An AC contractor that installs and maintains HVAC systems can make mistakes just like any other firm, but these mistakes don’t just affect your air conditioning—they can affect your ongoing utility bills as well.
Air Conditioner Company Warning Signs
You can’t be expected to know everything about air conditioning; that’s what you’re paying your AC contractor for. Nonetheless, your provider may be letting you down in a number of ways. See our comprehensive list of the most common failings of local HVAC companies.
1. Failing to Understand Combustion Safety
The majority of HVAC companies only change CO alarm batteries when they receive a call regarding carbon monoxide. They simply look for cracks on the heat exchanger of the furnace because they do not understand combustion safety, especially appliance combustion backdrafting and testing. You’re making a big mistake and leaving a likely dangerous situation at your customer’s house if you fail to test for flue gases and depressurize these calls.
You don’t want to receive news of the family being poisoned by CO after you failed to understand and rectify the system’s root issue.
2. Overlooking Air Flow and Focusing on “the Box”
The fact that HVAC companies move from one house to another to find duct problems, the existence of a ductopus and the small nature of most duct systems are proof of the contractors lacking professional skills and failing to understand airflow. You need to change the duct whenever you do a system changeout.
This is due to the possibility of the existing ductwork being of the wrong size and leaky, leading to serious problems and expenses, despite the duct being new.
Related: How Can I Tell If My Air Ducts Are Leaking?
3. Neglecting to Identify Home Performance Opportunities
A heating and cooling company typically visits residential homes daily. They check out crawl spaces, attics, and basements for a home enclosure’s insulation and air sealing quality. You can advise homeowners to consider improving the general performance of their cooling systems by doing air-sealing and insulation work.
It is ironic that most companies that handle these systems do not address their comfort issues but have the word ‘comfort’ as part of their brand names. Understand that not all comfort issues can be addressed by mechanical systems.
Related: How Insulation Saves You Money While Making You More Comfortable
4. Ignoring the Ventilation Aspect of HVAC Systems
Energy codes that call for top-notch air-sealing and verification of air-tightness using blower door tests can render modern homes tighter than before hence their need for mechanical ventilation. Every bathroom and kitchen is in need of spot ventilation. You must not overlook the V aspects of HVACs.
Understand the importance of ventilation, know ASHRAE 62.2, learn how to measure ventilation system airflow and remember the three ways of offering mechanical ventilation: negative, balanced and positive pressure.
5. Avoiding the Math
HVAC companies rely on experience and rules of thumb to get things done. What you fail to understand is that modern houses and heating and cooling systems are more innovative than they were 5 decades ago. Every home and system is unique, meaning a one size fits all solution for heat loss and heat gain problems can’t work. You can use manual J to determine the runtime of homes during design conditions.
This is the best way you can serve your customers by working on HVAC systems based on complex technology.
6. Opting for Short-Term Solutions That Ends Up Costing More Over Time
Many contractors go for low bids and end up hiring poorly trained technicians to work on the contracts without getting them properly trained as a way of cutting down costs. They also use poor equipment and get the job done in the worst possible way, leading to customer dissatisfaction.
7. Ineffective Problem Solving
You need to become a problem-solver by adopting the house-as-a-system thinking technique. Learn to be a good listener to help fix the issues with HVAC systems. Include distribution, combustion safety, ventilation, and Building Science 101 rules to successfully solve problems with residential HVAC systems.
If you work on these mistakes that may be letting your heating and cooling company down, you will be walking the path to increased profits, more loyal and happier customers, more customer referrals and of course, your peace of mind.
Call The Cooling Company today to discuss your HVAC needs.
