Anyone has experience with Alpine HVAC contractor (through Home Depot) (Edison: credit, house)

[HomeHunter2008]

Hi,

Has anyone here dealt with Alpine HVAC contractor? I got a quote from them to replace my central A/C and heating system as they were working with Home Depot. This is in Edison area. I read a couple of reviews online, some of them not so flattering about them, so I am wondering if anyone else has dealt with them before, any information/opinion you share will be highly appreciated.

[HomeHunter2008]

or do you guys have any good HVAC contractors to recommend in Middlesex county? Thanks

[luckyshoes]

We had a good experience with the Ice-Man company. Not sure how far you are up in Middlesex, but worth calling to see if they service your area.

Iceman Refrigeration - Hopewell, NJ - Heating & Cooling Systems

[HomeHunter2008]

Thanks. They are about 30miles away, I will give them a call to see if they normally come up here.

[BobKovacs]

Why would you contract with an HVAC contractor through Home Depot? Home Depot just adds another layer of cost to the deal, so you're paying a premium for dealing with them, but getting nothing in return.

[HomeHunter2008]

I just saw them at the home depot store so went up and talked with them. I also got a couple of other quotes, their quotes aren't actually more expensive than others.

X16i 4Ton + XV95 for $8700

I am not sure about their reputation, thought going through homedepot may somehow add some sort of guarantee from home depot (I guess I could be wrong on that front)

My thing is out of the four quotes I am getting, none of them did a real detailed load calculation. My old system is 3ton Bryant, it does an ok job for the first floor, but 2nd floor was notably warmer. So someone is giving me 3ton unit, others are giving me four ton unit.

[Bergenite]

Are they changing or adding to the ducts to increase from a 3 ton to a 4 ton?

The ducting was possibly built for heating and not air conditioning if it's older. In order for the A/C to be effective on the 2nd floor, some alteration of the ducts might be needed. Did anyone take a look at the amount of supplies and returns on the second floor?

A rough rule of thumb is 600 square feet per ton. The system shouldn't be oversized; it won't dehumidify properly.

[HomeHunter2008]

Thanks. My house is around 2200 sf, so it's in between 3 and 4 ton, unfortunately, Trane doesn't have a 3.5 ton unit above 16SEER. I asked this particular contractor about the size of the duct work when going from 3-ton to 4-ton, he said it should be fine. Current furance is 120K BTU, so he is even suggesting to go down to 100K BT. But none of the contractors (5 of them) has said anything about duct work so far.

[PDD]

Many "beginner " contractors get their start by being HD and Lowes subs. They are paid at the bottom of the normal hourly rate so when the store adds on their commision you wind up paying a normal rate. This is a good way for new contractors to get established and when they gain field experience and start getting their own jobs they can then start charging everyday rates.
Some of these contractors are very good at the trade just less experienced. I know many electrical contractors who got their start this way.
Just make sure before any work is started on your home THE CONTRACTOR files for the permit. Do not fall for the scam of you taking out a "homeowner " permit to save a few bucks. This is a sure sign that the contractor is not licensed.

[HomeHunter2008]

Thanks. They seem to be licensed in this case as they included all the permits in the proposal. They claim to have been in business for a while; they are not BBB accredited contractor.