Mandarin Heating & Cooling Inc.

I had my old furnace replaced by Mandarin Heating and Cooling in Fall 2016. I got four quotes with comparable prices, and finally chose this company based on a recommendation of a colleague and the reviews on Homestars. Regretfully, I am very disappointed with their performance because of the followings:

Problems in vent termination.
After the work was completed, I checked the finished work against the installation instruction and found 3 major problems in the vent termination: (1) The air inlet and exhaust outlet terminals was too close (5.5 in), which was much less than the minimum allowed distance (12 in, in accordance to CSA International B149 installation codes). This problem may result in recirculation of the exhaust back into intake pipe, causing the furnace operates inefficiently and unsafely. (2) The heights of both terminals above the ground (16.5in) were lower than that of the required (20in, described below), and this may result in block of the terminations by snow accumulation. The installation instruction clearly states that 12in minimum clearance of termination above average snow accumulation is required; according to Environmental Canada, GTA yearly has 5.2 days with average snow accumulation ≥7.9 in”; therefore, the minimum height of the termination should be about 20in (7.9in + 12in). (3) The outlet vent was covered with a PVC screen while the installation instruction uses an “IMPORTANT” sign warns that: “Do not use screens in exhaust terminations. Doing so will cause freeze-ups and may block the termination.” Brian said the termination was fine, however, since I insisted corrections, Brian later sent other technicians and fixed these problems.

Eight unnecessary joints in a 6-feet gas pipeline.
Shut-off valve, elbow and drip leg are necessary, and the resulting joints are inevitable. However, in the finished 6-feet gas piping there are 8 more unnecessary joints. This is because short, mainly 6in, black pipes were coupled to replace long ones. There are 4 such extra couplings, resulting in 8 unnecessary joints (each coupling has 2 joints). For example, a 1-foot straight gas pipe inside the furnace was installed by coupling two 6in pipes. This "putting-remnant-together" kind piping is not only ugly-looking, but is also a safety concern. Brain explained that “using the coupling inside the furnace is a standard practice, it's 100% safe after leak testing”. However, it is a common sense: the more joints, the higher the gas leaking possibility.

Rough operation.
The workmanship of Mandarin Heating and Cooling was poor. The operation was rough. For example, the furnace was pushed and dragged into the furnace room in a rude way regardless of the nearby water heater; the rug they used was pretty dirty and not long enough to cover the path; some mess was left in the furnace room, including a cigarette butt (brought in by shoes?).

In my opinion, the installation was unprofessional and the workmanship was bad, I don’t recommend this company!

After doing a lot of research and searching for companies I was able to find Mandarin Heating & Cooling on Kijiji. The price quoted in the advertising were too low to be true when compared with the competition. However, when I called Brain and spoke to him immediately he made me feel comfortable of the price and product being offered by him. Brian quoted me prices for Goodman/Keep rite & Lennox and all the prices he quoted were way cheaper than any quote I had received. During the phone conversation he asked the right questions and he understood my needs and guided me to the product which fit best for me. I opted for the Goodman brand after doing a lot of research on their product/service & warranty (one of the highest in industry). I called Brian again not before I did a lot of research on his company and reading every single review he had and then I set an appointment with him to visit my place and go through everything, he came over the same evening and checked everything at my place and walked me through the whole process and what his team can and cannot do. He even offered me a free humidifier service & filter which his team made sure worked after the install.

His team came the same weekend on time and started there work, they made sure my floors were covered and once the old furnace was out they cleaned the whole area before installing the new. My basement is finished and I wanted them to run new copper pipes (as I live in 20+year old house) to the AC which was not an easy task. They spent extra time to make sure the new pipes were installed and the old ones disconnected and caulking was done to cover all the holes (They even did that to some other pipes in the exterior of my house). They did a very neat job and made sure everything was up to code and high standard (they made sure the job site was cleaner when they left better than when they started). He had promised govt rebates of $2100 and made sure all the necessary inspections from the auditors are done and took care of everything. Brian even made sure the products were registered with Goodman for all the extra warranty you receive when register.

I waited till date to write this review as was waiting for my rebates which I received last week way before the time I was promised by both Brian and the Auditor.

Lastly the price which after rebate was $1500 cheaper than the cheapest quote I had received for the same product Goodman 96% High Efficiency Two Stage ECM Motor furnace & 16 SEER Air Conditioner.

I would recommend Brian to anyone who is looking for quality product and service.

We were looking to replace our 18yr old air conditioner and furnace and were shopping around for a price that would fit our budget. Brian was referred to us by a friend. Brian Zhong visited our home gave us a great price and took time to explain everything to us in detail and was not pushy like others who had come by. Brian is very professional and responsible and trustworthy. We consulted him several times before the install and after, he was always very prompt in his response. To make sure he could solve any problems we might have had he came to our home after the install and checked the entire work. He has a great and experienced team. On the day of the install, his team arrived on time and completed the work in a timely and professional manner and left the place absolutely clean! We were thrilled to see the great quality of service. I don't think anybody can do better than them. I will hire them again when we plan to get an ERV system. Thank you Brian and to your team!

Brian's was finished before I knew it. They were amazingly efficient and polite, and the price was excellent. I always recommend them to my friends.

Mandarin Heating and Cooling removed the old ductwork that ran down the middle of my basement, and installed new ductwork along an exterior wall where it is now unobtrusive.

The work was actually quite complex, requiring a lot of custom ductwork. Brian visited my basement while it was being demolished and went out of his was to ensure my goal of removing head obstructions from the main sightlines in the basement was achieved.

He and his crew arrived promptly, worked diligently in an extremely dirty environment and had the work completed in about nine hours. The end result far exceeded my expectations.

I had my oil burner replaced with new high efficiency gas burner. The technician came and complete the job quickly. It met my expectations overall.

Brian Zhong is very professional and responsible. I consulted him by phone several times but he kept patient. To make sure he could solve all my problems he came to my home himself when he didn't have to. He has a good and experienced team. They went to return my old water heater the 2nd time because of mistakes by the rental company, but they had no complaint. I don't think anybody can do better than them. I will hire them when my old furnace needs to be replaced.

Furnace stop working during weekend, called Brian Monday morning. By Monday evening a new unit installed for. Good price, great job, excellent skilled crew. Everything cleaned up afterwards and we are enjoying the whole experience. Thank you Brian.

We had our old furnace taken out and a new furnace put in by Mandarin Heating & Cooling one month ago. The furnace is a Goodman (model number GMEC96), 2-stage and rated for up to 96% AFUE. The new furnace runs and shuts off super quietly. Installation was done professionally and efficiently. We highly recommend Mandarin Heating & Cooling.

They arrived at 10:20 and left at 5:45. Very fast and efficient, super clean install, and very tidy on the clean up. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in replacing old heating or Ac equipment.