It’s that time again! Time to get your HVAC system checked up on and have a professional make any fixes needed. As a homeowner, the health and safety of your HVAC system is a top priority, and you have been doing your best to protect it. However, you can only do so much and you will need an experienced technician to handle it from here. There are a couple things to consider before hiring someone for the job.
Prior to coming to a conclusion, ensure that you consult a few different contractors. Doing this will allow you to choose the technician that is best suited for the job. Here are some things to ask them before hiring:
HVAC technicians are required to be licensed by law in almost every state. Hiring an uninsured technician is certainly not recommended. Before agreeing to assign the project to a contractor, ask them if they are insured, and have them provide their license number. Once they have provided this number, you can consult your state contractor licensing board and look it up. This is done to ensure the license is valid and still active.
Another reason hiring someone who is insured is recommended is to protect yourself in case something happens while the contractor is working on your home. To be prepared for the worst, find out if the technician’s employer covers both liability insurance and worker’s compensation.
Like with most types of contractors, knowing how long an HVAC technician has been working in the industry will help you make the best hiring decision. Understandably, a technician with more years of experience is likely to be more trustworthy than a newbie.
Another good question to ask is how they learned their technician skills. Should you be working with a specific system brand or type, find out if they have experience with it.
Besides the usual estimate that a technician will provide, you will want to ensure that they can also list you a handful of references from previous jobs they have completed.
By hearing the experience of previous clients, you can better understand what to expect from said contractor in terms of delivery time and quality. In case a technician is not able to or simply refuses to provide references, you should immediately stop considering hiring them.
Depending on your system, it may be covered by a warranty. A proper HVAC technician will ensure that they follow the terms of your system’s warranty. If your system is no longer under warranty, have the contractor provide a new written guarantee.
A company that fully discloses their refund policies before beginning work is one that is likely to be reputable. Learning how the company handles refunds is vital. Usually, buyers are unable to get a full refund if a contractor does not properly repair your system, but any trusted company should be more than lenient when it comes to working with you to find a solution.
Many homeowners value saving energy and reducing cost, thus, if these things are important to you, it would be worth asking the technician for their recommendations. An experienced technician should be able to propose a solution to your problem.
While finding an expert HVAC system technician is important, it does not take an expert to find one. Using the tips we provided, finding the most qualified contractor for the job should not be difficult. By finding the best technician for the job, you can ensure that your home remains comfortable, while your system runs both smoothly and efficiently, without overpaying.
As mentioned previously, your HVAC system is important to you as a homeowner, and you try your hardest to ensure it continues operating at its full potential. In order for your system to stay healthy, it will require regular maintenance. That being said, it is important to understand what maintenance consists of.
Have you scheduled an HVAC technician checkup and maintenance visit? Let’s find out what you should expect.
Full System Checkup - The technician should check a number of parts of your HVAC system. This includes but is not limited to the heat pump, furnace and air conditioner. While they are performing their checkup, the HVAC technician should ensure that no repairs or replacements are needed for your system to continue running efficiently. In case a certain part of the system requires repairs, such as the air filter or water panel, the technician should arrange those replacements.
Regular Safety Inspection - Ensuring your home and family are safe is important. Thus, the HVAC technician should perform a safety inspection on all the parts of your system to ensure no danger is present. Specifically, while reviewing your heat exchanger, technicians should be looking closely for rust, pits and cracks. This is done to ensure carbon monoxide is not being leaked from your system. Carbon monoxide can pose a serious threat (even fatal) to you and your family and must be avoided at all costs. If your home is equipped with a carbon monoxide detector, it is to be expected that the hired technician will inspect it to ensure it is still functional and able to detect dangerous gases around you and in your home.
Cleaning - Yep! The technician is not only there to inspect your system, but also clean it. This only applies to parts of the system that you, the homeowner, are unable to clean yourself, however.
Required Repairs - Should your system be damaged and require repairs, the technician should handle these while they are at your house. In most cases, repairs made during checkup visits will be rather minor, as larger repairs will often have a scheduled maintenance appointment. Small problems that are usually resolved during a technician visit include replacing worn out parts and aligning, as well as tightening belts.
Answer Your Questions - In case you have any questions regarding your HVAC system to ask the technician once they are done all their work, they should be more than willing to answer them. Answering questions of homeowners is part of their job, after all. As an expert, they should be able to clearly answer all of your HVAC system questions.
The best technicians will also take their time to provide helpful tips and guidance on things you can do during maintenance visits to help protect your HVAC system. Though this is not always the case, a technician that is honest enough to provide such insight is certainly a reputable one.
Written Report - Once the technician has finalized their inspection and completed any required repairs, they should provide a written report that will clearly cover all the work they completed during their visit. From repairs to inspections, these should all be listed on the report. This report will help you look back to find out when your system was last inspected, and which parts were replaced, as well as ask any questions you may have in the future.
Regardless of how long you have been a homeowner with an HVAC system, it is great to know what to expect when a technician visits your home for an inspection.