Installation

When making the decision to replace your heating and/or cooling system, the most important decision you will be making is which contractor you use. A inexpensive system that is properly installed will by far out live and be more comfortable than the best system that is improperly installed. This is a lesson that you do not want to learn first hand. When looking for a company to install your new system, you should ask yourself a few questions:

1. Will my system be installed up to code standards?
In most cases your system will never be inspected by the city in which you reside, you almost have to rely on your contractor to install up to code standards.

2. Will my system be installed with interlocking sheet metal?
There are a lot of companies that use fiberglass duct board instead of sheet metal. The main reasons this is used in our industry is it takes very little time to teach a person how to install it and they can put together extremely fast. Your system would literally be held together with tape. As you know, tape only lasts so long. During fabrication of work like this, tiny fiberglass particulate are released into the air duct system, not only is this unhealthy, but could cause more serious concerns to someone with respiratory problems. Duct board is already against code to use in California, and is not allowed on over 99% of commercial jobs nationwide.

3. What kind of work does my contractor normally do?
The installation crews are going to do the same kind of work as they are used to doing. If they are primarily new construction, using duct board, they are probably not very good at sheet metal. If they are normally installing 80% furnaces and 10 SEER air conditioners, they will not be very well versed with 90% variable speed furnaces or 2 stage air conditioning, nor will their service men be at repairing them, if a problem ever arises.

4. Does my contractor stock parts for my new system?
Some heating and air conditioning companies are what we consider service driven. Most likely these companies will stock more service parts than a new construction company. It is important to realize that most wholesalers that supply parts to their dealers are only open 8-5 Monday through Friday, and closed on all holidays. This means they are only open about 25% of the time. Odds are that if you have a problem, and the technician does not have a part, the wholesaler may be closed or may not stock the parts.

5. Does my contractor have a 24 hour service department that will respond, in case I have a problem?
Many companies do not offer 24 hour service, some will not do warranty work after hours without charging you, and others say they do but really don't. If receiving service when you have a problem regardless of the time is important to you, you should test your perspective contractor at odd hours (for example - 2am) to see if they respond and if they would come out, before making your final decision.

6. Is my contractor licenced, bonded, and insured?
Tragedy strikes when you least expect it. You will want some kind of proof of these three things. Some cities and counties, like Indianapolis (Marion County), require the contractor to be tested, already have a minimum amount of insurance and be bonded before issued their license. Most areas do not require anything. This could leave you susceptible to a tragedy or even a lawsuit if their workers are not covered by workman's compensation.

7. Is my contractor a member of BBB and what kind of track record do they have?
Becoming a member of the Better Business Bureau is very easy and very in-expensive for contractors. Although they would only know of problems reported to them, this can be an easy way for you to see if they have had a bad track record or if they are members of the BBB.

8. Do they look fly-by-night, will they still be here if I need them?
There are currently about 200 contractors in Marion County. Each year up to 15% of these companies go out of business are purchased and essentially dissolved. If you are relying on the contractor soley for a warranty, extra work to be done, or a service agreement that has not been fulfilled, you would want to investigate on your own if you think this company will be around. If a company is purchased the parent company may have different policies than what you were promised.

9. Is my warranty on just parts or does it include labor too?
The average repair invoice is 2/3 labor. Most contractors will charge a parts acquisition fee, restock fee, or warranty handling fee, if they are covering a warranty part. Considering that you are paying 2/3 of your bill in labor plus an additional fee, you may feel your warranty may not be worth the paper it is written on.

10. Is my warranty backed by the manufacturer on parts and labor?
If you thought you were getting a 5 year parts and labor warranty and your contractor goes out of business, will the manufacturer pay another company to repair your system if you have a problem.

11. Will my contractor pull a permit for the work being done or is it even required?
If a permit is required in your area, it is of the upmost importance that you get your copy. If a permit is not pulled, you have no certainty that your contractors insurance, bond, or licence has lapsed or been revoked. There can be fines assessed or a stop work order issued even before the job is complete.

12. Did my contractor complete a heat loss/gain calculation to determine what size system I need?
This is the first essential step for a contractor to determine what size system will work best for you. If this is done by guesswork most of the other work probably will be too. (See the improper heating and improper cooling case scenarios for more information.)

13. What brand of equipment is my contractor recommending?
There are a lot of different choices when selecting a brand. As you investigate you will find that a lot of the brand names are actually manufactured by the same company. Some brands are protected lines. In other words the contractor has to abide by workmanship, parts stocking, and/or customer satisfaction standards to be allowed to carry that line. Not only are these products usually higher quality, but their dealers typically are too. The un-protected lines typically do not have very good training programs, factory technical support, and will sell their products to anyone with cash regardless of their track record.