A warning for consumers about fraud in the furnace and air conditioning industry in Saskatoon

9. Jun 2020 Admin Saskatoon Air Conditioning & Furnace, Saskatoon Plumbing, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs!In this Saskatoon HVAC article, Jeff Bolton, owner of JOB, highlights how important it is to be aware of scams in the Saskatoon air-conditioning and furnace marketplace.

JEFF FROM JOB WARNS AGAINST FRAUD IN SASKATOON’S HVAC INDUSTRY

The feeling of being ripped off is horrible, and I count myself fortunate that I haven’t been the victim of fraud very much in my life. However, I am sad to say that I deal with victims of contractor fraud too often in Saskatoon. In my latest article, I share another example that happened recently, as I want to educate consumers on what to look out for.- Jeff , owner of JOB

Fraud takes many different forms

I was recently at a lady’s home to provide a quote to replace the furnace and air conditioner. Her house was the same as most other homes in our city, in fact she lives just 4 blocks away from my family. She invited me in and we exchanged pleasantries, then I asked her the burning question that had been top of mind since I pulled up outside. Why was she requesting a quote for a new home comfort system in a house that was no more than 12 years old?

She explained that the night before her furnace had stopped working. This was especially an issue as the overnight temperature in Saskatoon had dropped to about -30C. Unfortunately, she was unaware that JOB offers 24-hour emergency service and she had called another company.

The other company turned up, identified the problem but they didn’t have the part required ( It was 4 am, so I give them a pass on that one,) . They returned at 8:30 am with the correct part to fix the issue and the tech took it upon himself to go through her furnace and air conditioner. He noted that there were old watermarks both on the side and at the base of the furnace, which I can verify. As someone that has a career in the furnace and air conditioning industry, the source of the water was very evident to me.It was clear that at some point, probably in the summertime, the evaporator coil had frozen and then melted.

One indication about this was the plugged air filter leaning up against the furnace.

The other technician told this very nice lady that her furnace was over ten years old and a crack COULD happen in the heat exchanger (even though he couldn’t find any crack) and that would send carbon monoxide into her home potentially killing her, her partner and her dogs!! If that ominous threat was not enough, he also told her that her air conditioner unit had a leak and would also need to be replaced.

Now, it is possible that she may have a leak in the air conditioner, but there’s simply no way to determine that when it’s -26C outside! Saying that she has a leak when there is a dirty filter right there is, “bullcrap!”

The other thing that I haven’t mentioned yet, is the 3 carbon monoxide detectors I saw in her home. I will not downplay carbon monoxide poisoning, because it is the biggest threat to life that we face in the HVAC industry, however, there was no sign of that here. When questioned, she confirmed that the carbon monoxide detectors had never gone off. In addition, one of the detectors displays the level of CO present and when I checked it showed zero.

Let me be VERY clear here, this person was simply using fear tactics to sell a new furnace and air conditioner to this lady.

If you get a flat tire on your Chevy do you buy a new Mercedes??

“But he said I’m in imminent danger!” Said the lady

The moral of the story about fraud in Saskatoon’s HVAC Industry, is to be careful, ask questions and deal with the right people. Start by looking for businesses on TrustedSaskatoon .com.

JOB Heating has been a TrustedSaskatoon partner from almost the beginning. We are both locally owned and accountable companies and we deal with local companies. Local people always care the most, we care about service and we care about people. We care because this is my city and my home too.

Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today.

JOB products and services include:

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning Trusted Saskatoon Furnace, Boiler and Air Conditioning Experts

JOB. Heating & Air Conditioning are Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers

Trusted Saskatoon Furnace Experts At JOB Heating & Air Share Homeowner Safety Tips

6. Dec 2019 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon Furnace & Duct Cleaning, Trusted Tips

If your heating system is beyond repair, or if you just want to upgrade or update, our team will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. We are an independent Lennox Dealer and we offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and home heating tune-ups. We can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs too! You can be assured that JOB Heating & Air Conditioning will be there to help. In this Saskatoon furnace article, Jeff Bolton, owner of JOB, highlights how important it is to be aware of the threat of carbon monoxide and he shares some winter safety tips for your home.

Winter Safety Tips For Your Home From JOB Heating & Air

What does that do and why does it matter?

I was recently in two Saskatoon residences with gas inspections to investigate the source of carbon monoxide in the homes. Thank heavens both homeowners had carbon monoxide detectors, that in my opinion, saved their lives. Both days I went home and checked my CO detector.

When was the last time that you checked your CO Detector?

Go do it now then come back and finish reading…
So how this works is usually the fire department or Sask Energy get a call, then they visit the home with their carbon monoxide meters to assess the level and then, if reading show and issue they red tag the furnace unit and shut off the gas. The Red Tag program provides a consistent means for gas utilities, propane distributors, gas contractors or others deemed appropriate by the chief gas inspector to report unresolved gas-related deficiencies or identify reoccurring design flaws. The issuing of red tags is only done by a licensed gasfitter.

What to do when you have a red tag.

The homeowner should then call us to come to correct the problem. We will go through the furnace and water heater with a fine-tooth comb to attempt to find the source of the carbon monoxide.

Sometimes it is a crack in a heat exchanger, however, sometimes the furnace and water heater are working exactly as they should. It is then incumbent upon us to investigate why the carbon monoxide is present in the home. In these locations we often find that the homes are drawn into negative pressure, what that means is that the homes are exhausting more air than fresh air coming into the home. As you may remember from science class, areas of high pressure always go to areas of low pressure. So what happens is the high pressure outside finds a way into the area of low pressure (inside the home) through any possible route. If the doors and windows are closed then the only other hole in the home is the chimney. Air begins to flow down the chimney to replace the air that’s being exhausted out of the home. So why is that an issue? This becomes a problem when the furnace or water heater begins to fire and there is no draft up the chimney. This then results in the products of combustion (carbon monoxide) being vented into the home.

