Are you starting to hear weird noises coming from the HVAC system in your house? Have you noticed that it’s been a while since you scheduled routine HVAC maintenance? If so, then you need to hire a professional HVAC technician to take care of it.
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Doing so can help improve the energy efficiency of your home. It can help keep your HVAC running during the high heat of the summer, as well as the chilly temperature in the winter.
See below for an in-depth guide on the different questions that you should ask before you hire an HVAC contractor to visit your property.
- Do You Have References?
Perhaps you’re wanting to hire an HVAC company with a full staff of technicians. Maybe you want to find an independent HVAC contractor that you can build a relationship.
Whatever the case might be, it’s always helpful to talk with some of their previous/current clientele. This allows you to get a peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to be a client with that particular company.
Reach out to the HVAC technician service that you’re considering and ask them for 1 to 3 references that you can reach out to. If they have satisfied clients, they’ll be more than happy to refer you to them.
It’s advantageous to have a setlist of questions to ask each client they refer you to. That way, you can compare the answers they give. Here are a few questions to help get you started:
- How long have you used the HVAC technician for your property?
- Have you been satisfied with the service that they’ve provided?
- What HVAC issues have you had to call the technician for in the past? Did they fix it?
- How responsive is the HVAC technician to your calls?
- What is the typical turnaround for the repairs that they perform?
- What Is Your Experience?
Too many property owners see something on an HVAC services site that reads along the lines of “25 years of service” and automatically hire them because of it. They make the age-old assumption of “If they’ve been in business for that long, they must be doing something right!”
That might not be the case. For all you know, that company may have changed ownership several times in its 25 years of business. As long as they keep the same title, they can claim they’ve been in service that long.
If you’re hiring an HVAC company, be sure to ask about the experience level of their staff. How do they train them? Are they certified? Which technician will they be sending out to you? How long has that technician worked for them?
For those of you hiring an individual HVAC contractor, you’ll want to ask about their specific experience in the industry. What’s their background? Do they primarily work with residential or commercial HVAC systems? Do they have experience with the HVAC brand in your home?
If you’re in Largo, find out more about emergency air conditioner repair and how they can quickly solve your issues to protect the climate in your home during the summer.
- What Services Do You Provide?
It won’t do much good to hire an HVAC technician that doesn’t perform the service that you need. That’s why it’s always a good idea to call before you schedule an appointment.
Ask them about the specific services that they provide. If you need direction on that, feel free to use this list of questions:
- Do you offer emergency repair services?
- Do you have a free initial consultation for your new customers?
- Do you have a maintenance program?
- Do you subcontract any of the services that you provide?
- Do you offer the repair that I need?
That last question might be the most important one of all. During the initial call, describe to the technician what issues you’re having. They should get an idea of what might be wrong based on what you tell them. Make sure they offer that service.
- Do You Have Insurance in Place?
Regardless of the HVAC technician’s experience and skillset, you always want to make sure they have protection for their services in place.
In other words, they need to have business insurance policies to protect you. Make sure the technician you hire has things such as business liability insurance, umbrella insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and so forth.
These can protect both you and them from financial setbacks in the case of an emergency. If you hire a technician without insurance, you could be left on the hook for all of the damage.
- Do You Offer a Warranty?
Just to clarify, this isn’t the only question you should be asking in regards to the HVAC technician’s warranty. It isn’t even the most important one.
Always make sure you understand the details of their warranties. Ask them to spell it out for you in terms that you will understand. How long does the warranty last? Does it cover all of their services? How quickly will they come out to redeem the warranty if issues persist?
A warranty is an important piece to the puzzle. It creates transparency between both you and the service that you hire. If they don’t offer one, walk away.
Hire the Right HVAC Technician for Your Needs
Now that you have seen a thorough list of questions to ask any HVAC technician before you hire them, make sure to ask them all!
Each question will give you clarity on the service. It will help you determine whether they truly are the right fit for you or not.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on HVAC services, as well as many other topics that you will enjoy reading about.
