HVAC contractors are the equivalent of surgeons for your house, and just like in looking for a surgeon, it is a must to filter out the good ones from the bad ones. You will need a contractor you can trust. However, with the hundreds and thousands of contractors out there who run their ads and put their company details online, how will you go about identifying the best one for your needs? Below are some of the red flags you have to watch out for when hiring a contractor for your HVAC requirements.
Know about furnace repair requirements
While it sounds convenient to get estimates over the phone, there is a high chance that these will be inaccurate. Your house has likely gone through some weatherization improvements since your last unit was installed, and possibly has some other unique features which cannot be easily understood or explained over the phone. The physical space which will be holding the new unit should be evaluated. The ductwork could have degraded or suffered some other issues. Accurate sizing calculations must be performed. The only way that a contractor can give a proper estimate is through personally visiting your house.
Low-ball prices might seem like good deals, but these are usually misleading. The professional technicians don’t just earn their hourly wage as companies should also figure in the price of gas for their service vehicles, the administrative office’s overhead expenses, and other similar expenses like ongoing training for technicians. Compare the disbelievingly low price against these expenses of the company, and decide if you will really get the kind of service they advertise.
Contact furnace repair technicians
While rules of thumb are great for estimation, these might not be good for final decisions on the specific equipment your house needs. When a contractor tries selling you a furnace replacement Tysons Corner VA job according to the rule of 400 square feet per ton or based on your previous unit’s size, this should instantly send up a red flag. A truly reliable contractor will insist first on doing a load calculation with the use of the standard protocol in the industry to identify the right size of the system you will need. Such calculations are important for energy savings and proper sizing purposes. Not all the time do you need to stick with rules as different factors and variables can affect the final decision.
