I really have some mixed feelings about my experience with A/C Mechanical, which is why I gave 3 stars. You may think my experience was a 1 start or a 5 star depending on what you deem important, so I'll provide some details. First, the positives. This is a one-man shop, and Mel was very responsive returning my calls. He was pleasant to talk to, and he said he might be able to come buy on Sunday morning for no additional cost to recharge my AC system. Since the cost of the charge depended on the amount of R-22 the system needed it was impossible to provide a "quote", but based on my system size (4 ton) and age he gave me a rough estimate. He actually came in at the $150 estimated amount, which was good. In addition, Once Mel was at my house he seemed very knowledgeable about the systems and was very personable. We chatted about the benefits and downside of upgrading a 25 year old system, and he was very pragmatic in his approach (might not be worth the $3k cost of replacement to save $50 per month in electricity, etc.). Finally, the work was done quickly and the results were good. My AC is noticeably cooler than before, which is what I was looking for.

The issues that I had are related to timeliness and what I'll call "precision" for lack of a better term. I'll explain .

First off, Mel originally told me that he might be able to come by Sunday morning. By 9am Sunday I hadn't heard anything, so I called and left a message. He called back at 10 saying that he was just leaving his earlier job and was on the way to my house...ETA 10:30. This was the first confirmation I got that he was, in fact, planning on coming to my house. No big deal. Around 11 I wondered what was up, since it was a 20 minute drive and an hour later. He called a few minutes later and said he had to "make a quick stop", but was on his way over now. Again, more time passed until he showed up around 45 minutes later. This might be good compared to cable companies and appliance delivery guys, but if I'm sitting in my house on a Sunday morning unable to go do anything because I'm waiting for an AC guy, it wasting my time and worth taking off a star.

Now for the "precision" part.

I assumed the cost of this work would be based on labor plus the amount of R-22 put in my system. After all, that's why Mel said he could not provide a quote (which I totally get). However, when I saw that he just had his freon bottle hooked up to my unit with some pressure gauges, I asked him how he would know how much freon he put in the system (and therefore) how much to charge. He basically said he would "estimate" it based on pressure and where the condensation line was on the bottle. huh? Last time I had this done the tech put the bottle on a scale and MEASURED the weight of the refrigerant he put in the system. Let's step back a bit too. I know that AC efficiency is measured by the difference between the ambient temperature and what's coming out of the vents. I assumed he would measure this. When I mentioned it, he just held his hand up to the vent and said "yeah, I think that's around a -14 and not -20 like you want. Again, What kind of measurement is that? Finally, when he presented the bill for $150, which was in line with his estimate, I asked how much was freon (how much did it take), and how much labor. He was unable, or unwilling, to itemize this. I paid the bill because 1) the AC is working much better, and 2) he hit the original estimate. However, it bugs me that I have no idea how low the system was, how much freon he put in it, and what the cost of the materials were.

So, that's why the 3 stars. I'm very happy with the results, and that Mel solved my problem just a couple of days after I called. However, the issues with me waiting around, and being less than scientific about the work, makes me tone it down to an "ok" rating, not an "awesome" one.

I have no problem recommending Mel. He is knowledgeable and personable. Just be aware that he tends to estimate things instead of measure them (the exception is the system pressure). If that doesn't bother you, Mel's your guy!

I wanted to take a moment to write up a quick review for a licensed HVAC company called A/C Mechanical, owned by Mel. This company is Licensed, bonded and a member of the BBB- which I confirmed.

Anyhow, I own a condo that uses a water cooled heat pump system for both the heating and cooling, so basically a blower brings in either the heat or the A/C, via a heat pump. There are only two companies in this area that work on these types of systems (La mesa) per the property management company.

I had a problem with my unit, where the circuit board and two other components went out. it took three visits before the techs were able to get the system running again. The check the A/C and the heat and everything seemed fine. What they did not do is adjust the heat. So when the temperatures dropped the heat could be turned on, but it had to manually be shut off, regardless of where you slide the temperature gage. I called them back and they said it was a thermostat, and they would replace it for $250- which I turned down.

Since I am all thumbs, I called a few HVAC guys from Craigslist. I was made aware that i needed a two-stage thermostat, and most of them did not know what that exactly meant. One even thought it meant one stage is for the A/C and the other was for the heat.

During my Craigslist search, I found Mel, the owner of AC mechanical, who sounded familiar with what I was talking about. He quoted me a price (which was substantially less than the $250, and even offered to get the part.) Mel even offered to walk me through it, via the phone should i try it myself.

I'll cut to the chase; It took two trips to Home depot and just over three hours because the main company had wired a something wrong. When I asked him the damage, he held true to his price.

A/C mechanical is now on my list of home needs and I highly recommend him.

After calling the highly advertized companies, I don't want to mention their names. I got prices for installing a new furnace which seemed to be unbelievable. I found A/C Mechanical on Craigslist. They installed a new furnace for only $950 with everything included in the price. Unbelievable!!!! They were very professional and did the work in a timely manner. I would recommend them to anyone.