How to Choose an HVAC Contractor

Guys, we walk into houses all the time, where the homeowner went with the cheapest contractor, and a lot of times the system wasn't looked at right. There's ductwork issues, there's refrigerant issues, there's a whole slew of issues. And today, I'm going to show you what cheap HVAC work actually looks like. I'm Willie Yarbro with Yarbro's since heat and air, and I've been in hundreds of attics, mechanical closets, crawl spaces, and I'm going to show you what cheap HVAC work actually looks like because those contractors probably going to show you this. Guys, we want to avoid the $7,000 install that turns into the $20,000 problem. And a lot of times, whenever we're searching for solutions that are the cheapest, guys, we wind up with contractors that aren't looking at ductwork, the system isn't sized right, 18 months in the compressor's failing, the system's not keeping up in the summer, and your energy bill's over $200 what they should be. And a lot of times, they're in for more than double what they should have been if they would have done it right the first time. Yarbro's >> [music]

I know for a fact that what I'm about to say is going to ruffle some feathers. However, you people need to know this. The brand on the HVAC system matters significantly less than you think. You're thinking, "Colby, what a terrible take." It's terrible take. I know that HVAC brand X never had issues with it. It's brand, you know, amazing. It's got amazing uh advertisings and I and I fell for all the quality stuff that they talk about. But anyways, uh no matter what the system brand is, if you're not partnering with a company that's going to stand behind their work regardless of the situation, then you're going to have problems. You're going to be spending more money than what you want to. You're going to be spending spending money on repairs that you were not anticipating because you just bought this fancy HVAC system and company X isn't standing standing behind the install. We're going to do our due diligence to make sure that the system was installed correctly from the start. Absolutely, but there are situations in which it's it's a lemon system. It's not working right. It's not doing what was promised from the manufacturer. So, it's like, "Okay, at that point, what does what does Yarbrough's do?" Well, anecdotally, uh this happened yesterday. We had to take care of a customer because something broke down on a system that we installed. It was a nice system whenever we installed it. But for whatever reason, she's having the same issue again and again, and it's you know, we've done our due diligence. We've done everything that we can to make sure the system run properly. We installed it correctly. We've done, you know, you know, dotted our eyes, crossed our tees, but it's not working. So, what do you do? You do what's right. You take care of the customer, make sure that they're taken care of for the long run cuz at the end of the day, I'd rather have a customer for life than lose one over something that's, you know, obviously at the end of the day, I understand it's not our fault that the system went out again. Uh we didn't manufacture it. We installed it. And it's having issues. So, what happens when fancy brand equipment doesn't work the way it's supposed to? You find HVAC company that's going to stand behind their work. That's your first decision. Find a company that is going to stand behind the equipment that they installed, no matter the brand.

she was uh very happy that we came back and made sure that everything was right that's one thing we'd really like to do is come back after a few days things are different whenever you have a brand new unit put in there's rooms can feel different in temperature uh the thermostat could be a little bit different we can talk about those issues and try to resolve them a lot of them are just the easiest fix you could do just simply changing a little setting on a thermostat it's something that they might have to live with with other companies but we're right there to try to fix that it's not a check that we think that there's something wrong we just want to make sure that if there's anything that we needed to do better we could be doing it better

If you're, you know, chasing that lowest bid, that person might not have a presence. If they're hard to find initially, think of how hard they might be to find after the install's done and they've taken your money. That's a huge deal. Make sure that you're checking their experience and not just experience in installing that piece of equipment, but overall company experience. Any company who's been around and has a a good sourcing of Google reviews and has a good standing website and really has a good social presence, that should answer enough of those questions and tick enough of those boxes to give you that clarity.

