Many handy homeowners pride themselves on being able to fix anything in their homes. Of course, being independent and skillful is wonderful! But fixing a furnace is nothing like repairing cabinetry, installing a countertop, or redoing drywall. There are major risks to DIY furnace repair that you should not ignore. Here are the serious hazards you can avoid by relying on qualified professionals.
Immediate Risks
Things can go wrong very suddenly and very severely when amateurs try to work on furnaces. A gas furnace, handled incorrectly, can cause an explosion, killing the person who is trying to fix it and destroying the home. And while electric furnaces will not explode, potentially-fatal high voltage electrocution is a risk for anyone attempting to work on it without proper training.
Delayed Risks
It may be that an amateur gets their furnace running again and thinks that everything is fine. The truth is that some furnace hazards only reveal themselves after some time has passed. With a gas furnace, this could be a slow gas leak, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning or a delayed explosion. With either gas or electric furnaces, faulty electrical work can cause future housefires.
Legal Jeopardy
In most jurisdictions, there are legal requirements to ensure that gas lines and gas appliances are only worked on by people with proper licensing. And if you are a landlord of a commercial or residential property, there are further requirements that hold you accountable for the safety of your tenants. The potential harm to people and financial and professional costs are unacceptable.
Voided Warranty
A warranty provides assurance that the manufacturer will take responsibility and bear the costs of anything going wrong that is their fault. For example, if a component wears out before it should, the manufacturer may pay for the part, and possibly for the labor costs of replacing it as well.
Keeping your costly appliances like a furnace under warranty can save you a lot of money. But warranties come with warranty agreements. One clause that is always in such an agreement is that all repairs must be done by qualified, licensed technicians. Attempting to do repairs yourself will void your warranty and allow the manufacturer to refuse to take responsibility for any problems that occur in the future.
Wasting Time and Money
Our team of trained and experienced HVAC professionals has another major advantage: the ability to diagnose and repair furnace problems with speed and ease because of all that training and experience. An amateur will take much longer, which is awful when your home is getting colder and colder, and potentially misdiagnose a problem and spend money on unnecessary parts.
And after spending lots of time, letting your home’s temperature drop to a miserable chill, and taking several trips to the hardware store for components or tools, people attempting DIY repairs often end up needing to call in the professionals after all. This means paying much more than if they had simply relied on a qualified technician to begin with.
Don’t let these terrible things happen to you! Trust the professionals when you need furnace repair in Calhoun, LA.
Contact Mike Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC. We provide “Professional grade service.”