When it comes to buying a new heating or cooling system, it's a great investment for homeowners in Columbus Ohio. Ideally, your system should last 20 years or more, increase the value of your home, and provide comfort for you and your family all year round. Choosing the right HVAC company to work with is essential to ensure that your system is installed correctly and safely. So what should you look for in an HVAC company?The phrase “you get what you pay for” is often true when it comes to the installation of HVAC equipment.
Many customers learn this the hard way because of a lack of information before they buy, resulting in wasted time and money, as well as potential security risks in their home. Installing an air conditioner can include working with low and high voltage wiring, poisonous fuels and gases, condensation drains, active water pipes, sheet metal fabrication, and open flames when soldering the coolant pipes that are placed in your home.
HVAC
installation is one of the only jobs that includes carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, metalworking, and others. It's a highly technical process that can be dangerous unless properly handled by trained technicians. Several key processes must be followed to ensure equipment efficiency, comfort, safety, and life expectancy.Failure to comply with any of the necessary processes required by local codes, manufacturer, and industry regulations can result in high energy bills, inconvenience, and a dramatic reduction in the life expectancy of your air conditioning system. Think of it like having and following a recipe. You need key ingredients and you must follow a certain process to achieve the expected result. Using poor quality ingredients, changing ingredients, or skipping steps in the recipe will only result in failure. While it's not necessary to understand each of these areas in detail, it's helpful to have a basic understanding of the installation process.
Knowing the experience needed to do the job will help you evaluate an HVAC company. The process for obtaining a state HVAC license is selective and lengthy. A minimum of 5 years of experience at a licensed company is required before you can apply for the 10-hour state exam. After the test, the license holder must complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year. They must also keep a good citizen standing without serious crimes or criminal records every year when renewing. In most states, a permit must be obtained when any HVAC work is being done.
This is a requirement, not a suggestion. A company that installs according to industry standards, local codes, and manufacturer specifications will always request a permit. The permit is to ensure that the equipment is safely installed in accordance with all manufacturing codes and specifications. This is a protection for both the customer and the installation company. You take a risk if you hire a company that isn't willing to do so or if you suggest that it's not okay to apply for a permit.
This could be an indication of poor installation practices, unsafe procedures, and unreliability. Give yourself the best chance of having a successful installation by choosing a company with a valid state HVAC license that obtains the appropriate permits. NATE stands for North American Training Excellence and is the ONLY individual certification accepted for HVAC technicians and installers. The certification is divided into four categories of service and installation. In addition to equipment service and installation techniques, it includes “basic topics” such as customer etiquette, electrical circuits, and safety procedures that must be learned before the parts of the service and installation test can be passed. The certificate program also requires a minimum of 16 credit hours of continuing education every two years.
Make sure your HVAC installation technician is NATE certified. A key component to accuracy and success of a facility is ongoing training programs for employees. The evolution of HVAC equipment by all manufacturers in the industry is constantly changing with advances in technology and efficiency of newer equipment. You'll feel lost without having a training program to keep up with the times. Certifications can help but there are many differences between types of equipment so it's important to have a continuing education mentality.
Every year there are technological advances in air conditioning as a whole such as increased unit efficiency, communication between air conditioner, boiler and thermostat; improved options for compressors and variable speed motors; digital technology connecting system to phone or tablet. A company that doesn't measure up to each of these aspects is lagging behind so make sure your technicians receive ongoing training as part of their certifications and employment practices. Do they have the right tool for the job? That's always the question when it comes to air conditioning industry as installing air conditioners requires tools from plumber, electrician, sheet metal worker and sometimes carpenter; working with copper pipes; oxygen and acetylene torches; brazing copper lines inside house/air conditioning unit; vacuum pumps; digital/micron meters etc. Make sure your HVAC provider can provide you with convenience, reliability and energy savings you deserve for your investment.
