Ian Singh
Rating: 4 out of 5
Replacement of Furnace/AC/Water Heater [Updated: 2020.08.01]
*** Background ***
My home is a ~1200 sq. ft. bungalow, about 23 years old.
The job was to:
- Replace the furnace, AC, and water heater.
- Install a smart thermostat
- Configure/rewire the existing central humidifier to work with the new system and be controllable via the smart thermostat.
I was in no rush, and made this clear to all companies providing quotes.
Based on my own observations and the opinions of the 6+ reps from various companies who attended my place to quote a price, the job was not difficult. Everything was accessible, all core electrical/plumbing/gas lines/drains etc. were already in place, and everything could be easily made to fit.
I gave the job to Maple Air based on them offering/having the best overall package in my view at the time, based on price, equipment being installed, warranty offered, installation quality assurances, internet reviews etc.
*** Review ***
Overall Impressions of the Installation Team: The installation team were polite, friendly, kept my place clean, were working hard for almost 12 hours to get the entire job done, and their gas fitting/plumbing work was AFAICT first rate.
My overall impression with the installation, after all was said and done, was that it was decent. Some parts of the installation were great, others were okay, and one thing was plain unacceptable in my view. I one thing (which was eventually fixed) I attribute to the 2-person install team trying to be done in one day, when IMHO, more time (or another person) would have been helpful. Details below:
1. Water heater install was great (10/10). Installer(s) clearly knew what they was doing, set it up properly, had no difficulty answering questions etc. Install was tested and verified to be working.
2. Furnace install was decent overall, with one potential issue (8/10). The unit was tested and verified to be working of job completion. The one potential issue was with the condensate drain installation - ½” piping was used (when the furnace installation manual calls for ¾” minimum) and it was initially set up in a configuration the furnace installation manual specifically says not to do. [Update: I followed up with Maple Air, who advised me they followed up with Carrier. According to the feedback Maple Air attributes to Carrier, the initial condensate drain set up was acceptable. I don’t quite understand how a Carrier rep can say the set up was fine, while the installation manual states it’s not fine, but here we are. I ended up changing the condensate drain set up to something the installation manual AND the Carrier rep approved of, and was compensated by Maple for my time/expense.]
3. Air Conditioner installation was decent, and the system works well overall (8/10). I had the exterior condensing unit mounted on brackets, and the brackets used looked to be of high quality powder-coated metal (as opposed to uncoated cheap L-channel). The brackets were also well fastened the foundation. There's no noise or vibration issues when the unit is running. Evaporator unit installation also seems fine.
The manner in which the hole in the exterior brickwork (through which electrical/refrigerant lines run) was patched could have been done better IYAM - the gobs of silicone sealant on the exterior sealed the hole well but looks amateurish in its application. Further, the type of silicone sealant used (acetoxy curing which produces acetic acid) appeared to corrode/discolour the surface of a copper refrigerant line. [Update: The corrosion seems cosmetic and has not changed perceptibly in the days following the install.]
4. Humidifier Rewiring/Reconfiguration was flawed (Initial: 2/10. Updated to 6/10 based on Maple Air’s overall response to the issue when I brought it up with them).
On the date of installation, my existing humidifier was not hooked up properly to the new furnace/thermostat and its operation was not properly tested prior to job completion. The technician (inaccurately) attributed the humidifier not turning on to an already-acceptable level of humidity in the house when the actual issue was a loose wire. I don’t think the technician had every hooked up an existing humidifier as a controlled accessory to an Ecobee SmartThermostat before - he seemed to be getting assistance over the phone from someone he called regarding the wiring. Further, the Ecobee had a dedicated equipment testing mode he didn’t seem to be aware of and didn’t use. I tried the testing mode (while the technicians were still around) and the humidifier did not turn on. I brought this up with the lead technician, who repeatedly attributed this issue to an already acceptable level of humidity in the house and said it’d be fine. I continued to debug it after the install team left and found out the issue was actually a loose wire (a connection from the humidifier to the furnace hadn’t been screwed down properly). Once that got sorted out, the humidifier worked fine. In terms of workmanship standards, I view this as unacceptable.
[Update: Maple Air has since apologized for the error and compensated me for the issue. Based on my overall dealings with the company, I’m of the view that Maple Air stands behind their installations, responds reasonably to concerns that are brought up, and will appropriately remedy the situation if given the opportunity.]