Are you building a new home? That’s exciting! There are lots of fun aspects of building a home, as you probably know. Some of the less-glamorous aspects of building, however, are things like where outlets are placed and which HVAC unit is appropriate for your square footage and climate. While these things are necessarily as fun to think about as your landscaping, remember that your HVAC unit will be your biggest consumer of energy and electricity on the entire property.
You may be surprised to learn that the main reason we are called out to a new construction home to service an HVAC unit is not due to the unit itself. These initial calls are usually due to the improper installation of the system. Any time you are installing something for the first time, there is room for error, and when the deadlines of building a new home are looming on the horizon, certain aspects of the installation process can be rushed or done improperly. This is unfortunate, because you want everything to work well as soon as you move in. If this is not the case, however, just give us a call and we will send a service technician out to diagnose your issue. If improper installation is the issue, we will see that and get you quoted accordingly, often under warranty!
There are several types of warranty on your HVAC unit. The parts warranty covers the actual components of the unit itself, while the labor warranty covers the work performed by the installation technicians. These labor warranties are generally very short, which makes it imperative to report any issues as soon as possible. If the issue can be corrected by the same team that installed the system, and it can be done under warranty, then we would suggest you try that route first as long as you trust them. If you like, once they have finished correcting any installation issues, we are happy to come out and give it an inspection as well.
Install teams are made up of humans, and all humans make mistakes sometimes, so if you find yourself with an issue due to improper installation, try to have grace at least once and trust that the company will make it right for you. Moving forward, be sure to trust your work and seasonal maintenance agreements to a company that has multiple checks and balances for each installation and inspection. These checks and balances are our standard practice because something were to ever be missed, there are many more levels of quality assurance before the team lead signs off on the work.
Signs You Might Need to Have Your Unit Checked Out
If you notice any of the following issues, please give us a call. These are indicators of sometimes serious issues.
Has your HVAC unit required maintenance or repair multiple times in the last three years? Beyond easily-replaceable parts wearing out, things like repeated system failures or control board issues can be a sign that something is seriously wrong with your unit. Additionally, if the same part continues to break, it could be a signal that something in the protocol is causing it to fail. Somewhere in the order of operations, a repeated error can cause one component to consistently fail. It may look like that component is the issue, but if you move one or two steps backward in the life cycle of your unit, it may be pointing to a bigger issue happening a few steps back.
Is your home not reaching a temperature and humidity level that is comfortable and suitable for you as the homeowner? This is, after all, your space. You are the one who will decide what temperatures to tolerate, and what atmosphere is pleasing to live in. If your system cannot maintain that level of comfort for you, no matter what a technician tries, this may also signal a bigger issue. Sometimes, the issue is that the unit is simply the wrong size for your home. When building a new home, a homeowner may receive a recommendation for a certain unit, only to find out that unit is on backorder and months from shipping. Faced with a lead time that would delay moving into their home, many contractors or homeowners choose a unit that is not properly sized for the square footage of their home.
Don’t Miss This Important Step!
This is your friendly reminder to register your HVAC system online. Registering your unit can be crucial to keeping your warranty active. It is unusual for a contractor to do this step for you, as they have other projects to get to. This means that it is your responsibility to register your equipment if you want the parts to be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
