Unfortunately this is all too typical.

New home builds can be quite the 'fandango' moment once you start having problems. Because builder's build and are not built for service. Once the house is built and you take ownership, it's your baby. Service in this case is means being able or having the ability to trouble shoot a system... know why it's not working AND have the ability to fix it without uttering phrases like 'I think it got struck by lightning'.

Once it's your baby, the excuses start. Why? because the builder builds, they rarely offer anything in the way of service. They move onto the next build.

So to find a way out of this mess, you search for another company. This company, whomever it is... doesn't have any invested interest in the equipment in some cases the brand of the equipment as well. They are looking to get paid. *It's business*

The new company that comes in (some cases not all*) is interested in selling you their brand. (It slices, it dices, it cools, it heats, it dehumidifies on demand and every other kind of gimmick you can think of... they may bash the brand of the unit you currently having... merely to sell you something else. ---- this can vary widely it really depends on *who* you call.)

The manufacturer of equipment is a manufacturer. They are not going to pay for 'labor' because they have no knowledge to know if the equipment was installed properly or not. Certainly it could have been installed properly and still have issues. But because this is new home build and margins are paper thin, I am more likely to think the installation wasn't all that it could be.

This is why you have to do your due diligence to find a good 'repair' HVAC contractor. You will always need one.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

Called the HVAC guy that our (idiot) contractor hired

Something isn't right. Shouldn't someone else be liable here?

Sorry to hear you are having so many problems with your new HVAC system. What you are experiencing should not be happening.

Did you sign a contract with the builder (contractor) of this house? If you did then was there a clause about the warranty? The usual practice is for the builder to cover all problems for a one year period. The builder is responsible to work with the sun-contractors to get the issue resolved.

HVAC manufacturers will usually have a 5 year warranty for their equipment. This warranty is sometimes is extended to 10 years when the equipment is properly registered. The installer will usually offer a 1 year labor warranty. If there is a problem the installer has to provide the labor at his cost during the first year.

It sounds like the first HVAC contractor is not licensed. Anybody who says maybe is was "struck by lightening" has no interest in resolving the problem. My suggestion is to go after the builder for your repair costs. You can take him to small claims court if he does not respond.

Your current problem is likely a low refrigerant charge. If could be a leak, or the system was not charged properly when the repair was made. It could also be the blower motor speed is set too low. I think it would be unusual to have a low refrigerant charge and be able to cool the house down to 74-76 degrees, but it is possible.

Have you changed the filter? Did you install a more restrictive filter recently? The slower air flow of a dirty or restrictive filter could cause the coil to ice up.

We just changed the filter 2 days ago.
Our HVAC company is coming back out Tuesday to take a look. Unfortunately we won't be home. My father in law is going to be here to let them in.

Would the coil still be getting cold if there is a leak or not being charged properly? I'm asking because the coil and the air inside that area is extreme cold.

Should we get a new thermostat today and see if that fixes it? Maybe the google nest just doesn't work, even though it said it was compatible.
This heat pump system seems to just be a big nightmare. We were told to get it to save us money in energy it's done nothing but cost us money in repairs.

It wasn't 18 months when it initially broke though. This system malfunctioned the first time in October or November.
I've never heard of any new homeowner in a new build home have had their HVAC malfunction 2 times like this. Not saying the manufacturer is responsible, but to me and, something wasn't done correctly. Mind you we already think the HVAC guy that installed is a scammer. Why would he put the warranty for our system in his name? Why would tell us "it may have been struck by lightening, file a home owners claim"? and why, when our new company tried to get ahold of him to sort out the warranty situation, he ignored their calls and never responded??

Low refrigerant will cause the coil to be too cold. The moisture in the air will eventually create a block of ice. You are likely low on refrigerant. The question is why this is happening.

The Nest thermostat can cause problems, but changing it is not going to resolve this issue.

One thing you did not tell us what the temperature outside was when you were trying to cool down to 74. Was it over 95 outside? You may be expecting too much of the system.

It is possible that the thermostat isn't compatible with the unit. That happens. It's also possible that you need a new capacitor on the system.

In any case, you need a competent HVAC person going forward. Get ready for what they are going to tell you. Your installation was all screwed up. You were most likely ripped off. And, you will be on the hook to pay for it. Labor isn't free.

Last, you will need to set up a service contract with a good contractor so that they can examine, clean, change filters and service it twice a year. Welcome to homeownership.

home chef, if thye installed was done incorrectly how is that our fault? That doesn't make any sense. If he installed it incorrectly then he should be responsible. Especially if we need stuff reinstalled. Businesses need to be held liable for their actions. they can't just go around and do things incorrectly causing things to break and then make homeowners be responsible. If I do my job incorrectly I get in trouble, fired, or even sued. What makes him better than me? This entire situation is just disheartening and frustrating.

The temps are mid 80's. We have had the thermostat set to cool to 71-72, and it gets to 74-75.

The low refrigerant is due to a bad installation. The first guy definitely did a bad install. The second guy could have done a bad repair. Let's see what the second guy finds today.

As the coil freezes up the air flow is reduced to a point where it can't cool the house. This is probably what is happening. If the temp is in the mid 80s you should be able to get to 72 degrees.

I think your best course of action is to take either your contractor or HVAC installer to small claims court.

You're on your own now. Parts will be covered by the manufacturer but all labor and ancillary costs (eg refrigerant) are on your dime. You most likely have a leak, the system isn't cooling to the thermostat set point, so it runs continuously - not the thermostat's fault. Best case scenario is there's a bad schrader valve that's leaking after the repair was done; worst case scenario, it was never the coil - the leak is elsewhere.

