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Common problems with HVAC work

What tends to go wrong, what it usually points at, and what your options are when a contractor won't put them right.

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A system sized for the wrong house

Equipment that is undersized never keeps up and oversized equipment short-cycles. Both trace back to whether a proper load calculation was done, and often one wasn't.

What proves it
The load calculation, if one was done, against the capacity of the unit installed. Sizing is an engineering calculation with a documented method, not a judgment call.
What the business usually says
That the house is draughty or the ducts are the problem. Those are inputs to the calculation, which is the point: if no calculation was done, nobody established what the house needed before selling it a unit.

Repeat failures on the same component

A part that fails twice in a season points at installation or diagnosis rather than the part. Service records are what make that pattern visible.

What proves it
The service history. Each visit generates a ticket, and the same part failing repeatedly is a pattern written down by the company that installed it.
What the business usually says
That each failure had a different cause. The tickets say what was replaced and when, so the pattern either exists in their own records or it does not.

Manufacturer warranties voided by the installer

Most equipment warranties require registration and professional installation. An installer who skipped either can leave you holding a warranty that no longer applies.

What proves it
The manufacturer's registration requirements against what was actually registered, and the installation instructions against what was installed. Both are published documents.
What the business usually says
That the manufacturer is refusing for its own reasons. The manufacturer will state the reason in writing, and the reason usually names an installation requirement, which points back at the installer.

Before you do anything else

What to gather

  • The signed contract and the equipment specified
  • The load calculation, or written confirmation that none was performed
  • The model and serial numbers of what was installed
  • Manufacturer warranty registration and any refusal, in writing
  • Every service ticket since installation
  • Permits and inspection results

The part nobody tells you

Some of this expires

Most ways of putting pressure on a business run on a clock that starts at the work, not at the argument. These are the ones that shut first.

Chargeback
About 4 months. Your bank reverses the payment.
Financing unwind
About 12 months. The lender wears the claim, not you.
Manufacturer certification
About 24 months. Their certification goes under review.
Surety bond
About 24 months. The bond pays out against them.

See where you are on the clock for all ten routes.

What to do about it

Document what you were promised and what you got, keep every invoice and message, and photograph everything before anyone “fixes” it. Whatever route you take from there, whether talking to the business yourself, a licensed attorney, or us, the case rests on that record.

What this page covers

We're a consumer advocate, not a law firm, and this page is general information rather than guidance about your situation. It is here so you can recognize your own case in it and see what usually moves one. If yours needs an attorney, we say so and hand off, taking nothing for the introduction.
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More on heating and air conditioning disputes we take on, or how the process works.

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