With the summer heat coming up, you’re thinking that your old air conditioning system may not make it to fall. Or it will make it through the season, but it will cost you far too much to run than is worth it. You’re ready for a new air conditioning installation in Portland, OR, or the greater Portland area. How do you start? You have a few basic options:
- Purchase the air conditioner yourself and install it as a DIY project.
- Purchase the air conditioner yourself and have an amateur install it.
- Leave all of it to certified HVAC professionals.
The first and second options will lead to serious troubles. The chance of getting everything just right so you have a great long-term performance from the new system is almost nil. You may think you’ll save money, but the true costs will be far higher—starting with inferior comfort and ending with needing to replace the system years too early.
Don’t attempt to buy the AC yourself
We will start with this basic error to explain why you only want HVAC professionals to handle the service from start to finish. Air conditioners aren’t plug-in-play appliances that are all basically the same. An air conditioner needs to be carefully selected and matched to a home in order to work right. This process is called sizing because it determines how powerful the AC needs to be to deliver comfort without energy waste. An AC that is either oversized or undersized will fail. An undersized AC won’t keep the house cool, and an oversized one will suck up too much energy and wear down from constantly stopping and starting. Professional sizing takes into account numerous factors about the home so the technicians can find the ideal-sized AC.
Non-licensed work is extremely risky
If you don’t have any background in HVAC, you won’t be able to properly install a central air conditioning system. Not only is the work too complex and requires specialized tools, but it also requires handling refrigerant, which is dangerous without training.
But you can’t trust the job to a non-licensed “technician” who makes big promises about getting the job done as well as anybody else. Anyone without an HVAC contractor’s license is an amateur, regardless of what they say. You risk poor quality work if you hire an amateur, but there’s another concern: lack of insurance. If a non-licensed worker damages your house or suffers in injury during the job, you may be liable!
Not all professionals are equal
Finally, even a licensed HVAC technician may provide you with subpar service. Plenty of HVAC contractors will simply tear out an old air conditioner and put in a new one, then call it a day. We don’t operate that way. We arrange for a consultation with you; a chance to sit down and look at your options. We want to understand your needs and the needs of your house. We have the confidence in performing the work correctly to back up our installs with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Connecting People to Comfort! Call Clawson Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule an air conditioning replacement in the greater Portland area.