7 aspettative per la tua consulenza HVAC

La maggior parte delle persone sostituisce la propria auto più frequentemente del proprio sistema HVAC. Quando sarai pronto a scambiare il tuo vecchio condizionatore e la tua fornace con qualcosa di nuovo, potrebbero essere passati anni da quando hai avuto una consulenza HVAC.

Quindi, cosa dovresti aspettarti quando chiami un'azienda HVAC? Che tipo di informazioni dovresti cercare? Questo è ciò a cui risponderemo qui.

Non c'è modo di aggirarlo:un sistema HVAC è un grosso acquisto.

Grandi acquisti possono avere grandi conseguenze e tu vuoi che ogni conseguenza sia positiva! Quando inizi a incontrare gli appaltatori HVAC, dovresti impostare le tue aspettative in alto. Davvero alto.

In particolare, ecco 7 cose che dovresti aspettarti - e richiedere - da ogni appaltatore che cerca di guadagnare il tuo business.

1. Spiegazione del processo di preinstallazione

Alcuni appaltatori HVAC diranno cose del genere:"Oh, veniamo e togliamo il vecchio sistema. Quindi inseriremo un nuovo sistema delle stesse dimensioni. Non preoccuparti. Ti lasceremo mantenere i condotti ."

Se ascolti questa storia o una sua versione, ringrazia l'appaltatore per il suo tempo e assumi qualcun altro.

Questo è il vecchio approccio delle "regole pratiche" al riscaldamento e all'aria condizionata. Non tiene conto degli attributi unici della tua casa che possono avere un profondo impatto sulla selezione del sistema HVAC. Non solo, ignora i tuoi obiettivi specifici per mantenere la tua casa confortevole.

Per essere degno della tua attività, un appaltatore HVAC deve seguire un rigoroso processo di pre-installazione che sarà felice di spiegarti durante una consulenza iniziale.

Inoltre, quel processo deve - e questo non è facoltativo! - includere un esercizio chiamato Calcolo del carico J manuale. Per completare un calcolo del carico, l'appaltatore effettua diverse misurazioni in tutta la casa nel tentativo di determinare le dimensioni corrette per il condizionatore d'aria e il forno.

Un appaltatore HVAC che non può o non vuole eseguire un calcolo del carico prima di consigliare un nuovo sistema non è l'appaltatore HVAC per te.

Senza un calcolo del carico, potresti ritrovarti con un sistema HVAC di grandi dimensioni che ti pentirai di aver mai acquistato. In realtà succede molto. The only time you might not need a load calculation is when you're replacing an HVAC system's outdoor or indoor unit and keeping the other half. When that's the case, the contractor needs to match whatever component you're keeping, regardless of size.

The pre-installation process should also include a ductwork analysis to see whether your existing ductwork is capable of delivering the right amount of conditioned air to all areas of your home. If it isn't, you might need to modify your ducts to ensure the new system works the way it's designed to.

2. Lots of questions

A consultation should be consultative . The consultant's goal should be to help you get the most comfortable, efficient HVAC solution that's within your budget. To do that, they need to ask a lot of questions. Expect to hear questions about:

• General comfort during different times of year

• Problem areas of the home that are less comfortable than others

• Hot spots and cold spots during summer and winter, respectively

• Humidity issues, whether high in the summer or low in the winter

• Noise levels from the HVAC system and ductwork

• Your satisfaction with indoor air quality

Questions like these help the consultant diagnose problems you may be having with the current system and develop an idea of what kind of replacement might work best. If a consultant fails to ask about these things, they're flying blind.

3. A design-minded approach

Can your contractor handle a challenge? Not all HVAC installations are super straightforward. If you're trying to solve a number of problems (like those things the contractor should have asked you about in #2 above), a contractor better have the expertise to design an HVAC system that works for your home.

Design always includes the Manual J load calculation, but there are other things the contractor needs to be able to do as well:

• Blower door test for identifying areas of air leakage

• Room-by-room airflow testing to determine how much air the system (and the ductwork) need to deliver throughout the home

• Ductwork design to ensure the ducts are the right size and length to move air effectively

• Combustion safety testing to ensure your furnace and other gas appliances don't leak carbon monoxide into the home

• Ventilation analysis to determine whether the home receives enough fresh air (and whether the "fresh" air comes from clean, filtered sources)

Not all HVAC installations require these kinds of tests, but many do. Ask whether the contractor knows how to perform these types of analyses. A contractor who understands HVAC design is far more likely to install a system that meets your comfort goals.

4. Overview of code deficiencies

Building codes change often, and your home doesn't have to be old to be code-deficient in some way or another.

Your consultant should perform a visual analysis of your current HVAC system, including an inspection of ancillary components. Think gas line fittings, the vent pipe, electrical connections, and so forth.

Afterward, he or she should be able to tell you what isn't up to code right now but will be brought up to code following the new installation.

To be clear, this is a basic overview based on visual inspection. Additional code deficiencies may be revealed during the pre-installation or installation process.

5. Ductwork overview

During an initial HVAC consultation, there's no way to know the specific sizes or lengths of ductwork you need. However, your consultant can and should inspect your ductwork to get a sense of things like:

• Whether your ducts generally appear to be the right size

• Plenum box sizes and positions

• Flex duct quality:Are they bent, kinked or sagging?

• Mastic sealing or taping at junctions (or lack of sealant or tape)

• An estimate of how much airflow (CFM) your system needs

This analysis helps the consultant understand how your ducts may be contributing to comfort problems or making your current system operate less efficiently than it should. While you should expect a more rigorous analysis during the pre-installation process, an HVAC consultant can get a basic sense of your ductwork situation by visual inspection alone.

6. Basic technical overview

Upon further inspection, your consultant should check whether your current system meets basic operational requirements. Examples include:

• Refrigerant line set size

• Clearance of the outdoor unit

• Drainage design for the air conditioner

A simple visual analysis (and possibly a few measurements) will show the consultant whether your current HVAC setup requires some adjustments. This is something you'll want to know whether or not you ultimately purchase a new system from the contractor!

7. Variety of budget-friendly system types and efficiencies

When the contractor presents you with replacement options for your current system, he or she should be able to show you:

• Different system types (single-speed, two-speed, variable speed)

• Different system efficiencies (SEER ratings and AFUE percentages)

• Different price ranges for new equipment

• Different financing options or rebate offers

There's a lot of choice in HVAC today, so you shouldn't expect a contractor to limit you to one or two different types of systems! The options presented should be tied to the analysis the consultant performed. In other words, the consultant should be showing you equipment options (and possibly ancillary HVAC services) that will help you solve your unique comfort problems!

That's a lot to expect from an HVAC consultation. But it's what you should expect.

When a consultant fails to deliver on any of the above expectations, keep looking. You'll eventually find an HVAC contractor who cares about providing the right equipment and services for your home.

At PV, we always provide this level of rigor and attention during our HVAC consultations at Atlanta area homes.

Our consultants check every box listed above. We don't do things this way because it's cheap or easy. (It's neither). We do it because we want our clients to be comfortable; we want their systems to last as long as possible; and we want to do work we can be proud of.

The way we see it, you should expect nothing less.