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How to Find a Reliable Heating Repair Technician
It can be perplexing to look for a trustworthy furnace service technician, especially when you’re already in the middle of the winter season.
You may feel tempted to hire the first company that can schedule a repair to get quick relief from the blistering cold. However, this can turn out to be huge mistake.
Amidst the freezing weather and a broken furnace, the last thing you want is an unprofessional technician trying to sell you nonessential products and services.
It’s super important that you choose a proven and reliable heating repair company that has technicians who are capable of providing the services you need.
But with a plethora of residential heating and air conditioning companies out there, how can you ensure that you pick the right one? Here are a few tips to help you choose wisely.
1. Get Recommendations
The best way to find a reliable contractor is to seek recommendations from the people you already trust – family and friends who live in your neighborhood. Ask them who they turn to when they need heating repair services, and why they choose to approach them. This will give you a good idea of the pricing structure, standard of work, and professionalism of their technician.
Needless to say, your near and dear ones will give you nothing less than their honest opinion of the heating repairtechnician. Once you get their recommendations, you can begin narrowing down your options and making enquiries.
2. Do Your Own Research
While getting recommendations from your close ones does help, you should also do your own research and find out more about the furnace services companies you’ve shortlisted. You can check various online resources to find out what you need to know about them. This is helpful because some companies may have revised their fees or downsized or even gone out of business recently.
Start by visiting the website of each of these companies. You’re likely to find the most updated information here. Check out their services and associated fees, hours of operation, customer testimonials and reviews, work culture and processes, and so on. Look for promotional offers they may be running to help you save on heating repair costs.
You can even check out third-party review platforms and social media handles of each contractor to know what people are saying about them. Make notes and compare them to further narrow down your list.
3. Find out about Their Experience
You should always go for a heating repair service that has an established name and presence in this business, and is experienced in their craft. This does not mean that new companies aren’t trustworthy, but they’ll definitely lack the level of expertise that experienced companies offer.
Hiring an experienced technician will not only guarantee a job well done, you will also be able to rest easy knowing that your heating system is in good hands. You will feel confident in your choice and your mind will be at peace. Now that’s priceless!
4. Check the Services They Provide
Another aspect you need to look into is the different types of services your potential heating repair company provides. Their technicians should be skilled enough to provide a gamut of related services such as furnace tune-ups, inspections, maintenance, cleanings, and so on.
These services may seem basic, but they’ll help you avoid and prevent sudden breakdowns and repairs in the thick of winter since they’ll have been identified and dealt with in advance.
Further, hire technicians who provide 24/7 emergency repair services. After all, you don’t want to be woken up by your broken furnace in the dead of a freezing night and wait until morning for having it fixed.
5. Ensure They’re Licensed and Insured
Make sure the heating repair technician you hire is licensed, certified, and insured. Checking for licensing is as straightforward as looking up the company’s website, business cards, and even their truck. You can also visit their office and make enquiries.
Based on the state you live in, your furnace services technician might need to be armed with additional certifications. To know about them, you can consult your local state authorities.
Further, in several households, the heating system is interconnected with the plumbing system, which necessitates that your contractor has a plumbing license too. Hence, before you hire a heating repair technician, ask them about the licenses they maintain.
You should also check for proof of insurance. Remember, a furnace malfunction can put you and your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. A dependable heating repair company will carry general liability and workers’ compensation insurance to protect you and their technicians. The lack of insurance can mean injury and legal issues in the future. So, steer clear of any contractor that isn’t adequately insured.
6. Ask Plenty of Questions
To make the most of your consultation with furnace services technicians, make a list of all the questions on your mind. Their answers will help you plug all the gaps left open during your research.
You may, for instance, want to know about the experience and certifications of the technician who will carry out heating repairs in your home. Or you might want to ask about how exactly they plan to examine and fix your specific heating situation.
Even if you don’t understand your heating system, you should ask questions about the issues you’re facing and discuss the possible solutions. This will help you gauge the technician’s knowledge and ability. It might also teach you a thing or two about properly maintaining your unit and improving its performance.
7. Discuss Parts and Components
Sometimes, heating systems need a specific part from a certain brand to be repaired. The absence of this part may mean a complete replacement.
You don’t want to waste time repeating the process of finding another heating repair technician simply because the one you hired doesn’t have the required parts.
It is, therefore, recommended to work with a heating repair technician who is familiar with the kind of heating system you have. They should also be able to arrange for all the necessary parts and components to fix it.
While you will be required to pay for the parts, you certainly don’t want to end up playing middleman between an ill-equipped technician and suppliers. So, don’t forget to discuss this aspect.
8. Put Everything in Black and White
Make sure to put everything you and potential heating repair technicians discuss in writing. Ask for an official form or a checklist to be prepared after your consultation with them.
This document should have all the details pertaining to the services, price estimates, timelines, insurance, and other factors involved in the job. In other words, it should help you be in the know of all the terms and numbers when you compare proposals.
This way, you will also have something concrete to fall back on in case there is an upcharge or another payment-related discrepancy. You will have undeniable proof in case you’re forced to dispute your final bill.
While the likelihood of such a situation arising is next to nil, it is always better to have all your bases covered. Save all the documentation and receipts you receive from your heating repair technician even after the service is complete to be on the safe side.
Conclusion
Finding a dependable heating repair technician can be tricky. But by being careful, you can ensure you hire the right one. Before finalizing a heating repair company, make sure to do your research and find out about their services, prices, certifications, insurance, and so on. Check online platforms to see what previous and current customers are saying about them.
Also, don’t make the mistake of hiring an unlicensed technician. They lack licensure for a reason and may be prone to making mistakes such as forgetting to connect a gas pipe or wire.
Only an experienced and licensed heating repair technician will bring you peace of mind. Hopefully, the above-mentioned tips will help you land a technician you can trust.
At Perform Heating and Cooling, we offer comprehensive HVAC services such as furnace service, heating repair, new furnace installation, heating and cooling services, air conditioning service and repair, and more. We’re the HVAC team you can trust. Reach out to us on (801) 243-0191 or fill out our online form to book a service call.