A poorly installed HVAC system can drain a homeowner’s wallet for years. One recent customer spent more than $3,000 replacing a failed compressor, added leak-stop products that didn’t solve the refrigerant loss, and was then quoted another $3,000 in repairs on a nine-year-old system. In the end, the system had to be replaced entirely —

Introduction A recent service call revealed a story that’s becoming all too common in the HVAC industry: a homeowner forced to replace a nine-year-old heat pump—not because the equipment was bad, but because it was installed improperly. The installer had placed it directly on concrete at ground level. In a snowy climate like Utah, that’s