Montgomery County, PA’s climate is usually humid and temperate. The summer months can be quite muggy and hot. The winter months, on the other hand, as expected are very cold. To manage this dynamic climate, residents must own a working HVAC.

But what happens when this important system gets damaged? In such a case, you need to hire an hvac Montgomery county contractor. These companies provide a wide range of HVAC services which include installation, maintenance, and repair. Given the number of businesses that offer these services in the county, it can be quite confusing to determine which one to hire.

Your selection is of utmost importance because it influences the quality of work that will be done. So, how do you ensure that you choose the right repair company? Well, that’s what this article. In this piece, we’ll provide you with tips to choose the right HVAC repair company in Montgomery County, PA.

Ask Family, Friends, and Colleagues or Search Online

As we said, Montgomery County requires the operation of these heating and cooling systems to keep the temperature of homes comfortable. Therefore, it’s almost a guarantee that someone you know might have hired the services of these professionals to install, maintain, or repair their system. When looking to hire a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning contractor, asking your close contacts can provide you with some options to choose from.

In case you don’t get referrals from your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc., it doesn’t mean all hope is lost. You can easily run a Google search with the search phrase “HVAC service companies near.” This should provide you with a list of options.

When getting the options of companies, we always recommend that you choose one that is close to you. This is important as it will help in cutting down response time. Therefore, the professionals can easily and quickly come to your home for inspection and perform the necessary service you need. Also, it will help you cut down costs because the farther the distance, the more you are charged for logistics.

Research Licensing, Certification, and Insurance

Now that you have a couple of companies on your radar, you can’t just go eeny, meeny, miny, moe and pick anyone. You need to carry out extensive research to find out if they are licensed, certified, and insured. These are important qualifications that you must not ignore.

The company and the individual professionals must possess licenses that enable them to carry out their trade in Montgomery County. If there is no proper license, then it means the company or staff (depending on which one lacks a license) is operating illegally.

Certification is majorly for individual repair-persons. A certification, for instance from The North American Technician Excellence (NATE), is proof that the technician is knowledgeable and well-trained to handle issues with these systems. You can visit https://natex.org/ to learn more about Nate. A NATE-certified technician is the crème de la crème of the HVAC industry.

Also, you must not neglect to find out about the company’s insurance coverage. Why is this important, you might wonder? We’ll tell you.

During a job, it’s possible that a technician might get injured or your property gets damaged. If the company’s insurance covers these eventualities, you won’t have to bear the cost yourself. This affords you peace of mind while they work on your system.

To find out about these important qualifications, you might need to contact the contractor directly. This is especially true when it comes to insurance as such detailed information might not be readily made available on their website. So, if you can’t get the information from your research, reach out to the contractor for further details.

Know your HVAC System

We said you can contact the contractor for further details about their licensing, certification, and insurance. However, you shouldn’t do that without a firm grasp of your system’s specifications. You need to know the manufacturer brand, model number, serial number, and the approximate age of the system.

It’s always good to take a picture of the system. With this picture, the contractor will be able to easily identify it, and know the general steps to take even without an inspection. However, to ensure this, you’ll need to carefully and comprehensively explain in detail what exactly is wrong with the HVAC.

Ask the Contractor for References

After you contact the contractor and get the relevant information about their licensing, certification, and insurance, you shouldn’t just hire them like that. These do not attest to their effectiveness on the job. You cannot also assess customer satisfaction and service based on their license and certifications.

Therefore, you need to ask them for references. You can read this article to find out why references are so important when hiring a contractor. They should provide you with the contacts of previous customers. If they refuse or fail to provide references, then you can take your business elsewhere.

Once you get the contacts you need to ask the customers about the performance of the contractor. Find out if they were satisfied with the work done and how professional they were. Ask them if the charges were transparent without hidden charges. You can also ask them for any other relevant information that comes to your mind.

Get a Written Quote

Ask all the companies on your list to send you a written and well-detailed quote of what the job will cost. Given how crucial the cost is when it comes to making this kind of decision, you shouldn’t skip this tip. Once again, if a contractor refuses or fails to send a quote, strike them off your list.

When you get the quotes, compare them. Compare the costs and warranties; take your time to carry out this comparison. While you’re looking for the best deal, don’t just settle for the cheapest of the lot. The cheapest doesn’t necessarily mean the best.

Conclusion

Hiring an HVAC repair company in Montgomery County is not so difficult. With the tips we’ve provided, this decision should be a piece of cake for you. So, get that contractor and enjoy that much-needed comfort in your home.