Anyone see anything wrong with this installation?

[Trent Evan]

New install. Took possession of the house August of 2007 and that first winter the furnace quit (when the outside temp got very cold). We were told by the builder to "shut the furnace off for a couple minutes to reset it". We did this a couple times and it got us through the winter. This winter same thing, when the outside temp got very cold it again quit. The builder won't even return our calls and the installer gave us some "over the phone" advice none of which worked. I (knowing very little about new furnaces) became frustrated and started looking into the furnace myself. This is what I saw. The circuit board was SOAKED and dripping. These pics are after it was dried off with a hair dryer and paper towls.










EDIT - the tape on the switch was advice given to us to get the furnace running.

Any comments or advice?

TE

[Wayne B. Wilson]

It looks like the board has been damaged at r30 You shouldn't have anything running from electronics , See the stain. Water laying on the top shouldn't be there. If the unit is that new i would think there is warranty I would call the manufacture and ask for another dealer or installer . The condensate tube seems to be leaking

[Trent Evan]

Thanks Wayne. I sent Ruud an email with the pics. Hopefully they will do something about this. This is a product of an over active housing market.

What concerns me is what else did this builder do that is going to show up later as a problem - like the 14' cold poor concrete joint running form the top of our basement to the floor or the foundation crack that they looked at and said "when it leaks water into the basement we will do something about it"???

TE

[James E. Braun, CMI]

I personally do not like to see a concrete crack so early because the building has just begun to settle. It is hard to say without being there. That is most likely why you are not receiving an answer about the concrete. Maybe if you give your location, an inspector close to you can run over and look at it.

[Terry Clayton]

Hello Trent, Contact the HVAC installer give them the opportunity to correct the problem then tell them you will contact the BBB. RUUD may be of some influence on the installer. I suppose you did not get a home warranty. They could have put a solid piece of pipe between the hoses and used clamps to prevent leaks, make sure when it is repaired to have the hoses re-routed away from the electric. Good luck

[Doug Edwards]

As Wayne stated the problem most likely started with a leaking condensate hose. That joint with the red tape on it amateur work at best. It appears to be the two tubes are just butt jointed together then whatever tape they could find was used to try and seal the joint. It eventually leaking was virtually guaranteed. Circuit boards and water do not play well together. Some components just never work right after being wet. Cell phones and cameras prove this.

[Trent Evan]

Thanks guys. Once xmas and new years have settled down I will give the builder and installer the opportunity to make this right. If not then I will go an alternate route including posting the pics with the company names of the installer and builder on every website/forum I can find. Also, I do have home insurance and I have sent Ruud the pics.

EDIT - and it won't be me settling for a better tape job. To start they will properly install the hoses, replace the circuit board and the rusting metal in the furnace.

Thanks again

TE

[Gerry Pallotta]

Looks like condensation on the pipe as well. Have them insulate it to help prevent this.

[Doug Edwards]

I thought the same thing at first and also thought "Why are they using metal tubing?" but it looks like clear plastic tubing upon closer examination and the moisture is on the inside.

[Gerry Pallotta]

Doug
It's hard to tell from the photo on my screen but I think you may be right.

[Trent Evan]

Update if anyone is interested. The builder blew us off, they didn't even have the stones to call us. They sent a courier out to tell us the warranty on our house has expired - and that us telling them there was a problem in January prior to the warranty expiring was not enough for them to cover it (had it been in writing I guess they would have taken responsibility for their shoddy installation). Cowards.

The installer has at least talked to me on the phone but keeps saying "I have to check if there is warranty from the manufacturer". WOW. He hasn't even come out to look at it. Surely if he did he would probably fix it and quietly scurry off in shame. He said someone would come today but no one did. Imagine that.

Anyway, this website is not for ranting. Does anyone know of what recourse there is for this type of issue? If you could direct me to some organization that monitors this type of thing would be great.

EDIT - I would post the names of the companies but I'm not sure the admins would appreciate that type of thing on this forum.

Thanks
TE

[Bob Elliott]

Yeah.. a Lawyer.

You should have hired an Inspector to document everything before the end of your warranty period.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Let me guess...you didn't pay for a home inspection.

[Trent Evan]

Yes yes yes I already know a home inspection would have been the thing to do. That's history I cant change.

we will be getting a home inspection for at least the purposes of the new home warranty. Possibly several homes inspected that have other problems from the same builder. I can't believe I am calling them builders - they even call themselves something like "Master Builder" - but I don't want to name them

TE

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Go ahead and get a home inspection. The builder is liable for x number of years for structural issues (each state is different...you want to know what x equals in your state). You want to know if there are any before that time elapses.

Things to ask:

1. Who’ll be doing the inspection; the owner or an employee. I would want the owner doing my house. Franchises usually send an employee who may not exercise the care the owner would. I don’t know if I would even want to use a franchise.
   
2. How many inspections do they perform a day? “No more than two” is the right answer. More than two, and they fly through them and probably aren’t thorough.
   
3. How much time will you spend onsite? (If it has a crawl space, about 3 hours would be correct for a 3000 SF house. A slab will cut the time down by about 30 minutes.) Some inspectors are in and out before the dishwasher finishes running. Don’t go with anyone who spends less than 2 hours.
   
4. DO NOT necessarily go with whoever your Real Estate Agent wants you to use. Often the agent has an interest in getting the easiest inspector they can find so the deal will go through.
   
5. Ask them will they point out significant cosmetic issues like gouges in wood floors or granite countertops.
   
6. Do they use lots of photographs in the report? You want that. The builder or owner will want to see it also.
7. Do you check every window, door, outlet? We’re not required to, but I do and that’s what I’d want.
8. Find out about physical limitations? How old are they? How much do they weigh? You want someone who can get inside an attic, or crawlspace if you have one.
9. How long does it take them to get you the report?
10. Will they do a re-inspection if you want it? A re-inspect is where the inspector returns to the home to verify that corrections have been made. Many don’t do re-inspects. Find out what they charge. ½ of the original inspection price or about $100/hour would be correct.
11. How many home inspections have they personally performed? 1000 or more would be good.
    
12. What are their qualifications? Educational background? How much continuing education? Any certifications? How long have they been a home inspector? Are they full-time? (Many inspectors are part time and only do a few per month. I would want someone full time who’s been an inspector for 3 years or more.) Many home inspectors are previous plumbers, masons, carpenters. That’s OK. But you want someone who can type and doesn’t use boilerplate, canned statements from a computer program so look at their reports. Get a licensed general contractor or engineer if you can, but that’s not the defining factor.
13. Verify the inspector’s license. I have mine online. Most don’t. Ask him to fax it to you.

That should keep you busy and will narrow the odds that you’ll get a good inspector. There are a lot of incompetent ones out there! Attend the inspection if you can.