4 Tips for Choosing an HVAC Contractor

Summer without air conditioning can be downright miserable in the Fairfax area. If your air conditioner goes out and money is tight, you may be considering buying a used HVAC system to save on the cost of a new one. Today we’re going to answer some common questions about buying used HVAC equipment.

1. What Do You Know About the Equipment?

When you buy a new HVAC system, you generally focus on buying a good brand. You don’t have to worry too much about the individual unit you’re buying. Since it’s new, it’s unlikely to have developed any problems. If you find that there’s a manufacturer’s defect, that’s typically covered by warranty. You can be pretty confident you’re getting a machine that will work well for the foreseeable future.

When you buy used, you don’t have that assurance. You have to learn what you can about the equipment’s history. If you’re buying a barely used system from a reputable dealer, you may be getting a good deal. If you’re buying it from a homeowner, you need to ask yourself why he’s selling it in the first place. Does it even work? Did he maintain it? How often has it needed repairs before now? If you can’t be confident that the equipment is in as good shape as the seller says, you’re taking a huge chance by buying it.

2. Is There Any Kind of Warranty?

New equipment typically comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. The coverage of the warranty varies based on the manufacturer, but major brands typically offer a 10-year limited warranty.

While you can transfer many warranties if you sell your home, you can’t transfer them if you remove your HVAC system from the property where it was originally installed.

3. Are You Buying the Right Equipment For Your Home?

Correct air conditioner sizing is vital for good performance. When your A/C is the wrong size, you either waste energy with a system struggling to keep up, or you end up with moisture build-up from a system cycling off too frequently. If you don’t know how to calculate the correct size of the HVAC system you need, you run the risk of buying equipment that causes more problems than solves.

4. Who Will Install Your Equipment?

Professional HVAC installers are often reluctant to install any system that they can’t guarantee will work. If an installer puts in a used system and it doesn’t work, there’s no way of telling if the fault was with the equipment or the installation.

That leaves you with general contractors — or your neighbor’s cousin — who may or may not know much about air conditioner installation. Since one of the biggest causes of A/C malfunction is improper installation, you’re taking a big risk.

5. What If I Want New Equipment But I’m Not Made of Money?

There’s no doubt new HVAC equipment is a big investment. However, the benefits of having a new system with a full life ahead of it can’t be ignored. New systems tend to be more energy-efficient, so you save money on your energy bills. The security of professional installation and warranties are important factors to balance against the lower cost of used equipment.

Good ventilation may not seem all that important at first glance. When you get down to the heart and soul of it, though, the many benefits good ventilation has to offer, like the five listed below, should make it a priority in your home.

1) Improve Indoor Air Quality
The EPA suggests that indoor air quality in most homes is worse than the quality of the air outside. Unless measures are taken to improve ventilation, like installing a whole house fan, garage exhaust fan and attic fan, you may find yourself struggling with immediate health problems related to poor indoor air quality like irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness, or long-term effects that include cancer, respiratory disease, and even heart disease.

2) Reduce Moisture
Good ventilation helps to draw moist air out of your home, releasing it outside. Moisture is introduced into the air in your home whenever you prepare meals, shower, wash dishes, or do laundry. Without adequate ventilation that moisture has no escape and becomes trapped in your home to generate mold and mildew problems that compromise the structure and beauty of your home in addition to the health of your family.

3) Temperature Control
Believe it or not, ventilation, properly venting stifling air out of your home, can go a long way toward keeping your home comfortable inside when the world heats up outside. Whole house fans, such as the QuietCool QC CL-3100 Whole House Fan, and attic fans, like the QuietCool Smart Attic Gable Fan, are excellent tools to assist with this as they help to remove the hot air from your home allowing cooler air to circulate better within your home.

4) Protect Respiratory Health
Toxins, allergens, bacteria, and moisture in the air in your home can lead to a wealth of unpleasant allergy symptoms, respiratory illnesses, and even asthma attacks. Good ventilation allows these things to escape your home, clearing the air inside so your family can breathe easier.

5) Improves the Smell of Your Home
There’s nothing quite like fresh air to make a room, or a home, smell clean. Good ventilation can help to remove many of the more unpleasant odors in your home, such as mold, mildew, tobacco smoke, cooking odors, and even pet smells.

The five benefits above are a small sample of the good that adequate ventilation can provide for your home. The key for improving indoor air quality and making your home a healthier place for your family and friends is to keep adequate ventilation in your home a priority.

2016 is well underway! Whether you’ve kept up with your health, fitness and financial goals from the beginning of the year or not, make sure you take steps to care of your HVAC system! Take a look at some HVAC changes that are sure to improve the comfort and efficiency of your home!

Schedule annual maintenance.
HVAC systems require regular maintenance to improve their performance and efficiency. So remember to schedule your AC tune-up in the spring and furnace tune-up in the fall to help avoid performance problems and breakdowns over the course of the year.

Change your air filter regularly.
Regularly changing your air filter is the most important maintenance task you can perform to improve air quality, prevent breakdowns, and enhance the efficiency of your HVAC system. Remember to check and/or change your filter every month— if it looks dirty and clogged, it’s time to be replaced.

Use your programmable thermostat.
If you aren’t making the most of your programmable thermostat, then make it a priority this year. Programmable thermostats lessen the demand for heating and cooling, easing the load on your HVAC system. You can save up to 15% a year on your heating bill by turning back your programmable thermostat 10° to 15° for 8 hours a day.

Have your ductwork inspected?

Everyday living habits generate dust, dander and other air pollutants that are pulled into the HVAC system and re-circulated into our indoor air. So if you haven’t done so in the past 5 years, then schedule a professional air-duct inspection with your HVAC technician to remove the debris your vacuum cleaner hose can’t reach.

Get a home energy audit.
A home energy audit is a great way to find out how much energy you’re using as well as the efficiency of your home’s HVAC system. Your Comfort Advisor will evaluate how well your HVAC equipment heats and cools your home and recommend any changes needed in your attic insulation or ventilation.

Consider system upgrades.
Replacing your old HVAC System is a big investment, but it’s also the biggest step you can take to improve your home’s comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency. You can use this handy Energy Star checklist detailing tell-tale signs that it is time to replace your system with an Energy Star-approved system.