Call the company back that repaired the coil and ask them why there's still a leak.

Jenny,

If you have a problem with a *new home build* you have to make sure everything is functioning as you desire within the 1 year window. If you accept the blow off excuses that the HVAC sub contractor gives you and you exceed the 1 year window there is no recourse for you. Right wrong or indifferent, you will lose because you didn't 'follow through'.

Inaction on your part is deemed that the system(s) in your home are functioning properly. If you wait after the 1 year period and then say 'well the system wasn't working properly 9 months in.' They will say that you should have pursued it then rather than put it off.

It's a clock that doesn't stop, just because you had noted problems 9 months in. You wait past that 1 year point, it's on your dime at that point.

It's the same thing if say for example your system was installed July 1, 2009 the system was properly registered and you attained the 10 year part warranty from the manufacturer. You started having problems with the system Freon in early 2019 and had the system recharged didn't have money to pay labor charges for a new coil to be installed so you 'put it off'.

Then July 10, 2019 comes the system is out of Freon the contractor tells you that you need a new evaporator coil and the cost is much higher than that of a warranty repair that you 'put off'.

The manufacturer is not going to honor a part warranty on a coil that had a problem before the warranty expired and you waited 'to do something' beyond the window of said warranty.

We didn't wait to fix the issue when the heat pump messed up the first time..it wasn't functioning properly December, but probably had been leaking since October or November and we had someone out here.
However, this took time to fix because our initial HVAC person had the warranty in his own name. Our new HVAC company tried to get ahold of him for 2 weeks with zero luck.
By the time we got the warranty switched and they got the parts ordered and in, it was February.

Well your situation is rather unique, but in the terms of the warranty from manufacturer, the burden of proof still would fall on you. Homebuilders are not known for providing warranties / registering equipment --- there are a slew of home builder problems on this board. Some HVAC related, with many others completely different problems.

I doubt the GC put it in his name because this would require work on his part, his name probably appeared there because he was the one who bought the machine from the manufacturer. Homebuilders 'typically' do not register the equipment, they are more interested in going off to the next build. They build, it's what they do.

How do I know this? Because had he registered it in his name the warranty would be 10 years and not 5.

If the equipment is not 'officially' registered there is no record of who 'owns' it, except of course who bought it. Equipment made these days have codes built in as to knowing the day and in some cases the hour in which the machine came off the assembly line. Without registration the manufacture allows up to 90 days beyond the date in which the machine came off the production line.

So Mr./Mrs. home owner comes along buys a new home... wow everything is new, looks great. No worries everything is 'new'. You have a life so you don't concern yourself with things that 'could' go wrong. Like documentation of equipment warranties and things like that. As I said above, right - wrong or indifferent this is the way things work in this realm. (you don't have to like it, I didn't make up any of these rules -- I am not a homebuilder. I am the one who comes in and corrects homebuilder mistakes. I am not paid by the homebuilder -- I am paid by YOU. The homeowner.)

It is up to you, the home owner to 'make sure' everything is to your liking. Including the name in which is on the contract specifying who owns the equipment at your home.

Equipment warranties can be expensive for a manufacturer, there's paper work processing to validate that the warranty is credible or not, there's hacks out there that are claiming warranty when in fact there is nothing wrong. So because of all this nonsense that happened in the past has put us where we are now.

I don't doubt that it took you time to sort this out. But in the eyes of the manufacturer they are standing there holding the tiniest violin in the world and playing 'Comb By Ah My Lord'.

One of the most common air conditioning problems is improper operation.

https://www.cooling-heating.net

Other common problems with existing air conditioners result from faulty installation, poor service procedures, and inadequate maintenance. Improper installation of a central air conditioner can result in leaky ducts and low airflow. Many times, the refrigerant charge (the amount of refrigerant in the system) does not match the manufacturer's specifications. If proper refrigerant charging is not performed during installation, the performance and efficiency of the unit is impaired. Unqualified service technicians often fail to find refrigerant charging problems or even worsen existing problems by adding refrigerant to a system that is already full. Learn what to ask for when hiring a technician to maintain your air conditioner.

Air conditioner manufacturers generally make rugged, high quality products. If your air conditioner fails, begin by checking any fuses or circuit breakers. Let the unit cool down for about five minutes before resetting any breakers. If a central air conditioner's compressor stops on a hot day, the high-pressure limit switch may have tripped; reset it by pushing the button, located in the compressor's access panel.

If it is actually incompetent installation that caused this, most (all?) state contractor boards have a fund that gets paid into to repair slipshod work of vanished contractors.

And if he wasn't licensed, as suggested above, this will probably set them on his trail with hunting dogs . . .

Sounds like really bad install and may be repairs. After dealing with our local incompetent dealers I decided to use my EPA cert and get an account with the distributor, and will get the tools - never again.

We had a N coil swapped:

- First every dealer looked at the house and started to insists on full system swap. BIG NO.

- Kicked "cheap" dealers who insisted on $120/pound refrigerant because they "weight" them (he uses scale to bill and Fieldpiece SM480V to charge LOL

-Next dealer did not want to install the dryer, and another did not want to remove the old dryer.

- Did not have Nitro, because he ran out.

- Finally it did not work properly for one week because he was short one pound. Not kidding not an oz full pound.

- I overpaid $1k+ for that ICP N coil so I do not have to own and do the work. Never again.

IMHO the dealers are the weakest link in this system. We had heatpump on other property, never worked right. Consider dumping the charge, install new dryer, check the vacuum, and charge it with the clean refrigerant. Oddly I did this on Goodman HP that I thought was screwed up beyond repairs (dealers were offering to swap for Trane) - it worked like a clock.