OMG. I'm 'bout to get scrappy.

mamarazzi

Last summer, we had issue after issue with our ceiling getting water spots (and, at one point, water dripping out of a can light) due to condensation on the HVAC ductwork.  After literally MONTHS of gaping holes cut in the walls and ceiling of our front room and contractors in and out, they claimed to have resolved the issue.  It was a long, drawn-out, ugly fight with the builder and H and I weren't very confident the inherent issue had been resolved since by the time they "fixed" it and patched all the holes up it was fall and no longer hot and humid.  (the dampness would be worst on the most hot and humid days).

DS1 pointed up at the ceiling this morning and said "look, mommy!  A wet spot on our ceiling!  AGAIN!  You better call those guys!"

I'm about to blow my top.  I'm positively RAGING.  I don't know if I've ever been this angry. 

Our house is on the market.  This is NOT something we can deal with.  We simply CAN'T sell a house with wet spots on the ceiling.  My H works in disaster restoration and knows all too well about mold, how it grows and its dangers.  He found mold last summer and he said he can guarantee there's moisture in the insulation around the ductwork and mold growing again.  We could never bring ourselves to sell our house to someone else knowing that.  Not to mention, we can't have successful showings with holes in the walls and contractors in and out. 

The corporate contact I need to reach is lucky I can't find her number.  I don't know if I could keep it together right now.  I emailed her and asked her to call me, so hopefully I'll have control of my rage by the time she does so.

august06mom

Wow. I'm full of rage for you. We sold our condo two years ago, and we had to go through so much sh+t just to prove that a paint spot on the ceiling wasn't a water spot. We had to have two inspectors come in and confirm that it was indeed paint, not water.

I would be going nuclear on them.

Jodi&Joe

I would be unleashing the rage in a very loud verbal way.

But the way I think it should be handled is to channel that energy in to a resolution.  Have your expectations in check and ready to clearly relay them.  For example, you expect that you will have a contractor to your house no later than XX date and that the completion of this fix will be done no later than XX date.  Are you listed with a realtor?  If so, let them know.  You can tell any potential buyers that you are aware of the situation and it will be fully remedied before the closing.

Good luck!  NOT a good situation - - I'm angry for you!

august06mom

Ditto Jodi. Figure out what you want them to do first before you call them. If you're like me, calling them full of rage would just lead to a lot of sputtering and yelling and no resolution.

LIMom

I normally don't post that often, but I work for an AC company and thought you could use some recomendations. First off it sound like you need to have an HVAC company check to see why the duct work is sweating that much. Once that is resolved you can have them reinsulate the duct work. If the duct work is in your ceiling then you may need to have a peice of the ceiling removed. My suggestion would be to show the house and be honest with prospective buyers about the issue and let them know that it will be resolved. Of course I would only say something if they asked what the spot was at this point. Good Luck and BTW your kids are so adorable.

mamarazzi

LIMom:

I normally don't post that often, but I work for an AC company and thought you could use some recomendations. First off it sound like you need to have an HVAC company check to see why the duct work is sweating that much. Once that is resolved you can have them reinsulate the duct work. If the duct work is in your ceiling then you may need to have a peice of the ceiling removed. My suggestion would be to show the house and be honest with prospective buyers about the issue and let them know that it will be resolved. Of course I would only say something if they asked what the spot was at this point. Good Luck and BTW your kids are so adorable.

Thanks for the input.  We actually did have the contractor's HVAC company as well as my H's HVAC subcontractor of choice in last summer to assess.  After months of investigating (through cutting holes in the wall, taping up poly, changing out ducts, installing a dehumifier, etc.), they decided the unit had been manufactured incorrectly for the size of the house and the air wasn't being pushed through efficiently.  They replaced ductwork, changed out some pieces on the furnace, reinsulated the original ductwork and added additional insulation.

