If you must hire someone to help you out with your HVAC system, be sure to learn about all of the requirements your state has legislated regarding licencing and insurance. You need to be able to ask anyone you plan to hire if they meet these requirements before you hire them.
Be sure to get every quote or estimate in written form. You have no recourse on a verbal agreement, so a written contract is a must. This will allow you to follow up if something goes wrong or you don't get what you were promised, protecting you from shady contractors.
What system do you have? You need this information to tell your contractor. It is important to understand what model it is and which brand it is. Also, if it has been serviced before, you should have that information handy. That way you can provide the contractor with all the necessary information.
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An HVAC system is a really expensive investment. This is why you should do some browsing before purchasing your system. Try to find a good sale so you can get your system at a discount. Check out a couple of sites before making a decision. A great site to begin is www.energystar.gov.
Change your air conditioner filter quarterly, or four times a year. This not only keeps the air coming into your home easier and cleaner to breathe, it takes a lot of stress off of your AC unit itself. You get to enjoy health, money savings and reduced energy use altogether at once.
Clean the condenser on your debris regularly. Wind can pile up all sorts of debris against its grill. It can also cause it to overheat.
Do not allow your house to get extremely hot. Air conditioners only cool down a home by 20 degrees. If the temperature in your home rises above 100 degrees, you will only be able to cool it down to 80. This isn't a very safe condition for a homeowner to sleep in, especially when the humidity levels are considered.
If you want to turn off your air conditioning at night to save money, consider putting a standing fan next to your bed. You can set it to oscillate from your toes to your head, blowing cool air over your body and letting you sleep comfortably all night long.
When you buy a new air conditioning unit, don't let the salesperson talk you into too large of a unit. This will be a waste of money and won't efficiently cool your home. The longer a system runs, the more efficient it will be when it's running, so look for one which runs 15 to 30 minutes.
Consider an annual service agreement for technicians to regularly inspect your AC unit. Schedule brief inspections for the winter to make sure nothing is obviously wrong. The most important time for an inspection and service is just before it starts getting warm. You don't want to discover an AC breakdown when you need it working most.
For your outdoor HVAC unit, make sure that your foliage is cleared around it. Two feet distance between the HVAC unit and shrubs is a good amount to remember. If you let the foliage creep up on the unit, it can cause all sorts of issues with debris and growth into the system.
You can't know what sized air conditioner to purchase unless you measure the area you need cooled. You can easily calculate this by using the formula: 20 BTUs per square footage of space. Combine the square footage of all rooms, in the event that you will be cooling more than one.
Your HVAC system will run more efficiently if your windows and doors are energy efficient. Be sure their seal is tight so no exterior air gets in or interior air gets out. Professional testing is available, and it is often free of charge.
Always ask for references before you allow anyone to start doing work on your HVAC system. Call several of them to make sure that they are legitimate. Many people take the word of the contractor when it comes to customer satisfaction and that can prove to be a mistake in the end.
Before you hire a contractor for your HVAC system, ask how much experience they have and with what types of systems. It's important that a contractor is experienced in the area of the kind of work you require. Although there's no guarantee that a worker with less experience won't do the work correctly, it's better to avoid any problems.
When buying an air conditioner, you want to find out with a SEER rating of 13 or higher. 13 is the minimum standard set by the government, so higher ratings, while not mandatory, are going to offer you better efficiency. SEER ratings can go as high as 19, so keep this in mind as you shop.
If you want to buy a new HVAC unit or system, ask a contractor to come up to size up your home and tell you what options you have. They'll have the best advice as they know what sort of systems work in your area or in a home like yours.
Get bids from several companies before deciding who you are going to hire to install or repair your HVAC system. Most people know to avoid the company that has the highest quote, but you should also stay away from the one with the lowest. The price may be lower due to shoddy workmanship an/or using low-quality equipment.
If you already have someone servicing your HVAC unit every year, consider talking to them about installing a new system. Even if you need something custom built, they may have staff on hand who can do what you need. If you already trust them, you know they'll be right for the job.
With the right information, even an HVAC system is simple enough to understand. It's always a good thing to take your time with http://www.camfil.us/ it all so that you can learn the ropes. Use the above tips for help.
