How to choose an HVAC contractor in Grand Rapids

Verify the basics yourself

Michigan licenses mechanical contractors through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and you can look up a contractor's status yourself rather than taking anyone's word for it. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation, and check that the business name and address on the quote match what you find.

Look at recent reviews on more than one platform, and read the complaints as closely as the praise. How a company responds to a problem tells you more than a stack of five-star ratings.

Questions to ask about a replacement

These separate a careful installer from a box swapper.

• Will you do a load calculation, or size it from the old unit?
• What exactly is included: coil, line set, venting, permit, haul-away?
• What readings will you take at start-up, and will you leave them with me?
• Who does the install, and who do I call if something is wrong afterward?
• What does the manufacturer warranty cover, and is registration required?

Questions to ask about a repair

For repairs, the key question is how the fault was found. A good technician can tell you what they tested, what the reading was and why that points to the part they want to replace. If the answer is a shrug and a parts list, get a second opinion.

Ask for the price before work starts, including any after-hours rate. On older equipment, ask for replacement numbers alongside the repair so you can compare. Our repair or replace guide explains how to weigh them.

What a complete quote looks like

A complete replacement quote lists the equipment by model number, the efficiency ratings, the coil, line set and venting work, the permit, removal of the old equipment, and start-up testing. It should state what is not included, such as electrical upgrades or duct changes. Our cost guides for furnaces and air conditioners list the questions that make quotes comparable.

Two quotes that look far apart are often close once you line up what each includes. The cheapest quote that leaves out the coil or the permit is not the cheapest job.

Red flags

Walk away, or at least get another opinion, if you see any of these.

• A replacement quoted over the phone without anyone seeing the house.
• Pressure to sign today to get a price.
• Refrigerant added every year with no leak search.
• A cracked heat exchanger diagnosis with no photo, reading or explanation.
• No permit, or a suggestion that one is not needed.
• Sizing a new furnace bigger than the old one because bigger is better.

After the job is done

A good contractor finishes the job with paperwork, not just a working system. For a replacement, that means the permit and the inspection date, the model and serial numbers of the new equipment, the start-up readings, and help registering the equipment with the manufacturer if registration is required for the full warranty.

For a repair, it means a written note of what failed, what was replaced and anything else the technician noticed that is worth watching. Keep those records together near the furnace. The next technician, whether it is us or someone else, can diagnose faster when the history is right there, and a buyer will ask for it if you sell the house.

How we handle it

We diagnose before quoting, price repairs before starting, give replacement numbers alongside repairs on older equipment, size replacements by load calculation, pull permits and leave start-up readings with you. When we are fully booked, we tell you so rather than making a promise we cannot keep.

We answer 24/7, and you can start with any page in our furnace repair work, AC replacement work or maintenance plan in Grand Rapids sections.

Hiring questions