It’s once again that time of year when replacing your air conditioner becomes more and more a reality for many Lowcountry homeowners.
Temperatures in South Carolina become unbearable and the humidity levels go beyond balmy.
That means your HVAC system is going to be working overtime to help you and your family escape that outdoor heat and humidity. The extra load on your HVAC system could cause it to develop issues and you could be in for a slightly warmer summer than you’d probably prefer in Charleston.
When you do end up replacing your air conditioning, whether that be from a total breakdown or poor performance due to age, the last thing you want to worry about is something immediately breaking down.
A brand new system shouldn’t give you much cause for concern, but in case something does happen you’ll want to make sure you get the best warranty possible to cover any more expenses that may come with repairs and/or replacements.
Typical HVAC Warranty Types
Like any new equipment right off of the assembly line, heating and air conditioning products will almost always come with some sort of base warranty. These basic warranties are very limited (in fact most are called “base limited warranties”), in that they will only cover a short time period and are limited only to manufacturer’s parts defect (more on this below).
The next level of warranty typically comes in the form of a registered warranty. These, too, are “limited” and your product has to be registered with the manufacturer within a certain time period to qualify for any extended warranty coverage.
What Most Warranties Don’t Cover
While opting for either the base or registered warranty type helps keep you covered within a certain time range, as mentioned above, these will only cover the cost of the manufacturer’s defective parts. You will still need a professional HVAC company to come and replace those parts, so you’ll have to pay for the labor involved with performing the replacement.
On top of this, if the issue happens to be caused by a poor installation (or by an unlicensed company in some cases), you’ll be out of luck on both parts and labor — which may mean the worst-case scenario: replacing your replacement air conditioning.
Choose A Licensed, Manufacturer-Trained HVAC Company To Get The Best Warranty
Most manufacturers want to offer the best warranty possible for their products, so to help ensure this they offer product-specific installation and service training to their local HVAC companies.
This training helps eliminate any issues resulting from poor installation practices and keeps your warranty for defective parts fully intact.
On top of keeping yourself covered from installation issues, manufacturer-trained HVAC companies have the ability to offer you extended warranties that can include not only more coverage on parts, but can also include labor as well.
We hope you never need to worry about using your warranty, but in case you do be sure to get the best one possible — it will help you save time & money and help avoid any long, hot summer days this year.
It is imperative that each zone be tested for airflow performance throughout the structure if the consumer wants to keep energy costs to a minimum. In some cases a bypass duct will have to be installed to keep the static pressure in the ducts low when only small zones are operating. The best option when installing a bypass duct is to implement an external static pressure bypass damper.