It’s not hyperbole to say that you need an air conditioner during the summer months. Heat can exacerbate allergies, respiratory issues, sinus problems and limit your mobility. Hot environments are hazardous for the elderly.
Older people have more difficulty adjusting their body’s temperature, which may lead to heatstroke.
Even ignoring the potential health complications, living without air conditioning can be plain uncomfortable in hot, dry, and humid environments.
All these reasons are why it’s essential to keep up with your air conditioner’s maintenance. However, you probably shouldn’t be the one to do this.
You’re better off hiring an air conditioning contractor to keep up with the demands of your cooling unit.
Unless you’re a DIYer with plenty of experience in HVAC repairs and upkeep, you’re likely not going to understand the intricacies of your AC.
An AC contractor will handle any work that needs to get done in a professional and timely manner.
There are plenty of reasons you should hire out air conditioner repair to a contractor – here’s the list that explains why in detail.
You Can Save Money
DIY isn’t always the cheapest option available to you. Do-it-yourself can save you money, but only if you know what you’re doing. There’s also the matter of being able to cheaply and easily source parts for your project.
You need to know the cause of whatever’s causing the problem you’re trying to repair. Otherwise, the entire task can become incredibly time-consuming at best and time-wasting at worst.
You’ll also run the risk of damaging your AC if you don’t know how it works. Attempts to figure out the problem may make the underlying problem worse.
Seeking out professional help will drastically lower the amount of wasted time and additional repairs needed.
Repairs Only Need to Be Done Once
Speaking of reducing additional repairs, a professional will figure out the problem the first time around. Their job is to make you happy, and the best way to do that is to fix your AC.
HVAC contractors will get the job done because they have the training and experience to quickly decipher what’s wrong with the air conditioning unit.
A professional won’t need to fiddle around with the unit to find out the issue. Diagnosis of your AC will be speedy and with little to no problems.
Your AC System Will Be Properly Sized and Measured
Size is an important factor when installing an air conditioner. Every unit has a maximum capacity that specifies how large a space it can cool.
You have to consider your air conditioner’s “cooling level” before putting it in your home or office. The air ducts and the AC also have to be compatible with each other.
Ductwork and air conditioners aren’t interchangeable. Some ACs don’t fit with specific duct systems, and this is why you need an experienced contractor’s opinion.
An expert can tell you how well your AC can cool a particular area and if it’s compatible with your ducts.
An Air Conditioning Contractor Can Provide Helpful Advice
A pro tip is to ask people that know what they’re doing if you want helpful advice. When you call someone out to look at your AC, they will service your unit and give you other care and maintenance tips.
A Well Maintained AC Saves Money
A fully functional air conditioner can save you up to 40 percent on your electric bill and 30 percent on your energy usage. An improperly working AC uses more energy to push air into its surroundings, consuming more electricity.
Energy conservation and costs are also why you need to update your air conditioner if it’s an older model. Older ACs aren’t as energy-efficient and consume more power than newer models.
DIY Repair Can Be Dangerous
You can be seriously injured trying to fix an air conditioner unit yourself. There are various sensitive electrical parts inside ACs, and they can shock you if you mishandle them.
You have to know what you’re doing when working with electrical parts. Getting electrocuted can be fatal, and the average person may not know enough to avoid being hurt or worse.
AC repair can be a fire hazard as well. If you wire something incorrectly, you could cause a fire and put you and your loved ones at risk.
A contractor will also likely have insurance to cover any injuries they may receive while repairing your unit.
Never attempt to repair electrical devices without the correct knowledge. Always call a professional air conditioning contractor to look over and repair your AC.
You Could Permanently Damage Your AC
Having basic DIY skills and an hour of looking up how to repair air conditioners doesn’t equal actual knowledge and experience. HVAC systems are complicated pieces of machinery and delivery systems.
An unknowledgeable hand can make preexisting issues worse than if they’d left the AC alone. Licensed contractors are the best people to efficiently figure out what’s going on with a broken unit.
DIY Repair May Void the Warranty
Many electronic device warranties specify that improper maintenance, mismanagement, and significant alteration can void them.
Warranty voiding is a problem because it ruins your chances of having your air conditioner repaired for free. Consider leaving repairs up to maintenance specialists.
Manufactures warranties can help repair or replace damaged or non-functioning air conditioners. At the very least, hiring an HVAC contractor can save money thanks to them quickly completing the job.
Professionals Will Ensure Your AC Works
A licensed repairer’s job doesn’t end after they’ve installed your air conditioning system. They’ll make sure that everything functions as it’s supposed to also.
Think of it as the contractor performing a systems check so that they -and you – know all the ACs parts are running. An air conditioner contractor has all the tools at their disposal to do maintenance.
Not only do you likely lack the know-how to perform these systems checks, but you won’t have all the proper tools either.
Well-Maintained Air Conditioners Are Healthier
Air conditioners in good condition have safety features that make keep you from harm. The filters need cleaning every month to keep out contaminants like dust mites and allergens.
