Hello All,
I purchased a brand new approximately 5500 SF home in 2006. The home came equipped with a Comfortmaker Model #NAC036AKC3 A/C unit for upstairs, a Model #NHP036AKC2 Heat Pump and a NAC048GKC3 A/C unit for downstairs and basement. Although my downstairs unit has worked fine for the seven years I have owned the home, the upstairs unit has given me problems from day one. We live in Maryland and moved into our home in the middle of a very cold December. Just our luck, for the first few days, we had no upstairs heat. The AC/Heating contractor claimed they had to make a few adjustments to get the heat flowing. As soon as the warm weather arrived in late spring, we had no cold air. We were told that the company forgot to add freon to the system. The system was charged and worked fine for the remainder of the Summer. However, for the past seven years we continue to have the same problems in the Summer - in the Summer no or low freon or the occasional block of ice in the system and in the Winter low heat production. Since this issue has been occurring since day on, we have been working with our builder - who eventually sends someone out to TEMP fix the system. Approximately five weeks ago, the builder sent a technician over to replace the condenser. According to the technician, the condenser was filled with tiny holes and caused the freon to leak. I was told that this was the cause of my many years of problems and that my unit would now work as advertised. I worked for approximately 2-3 weeks. As soon as the weather started to climb into the upper 80's, I started to notice a 8-10 degree difference in my room temperature as compared to the temperature setting on my thermostat. Although I feel that the builder should have installed a unit that worked properly from the start, I am considering throwing in the towel and having someone install an energy efficient unit. I am worn out over years of battling with the builder to either replace or repair my unit and I have been wasting a lot of money on utility bills - this summer my utility bills are averaging about $425 a month. Any suggestions regarding what units may work well with my home or even whether I should continue to lean on the builder will be much appreciated.
BadAir