subject: Tips For Buying A New Air Conditioner [print this page] When buying a new air conditioning Germantown, MD unit or a new furnace, its a good idea to take stock of a few things and make sure that youre getting the unit that you need. Before you make any purchases, its a good idea to do a little research. Heres everything youre going to want to check before you go putting any money down on a new air conditioner or heating unit
Measurements
This is one of the most important and most often neglected aspects of buying a new A/C unit or a new furnace. Sure, they only come in so many sizes, but sometimes that size is just an inch or two too large to fit where you plan on putting it. You can always do a little remodeling, as long as there are no load-bearing beams there, of course, but is it really worth the effort? Instead of risking it, just make sure you take the usual dimension measurements. You know the drill
>> Height
>> Width
>> Length
It only takes a couple minutes and it will save you a lot of headaches later on. Round about an inch or so down to make sure that its an easy fit, and you should have no problem putting your new A/C or heating unit in its place.
The Size of Your Home
If you live in a studio apartment, you dont need the biggest A/C unit in the world, even if it will fit. A small central cooling unit will suffice. On the other hand, you dont want to skimp when buying a heating unit for a house with five bedrooms in it. You need to be realistic about your needs in order to get exactly what it is that you are after.
Save A Little Money
A good heating or cooling unit is not necessarily going to be very expensive, but the point isnt really so much having the money to buy the fanciest, shiniest, newest model, so much as having the money to buy exactly what you need without having to make any compromises. When shopping for an A/C unit or a heater on a budget, chances are youre going to have that number in the back of your mind the whole time youre shopping, and whatever you may be thinking consciously, subconsciously youre going to be thinking This smaller, cheaper unit looks just as good as that bigger one. Sometimes, the smaller unit is just as good. Sometimes its better. But only by having enough money for either one will you be able to make a truly objective decision.
And finally, just make sure to keep it tuned up with an annual visit from Don Hoffacker. By getting a quick tune up once a year, you can save costly repair and replacement costs on a semi-annual basis. A good air conditioner might not cost you any more than you can afford, but that doesnt change the bottom line, which is simply that an expense you could have avoided is an expense that you could have avoided.
