As the weather gets colder and colder out, the importance of having a functioning HVAC unit becomes more important than ever. This autumn already seems to be reminding us of that fact – the cold has really been biting to the bone! It makes me a bit nervous for winter, I must admit.
HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Now, the latter may not seem all that pertinent for this time of year, and I certainly understand that. However, there is no denying that all three parts of the system need to be functional for the entire year. Otherwise, something could break – obviously, that would be rather catastrophic on those blustery days or the extremely hot ones.
What can we do when these systems malfunction or break, though? It is easy to panic, which may be our first instinct. After all, especially in the colder parts of the year, having no heat could get dangerous. Thankfully, though, there are professionals who are able to assist with these problems.
Often, it is finding one that is the issue. You see, there are many factors that make for a good contractor that can assist in these matters, but it can be rather difficult to sort through and discover one. If that is what you are seeking guidance for, do be sure to continue reading!
Why HVAC Matters
To start things off today, though, let us discuss why this is something you should care about in the first place. I think that the first key to that is knowing how they work! You can learn about it here, https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/hvac/how-do-hvac-systems-work/, though I will be offering some details as well of course. So, as I mentioned, the acronym stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
How does each of them function? Why does that even matter? Really, it will depend on the make and manufacturer of your specific unit. If you are uncertain about that, it may not be a bad idea to go look at the physical unit for a moment.
This can help tell you whether yours utilizes a condenser, which allows the unit to cool your home (or office space or other property, that does not necessarily matter here), or a heat pump. Either way, this information could be important information to tell the contractor about if you end up requiring repairs. The way that they work is by taking the hot air from inside the space and they put it outside instead!
Of course, the ventilation part of it will also be critical. Sometimes it is called an exchanger. Basically, it gets rid of the stale air in return for fresh air. There are other components, but it is not necessary to linger on them. Instead, let us shift our attention a bit.
The answer to why it is important is probably a bit obvious, especially for the wintertime. When it gets cold out, it can be downright dangerous to be without warm shelter. So, keeping these systems repaired and at their peak performance is really going to matter in those moments. Just be sure to keep that in mind as we approach winter proper for the year.
Why Find a Contractor?
This question is a bit more of a difficult one to answer, at least at first glance. That being said, though, there are plenty of good reasons to seek out a professional rather than trying to fix an HVAC unit on your own. While there are certainly projects that we can use do-it-yourself guides for, most of the time problems with these are not one of them.
You see, it can be risky to try to fix it on your own. What do I mean by that? There are a few factors at play here, so it is a good idea to be cautious when approaching an HVAC unit that could be suffering from damage. Chances are that you will still be safe, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
For example, electrocution is a serious possibility if you go poking around with little to no knowledge of how the equipment works. You can read about it more in this article in terms of the dangers. Another one is that you could unintentionally cause an explosion – that’s right, an explosion. Since most heaters use natural gas, if it is mishandled, it could certainly result in some fireworks of the worst kind.
Those gas fumes could also end up poisoning you, if you are not careful. Just in case you are still not convinced, though, that is not all to be wary of. Without the proper equipment and tools, there is a good chance that you will not even be able to accomplish the goal of fixing it yourself. Clearly, the negatives outweigh any potential positives.
What to Look for in a Good One?
Finally, we reach the topic that most of us probably clicked on the article for! What qualities should we be looking out for, and how important will they each be? There is not exactly one single correct answer here, but I do have some helpful pointers for when you decide to seek one out.
This one may seem obvious, but you should look locally to see which ones are in your area. An experienced HVAC contractor who knows your area and is familiar with the common problems with units there as well is probably going to be a solid selection. They should have some awareness in terms of what to be on the lookout for with your system compared to others that they have fixed nearby.
Friendly customer service is another thing that I tend to prioritize fairly highly. No one wants to work with someone who is unwelcoming or makes you feel bad for asking questions. Your contractor should instead be ready and willing to answer any of the queries that you have as well as make you feel comfortable with needing to do so.
There is, after all, nothing wrong with wanting transparent communication. However, their technical skill is going to be quite meaningful as well. When you call, be sure to tell them what type of HVAC system that you have. If they are not experienced with it, you may not get the results that you want, so being clear about that up front is a good idea.
One final part of this to note is overall cost. For emergency services, there will probably be a fee for the short notice and response time. That is to be expected, but hopefully you can find one who is not price gauging. Seeing as that has been a huge issue for almost every industry in the past few months, if you are able to find a contractor who doesn’t, they are probably a keeper!
Overall, so long as you check out reviews and have an honest conversation with the person that you are considering hiring, it should go completely fine. It is better to spend a bit of money and have the problem fixed than to endanger yourself and everyone in your home with a shoddy at-home repair job or the lack of heat entirely.