Why Should I Hire A Qualified Technician
Why Should I Hire a Qualified Technician?
Let’s face it. Nobody likes to fork out money when they don’t have to. And when it comes to hiring someone to fix a problem in our home we don’t want to be taken advantage of. We all agree on that. However, there is a temptation to get things fixed for the absolute cheapest price possible, even if it means hiring someone with no license or questionable experience and references. In the interest of protecting the investment you have in your home, we here at Kelly’s Heating & Air want you to consider why you should hire a qualified technician.
A leak from a condensate pipe or fitting that you can buy for less than a dollar can easily result in water damage that will cost thousands of dollars, not to mention disruption to your family’s activity for a week or more.
Hiring a licensed, insured, master technician, or their well-trained apprentice, is a no-brainer and can mitigate such disasters. But the field of residential heating and air contractors is extensive so not all companies can even handle all types of work. A simple way to break down their activities is to put them into two categories: There are technicians who do not use manufacturers start-up and safety test procedures resulting in 50% or more energy waste and way too often unnecessary catastrophic repair expenses.
Having a ‘qualified technician’ in your list of contacts is a good idea. Emergencies will happen, it is inevitable. National, state, and local code requirements are just a small part of what a technician even needs to know. They also need to know proper work procedures, parts, tools and have the experience to get the job done.
But prepare yourself for these emergency situations by establishing a relationship with a qualified technician before an emergency arises. If possible, consider hiring Kelly’s Heating & Air with our good references to do emergency and nonemergency repairs, and or system replacements and or enhancements during, 24/7 365-days a year, Monday thru Sunday.
Have a question that just can’t wait? Click here: “Call Us Now”, submit your request and we will get back to you on the double!
Is a Refrigerant Leak that much of a problem?
Summer is over, so you’re thinking, “Ahhh, that refrigerant leak I had can wait until summer to fix.” Is that right? Is it really that much of a problem? Yes it is, so we here at Kelly’s are going to provide some important reasons why you should address that problem sooner rather than later.
Refrigerant, which some people still call “Freon”, is used to transfer heat out of or into your home, depending on the season. When refrigerant levels are anything less than perfect, the efficiency of the system begins to go down. If your unit is over-charged or under-charged with Freon, it will not cool your home effectively or efficiently.
The real problem is that many homeowners may have a leak right now and not even know it. Perhaps during the summer it seemed your central cooling system was just barely keeping up with the demand for cooling in your home. It may have made it through to the end of the season, but, Did you notice an increase on your utility bills? Here are the most common symptoms of a low Freon charge:
Barely cool air or not cold at all: The air coming out of the vents in your home in the summer time should feel very cold. If the air feels cool, but not cold, the Freon levels in your air conditioner may be off.
High energy bills: Ever increasing energy bills is another sign of refrigerant issues. When Freon levels are low, the unit must work much harder to transfer heat. Energy usage goes up trying to maintain the same comfort level and consequently your energy bills go up as well.
A/C running constantly: Does your air conditioner kick off every hour or so, or does it run all the time? 24-hour operation is not normal and could indicate a low Freon charge in the system.
What about in the winter? Can you just ignore the situation until the weather heats back up again? No. Here’s why:
Do you have a Heat Pump central heating system? If so, then your system uses refrigerant both to heat and to cool your house. That means it is vital you get the leak fixed. Most Heat Pump systems have back up electric strip heaters that are not energy efficient no matter how you look at it. You don’t want those operating unless absolutely essential.
But even if you don’t have a Heat Pump, ignoring a refrigerant leak is not wise. In a standard air conditioning unit, which is only operating in the spring, summer, and fall seasons, a refrigerant leak won’t increase your utility bills during the winter since it won’t be running. However, if the leak continues, and all the refrigerant leaks out, you are risking serious damage to your central air conditioning system. Why?
The inner workings of an air conditioning system require that it remain free of contaminants and moisture that are in the air. A system that is in good condition is sealed from this contamination. But if there is a leak, and all the refrigerant leaks out, then the seal is broken and moisture and dirt can enter the system causing damage. In the end, the compressor will be compromised and can fail much quicker than it is designed for.