At this point, we're ready to hire an attorney.  The HVAC companies pretty much exhausted every theory last summer and we can't afford to sit on this house for months and months while potential buyers get scared away by the issues.  If we believed it could be a simple fix, we'd rectify it and be honest, but even the owner of one of the best HVAC companies in town was baffled.  If they hadn't "resolved" the issue last summer (as they believed they had), they were talking about tearing all the ceilings on the main floor out and replacing all the ductwork.    I can't imagine the mess that would create and it would mean we'd have to take our house off the market for the duration of the work.

mamarazzi

And, thanks Llmom for the compliments on my kids! 

Jodi&Joe

Sounds like you have an undersized unit.  Did they correct that by installing a larger unit?  Adding zones? 

mamarazzi

Jodi&Joe:

Sounds like you have an undersized unit.  Did they correct that by installing a larger unit?  Adding zones? 

Supposedly it wasn't the size of the unit that was the problem.  They're all a bit at a loss since there are literally probably a hundred of this same floorplan in our city and none of them are having this issue.  Bigger models have the same unit we do and aren't having the issue.  I think it was something to do with the size of the main duct coming off the unit not being big enough and they replaced that last year.

No joke, I'm asking the builder to buy it back.  Then they can fix it on their time and sell it when it's all resolved.

Jodi&Joe

That would be a great resolution - if they would do that.

It does sound like you need an additional zone/bigger unit.  It shouldn't be sweating that much in order to operate - which means it's working too hard.  I would inquire and see what their reaction is to replacing the unit.  And if they won't do a larger one, at least switch out the unit for a new one -- it could be a defective unit.  Period.  I'll check in with Joe and see what his thoughts are (he has his heating/air licenses - his past career!  LOL!) 

ridesbuttons

I don't know if I would start with an attorney.  If you go that route, the contractor/HVAC people/company will have no choice but to provide their own attorney and once that happens, nothing will likely be addressed at your home until the attorneys agree to a course of action and/or settlement.

Start with the last person/company to work on the problem.  Take pictures of the current problem.  State what you want, and like Jodi said, state clear time expectations.

If this doesn't resolve your issue, then move on to a legal route.

SuperCuteBenz

mamarazzi:

Jodi&Joe:

Sounds like you have an undersized unit.  Did they correct that by installing a larger unit?  Adding zones? 

Supposedly it wasn't the size of the unit that was the problem.  They're all a bit at a loss since there are literally probably a hundred of this same floorplan in our city and none of them are having this issue.  Bigger models have the same unit we do and aren't having the issue.  I think it was something to do with the size of the main duct coming off the unit not being big enough and they replaced that last year.

No joke, I'm asking the builder to buy it back.  Then they can fix it on their time and sell it when it's all resolved.

We actually know of a couple that have been trying to get Hearthstone to buy back their house. They have been battling with them over a water issue for about 3 years now.

mamarazzi

SuperCuteBenz:

mamarazzi:

Jodi&Joe:

Sounds like you have an undersized unit.  Did they correct that by installing a larger unit?  Adding zones? 

Supposedly it wasn't the size of the unit that was the problem.  They're all a bit at a loss since there are literally probably a hundred of this same floorplan in our city and none of them are having this issue.  Bigger models have the same unit we do and aren't having the issue.  I think it was something to do with the size of the main duct coming off the unit not being big enough and they replaced that last year.

No joke, I'm asking the builder to buy it back.  Then they can fix it on their time and sell it when it's all resolved.

We actually know of a couple that have been trying to get Hearthstone to buy back their house. They have been battling with them over a water issue for about 3 years now.

Yeah, I doubt they'll do it.  They're total asshats about everything.  The "settlement" they gave us for our troubles after going round and round last year was laughable.

I'm absolutely sick about this.  I've heard people have a hard time finding legal representation that will take them on, too.

I just got off the phone with the corporate person and they're coming to look at it today.  I told her it MUST be resolved in a timely matter or we'll be getting legal representation. 

SuperCuteBenz

Yeah, I am not surprised.

I want to say that they tried to contact the news too, and they wouldn't do a story against Hearthstone. I can't remember if it was because they advertised with them or something along those lines. 

I hope they get it resolved for you and quickly!