Finding a Plumbing Contractor or an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) Contractor that you can trust.

Finding a Plumbing Contractor or an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) Contractor that you can trust has never been an easy order. There are many options out there but evaluating the right ones is difficult. The barrier to entry for folks to start their own company has been increasingly easier which sometimes means the person you are about to deal with may not be as qualified as you would hope. You consult google reviews and of course they all say they are great (what they don’t say is that they are family members and friends). They seem trustworthy and they sound like they are credible. But are they?

So in today’s world of cooked reviews and youtube professionals we decided to put together a short list of things to discuss with your potential Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning contractor.

1. How long have they been in business. Experience can only come with time and nothing else. Training and certifications are great but there are many situations where having a Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning contractor that has been in the business for years is going to save time and money. Talking a good game is one thing but nothing beats learning your craft slowly over time and being put in every situation possible. When someone with years of experience shows up they are going to be in a better position to quickly handle your problems. Also, do you really want someone learning on your dime?
2. What do their clients say? There is no reason why you cannot ask for references and perhaps even specify: not family or friends. Find out who they have worked with, what types of jobs, have they done this specific work before and how many times? Do you want to be the 3rd client they have installed a furnace for or the 30th? It does not have to be confrontational, you are just doing your due diligence to find the right company for your situation. No professional company will be upset with a few questions to ascertain if they are the right company.
3. Are they a dealer for the brand they are working on or about to install? This is more specific to HVAC but can also apply to plumbing. Dealers are able to get better deals on pricing and are typically put through specialized training that allows them to know the products better than non-dealers. Now if you add that they have been dealers of this product for years we are now adding experience and things are looking a whole lot better.
4. Are they familiar with any warranties available for these products? A reputable installer will know and be familiar with available warranties. They will be able to walk you through the process of setting up the warranty or even better, do it for you. As warranties are often available on new installs (like our York Furnaces), be sure to ask. This may save you a lot of money later on should anything happen. 
5. Is this their job or a side hustle? One of our current clients that we have installed a York furnace for, a tankless hot water heater, and do ongoing maintenance for shared a horror story with us recently about formerly using “a friend” that works a full time job and does HVAC on the side. We won’t bore you with all the gory details, but needless to say it did not go well and in the end cost him thousands of dollars more than it should have and a lot of time and frustration. 

Moral of the story is that there are many contractors out there that while they may mean well, are not completely qualified to do the job. We hope this short list at the very least is helpful to you in evaluating them. Of course, we would love to chat with you about any needs you have, questions you want to ask, and we will certainly address all of your concerns. We hope to hear from you soon.