I work in the Heating and A/C services industry in Toronto - These are things that you should know (Also AMA) (self.toronto)submitted by DownsviewHello Fellow Torontonians, I work for a well established residential/commercial heating and cooling company of very good reputation in our fair city. In my time in the industry I have seen so many botched jobs and wrong installations that it is ridiculous how some of these companies are still in business. This is something that seems systemic and I think that at the root of it all is the fact that this trade is very scarcely regulated and ran by people who can only be described with one word: CROOKS. I believe that all of us, as customers, deserve better and are entitled to competent technicians, a professional installation/repair and a fair price. It is with this in mind that I have decided to put this together, and because I believe the problems that exist in this industry are worse and more pronounced in Toronto and the GTA than in the rest of southern Ontario (I am speaking only from what I know and I don't know much about how the business is run outside southern Ontario)

Alright, now for some (hopefully valuable) advice; - WHEN DEALING WITH REPAIR/SERVICE CALLS TO YOUR CENTRAL FURNACE OR A/C: Never, ever, ever, agree to pay for any service invoices that are not itemized. According to the Ontario consumer protection act of 2002, every invoice must be itemized to show exactly what the technician did or replaced and if there are any charges for hourly labour rate or any trip charges, all of these things need to be clearly outlined. This protects you from technicians overpricing and it also gives you valuable information that you might need in the future. During the off-peak seasons (basically whenever the weather is neither too cold nor too hot in spring and fall), a lot of technicians will try to overcharge you for anything. Many of the service technicians are 3rd party contractors and they get paid by the job so when the jobs are scarce, they will try to make money by trying to charge for everything they can, whether it's necessary or not.

Beware of this and question every single charge, if possible, observe the technicians closely while they do the repair and make sure that every part that they replace is new (this is easy to tell because new parts either come in a box or have a barcode tag attached to them)Bmw Mini Cooper Car Seat Covers When dealing with a unit that needs parts replaced and the parts are covered under the warranty, technicians are expected to call the manufacturer's technical support line and do some troubleshooting with them over the phone before they approve the replacement of a part - this is normal and it does not mean that the technician does not know what he is doing. Vacuum Cleaner Extension CordIf anything, beware of technicians that start replacing part after part without much consultation with either the manufacturer or the manual - this usually means that they're guessing and ultimately you'll end up paying in either labour charges or by your equipment not working the way it should.American Apparel Alphabet T-Shirt Uk

If you need a replacement part and you have the luxury of time, ask the technician for the part number of the part they say needs replacing (they have to give you this) and just look it up on amazon - this could save you hundreds of $$ depending on the part. Always ask to see (and take note of) the technician's TSSA gas licence if they're there to fix your furnace or their refrigeration licence if they're there to look at your A/C. - WHEN PURCHASING A NEW CENTRAL A/C AND/OR FURNACE: If possible, it is always a good idea to get an in-home consultation with a salesman. This way they will be able to answer any questions that may arise and also it will give a chance to the salesman to inspect the job site and make sure the job will be possible and will avoid any surprises on the installation day. Price shopping for the lowest offer is a good idea when buying clothes or groceries but not at all when dealing with central cooling or heating equipment. What you should know is that ALL the major manufacturers of central A/C's and furnaces (by this I mean units that require ductwork in your home - the following does not apply to older style systems like radiators and such) source most of the internal components and electronics of the units to the same group of 3rd party companies;

the only thing the big manufacturers actually make is usually the exterior of the units and the heat exchanger(s) or compressors, in the case of furnaces or A/C's respectively. Because of this, AC's and furnaces of the same or similar specifications tend to be basically the same across all brands and manufacturers. So the real price difference that can exist sometimes has to do with the quality of the installation and service that you're going to get. This is very important and spending a little bit more on a good company with experienced technicians will go a long way. The Ontario Power Authority now will give you a certain amount of money back if you purchase high-efficiency equipment that meets certain requirements. This makes it attractive to purchase high-efficiency units that will, in the end, be beneficial in terms of energy-cost savings - now a much needed commodity since natural gas prices went up by 40% this year. It is NEVER a good idea to get the most expensive, absolute top-of-the-line model of a particular brand of furnace or A/C.

I don't care if you're a big shot-caller that only demands the best and money is not an issue - this is not a good idea. Usually the higher end models are not too different from the mid-range models except they come packed full of nifty little features and electronics that are meant to make you "more comfortable" - whatever that means - but let's not forget a very basic principle of engineering: more mechanical and electronic parts only means that there are more things that can go wrong. To make matters worse, if anything should go wrong, most suppliers will obviously stock parts for the more common models rather than the higher end stuff so sometimes you end up having to wait longer for your higher-end, more expensive parts, to come from a warehouse somewhere in the middle of the US. Bottom line is, if you don't ever want to say "But I paid so much money for this Furnace (or A/C), why does it have so many problems / do I have to wait so long for it to be fixed?!?!?!?" then just be reasonable and get some mid-range equipment with less features but more readily accessible parts.

- REGARDING HEATING AND COOLING EQUIPMENT THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE DUCTWORK: Most homes in North America have ductwork built into them for central heating and cooling but what most people don't know is that this is not the best way to heat or cool your home - sorry to all of you who are stuck with these systems. Television ads and other marketing tools have done a pretty good job at convincing most people that radiators and other ductless systems belong in the past and not the modern era but the truth is that forced-air systems that use a whole-home ductwork were devised in the USA after the war when there was a growing need to build a lot of houses quickly and on the cheap. quickly and on the CHEAP. And that is, in truth, what these units are: cheap in price and in quality compared to ductless systems - whether it be for heating or for cooling. The lack of ductwork not only frees valuable space in your home and also isolates from sounds and odours better, but also is less conducive to the spread of anything from bugs to airborne bacteria or allergens.

So if you are the owner of an older Toronto home that uses radiators for heating and are considering installing ductwork, Don't do it, stand proud of the equipment that you have because you now know that contrary to what most people think, you are way better off than them. Having said that, if you are looking to build a brand new home and money is not as much of an issue to you if it means having a better system that would last longer and be more energy efficient, I recommend you to install a boiler system with radiators (in-floor heating is nice but more complicated to maintain) for the heating and ductless split heat pumps for cooling. German- or Japanese-made boilers are best for heating, Japanese-made ductless split systems are best for cooling. This is what I would do myself. Anyway, here it is. I hope this helps at least some of you and now I open the floor to questions. I will be checking this thread throughout the day and hope to answer your questions :) EDIT: Shortly after I posted this, I had to attend to an emergency at a job-site which was then followed by quite the packed weekend for me so I apologise that I had to abandon the thread.