A/C Leak

[headware]

I recently had my A/C unit replaced in the attic. The unit was about 20 years old and the pan was in bad shape. When the repair company initially replaced it they didn't replace the pan for some reason. Later they came back to replace the pan but apparently put in one that was too small, which caused water to leak out. There are visible water marks on the ceiling in one room.

They have admitted that it was their mistake and have offered to fix it for free. Obviously, I no longer trust these guys so I tried to get my home warranty company to send out another company to assess and fix the damage but they don't cover secondary damages due to attempted repairs to the initial problem. Should I bother having another company come out and assess/fix the damage at my own expense? Is this an expensive problem to fix? Is this a difficult thing to fix (i.e. is it in their obviously limited scope of abilities)?

Any advice general or specific is welcome.

Thanks, Dave

[DK]

In contract law, when there is a breach, the party at fault is usually given the opportunity to repair the damage.

My opinion is that you have given up your rights by refusing them access.

[Richard J Kinch]

The opportunity in this case would be to find somebody else that is competent. The first goons were obviously chimpanzees.

[headware]

Well I have refused them access yet. They said to call back when the water stain has dried. I really just wanted to know whether or not someone who can't be trusted to change out an A/C pan should be trusted to assess and fix water damage. Or if it is worth fitting the bill myself for another company to do it (based on price and difficulty of the job).

Dave

DK wrote:

[mm]

His story doesn't say that he told them no, never. He may have just said, I"ll call you back. Even if he did say, No, I'll go somewhere else, he can call back as if he never said that, or b) if necessary, pretend he never said that, b) they'll probably want the chance to fix it and repair the bad feelings between them and him; they may not even remember what the OP said, c) even if they say, But you said you didn't want us to, the OP can say, and I'll bet it is true, "I was angry then, and I'm not anymore....."

It's almost always possible to reach an accord, and hopefully satisfaction, that's fair, if both parties want that.

[DK]

I can't see it from here, but I'd think a water stain could be painted over safely and not have any long term effect for the life of the house. Painting the stain once and then coming back and painting the entire ceiling to match would suffice in most cases. But like I said, I can't see it from here.

But let's talk about the leak. In my attic, the only pan visible is the emergency overflow pan. In order for that pan to catch water there is a normal condensate line that has to stop up. Then the overflow pan has an emergency drain on it that drips out the eave in front of a window. If the pan is the right size then two major failures have to occur to get leakage on the ceiling.

I suspect major screw-ups during the install other than just the size of the pan. I suspect they didn't clean out the condensate line and no telling what else. Have you checked all your duct joints?

I think I'd tell them that I'd paint my own ceiling if they would agree to put me in a free warning system that shuts off the AC when the emergency pan catches water as part of their penalty for screwing up.

[mm]

I thought they were just volunteering to come back and replace the pan right. And maybe pay for someone to paint your ceiling.

That's was what I thought when I posted yesterday, further down the thread. I think I would let them put the pan in, and I would go look to see if it was big enough -- really, it doesn't let them off the hook but for your own benefit, you should have gone up and looked at their work each evening, or earlier if you were home when they were working -- but not let them paint. That's not their specialty, and I can hardly believe they plan for their own employees to do it.

Are you sure they even offered to fix that part, the paint? Maybe they plan to hire a guy or a company that does specialize in plaster and paint. If so, if you talk to him directly, maybe he can convince you he'll do the job right.

If there is no visible plaster damage, and it is latex paint, and you know the color, you can just paint the bad stuff and won't see where it joins.

I like DK"s suggestion. If not that, I'd want to see first hand that the drain is clear and there is that method for overlowing through the eaves.

[headware]

Sorry, I meant to type "I haven't refused them access yet". I'm not sure exactly what they plan on doing because I wasn't there when this all happened and I haven't spoken to them yet (the ceiling isn't dry). I don't think they'll be painting because I don't have paint on my ceilings, I have popcorn. I'm not even sure what is damaged and how badly. I looked up there but not knowing anything about A/C's or ceilings, I can't tell what's damaged. There is a lot of junk strewn around from when they were working. I can't see any water damage from the attic but I would assume it's hidden by the fiberglass.

I think I'll probably hire another A/C guy to come out and look at the system to make sure nothing else is screwed up. With all the problems I've had with these guys I can't believe they're still in business.

Thanks, Dave