Hey, y'all, it's Stephen here. Here's something homeowners think about a lot and companies talk about almost never. The person showing up at your door is a stranger. You're letting them into your home, around your kids, your parents, and your stuff. As the guy who manages these techs, let me tell you exactly how somebody earns a Yarbrough shirt. Before anyone is hired on, we run them through a background check and drug screening. We're making sure nothing shows up that's gonna cause an issue for us or a concern for you. Then there's the training. Before we ever let a tech run solo, they ride along with our field readiness coach. This is one of our more seasoned technicians that's in charge of teaching new hires the Yarbrough way. The new techs will ride with him until I'm confident, not just until they are, and the standard doesn't stop at the technical. How you speak to folks, how you leave a home, how you handle an awkward conversation when the news is bad, that's part of the job here, and it's part of what I evaluate. Having been in Oklahoma for nearly forty years, a lot of these families have had us in their homes across two or three generations of techs. One really bad hire could destroy that, and I don't send anyone into your home that I wouldn't send into my mama's. When you're hiring any company, ask them how they screen and train. This should be the easiest question they answer all day. I love y'all. God bless.

What brand do you recommend and why? So, this one this one gets me going. Brand matters less than the brand of the company who's installing it. So, Energy Star had a survey said it didn't matter the brand of equipment. That 80% of an air conditioner's life is contingent upon the day that it was installed. That means only 20% is actually brand contingent. So, 80% of this decision rides on who installs the equipment, not who manufactured it. And let's be honest, whenever you buy a Linux or an American Standard or a Train or whoever that you're buying a piece of equipment from, whoever, meaning the brand, you're not calling them when you have customer support issues, when you have a system that's down or need to file a warranty or need something replaced. You're not calling them. You're calling Yar Bro and Sons. You're calling your local HVAC professional, the team who installed it. You're calling them. So, who does the job matters infinitely more to me than what brand of equipment we're selling. We believe in our team and our team's ability to sell and install and properly maintain and warranty this equipment to such a degree that we could install just about any major brand and it doesn't change my opinion on what that system is going to look like in your home. So brand matters less than the brand of the company who's installing it. [Music]

Mistake number one, choosing the cheapest system. I get it. You can buy a cheap car as well. However, do you trust that car to get you to from point A to point B? Same with your HVAC system. And who's installing it? We want to make sure that the company that you're inviting into your home is capable, has the reputation that precedes them, and is going to stand behind their equipment. And let's be honest, a lot of times the cheapest piece of equipment isn't going to come with those guarantees. I'm going to attribute it to uh to to Warren Buffett, but I don't know that Warren Buffett said it, but I'm going to attribute it to him. is uh the sweetness of low price wears off long after the bitterness of poor quality sets in. [Music]

Scammers are an ever-present headache. You've seen Facebook ads, you've seen the fly-by-night company who comes in, they put an ad out there saying they can replace the system for $8,000 or whatever it is. You sign the paperwork because guess what? You want a deal. And I get it, I want a deal, too. And like we talked about, 80% of that air conditioner's life is contingent on the day that it's installed. Well, now that fly-by-night company has cashed the check, they've installed the equipment. It works for 12 to 48 hours, takes a dive, phone number's disconnected, and you're screwed. Now, you're left with an air conditioner that's not working, and you're having to call a reputable company to come out and rectify the situation, costing you more money. Your pros. >> [singing] [music]

We want to avoid $7,000 installs that lead to really, really expensive problems. Guys, whenever we have contractors like this coming in, a lot of times the the warranties themselves are with the manufacturer of the equipment they're installing. So, the manufacturers require that the install had had a verification that it was installed right, that there was a maintenance plan to ensure that that equipment is being maintained over time. And when these contractors aren't maintaining that equipment, they're not providing any any of the install verification, it could possibly mean that those warranties are void. And if you, the homeowner, call the manufacturer, they're not going to talk to the individual homeowner. They're going to defer to the installing contractor. And whenever they're selling you these things, they're they're pitching it in a way where there's a 10-year parts warranty. What that does not cover is labor. If a lot of that stuff wasn't wasn't verified, the install, the maintenance, it could potentially mean that even that 10-year parts warranty could be void. Your home. >> [music]