Don’t let sweep the problem under the rug. Call a professional and trusted heating and air service company. If you’re in Lewisville or the nearby area, give us a call now, or use our online form to request a service call. We guarantee your satisfaction 100%!
Do you have other questions about your furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner? Visit our “Ask an Expert” page, fill out the form, and our resident expert will get back to you quickly.
20 Questions to Ask Your Heating & AC Service Contractor
We have been discussing 20 important questions to ask any contractor that you are seriously considering hiring to perform work installing or replacing the heating and air conditioning system in your home. The first part in this series examined why it is important to carefully choose a contractor, and explained the first 4 questions. The second part explained questions 5 to 12. Now we’ll wrap it up by examining questions 13 to 20.
- Do you have someone to handle potential customer care situations 24/7? It is one thing to have an answering service, but it is a very different thing to have a skilled technician on standby 24/7 to care for your needs. Even the best installations may have bugs to work out. What if the problem shows up a few days later on the weekend or a holiday? You want to be sure your contractor has the resources to attend to your problem when it matters to you, not just when it is convenient for them.
- Will you guarantee that the price quoted will be the final price, even if you overlooked something? Does this seem like a silly question? Don’t fool yourself. Without getting a guarantee like this in writing, it leaves your agreement open to the possibility of your contractor coming up with a reason to charge you more. No matter how legitimate their reason may sound, the truth is a professional contractor will have already examined the situation specific to your home, AND have the experience to anticipate problems. There is no reason the price should ever be raised after you sign the dotted line.
- Will all work meet or exceed existing codes and will you be pulling a permit? Building codes vary from region to region. A professional contractor will not overlook legal fees or permits to do the work. Why is this important? If there is a fire in your home later that can be traced back to a violation in established codes, your homeowner’s insurance likely will not cover the damage. They are sticklers for legal things, and you should be too.
- Do you use DOE endorsed written installation, start-up, and warranty management procedures? A central heating and air system is not a plug-n-play system like a modern entertainment center. They have to be installed correctly, AND started up correctly, according to manufacturer’s guidelines. If you ask to see your contractors written startup procedures and they start to spin a yarn, beware!
- Will you do a whole-house “Manual J” load calculation and duct distribution analysis? We discussed the importance of a “Manual J” load calculation in an earlier blog post. {/blog/?postid=182} But to sum it up, a contractor that does a “Manual J” will be more careful to install a system that is truly sized correctly for your home. An oversized system, or a ductwork distribution that is inadequate wastes money and energy. Avoid this, and the resulting long-term dissatisfaction by requiring your potential contractor to do “Manual J” and duct sizing calculation.
- Is any maintenance included? A brand-spankin’ new system cannot be ignored with the passing of time. Maintenance is essential to keep it working as it should. So find out what your contractor offers. Of course getting some maintenance visits built into your price of installation is a nice perk, but the key is whether they perform maintenance. Avoid the contractor that will take a hands-off approach after they walk away from the completed job.
- Will you use a “sound dampening system?” Most modern units include features that help to reduce the noise you hear in your home while your central heating and cooling system is on. But the key word is “MOST” units. There are some low-end very inexpensive units that don’t have such features. And there are methods of installation that if ignored or done incorrectly will result in years of you thinking “if only…”.
- Are you authorized to provide the equipment manufacturer’s recommended repairs? There will come a time when your new heating and AC system will need a repair. When that time comes, you want someone who knows how to work on your brand of heating and cooling system, and is authorized to provide whatever warranty service work comes with your equipment. To ensure your equipment is back up and running quickly, get proof of being an authorized dealer in writing!
We hope this has helped. If you are in the process of searching for a reliable and professional heating and air contractor these questions will give you more confidence to pick someone trustworthy.
Don’t forget to give the knowledgeable staff at Kelly’s a try. We offer free estimates on central heating and cooling system installations or change-outs. Give us a call or use our online form to schedule a free visit that is convenient to you. We 100% guarantee your satisfaction.
But our helpfulness doesn’t stop there. Is there something else on your mind? Visit our “Ask an Expert” page, fill out the form, and our resident expert will get back to you on the double.