairs. Sounds pretty easy for them the recommend all these city code requirements with out me actually checking to make sure they are Legit. I mean the unit itsel was installed in 2006, so we aren't talking about that long ago. Anyway..thanks for the reply. Appreciate the insight.
Wish I could be more helpful, but it's hard to be specific without actually seeing what you got. Anyhow, if you want to dig around I did find the IRC code online. That's the top link. The bottom link is Houston code page (I'm guessing that's where you are). It lists the current codes they use and also the city amendments. Is AHS insisting you get up to code? If not, I wouldn't bother with anything other than getting your system running properly unless a trustworthy contractor (preferably with less aggressive pricing) can explain to you why you need anything more than that. http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/index.htm http://www.houstonpermittingcenter....assistance-code-development-cacd-section.html
Does the city of Houston require getting it up to code? At what point is a code update required, and when is it not. Thanks so much for the links!!
A code is only "required" if there is someone requiring you to adhere to it. So unless a city inspector is coming to your house,.... Now, an AC contractor is always going to notate when they see something out of code and quote you for a repair in order to cover their butt. They just have to do that. Now, if there was ever damage caused due a noted code failure you could considered negligent. So anything serious should definitely be fixed. But that's where a trusty tech comes in. A good tech should be able to explain in plain English what and why anything needs repair and how important it is and whether its a safety issue or not.
p.s. I am a fan of NATE and RSES certified techs as a filter in lieu of a great personal recommendation. Anyone can find companies with NATE techs on the NATE site.
Pretty much the standard what all home warranty companies will try to add in and get the customer to pay. Even if you have a provision saying that city violations are not upto code, they will say that these items need to be done otherwise the coil can't be installed. It is all part of the "scam" Basically, you will end up paying half the cost of the new coil in these additional charges. If you try to get AHS to pay out via the CASH option, they will offer you something very nominal which may be less than the cost of the actual coil if you look online.
Also, if you had any other contractor do these changes to your furnace, it wouldn't have cost you nearly this amount. Door Access - 50-100 Shut Off line - 50 Float Switch - 100 are about what you should pay, but they will say it is an "EMERGENCY" and hence they can charge these crazy amounts. Good luck.
This is what my home warranty ended up charging me: Plenum Modification - 150 Transition Modification - 100 Emergency Drain Pan -150 Drainline Modification - 180 Float Switch - 50 Install Access panel - 50 Total Non-Covered - 680
Yeah, I don't get the fixation on complying with code. If you're about to sell the house, it might matter. Otherwise, the code is irrelevant. If there's a reason to do that other stuff, it should be because the HVAC won't work very well without it. If they can't say that with a straight face, have them do what AHS will cover and forget the rest. And if it really won't operate without this other work, AHS should be covering it. Otherwise, what is the point of their stupid warranty? Complain to them publicly on twitter and maybe their PR guy will grease some wheels.
