10 Questions To Ask Your Air Conditioning Contractor

A new air conditioner is a major expense in your home.  It is one of the most expensive things you will purchase; yet, it is worth every cent when the Chicagoland temperatures get to be in the 90’s.  You don’t want to randomly pick just anyone to come do the work at your home.  Instead, you want to ask a few questions to your air conditioning contractor to make sure they are a good fit for you.  Here are a few things you may want to ask:

1. Does your air conditioning contractor give you choices?  That means, do they just deal with one brand or do they work with several?  Are they offering you different options for efficiency, refrigerant type, filtration, and controls?  Sometimes more items to choose from can make things confusing.  However, like most consumers, I personally like having all my options laid out in front of me.  It helps to make a informed decision on what is best for my home.
2. Does your air conditioning contractor offer financing?  Most air conditioning contractors know that this is a huge expense to take on.  It shows that the air conditioning contractor can meet the qualifications to even offer you financing.  It also makes it a lot more affordable to you, so you get the correct air conditioning equipment for your home instead of just the cheapest.
3. Did your air conditioning contractor do a load calculation?  You cannot just buy a new air conditioner based off of what your old one was.  What changes have been made to your home since the original installation of your air conditioner?  If an air conditioning contractor is not willing to come to your home to let you know what you need and do a load calculation, you definitely should be looking for a new air conditioning contractor!
4. Does the equipment that your air conditioning contractor is installing come with a warranty?  Your air conditioning contractor should be notifying you if exactly how long the warranty is on your equipment and what exactly it covers.
5. How long has your air conditioning contractor been in business under that name?  Did you know that over 85% of the mechanical contracting companies fail in the first five years?  If the contractor’s company goes under, you may not have a warranty anymore!
6. Is your air conditioning contractor licensed?  Most states, villages, cities, etc all require that your air conditioning contractor is licensed.  Plus, you want somebody who knows what they are doing working on anything on your home!
7. Does your air conditioning contractor carry insurance?  If your air conditioning contractor or any of his workers get hurt, you want to make sure that you are not liable.
8. Are the companies’ vehicles well maintained?  I know that I don’t want somebody to drive to up to do work at my home in an old junky car.  If your air conditioning contractor is working from the trunk of his old car, you may have some things to worry about.
9. Does your air conditioning contractor talk to you or over you?  Does your air conditioning contractor explain things, so you can understand what he/she is talking about?  Will they answer your questions?  You don’t want an air conditioning contractor who talks to down to you or refuses to answer your questions.
10. What is the timeline for the work?  A good air conditioning contractor should be able to tell you when and how long it will take to install your new air conditioning unit.

It is very important that you feel comfortable with the air conditioning contractor that you choose.  At Around The Town, we are licensed and always willing to answer any of your questions.  Keep us in mind the next time you need an air conditioning contractor!