There was something in our ducts, and it was making us sick.
We live in an old house with a forced hot air ventilation at least 50 years ago, and there was something in the ductwork that was causing the family to have chronic headaches, nasal congestion and sleep loss. For years we tried to find and fix the problem with numerous duct cleanings, fiber optic inspections for cracks, standalone HEPA air filtering units, and filters behind each heating register. Nothing worked!
We eventually reached the conclusion that either we had to move out of the house, or rip up the walls and have the ductwork completely replaced. We decided to go with the latter, even though it meant we would have to move all the furniture, tear out bookshelves, move into a rental while the work was going on, and pay a general contractor to replace and repaint the drywall after the work was done.
We got estimates from several heating and AC contractors and were about to hire one to start the job, when we decided to get one last estimate from Liran and his Service Pro Group. After examining the system and discussing our concerns with us, he asked whether we had considered installing a high velocity HVAC instead of replacing the existing system. We hadn't heard of this type of system at all, but Liran explained that it uses small flexible ducts that can be fished through the walls without tearing down the drywall. He also recommended replacing the big furnace in the basement with a compact wall-mounted boiler unit. The main drawback to this option was that the estimated cost of installing a high velocity system was about twice that of tearing out and replacing the existing ductwork.
Liran did not try to pressure us into a decision and was in fact apologetic that it might sound like he was upselling us. He pointed us to various online resources for high velocity systems, and we spent about a week researching these systems. At various points we called Liran up to ask questions, and he always made the time to answer completely and patiently. He even came back to the house at one point to show us where the various parts of the system would be situated and how they fit together. Ultimately we made the decision to go with high velocity and hired Liran to install a Unico system.
When the time came, Liran and his assistants worked professionally and efficiently, always telling us what to expect over the coming days and touching base whenever there needed to be a change of plans due to their finding something unexpected (as there always is in an old house). In the end the work was completed on time and on budget and worked exactly as advertised. Of note, there were a few adjustments that needed to be made after the initial installation, including adding an additional duct to the downstairs to provide more uniform heating and fixing a jumper on the boiler that was causing it to go on when the in-system humidifier was operating. In each case Liran came within 24 hours of our noticing the problem and fixed it immediately. He even came over on a Sunday afternoon on short notice.
Another remarkable aspect of our experience with Liran is his conscientiousness. Without prompting he touched base with us several times over the winter to check whether the heating was adequate, and when the weather starting heating up a few weeks ago, Liran called us to inquire about the AC.
But the best thing of all is that since the new system was installed, the family's respiratory symptoms have vanished. No headaches, no stuffiness, no groggy mornings. And the house is completely comfortable day and night.
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