I had Rodman's Heating & Air Conditioning out at my home for a quote for a gas line to my backyard as well as for a general look at my HVAC setup. The fee for the site visit was reasonable and I was able to book an appointment rather quickly whch was great.
The rating of a 3 out of 5 is due to the impression I got that the person sent to my house was inexperienced:
1. He gave me a feel that somehow my use case for running a gas line outside under my deck was particlualy difficult, mentioning things about the size of drill that is needed to drill through the house. We previosuly had another Contractor drill through from the basement to run eletrical under the deck for a deck outlet box and it was no big deal at all (We have a composite deck that uses a clip system that allows us to pop up boards quickly and easily; no screws at all.) He mentioned he'd have to "take it back to the office" to discuss our gas line request with others. There is nothing wrong with that if someone is unsure, but it just didn't give me a feeling of confidence as the Home Owner.
2. We were issued a Category 2 warning for 3 items. The first item was legit - our tankless heater exhaust pipe is longer than 3 feet and does require insulation as per the code. The 2nd and 3rd items involved our Furnace and Tankless Water Heater having indoor fresh air vents and not exterior fresh air vents. After doing some research and talking to the Gas company and Reliance Home Comfort, these warnings were refuted. Interior fresh air vents are permitted as long as the basement is unfinished and the area containing the furnace and tankless heater are not sealed off with walls.
He mentioned that we would get a quote in 2 or 3 days but more than a week later a quote never arrived. I feel he just didn't know what to do. I called in to say that "if a quote hasn't been completed yet please don't spend any more time on it as we've selected another company."
Rodman's Heating & Air Conditioning is a reputable company that does a lot of great work based on what others have told me, hence the reason we invited them to give us a quote. However, I have personally lost some confidence through this experience. We brought in another HVAC company based in Pickering, they looked at our need, expressed no concerns or alarms, and provided us with a quote; no fuss no muss. In the end, we decided to get the Furnace and Tankless Heater vented to the exterior so that WHEN we decide to finish our basement, there is one less thing to do. Even though this was an expense we didn't have to incur at this point in time we decided to get it done anyway.