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.
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
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”???
here are the two options i suggest to client’s and would also suggest to you
#1Complete seasonal equipment service is recommended. Consult a qualified HVAC technician for evaluation of the entire system and all associated components.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ask them will they point out significant cosmetic issues like gouges in wood floors or granite countertops.
Do they use lots of photographs in the report? You want that. The builder or owner will want to see it also.
Do you check every window, door, outlet? We’re not required to, but I do and that’s what I’d want.
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.
How long does it take them to get you the report?
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.
How many home inspections have they personally performed? 1000 or more would be good.
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.
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.
Our whole neighborhood had problems with the builder about 20 years ago. You could not actually talk to the GC because he had a layer of people around him to field all calls and keep people away who could annoy him. I was able to get his attention because I word to him if he did not come take care of the problems we had I was going to be contacting the VA, The Warranty company, the bank, Better Business Bureau, The Contractors Board, the local News outlet and anyone else that would listen about his shoddy business practices and failure to honor the warranty. I was not here at the house but my wife said about 4 trucks showed up at once and they started fixing everything (in the rain). Difference was we did not wait until the end of the one year, we did all this within the first 90 days.
I would start by first reading the Home Warranty package; a year is a year. Typically it states you must notify the contractor IN WRITING before the anniversary of the first year. A written inspection report would have helped you greatly. I have had customers who got great results simply by having an inspection done a couple of months prior to the expiration date. See if there is any warranty information on the HVAC system.
Unfortunately your case is hardly unique and most people do not do anything until the 11th hour and the contractors know this and just stall or tell you to go piss up a rope.