Clean filters also keep fire hazards and carbon monoxide risks from accumulating inside the AC. There’s also the matter of maintaining the dehumidifier, so it doesn’t build up mold.
A certified technician can do all of these things safely and without much difficulty. As stated above, contractors will have the right tools for the job and training to service ACs safely.
Your Home Will Be Better Ventilated
Humidity can aggravate asthma. Coughing, wheezing, and chest tightening are all signs of exacerbated asthma symptoms. The AC humidifier’s job is to remove extra moisture from the air.
If there’s less moisture, your home or office will have cool, clean, easily breathable air. The environment will be overall healthier.
You Can Get Better Sleep
Air conditioners with proper maintenance blow colder air, and colder air means better sleep. Human bodies get more restful sleep in the cold.
Sleeping in chilly temperatures helps combat insomnia and boost melatonin and HGH. Melatonin regulates the wake/sleep cycle. It puts you in a state that makes you more susceptible to sleep.
The pituitary gland produces HGH (human growth hormone) during sleep. HGH promotes cellular growth and keeps your mind sharp.
Properly Serviced ACs Last Longer
A lot goes into making sure that an air conditioner works like it’s supposed to. Seals, bolts, electrical capacity, and clearance need careful consideration when installing and maintaining an AC.
It doesn’t take much skill to screw a bolt. However, it does take considerable skill to size ductwork and determine if your electrical system can handle your AC unit.
Efficiency should be the goal when servicing any HVAC system. The better everything works, the less effort the AC will take to run. If your air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to operate, it’ll last longer.
An Expert Can Seal the Ducts
Because the ducts are how the air moves throughout homes and commercial buildings, they need sealing. Unsealed air ducts are like a leaky cup, you might keep some water in the cup, but it’ll never be at full capacity.
Unsealed air ducts waste air and limit the amount that’s circulated in a given area. Your AC system will begin to lose energy, and the efficiency is compromised.
The longer the issue is left unaddressed, the closer your system comes to shutting down entirely.
Open ducts can also introduce contaminants that can cause funguses and mold to grow. The ductwork will begin to spread a bad smell everywhere and seriously affect your health.
HVAC Contractors Offer Scheduled Maintainance
There’s a service called preventive maintenance, and it does as the name implies. Regularly scheduled maintenance can keep your AC from breaking down.
You can talk with a contractor about what kind of maintenance plan you can establish to keep your air conditioner in excellent shape.
These AC “doctor’s visits” may involve tuning up the unit so that it works at full capacity during the hottest months of the year.
Refrigerant Levels Can Be Tricky
Air conditioner refrigerant is a chemical inside your unit that absorbs heat from the air. The substance runs through evaporators and compressors to suck heat from the surroundings.
All ACs don’t use the same kind of refrigerant. One type of refrigerant is R-22, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HFCF). HFCFs contain hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine, and carbon.
R-410A is another type of refrigerant; it’s a hydrofluorocarbon or HFC. You can tell which one of these refrigerants your AC unit uses by checking the sticker on the evaporator or compressor.
Better yet, leave it an air conditioner contractor. If you use the wrong refrigerant, you may damage your AC. If the refrigerant levels don’t stay at a certain level, your unit will waste energy trying to run.
Checking and replacing refrigerants is another job where know-how and the right tools are a requirement.
An Expert Will Be Licenced
Licencing has been mentioned in this list a few times already. A license, in this instance, gives an individual permission to fix, replace, maintain, and otherwise advise you about air conditioners.
The reason licensing is so important is that someone with this permission will have the required skills and experience to work on your AC unit without you needing to worry if the job is getting done correctly.
If you want to ensure that your contractor is licensed, ask for their license number and confirm it with the Maryland license board. You can use this license checker, too, if you’d prefer.
Licenced Contractors Likely Have Insurance
The list mentioned insurance earlier as well, but why is it imperative that a contractor have it? Well, the insurance is partially for your benefit. The point of contractor’s insurance is to cover medical costs while on the job.
Even though you hired professional help, it doesn’t mean that things can’t go wrong. In some instances, you may be held responsible liable if a worker is injured while working on your AC unit.
Hospital fees can be expensive, and injuries can put workers out of commission for a long time. That’s why your contractor must have some form of insurance. It’s also why you outsource to a professional.
The uninsured guy down the street can hold you accountable for medical fees and lost wages. But you can avoid that with an insured contractor. You should make sure your contracted help has insurance before hiring them.
On the Prowl for A Baltimore Contractor?
The goal of this list was to provide you with reasons you should hire an air conditioning contractor.
Now that you know why you should hire one, you should know where to find them. Well, that’s an easy answer.
Rowbel Services has a team made of some of the most professional and experienced HVAC and electrical contractors in the state of Maryland.
Contact us here for any issues you’re having. We’ll be ready, day or night. You can trust that we’ll handle whatever problem you can throw at us.