Tag Archives: HVAC installation

Should You Buy an HVAC System Online?

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Should You Buy an HVAC System Online?These days, it seems you can buy just about anything via the internet. Even buying an HVAC system online is now a reality. Online HVAC sales are slowly but surely growing. But should you hop on the bandwagon?

Cost Savings

You can save substantially by choosing to buy a furnace, air conditioner, boiler, or any other similar product from an online retailer. Or, at least, it seems cheaper because you purchase the equipment only, not the labor of installing it properly as well.

Equipment Delivery

Most online HVAC retailers offer free equipment delivery. While that’s great news, you should know that your equipment is likely to be left outside your house. It will be up to you to move it into your basement, garage, or wherever you want it installed.

Some companies charge for delivery. You’ll pay a higher fee to have the equipment delivered to your preferred room and unpacked than having it dropped at your front door.

Quality Concerns

Online transactions take contractors out of the HVAC system design process. Therefore, you can easily choose a system that’s not right for your home. An air conditioner or furnace that’s too large for your home will operate inefficiently as it will cycle on and off frequently. As a result, running costs will increase unnecessarily. A small system won’t heat or cool your home adequately.

What About Warranty?

Many HVAC equipment manufacturers expressly disclaim warranties for systems bought online. That implies should your system break, you’ll be forced to pay an arm and a leg to have it replaced.

Work with a Contractor

It’s best to find a trustworthy contractor to work with before purchasing HVAC equipment. At the moment, contractors aren’t involved in the online equipment buying process.

By working with a contractor, you’ll receive correct guidance on how to get a rightly sized and configured system as well as warranty coverage. This isn’t possible when buying an HVAC system online on your own. For assistance with buying an HVAC system in the Peachtree City area, contact the experts at Powers Heating & Air.

Common HVAC Installation Mistakes and How They Cost You

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Common HVAC Installation Mistakes and How They Cost YouChoosing new a new HVAC system could be one of the most complicated purchases you make as a homeowner. While it’s important to pick the best one for your home, the quality of the HVAC installation is just as important as the equipment you choose.

Before selecting a contractor, be sure the company will:

Size it carefully.

A reputable HVAC contractor will complete a detailed load calculation using Manual J software. It requires inputs about the specifics of your home’s energy efficiency and your preferred temperatures, family size, and how many heat-producing appliances you use.

Skipping this step will lower the energy efficiency, system longevity and comfort the new system promises. When systems are too large, they run in short cycles. They have too much capacity to reach their optimal running speeds and will heat or cool your home before reaching their ideal efficiency.

Instead, they start and stop more frequently. HVAC systems use the most electricity when they first start, which also stresses all the electrical parts. Avoiding the short cycle by right-sizing the system avoids higher energy costs and premature system failures.

Thoroughly inspect the ductwork.

A quality HVAC installation requires a complete ductwork inspection to verify it’s the right size and has few, if any, leaks. Installing a system that doesn’t match the ductwork could create noise when the equipment runs, poor distribution of conditioned air, and higher energy costs.

Exhaust the system safely.

All combustion furnaces create exhaust gases that need to vent through the wall or roof. The installer should use a new vent flue and test it to verify all the exhaust products vent outdoors.

Drain it.

If the HVAC system includes the air conditioning, it will need to drain outdoors or into your home’s plumbing. Any leaks can cause serious damage to your home. High efficiency condensing furnaces also need leak-free drains, while standard efficiency furnaces do not.

 

To get the most from your new equipment, insist on a quality HVAC installation. To learn more, contact Powers Heating & Air, providing trusted HVAC services for Peachtree City homeowners.

 

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040. 

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Three HVAC Contractor Practices to Avoid

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Three HVAC Contractor Practices to AvoidMost homeowners understand the value of a regular professional service regime for their HVAC installation, and it’s a given that preventative maintenance pays eventual dividends. That said, with our record highs above 100 degrees here in Georgia, and the record low set below zero, it’s easy to envision cases where system failure could constitute an emergency. If the company you call is unscrupulous, that necessity could put you at risk from scams. Knowing the “red flags” is important, and these are three HVAC contractor practices to avoid:

Too Good to be True

When things appear to be too good to be true, they usually are. Fly-by-night contractors often use misleading, or downright false, financial claims to get business. Perhaps the most common is an “introductory price” that’s wildly less than you expect to pay. Any company that offers tune-ups – or first calls – at unrealistically low charges, must recoup that cost elsewhere. That’s likely to be on their emergency work.

Rounding Up to New Equipment

Once an unscrupulous contractor has gotten over the threshold with a low-ball opening estimate, another common deception is to employ a “rule of thumb” for sizing of heating and cooling systems. Codes governing residential premises mandate that a “Manual J” engineering load calculation be carried out when sizing an installation. When the contractor provides a quick size calculation based solely on the square footage of your home, or whatever your current system is, look elsewhere.

Follow-ups by Phone

System replacements are affected by numerous variables individual to each home. It’s not possible for office or sales staff to provide an accurate estimate for a system installation or other major project over the phone, and you should be suspicious of any caller who suggests you immediately accept an installation bid.

The best tip for avoiding an HVAC contractor who indulges in questionable practices is to use your regular provider for all your needs, both routine and emergency. In the Peachtree City area, please contact us at Powers Heating and Air.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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