With the internet offering a seemingly endless range of answers for your home repair questions, you may be tempted to address HVAC problems yourself. While you can likely find a helpful guide or how-to video for nearly any issue you face in your home, a how-to strategy isn’t the best approach to your heating and cooling needs. Many serious hazards, such as exposure to dangerous chemicals and system malfunctions, can be the causes of DIY HVAC repairs. Consider these dangers carefully before committing to a DIY job for your Lebanon, Tennessee, home.
Safety Hazards
Repairing HVAC equipment can be a complex process. You’ll find sharp parts, small components, hazardous chemicals, and well-concealed pieces that are difficult to work with if you don’t have the right tools and training.
DIY videos simply aren’t sufficient enough to teach you how to properly install, repair, or maintain your HVAC system. Every unit is unique, and the model used in a particular tutorial may be dramatically different from the air conditioner or furnace at your home. Individual installations can be different as well, depending on the architecture of your house.
Voided Warranties
If your HVAC system or parts are under warranty, you’ll find that the warranty typically stipulates the type of care and maintenance you must get to keep this warranty in effect. Annual maintenance visits are a common requirement. Performing a DIY repair or installation will nearly always void your warranty. By attempting these jobs yourself, you could forfeit your opportunity to get maintenance and repair covered in the future with your protection plan.
Violations of the Law
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has laws specifying the proper care and maintenance of any system containing refrigerant. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, these laws will apply to systems using substitute refrigerants as well. Since these chemicals can pose a serious hazard to the environment, they need to receive proper handling from a knowledgeable professional.
Servicing the system yourself isn’t an option unless you’re an HVAC technician. Working with refrigerant is a dangerous prospect and is therefore sanctioned by law. You may be subject to fines and other punishments if you ignore this law.
Greater Expenses
Doing HVAC system repairs yourself isn’t necessarily cheaper, although cost is the justification that many people use for attempting these types of DIY jobs. In many cases, you’ll discover that the job requires specialized tools that you don’t have on hand. You’ll have to add the purchase price of these tools to the total cost of your repair. You may also have to pay more for parts when you purchase them yourself rather than through our HVAC professionals.
While you do have to pay for the cost of labor when you hire a professional repair technician, you want to consider the value of your own labor as well. A job that may take a professional about an hour could leave you laboring all day when you could otherwise be engaged in another pursuit. Once you’ve calculated all these expenses, you may find that a professional job is far more affordable than you thought.
Long-Term Problems
Short-term repairs that aren’t performed properly will often lead to long-term problems with your HVAC system. Even something as seemingly minor as improper calibration can cause serious damage to your system when it’s left unchecked.
An improperly completed DIY job for a minor issue may ultimately lead to a major and costly professional repair for a bigger problem. You need to get the job done right the first time so that you’ll get the effectiveness and efficiency that you need from your system right away and avoid any unnecessary visits in the future.
If you need a cooling or heating repair for your home’s HVAC system, you should always contact a professional rather than attempt a DIY job. We’ll make sure you get a quick and reliable repair. Contact Bentley’s Air Conditioning at (615) 754-2665 to make your appointment now.
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