There are plenty of handyman outfits and general construction folks that truly believe that they can repair or change out and/or add heating and cooling equipment to a home or business.  Although they may be great in their own right in their professions, heating and cooling is a specialty.

As a customer you may or may not realize that this work can be dangerous, even life threatening and that mistakes on this equipment can be very expensive.  These contractors need to be licensed for heating and air conditioning, there are permits involved where there is a requirement for heating and AC contractor to be credentialed more importantly, the contractor (with or without a permit) must … MUST… have workers compensation (in the unlikely event a licensed contractor gets hurt on your property), automobile insurance and liability insurance (in the unlikely event that a licensed qualified contractor damages your or others’ property.

Although the furnace is less technical than the cooling, a mistake here can mean big problems from burning down your building to carbon monoxide poisoning and even death.  The cooling aspect is a lot more technical, it involves electrical, mechanical, refrigerant and pressures.   Let’s face it; if installing and servicing heating and air conditioning was easy, everyone would be doing it and there would be no need for specialized professionals.

It is imperative that contractors working on your home’s heating or AC are highly qualified.  It can take a good 6 years of schooling and hands on experience to get up to speed and 10+ to be an HVAC champ.  If your contractor doesn’t have a track record of full-time experience in heating and cooling, consider a company that is experienced.

The result of picking the wrong or cheap contractor can be a threat to your home or your health and safety.  The pictures in this post are actual customers asking for our assistance after an unqualified professional attempted to complete the work.

So how do you spot these inexperienced contractors?

Sometimes it is easy and sometimes it takes a little investigating.  Installers driving unmarked cars are unusual, sales people yes, they often get reimbursed for mileage, however installers and service technicians not displaying signage on their vehicles is a warning sign.

You should wonder why are these vehicles unmarked? There are a variety of answers perhaps the contractor is a jack of all trades but master of none, or they don’t have the money for detailing (makes you wonder how long they will be in business to honor that warranty).  Heating and ventilation is not the area where you want people cutting their teeth in your home.  These employees typically do not have a uniform or identification either. To start with you should definitely be suspicious of any bid that is considerably below all the others. Ask the contractor how long it will take to complete the installation or project. If you get conflicting costs and time lines it is time to find out why.

There may be a good reason for it.  Perhaps they are after the quick money and the company with the higher bid completed a thorough inspection and found that your ductwork has rodents living in it and it needs to be replaced. Removing and replacing ductwork is hard work (and it is less desirable when rodents are involved.  The ductwork change out costs more and takes more time. Take a look at the damaged ductwork below that needs replacement.

A written warranty is important.  The work should be covered for a specific period of time, however I say this with a caveat – we are receiving calls from other contractor’s customers where the customer purchased because of the warranty but the contractor went out of business (these are 10 year warranties).  Often times the longer warranty period is a warning sign of desperation.

It isn’t easy to find a good contractor. Referrals from friends and neighbors are good, but a referral from a person in another trade is probably better.  If you can try to see pictures of the work they completed or see it in person.

Contractor photos however, sometimes don’t give an accurate representation of the contractor.  Check out the contractor thoroughly.  Get quotes from about 3  contractors, it has been our experience that more than 3 confuses the customer and it is harder to keep track of what the differences are.  Narrow your search to three before scheduling the appointments.

A good contractor may take a small deposit for the work before the start, but paying all of the money up front takes all of your power away.  Don’t trust any contractor that demands or even suggests this.

Prices can vary a lot from one contractor to another sometimes for a reason. Also, it is important that the contractor has:

• Contractor’s license (this allows protection to the consumer)
• Insured for Workers Compensation (protect yourself if someone gets hurt while at your home)
• Insured by Liability Insurance (protects you from damage to your home)
• Vehicle Insurance (in the event a vehicle related issue occurs)
• Certified by a Third Party organization
  • NATE Certification (assures an educated workforce)

There is no reason to pick someone blindly or someone without experience. There are ways of reducing the chances of a problem by checking out the contractor before you hire them. When possible, ask your friends and family to see if they have any experience with a specific contractor.

If you need help with temperature, contact Cold Craft, Inc.

408.374.7292 or [email protected]

 

If you need help with temperature, contact Cold Craft, Inc.

408.374.7292 or [email protected]