What To Consider When Purchasing a New HVAC System

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As the weather warms up, you might be coming to the realization that you need a new HVAC system. The most important day in your system’s life is the day that it’s installed (not the day that it was manufactured). If installed correctly, the system is likely to operate efficiently and have a long life. If not installed correctly, that’s when the problems start to creep in. The most critical thing you have to think about as a homeowner isn’t the brand or efficiency rating of a new HVAC system—it’s who’s going to be installing it.

We strongly recommend that you pay attention to the quality of the company, the caliber of the service technicians, and the training they undergo to make sure they do the job right every time. Remember, the quality of installation is the most important thing you need to consider. It’s critical that the installer pays attention to the manufacturer’s specs for airflow. They should also be following all codes for safety. If you assumed that every contractor pulls permits and installs the system to code, you’d be sadly mistaken.

Another way that you can separate the good installers from the bad ones is by finding out if they’ve committed to purchasing the proper tools. At Boulden Brothers, we use all electronic gauges. When we’re putting the refrigerant charge in for the first time, we know that we’re using the absolute best tools on the market to make sure we’re doing it correctly. Companies that still use manual gauges can’t get close to the proper charge, especially at times of the year when it’s cold outside. Tools like electronic gauges are expensive, so not every company is willing to make the investment.

What Happens When You Contact Boulden Brothers?

The first thing we do is set an appointment for a project specialist to go out to your home. They will engineer the job to make sure that the type of system you want is an ideal choice for your home. Importantly, we perform an engineering load analysis where we determine the heat loss and heat gain for your home to make sure that the system we’re installing is the proper size. (Not all contractors do this.)

First, we perform the calculation by looking at things we know for sure: the size of the windows, the number of doors, and the direction that each wall of the house faces. Since we can’t always see the insulation, we have to make an estimate. We also look at whether the house is on a slab, crawlspace, or attic. It’s a fairly long list of items we pay attention to in order to come to a decision. Once we gather all the data, we enter it into a computer or manual calculation sheet. It will tell us the size of the system that’s ideal for your home.

gas furnaceWhen it comes to most things, people tend to think that bigger is better. That’s not the case for HVAC. You’re not going to get the maximum comfort unless your system is properly sized. On the other side of the coin, if the system is too small, it will not have the capability to heat or cool your house when the weather reaches extremes.

Then we’ll look at the ideal size of the system in combination with your house’s engineering. Maybe your house can accommodate a high-efficiency furnace, standard efficiency furnace, or heat pump. In terms of efficiency, you can go from the government-mandated minimum up to almost double, depending on the size of the system. You’ll have to decide what’s most important: operating cost, initial investment, or even the highest efficiency regardless of the payback. Everyone has a different motivation when it comes to deciding the efficiency that they prefer in an HVAC system.

There are usually four or five options that could work in a client’s home. It’s confusing if you’re presented with so many options, so part of the process we take is to narrow down the choices by getting an idea of what’s most important to you.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to a new HVAC system. We’ll be there for you every step of the way. If you want to get your system installed properly, give Boulden Brothers a call or contact us online. You’ll be sure that your new system is in good hands on its most important day.

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