The middle of winter isn’t the ideal time to have a heating system serviced. However, sometimes it’s necessary, even though it can mean a long wait and higher prices. Whether time is ideal or urgent, it’s best to heed furnace repair recommendations to get good air conditioner service.

Selecting a qualified, reliable furnace repair service can be simpler by heeding these tips.

Refuse phone solicitations that offer “free” or “low cost” furnace repair or maintenance. These scam artists often try to bilk homeowners by telling them their heating system has serious problems when it doesn’t. In addition, sometimes these “free” services are fronts for burglary rings that later come back and strip the home of valuables. Don’t fall for this scam.

Next, don’t give any time to door-to-door laborers offering to clean your air ducts with a “shop-vac.” Number one, nobody can get air ducts clean with a shop vac; it takes a high-powered vacuum system. Number two, the person at the door could be as much a scam artist as the telephone solicitor. Don’t risk it.

Another key piece of advice: Don’t panic if an inspector for a furnace repair company you’ve called says you have to replace your heater immediately, or else. Unless you’ve dealt with this firm before and trust them implicitly, this kind of doom-saying inspection is almost always the lead-in to a scam. Yes, they may replace your furnace and do a good job (for a lot of money), but the question still remains whether you needed the replacement to begin with. Whenever anybody gives you this kind of warning, request a written report and then go talk to your local utility company.

Get at least three estimates in writing from other heating service companies if a service technician tells you the furnace needs replacement or major repair. Be sure that each written report includes complete listings of what’s wrong with the furnace and what it will take to fix or replace it, especially the total price with all service charges, fees and labor. Also ask for the energy efficiency rating on a new unit, if required.

Homeowners also can reduce the likelihood of needing emergency repairs by keeping up furnace maintenance themselves. Change the filters each month, and regularly vacuum the dust and dirt from air returns.

Should the furnace genuinely need major repair or even replacing, then check out the unit’s original warranty to see if anything is covered. In many cases, warranties will pay for parts or replacement only if the unit has been properly maintained.

Get the furnace serviced each year, no matter what type it is. An oil furnace should be cleaned annually and a gas furnace at least every two years.

If you don’t have an annual service contract with a reputable home maintenance and repair company, ask for recommendations from neighbors, family members or co-workers. Then check out their recommendations with local authorities such as the Better Business Bureau or even the public records of small claims court. One woman who served as a bailiff in local courts once hired a heating repair service because, as she told them later, “you’re the only company who’s never been through our court.”

Ask specific questions when choosing a repair firm. Know the make, model and year of the furnace so that you can ask something like “How much would you charge to repair a 2006 Trane heat pump, including any service charges, parts, labor and other fees?” Reputable companies should be able to give you an answer quickly. Be wary of those that can’t or won’t.

Follow these furnace repair recommendations and you’ll be not only warm, but happy with your heating service.

Air conditioner Toronto provider that sells, installs and services heating and air conditioning Toronto products.