Your HVAC system is the most expensive appliance in your home, and there are buying mistakes that you can make that can cost you thousands over the lifetime of the system. So, let's make some good decisions and let's tackle this. So, whenever you are reviewing all the prices that you're getting from your contractor, review one, reputation, longevity of business, and also make sure that they're providing you more than one option, and that you've got several options to choose from when it comes to to your comfort and your needs within the house. Homes are built different, and so their the HVAC systems and the ductwork and all the the bells and whistles that come along with it, it's not a cookie-cutter fit all the time. And so, you want to make sure that you're getting exactly what you need for your house and your needs. Your home >> [singing] [music]

if you have any uncomfortable spots in your house that's where I'd really start having those questions with your HVAC professional of is my system the right size What's the total square footage of the house what size duct work do you have on that system are we actually moving enough air and have proper air flow so that we can even accommodate the size of HVAC system that we're looking at putting in make sure to ask your HVAC salesman is my system the right size and how are you determining what size system I need

got a video here Caption This is legit how most customers in Miami Beach want me to install their unit on the Roof oh man they got a whole crew they've made their own pulley system roping up a condenser looks to be a three or four ton condenser I'm guessing by the size of it um probably weighs a couple hundred pounds and that's uh that's not safe I I think I would be willing to pay somebody to get that thing up there safely if the HVAC company I hired from my home or business is is using a tactic like this to get a unit on the roof by them trying to save money by putting this many people in danger I'm also wondering what other Corners they're cutting as far as their brazing techniques as far as their air sealing as far as their wiring I think um I would probably be looking for somebody else to come and uh take care of this job for me

can you provide references or customer reviews you should ask this question like before they walk in the house it's like you open the door it's like hey hey Mr haac Tech who knows you and why do I know you obviously you as the homeowner you're a pro you've gone through this before you know how to work the old Google machine in today's world Google reviews are the reference they are the customer reviews read their Google reviews don't just read their good ones they're lowest rated see what it is and not only that see what they said in response make sure that they're responding to all the reviews we want to make sure that the company they're presenting themselves to be online and the company that shows up in your driveway the truck how the tech looks your salesperson looks and what it you get the overall Vibe on how they're going to treat your home matches what they say they are online

The benefits of a cheap price will be expensive later on. Most of the time that comes with maybe weaker warranties. That also comes with maybe weaker support. You also have to understand that most of the time HVAC contractors who are chasing the bottom dollars of the lowest bid often don't stay in business long enough to be able to provide you support long term. And we get it. I know that whenever you're looking at that lowest bid it seems really appealing. Every At the end of the day everybody wants this wants to save money. However, I want you to look at it from a long term investment perspective and that you're going to have this system gosh for 10, 15, 20 years maybe. And so I want to make sure that the the the purchase that you're making in 2026 is going to last you what you deserve. I don't want this to be a problem within the next 5 years cuz that's a very expensive problem within that short time frame. Your home >> [music]

here are five essential questions to ask of your hvat contractor one ask for a heat load or a load calculation if they're not doing a heat load or a load Cal then let's be frank they're using rules of thumb or they're doing guess work and that is not optimal for your Home Comfort two ask about duct work sizing Andor condition energy star reports that about 80% of homes out there uh in the residential Market have duct work problems existing in the home from the day they were constructed three ask for credentials and reputation license insurance listen it's okay Oklahoma everybody thinks that they can fix their air conditioner because it's hot but make sure that the person you choose to do your work pulls permits does inspections and make sure that they have a storefront presence and they've been in business and they are there in part of your community for ask for references from other customers Google Facebook whoever but make sure that you're doing business with someone who you want to be doing business with and five ask questions about potentially large upfront payments it's a red flag to me if someone asks for a full amount before the work has been done so those are the five questions