February 7, 2013 From a Troublesome Econar Heat Pump to Quiet Efficiency with a Bosch Heat Pump

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Troublesome Econar Heat Pump

TJ’s has a customer in Dartmouth, MA who has had ongoing problems with their Econar heat pump, since it’s installation three years ago.

The customer has experienced exceptionally noisy operation, and manufacturing defects; and, TJ’s has experienced a lack of customer service from Econar in solving the problems.

Here is a summary of what we have experienced with the Troublesome Econar:

Approximately 12 months after purchase we installed the heat pump and noticed that it was very noisy on startup
We checked the charges and flow rates and determined that the unit was undercharged from the factory
Additionally, we also found oil on bottom of cabinet
While looking for the source of the oil, we found a shrader valve that was loose.  It also had oil around it and below it on the bottom of the cabinet.
We sealed the cap, thinking that was the source of the small refrigeration leak that caused the unit to be undercharged from the factory
After sealing the cap and cleaning the oil from the cabinet, we recharged system
Although the system quieted down a little, it was still very noisy
We tried to insulate the compressor; but, it didn’t help the noise to our customer’s satisfaction
Approximately 6 months later, we retested the heat pump again,  as we were entering the cooling season
We again found the unit low in refrigeration, which indicated that there was still a leak somewhere
We found no visible signs of leaks
Most recently, we were notified that the house was not heating
While troubleshooting, we found oil all over base of heat pump again and the second compressor was locking out on low pressure
We evacuated the system and put on a pressure test
We found that the equalizer bulb from TX valve was rubbing against the high pressure line and it slowly wore a hole through it
When it was moved away, it released the bulb charge
The TX valve now had to be replaced

Although we could have replaced the TX valve and tried again to get the heat pump operating properly, we decided that it was in the best interest of our customer to just replace the unit with a quality product from Bosch.  Having installed Bosch heat pumps before, we knew that the noise our customer was experiencing was not the norm.  And, there are only so many manufacturing defects that can be tolerated.

TJ’s Stands By All of Our Installations

Since the Econar problems have been ongoing for the last three years, the only solution was to replace the troublesome Econar heat pump with a new TW122 heat pump from Bosch.  We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the satisfaction of our customers.

Bosch Heat Pumps = Quality Manufacturing

The new Bosch unit is a perfect example of quality manufacturing and high efficiency.  TJ’s never cuts corners and neither does Bosch.  Below is a video showing the inside of the Bosch heat pump.

End Result – Customer Satisfaction

Thanks to the new Bosch heat pump, our customer is finally experiencing the quiet operation and efficiency that they should have experienced since day one.

At the end of the day, the thing that matters most is the ultimate satisfaction of our customers.  TJ’s is thankful for the close working relationships we have with our trusted suppliers and manufacturers so we can ensure that ultimate satisfaction is the end result of every project we work on.

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