Q: My home has central air and heat. The A/C unit is outside
behind the house and the heater is in the attic. The system shutoff
a few days ago. I checked the breakers-fine. I checked to make sure
the unit had power-OK. I put a new thermostat on-no go. What am
I overlooking? I can do the work myself if I only knew what to look
for and replace. It is getting very cold here and the baby isn't
too happy at night. The home is four years old. Any suggestions?
A: It sounds like you have done about all you can as a homeowner
and you probably need to call a pro to troubleshoot and repair it
for you.
I understand a homeowner's frustration with calling professionals
because their time seems so expensive, especially when they can
fix something within a few minutes but still charge at least a one
hour minimum.
However, it is important to understand that you are paying for their
professional expertise, including years of experience, training
and special tools that allow them to diagnose and fix problems quickly,
as well as the cost of being in business. Someone with less experience
(like a general handyman) could spend hours ruling out possible
problems or running to the hardware store buying parts to try this
or that. At some point, hiring a knowledgeable professional who
will warranty his/her work is the most efficient, economical, sensible
choice.
I suggest you call a few heating and air conditioning companies,
explain your problem and your attempts to fix it yourself, and see
if they can give you some ideas to try, or estimate what it would
probably cost to hire them. Most companies don't give free estimates
for service calls and will charge you if they come out and you don't
hire them to do the work.
However, if you do some comparison shopping over the phone to determine
their minimum fees, hourly rates, schedules, warranties, etc., you
should be able to avoid any extra service or trip charges by choosing
one company to come do everything for you in one trip.
To locate reliable heating and air conditioning specialists to contact,
please visit our site at: http://www.servicemagic.com., select the
type of heating system you have so we can refer you to the ideal
service professional in your area.
Good luck!
Kathy Maynard
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