What can homeowners do to prevent this from happening?

There are items in your home to prevent this from happening. In most cases, the insulated vent that runs from the outside of your home into the furnace room brings what we call combustion air. The combustion air helps to regulate the pressure of your home preventing your home from getting into a negative air pressure situation. This is also the air that is used when the furnace or water heater are firing up and sometimes this air supply can become blocked. On occasion, we have found that homeowners will purposely block the intake because they don’t like the cold air coming in.

I need to stress how important this is and that by blocking this you are putting yourself and your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. So please don’t block this or if you have, open it up immediately.

Another more common problem is that the air intakes themselves become blocked. These intakes appear from the outside like exhaust vents but when you bend over and look up inside them they are in fact air intakes with a screen that needs to be clear of all debris. A good rule of thumb is to walk around the perimeter of your home and look for these vent/intake hoods. Look up inside them and clean them up. This is a simple 10-minute job and this will help to protect you from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Do your intakes look like this?

Go outside today walk around your home and clean these intakes.
Check your carbon monoxide detectors
Check your smoke alarms.

These 2 devices save lives every day you just don’t hear about it. If you don’t have a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector buy them and put them in your home today. I promise you they save lives.

Then have us come out and do a furnace tune-up. We test the furnace and ensure it is functioning as it should be, in addition, we clean the parts of the furnace that you cannot.

Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today. Jeff Bolton. Owner- JOB Heating and Air Conditioning

JOB products and services include:

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning Trusted Saskatoon Furnace, Boiler and Air Conditioning Experts

JOB. Heating & Air Conditioning are Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers

Trust JOB Heating & Air Conditioning with Saskatoon Heating And Furnace Issues

28. Jan 2019 Carrie Saskatoon Air Conditioning & Furnace, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs! In their latest Saskatoon furnace tip, owner Jeff Bolton, shares why you can trust JOB with your Saskatoon heating and furnace issues.

The Importance of Trust.

When calling someone for help, especially help in your own home, you really need to ask yourself – who can you trust? If you aren’t working with someone you can trust, how can you have any confidence you are being treated fairly, and the person working for you has your best interests at heart?

Jeffs Real Saskatoon Heating and Furnace Calls.

I was asked to go help two different ladies. Both lived on their own and had furnace issues. The first lady was what I would describe as everyone’s grandma, you know the type, sweet as sugar. The second was a single mother who was also a joy to meet. Both had very legitimate concerns with their furnaces. The first lady simply asked me to drop by and listen to her furnace because she thought that something was not right with it. I was in her furnace room for maybe 5 seconds and I could tell that the bearings in her inducer motor were on their last legs. We had one of our technicians over to her house later that afternoon to change the inducer motor and it turned out just fine. By calling me, she saved herself a possible (more likely probable) after hours call due to having no heat.

The second lady asked me to come and give her a quote on a new furnace because she was under the impression that her furnace needed to be changed. When I showed up I commented that the house was nice and warm. She told me that her brother had been by and found a loose wire on the furnace. I cycled the furnace on and off a few times and I believe that he was correct. Although this furnace is quite old I suggested she budget the appropriate amount to replace the furnace within 3 to 7 years. I explained what parts would cost her if they needed to be replaced. Of course, I didn’t charge her for my time because we don’t charge for furnace replacement quotes.

The trust issues with Saskatoon heating and furnace contractors

What I realized when listening to these ladies is that there is a real trust issue with companies that they hire to come into their homes in Saskatoon. Who can you trust and how do you know you can trust them? This is the very reason that Trusted Saskatoon was started. A wonderful lady who was a single mother had a company charge her a ridiculous amount of money to change a P-trap in her plumbing system in 2010.

She thought there should be a better way to find businesses you can trust, so she created trustedsaskatoon.com and launched it along with her 5 Trusted guarantees in 2011.

The 5 Trusted Guarantees are:

Provide the service and quality promised.
Complete the job on time.
Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.
Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.
Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

To be a Trusted Saskatoon plumbing and heating company JOB, along with every Trusted business, must adhere to these 5 promises. I believe that these promises are the foundation of good customer service, and that integrity and honesty must be maintained at all times in everything we do. We use this approach when dealing with our customers or dealing with our vendors. By maintaining this sense of integrity, honesty, and respect no matter who we are dealing with, those values ingrain themselves in the culture of our company – acting according to these values just becomes the norm.

JOB Heating and Air Conditioning is a company you can trust with your Saskatoon heating and furnace worries.

Who can you trust with Saskatoon heating and furnace issues

If you or someone you know are in a similar position to the ladies I saw this week, remember that JOB Heating and Air Conditioning is a Trusted Saskatoon company and we approach every job like it was in our own mother’s house. If you need other services that JOB Heating doesn’t provide, www.trustedsasaktoon.com works with the top companies in each category. From personal experience in dealing with Trusted partners, I have witnessed the integrity that I expect and value. Don’t hesitate to use JOB Heating and Air for your plumbing, heating, and air conditioning needs, and for all other needs check out trustedsaskatoon.com.

Trusted Saskatoon partners are here to help.

Jeff Bolton.

JOB Heating and Air Conditioning

JOB products and services include: