Thinking about a new unit?? LOW BID is not always the best!!

After personally installing a lot of new units I can tell you one fact of life in the HVAC field.  THE QUALITY OF THE INSTALL IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BRAND YOU CHOOSE.  I have seen top of the line Lennox equipment installed so poorly it runs worse than the lowest-end trash you could find anywhere.  Same on the flip-side. 

Phoenix is a hotbed of new installs and competition is fierce.  We experienced an unusually large hail storm in October 2010 that gave a mini-boom to the new install market.  Guys were running around tripping over each other to declare hail damage to your condenser coil and to serve up a new unit ASAP.  Now you can only imagine what a $10 per hour Craiglist ad for installers would do when it met this great demand.  Boom!! Leaky duct work, rooftop units not level etc....

Now, you may be thinking of getting a new unit or units.  There are many reasons, the price of R-22 freon is blasting higher (see blog entry below), your unit is more than 15 years old with a major repair on it (compressor, indoor/outdoor coil, etc), or maybe you just want to cash in on rebates. Great, where to start???

Get bids.....I know it takes time but get referrals, call around, call me, anything but get as many as you can stand.  Do you need financing or can you pay cash?  Cash is king in the new unit business.  Can you buy the unit during the off-season???  July is super busy for everyone and you will get in line and pay a premium but January is dead as a doornail in Phoenix...  Is your unit going to be an easy install?  It makes a huge difference to us, when looking at a job, as to where the existing unit is and how easy it is to access it.  You can remind your bidders of this fact when they show up.  Call me or send me some pics and I can help you out with this..

Beware of low bids and bids over the phone.  You will find most bids within a range of $1000 to $1500 dollars.  If you get a ridiculously low bid, be careful and ask some more questions, there is a reason why.  Check out all bidders license info against the Registrar of Contractors in your state and BBB for open complaints and ratings.  Ask for references on their new installs and call the references to see how they like their new unit.Yelp and most rating sites are so corrupted now, who knows...

We never, ever, bid over the phone.  There are just too many variables we can't account for out there and must see the job in person to be fair to everyone involved.  When you decide on who to go with, both of you should sign the bid making it a contract.  Don't be afraid to ask for some freebies, a touchscreen thermostat, etc.  You are still the customer.

Last but not least is the warranty.  I am not too concerned with labor warranty and at least 2 years should be standard but getting a unit that has a 10 year warranty on parts and the compressor is great insurance in case anything goes wrong with the unit.  Many new units offer lifetime compressor warranties.  Good luck out there and let me know if you have any questions.  I can be reached at my website http://www.thermal-medics.com/.  Last note, some big-box retailers offer displays on new A/C units.  These companies are not always good.  They piggyback on the name of the store but, at least in Phoenix, are way overpriced and do terrible work with tons of complaints.  Just do your research, don't assume they are endorsed by the store and have a clue.....