Myth 1: Get your air conditioning technician on Craigslist.
The internet has provided us with a variety of choices to go to look for an A/C system service technician, but be careful because not all are created equal. While the Better Business Bureau shows you information on whether a contractor is accredited depending on their company history and practices, other websites are available to anyone who requests to post an ad. Case in point, Craigslist will let anyone post an ad providing their services, not requiring them to verify whether or not they’re really qualified, licensed and bonded, or have the correct training and knowledge.
If you decide on a company or individual without having the ability to verify their qualifications and expertise, it may end up costing you more ultimately. If the technician doesn’t have the knowledge to properly service your particular air conditioning system, you might end up needing another, more experienced contractor to fix their mistakes and it could end up costing you multiple Trip Charges.
Myth 2: Hiring a small business is better.
Working with small businesses can be good for some minor home services – it’s great for the local business, wonderful for the economy, and likely even good for your bank account. But proceed with caution: small companies or one-person companies could leave you holding the bag. If something bad happens, they may conveniently disappear and not be available to fix it, or they could not have the resources to get your issue resolved quickly, which is a problem if your air conditioner dies in the heat of the summer.
Budgeting a little bit more for a sizable, more reputable and reliable company can come with perks that help provide you with more peace of mind, including a one-year satisfaction guarantee, excellent 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 need them again.
Myth 3: It’s okay to use any type of refrigerant in your air conditioning system.
With the government stopping the making of R-22, many families are seeing the price of refilling their air conditioning system’s refrigerant going up. It may sound like a simple fix to just substitute a different and less expensive refrigerant, but if an air conditioning service technician recommends this, you probably want to get a second opinion.
Manufacturers identify the exact refrigerant the system is designed for, and prior to 2010, it was usually R-22. Regardless of the extreme reduction of the production of R-22, those air conditioners are still designed for it, and replacing R-22 with a different refrigerant may not only cause harm to your AC system, it could invalidate your warranty. A voided warranty could cost you hundreds or thousands more in future parts due to likely damage.
Myth 4: You don’t need routine air conditioning maintenance.
Most people who aren’t having trouble with their AC may believe they don’t really need annual maintenance. It’s working fine, so why waste the money on a tune-up, right? Don’t forget the fact that a yearly AC tune- up costs around $79 while repairs will set you back around $500. Additionally, most manufacturers demand yearly maintenance to maintain your warranty, so foregoing your annual tune-up could cause you to lose your warranty, resulting in a huge payout if your AC decides to breakdown on the hottest day of the summer.
Myth 5: Learning about the business isn’t valuable.
It’s crucial to make sure you do your due diligence before picking an air conditioning service contractor, especially if you feel a specific company is intimidating you. As we said in Myth #1, some domains don’t need a person to be qualified to place an ad for their services. It’s important to know their qualifications and history so you don’t end up paying for the same service again.
Online reviews, referrals from neighbors, and an a great accreditation grade with the Better Business Bureau will all help you to understand the type of business you will be offering your business to and help you choose if they are right for you. Yelp, Angie’s List, and Google+ are all good review sites to start your search. And, don’t be scared to ask for prior customer testimonials. You could have to invest your hard-earned money with your AC company, so invest the time and research to ensure they are the ideal company for you.
Myth 6: It costs you more to turn your thermostat up while you’re away from home.
Ultimately, it will actually cost you more to leave the thermostat at a cooler temperature all through the day than to increase it 10 degrees while you’re away. It usually will not require an exorbitant amount of additional energy to get your home comfortable once you enter, depending on your home.
A programmable thermostat permits the temperature to be adjusted from a tablet or phone so you can simply adjust the temperature lower before arriving home, so your home is cool and comfy when you arrive. This reduces your energy throughout the day, as well as lowering your cooling bills.
Myth 7: Continuously running ceiling fans will help lower the temperature in your home.
Fans help cool people, they don’t actually lower the temperature of the home by themselves. In fact, fans (similar to refrigerators) actually raise the temperature in your home. The motor that is causing your fan to run creates heat, which can push heat into the air in the home. A well-working ceiling fan does help level the temperature of a room and may contribute to cooling air by circulating, but if there isn’t a person under the fan to feel cool, all the fan is doing is wasting energy and money, especially if the AC is already running. So turn off ceiling fans when there is no one in the room and extra air circulation is not needed.
Myth 8: Where the thermostat is installed doesn’t matter.
Thermostats measure the temperature near it to determine whether it needs to start up the air conditioning system to cool the home. Placing a thermostat in the bedroom will only ensure that bedroom reaches the temperature that the thermostat is adjusted to. Once your bedroom is cooled, the air conditioner will turn off and the remaining floor or home may be quite a bit warmer. If the thermostat is put near a sunny window or an appliance, it may constantly think the temperature is much higher than the living area truly is and constantly run your AC, upping your cooling bills.
Myth 9: Excessively lowering your thermostat will help it cool more speedily.
Lowering your air excessively may only make your air conditioner work longer, it won’t get colder any faster. If your thermostat is set on 77, but you really want it to be 75, then set it on 75 and it will kick on until it gets to that temperature. Decreasing the thermostat to 73 won’t make it get to 75 any faster, and it will make your system run longer, costing you money and energy.
Myth 10: It’s fine to replace your air filter once a year.
Depending on the health issues for the residents of the home, and the kind of air filter you utilize for your air conditioning system, your air filter might need to be swapped out as often as every month. Failure to change the air filter often enough not only means for your AC to work harder and reduce efficiency, it could also irritate respiratory illnesses like common allergy symptoms.
Call Peachtree Service Experts today to inquire about your AC or to set-up your no-charge in-home consultation.