Myth 1: Hire your air conditioner technician on Craigslist.
The interweb has gifted us with a variety of choices to go to find an A/C system service technician, but be careful because not all are comparable. While the Better Business Bureau gives you information on whether a company is accredited determined by their company history and practices, other websites are available to anyone who requests to post an ad. For example, Craigslist will allow anyone to post an ad for their services, regardless of whether or not they’re really qualified, licensed and bonded, or have the correct training and background.
If you decide on a contractor or individual without getting to identify their qualifications and capability, it might end up costing you more over time. If the tech doesn’t know how to properly repair your particular air conditioning system, you may end up needing a different, more experienced contractor to correct their mistakes and end up paying multiple Trip Charges.
Myth 2: Working with a small business is better.
Working with small businesses can be great for some odd jobs – it’s good for the local business, wonderful for the economy, and probably even wonderful for your pocket book. But be careful: small businesses or one-person operations could leave you in a lurch. If something fails, they may conveniently disappear and not be around to fix it, or they might not have the resources to get you taken care of quickly, which is not what you want if your AC malfunctions in the dog days of summer.
Budgeting a little bit more for a larger, more trusted and reliable company can come with advantages that help give you more peace of mind, including a one-year satisfaction guarantee, expert workmanship, a large certified team of servicemen and women who provide you service 24/7/365, and the assurance that they’ll be there if you ever require their services.
Myth 3: It’s fine to use any type of refrigerant in your AC.
With the government ending the production of R-22, many people are observing the fee of refilling their air conditioning system’s refrigerant going up. It may sound like an easy fix to just substitute a different and cheaper refrigerant, but if an air conditioning service technician advises you to do that, you probably want to call for a second opinion.
Manufacturers identify the exact refrigerant the air conditioner is designed for, and before 2010, it was normally R-22. Although there is extreme reduction of the production of R-22, those air conditioning systems are still designed for it, and replacing R-22 with a different refrigerant may not only cause damage to your air conditioning equipment, it could nullify your warranty. A nullified warranty could cost you a lot more in future parts due to possible damage.
Myth 4: You don’t need yearly air conditioning maintenance.
Most people who are not currently having trouble with their AC may believe they don’t actually need yearly maintenance. It’s running fine, so why waste the money on a tune-up, right? Don’t forget the fact that an annual AC tune- up runs you around $79 while repairs will run you around $500. Additionally, most manufacturers instruct you to receive routine maintenance to keep your warranty valid, so disregarding your annual tune-up could cause you to lose your warranty, meaning a large payout if your air conditioning system decides to go out on the hottest day of the season.
Myth 5: Finding out about the contractor isn’t important.
It’s crucial to ensure you do your research before choosing an AC service business, especially if you feel a particular company is intimidating you. As we said in Myth #1, some domains don’t need a company to be qualified to advertise their services. You need to know who you’re working with so you don’t end up paying for the same service twice.
Online reviews, references from friends, and an a high accreditation grade with the Better Business Bureau will all assure you of the type of company you will be trusting your business to and help you figure out if they are best for you. Yelp, Angie’s List, and Google+ are all great places to start your homework. Remember, don’t be shy to ask for past customer referrals. You could have to invest your money with your air conditioning contractor, so invest some time and research to ensure they are the right company for your AC.
Myth 6: It costs more to turn your thermostat to a higher temperature while you’re not at home.
Ultimately, it will increase your bills to leave the thermostat at a cooler temperature all through the day than to raise it 10 degrees while you are away from your home. It typically will not need an outrageous amount of more energy to get your home comfortable once you arrive, depending on variables of the home.
A programmable thermostat lets the temperature to be adjusted from a mobile device so you can simply adjust the temperature cooler before arriving home, so your home is cool and comfortable when you arrive. This reduces your energy over the course of the day, as well as reducing your cooling bills.
Myth 7: Continuously running ceiling fans will help cool your home.
Fans help cool people, they don’t truly reduce the temperature of the home by themselves. In fact, fans (comparable to refrigerators) actually heat up homes. The motor that is making your fan function produces heat, which can add heat to the air in your home. An efficient ceiling fan does help level the temperature of your room and may contribute to cooling air by circulating, but if there isn’t a person below the fan to feel the breeze, all the fan is doing is blowing through energy and money, especially if the air conditioning system is already working. So leave ceiling fans off when there is no one in the room and more air circulation is unneeded.
Myth 8: It doesn’t matter where the thermostat is installed.
Thermostats measure the temperature around it to decide whether it needs to activate the AC to cool the home. Putting a thermostat in your bedroom will only help ensure that bedroom reaches the temperature that the thermostat is set on. Once the bedroom is cooled, the air conditioner will shut off and the rest of the floor or home may be quite a bit warmer. If the thermostat is placed near a sunny window or an appliance, it might always determine the temperature is much higher than the living area truly is and constantly run your air conditioner, raising your cooling bills.
Myth 9: Excessively lowering your thermostat will help it cool faster.
Decreasing your air by too much may only make your air conditioner run longer, it won’t get colder any faster. If your thermostat is set on 77, but you really would be more comfortable at 75, then put it at 75 and it will run until it gets to that temperature. Lowering the thermostat to 73 won’t make it cool to 75 any faster, and it will cause your system to run long, wasting money and energy.
Myth 10: It’s acceptable to change your air filter once a year.
Depending on the health issues for the home’s occupants, and the type of air filter you use for your air conditioning system, your air filter may need to be changed as often as every four weeks. Skipping the replacement of the air filter often enough not only makes your air conditioning system to work harder and reduce efficiency, it could also exacerbate respiratory ailments like common allergy symptoms.
Call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning today for more information about your air conditioner or to set-up your free in-home consultation.