Palomar Mountain News

From: Chuck Black

I wanted to share a good experience I had with a contractor.   I have been trying to get a mini-split ac system at my place on Palomar for a couple of years now, but I found it hard to get contractors to come up there, and I don’t think they care to install mini-split systems much because there’s not a lot of profit margin (my guess).  These types of heat pumps are super efficient, the compressors are very quiet, and they also serve as heaters.  They need a dedicated 220 line and not too great a distance between the inside blower unit and the outside compressor.

I enjoyed ac from them in Mexico and Costa Rica, and I have had one in a rental unit in San Diego for a year, with rave reviews from the tenants. I texted Mike at Miller Mechanical (858 220-9806) and told him what I was looking for, and got a quick response with a firm quote, and availability of an appointment within a week.  Mike grew up in Julian and has a past career as a firefighter, and is very familiar with San Diego’s back country.  Mike and his crew of 2 (including his brother) showed up on time, were respectful and efficient, and had the system installed within 5 hours, as promised.

The system worked great at first, but after a couple of hours was leaking water inside.  Mike showed up first thing the next morning and found that a hose connection usually made by the factory had not been made.  He fixed the problem easily, and the system has been working great for several weeks now.  There is a 7 year warranty.  I had gotten one other quote from a contractor who came out to bid, which was more than three times the price for an inferior smaller unit.

Now I don’t fear those 100 degree days on the mountain!

Best,

Chuck