Three weeks after moving into their forever home, an Orange Park couple was forced to leave their home. Here’s what happened

ORANGE PARK, Fla – A routine air duct cleaning forced an Orange Park couple out of their home.

It’s been 10 months since Tyler Collins and his girlfriend have been able to live in their home. They say the company they hired did not properly clean their fiberglass air ducts and left their home and belongings dirty.

The damage amounts to almost $70,000. As a last resort, the homeowner turned to the News4JAX I-TEAM for help.

“Ultimately, I want to be able to live in the house we bought,” Collins said.

Collins had only moved into the house three weeks before the service. As a first-time home buyer, he wanted to refresh the space, which was built in the 1980s. He began installing new carpet, purchasing new furniture and considering replacing the air ducts, which were lined with fiberglass duct panels.

Instead of completely replacing the air ducts, the company he hired, Charlie’s Tropic Heating & Air, assured him that they could safely clean them.

“The technician came out and he looked at everything and said, ‘Oh, I mean, don’t worry about spending so much money right now, we can clean it for sure, it would cost $600, clean for example the channels. We will not use any rotor brushes or anything similar. “We just use vacuum and air pressure and get the setup ready,” Collins said.

The invoice states that the company would clean the entire duct system “using negative air vacuum.” But when a technician came to perform the service, what Collins says didn’t happen.

“Unfortunately the day they sent the technician out. He couldn’t speak English at all. “Couldn’t communicate with him, so he just started doing his thing,” Collins said. “About halfway through I went to check on him and see what was going on. I noticed he was using a rotor brush, just like they said they wouldn’t.”

After contacting a manager to raise concerns, Collins said he was promised there would be no problems.

“I guess around midnight or so the air must have gotten harder while we were sleeping, because I woke up at about two in the morning with just my lungs burning. Couldn’t breathe at all,” Collins said.

Collins and his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room the next morning. He later consulted a pulmonologist who told him that his lungs were only operating at 50% capacity due to the poor air quality in his home.

“It just infected most of the house. Like our pillows. If we use these, they would make us itch even after washing,” Collins said. “Clothes that were in the house, no matter how many times we washed them, we just couldn’t bear to wear them on our couch and they covered them.”

Demand letters from Collins’ lawyers went unanswered. Between his medical bills, air quality tests and estimates for repairs to his home, the damage totals nearly $70,000.

The company only refunded Collins the $600 he paid for the cleaning.

State records show Charlie’s Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. is no longer in business. Because of this, Collins and his lawyers have reached an impasse. He will probably have to cover the repair costs himself, which he cannot afford immediately.

“I just hope they do the right thing at some point,” Collins said.

The I-TEAM reached out to the company that purchased the company and asked us to release this statement in full:

“Weather Engineers, Inc. purchased the assets of Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. DBA Charlie’s Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning in February 2024. The issues that arose with Mr. Collins predated our purchase of Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. and were handled by Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. and its insurance company. We regret the issue Mr. Collins had with Charlie’s Tropic Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. and look forward to helping you in the future if you choose Weather Engineers, Inc. We have been in business since 1963. We are proud of the training our employees receive at Weather Engineers, Inc. and the work our company has accomplished.”