5 Things to Ask Before Hiring HVAC Contractors in Port St. Lucie, FL

When your HVAC system breaks down, especially in the frequently warm environment of Port St. Lucie, FL, the consequences can be almost unbearable. For that reason, it’s extremely important to be sure that the people working on your system know what they’re doing. Before you hire anyone, here are five questions you can ask to determine whether your HVAC system will be in good hands.

1. What Do You Think Is Wrong With My System?

When talking to HVAC professionals that you’re considering hiring, ask them this question after explaining the problem you’re dealing with. Competent technicians will likely ask you additional follow-up questions to try and elicit more information and make an accurate diagnosis. For example, a good technician might ask questions such as how old your system is, when it last had maintenance, how often you change your filter, and whether you’ve noticed any leaks.

Just as no doctor can instantly diagnose a patient with nothing but intuition, no HVAC technician can pinpoint a problem without lots of information. The technician may even ask to personally examine your system before offering a definitive diagnosis. On the other hand, if anyone from an HVAC company starts immediately proposing solutions without trying to gather more information, be wary.

2. Would You Show Me a Copy of Your HVAC Contractor’s License?

Asking this question is a matter of simple prudence. Since no one can expect an ordinary person to be able to judge an HVAC contractor’s competence purely on his own, licenses serve as good proxies. To become licensed, an HVAC contractor must have worked on HVAC systems for at least two years and completed an accredited training program, so a license is a reliable barometer of skill.

3. Will You Tell Me About Your Liability Insurance Policy?

Every HVAC contractor should have some form of liability insurance, as occasional accidents on the job are inevitable. Dealing with an uninsured contractor means risking that technicians might damage your system and leave you no recourse to deal with such a problem.

Remember that the precise details of liability insurance policies differ between contractors. When asking this question, don’t be afraid to ask for specifics about exactly what the policy covers and to what extent it does so.

4. Do You Offer Maintenance Plans?

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of regular HVAC maintenance. Although some amount of decline in how your system functions is inevitable after enough time, annual maintenance can still greatly prolong its life.

Maintenance checks should involve things like inspecting filters, cleaning coils, lubricating parts, and checking refrigerant levels. When exploring the topic of maintenance, you need to inquire about all these things as well as warranties on any work performed.

The presence or absence of HVAC maintenance plans — not to mention their comprehensiveness — is an excellent indicator of whether you should sign up for a long-term relationship with a particular contractor. Committing to a maintenance plan will encourage you to keep up routine service on your system, prolonging its lifespan.

5. When Can You Start Working?

This is the final question to ask before you make your decision. The answer should give you some idea of how the company’s technicians go about their work. If you want to install a new system, technicians may ask you to prepare your house for their arrival and should explain how they will measure your home to find out the appropriate system size.

Also, no matter what type of service you want, you should be confident that you will receive it promptly. No one wants to wait around for help with a system that isn’t functioning properly.

Asking the above questions should help you to separate reliable experts from inexperienced, unlicensed workers in the world of HVAC contractors. When you need an HVAC company that provides excellent air conditioning repair services in Port Saint Lucie, FL, call us at Stephen K. Denny, Inc.