Oh Hail
Wind driven hail damages air conditioning and refrigeration condensing coils by denting, tearing and folding the aluminum fins. The average cost to replace a 5-ton condensing coil is about $3,500 but in many cases fin combing can repair the coil to pre-loss condition at a saving of over $3,000 per unit. And, not many commercial AC units are smaller than 5-ton although many are far larger, with far higher costs. Worse, when an AC unit is aged or in a poor state of repair technicians specify a new AC unit at a cost of about $9,000. While this may be a good business decision, the insurer only owes the typical $300-350 that it costs to comb a 5-ton coil.
Moreover, irreparable coil damage is frequently done by improper coil cleaning operations, or a failure to clean at all, and then lumped in with minor hail damage in claiming the coils must be replaced, and covered by insurance.
Fin combing is an art requiring dexterity, patience, and the desire to do it well, a combination not possessed by most air conditioning technicians. Thus, technicians frequently specify coil replacement not only because it is far more profitable but also because it is the technical work for which they were trained.
The visual appearance of a coil has little to do with whether or not it can be repaired by fin combing as shown in the photo. 
TI has mastered the art of fin combing, and with an accuracy record of over 99.9%, TI is the regional expert in accurate damage assessment of hail damage. Major contractors will competitively quote repair of our damage assessments directly to the Insured. Where ability to repair by fin combing is questionable, we actually select the worst damage on the coil face and comb it, leaving indisputable evidence that it can be done.Competitive quoting often saves 10% or more between the contractors quoting, and sometimes 50% or more when the low competitive quote is compared to the non-competitive quote from the Insured’s contractor. TI has decades of experience working with HVAC contractors and knows how to select contractors who will perform quality work on a timely basis for your insured.
It is highly cost effective to have TI assess damage to your Insured’s air conditioning and refrigeration coils. If there are more than a few units involved, we can cost-effectively go anywhere in the United States, especially considering our 50% discount for travel time. And, TI does not charge for lodging or meals while traveling or on site, or any of the other expenses commonly charged by others. We routinely handle claims with only a single unit and have handled multiple claims with hundreds of units.
Please call us to discuss your next air conditioning hail damage claim. As always, there is never a charge for discussing a claim and if we can help you resolve a claim with a phone call we will be happy to do so at no cost.
