What other options are there besides Waterfurnace
I'm new here so please don't be to harsh if this is a repost or common knowledge to everyone else.
I'm about to start consturction in the spring on our new house (in Maryland) and I am setting appointments now with all subs and the only brand of geothermal system I can find is WaterFurnace Envision.
Who else has Geo Thermal systems?
Is there a site that has reviews/comparissions of the different systems.
Thanks!
Waterfurnace Versatec Evaporator Coil Leaks
Three years ago we installed two Waterfurnace Versatec systems (dual zoned) for a new construction home. They have been under a maintenance agreement by the installer since they were installed. They cost about $30,000and up until recently, we were pleased with the systems.
A couple of weeks ago, in unseasonably cold weather, the downstairs unit stopped blowing hot air. The installer sent a technician. He said it was a coil leak in the compressor, and would cost $1,800 ($1,500 with the maintenance agreement discount) to replace. Two days later, the upstairs system did the same thing. The technician said it was also a manufacturing defect, and both were leaking in approximately the same place, from the sealed coils. We got a second opinion from another local Waterfurnace dealer. We were told the same thing. It was a manufacturing defect. The original installer called WF. They were told the part was made in Canada, so it was not their problem, they just put it into the unit. And the coils only had a 1 year warranty. Tough luck. The other local company called WF, too. Tough luck. We have replaced one unit ($1,500) and are waiting the week it takes for the part to come from Canada to replace the other 3-year old unit. Any cost savings in utility bills have gone up in smoke, plus, plus.
Waterfurance's literature about Versatec highlights how reliable the equipment is. Does this sound reliable? I understand this part is not unlike the coils on a refrigerator. My old Kenmore refrigerator ran for over twenty years. My new one is trouble-free after ten years. We would recommend and buy Kenmore again. No so with Waterfurnace. Not now. I am worried that the replacement coils on the Versatec systems will fail again.
My husband agrees it is a manufacturing defect. He is a professor of aerospace engineering at a large SE University and knows a bit about machinery. We are hanging onto the two defective parts, as I suspect these may not have been the only questionable units that came off the assembly line that day. There could be more coils that have failed or are about to fail, saddling the consumers with expensive repairs. Has anyone else had this problem?