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Air conditioning in your Springfield, OR home is a convenient feature that helps keep you cool all summer. This is an important tool for maintaining healthy indoor air quality as well. If you’re interested in an AC installation in your home, you might consider completing the job yourself. While it may seem like this could save you some money upfront, it’s not worth the risks involved and can lead to costly repair costs later. It is best to seek an experienced professional to install your new AC.

Safety Risks of DIY AC Installation

Installing an AC system in your home will require working with electricity. Most homeowners aren’t certified to work with electricity, either safely or according to code. Not only does a DIY AC installation put you at risk while you’re performing the work, but there are ongoing safety risks involved with the AC installation. For example, incorrectly wiring something may still result in your equipment functioning, but there may be a fire hazard later that you don’t realize until it’s too late.

In some homes, the breaker panel box is not equipped for an air conditioning unit. While changes can be made to accommodate such equipment, working on a breaker panel box without extensive training and knowledge is not advisable.

Voiding the Warranty of Your Equipment

Manufacturers typically provide warranty coverage for their AC equipment. If anything were to fail, this warranty would cover the replacement of your unit and potentially any necessary labor. Unfortunately, independently installing your unit yourself may void this warranty. Most manufacturers require that you contact your original installer for equipment replacement or repairs. They may require proof of a professional installation. While you may not be planning for your AC unit to fail prematurely, it can happen regardless of scheduling routine maintenance and promptly addressing necessary repairs.

Damaging Other Parts of Your HVAC System

Installing an air conditioning unit requires the installer to modify other aspects of your HVAC system. This includes your furnace, ductwork, etc. During the process of a DIY installation, you may cause damage to these other key aspects of your HVAC system. This could result in major, expensive repairs you didn’t plan or budget for. This is another scenario where damage may not be immediately noticeable. You may have made a careless mistake that you don’t realize until a fire starts or an electrical issue occurs in your home.

Ongoing Care and Maintenance

Your AC unit must be regularly inspected and serviced by an experienced professional. Ongoing maintenance will ensure it functions optimally. This helps reduce the number of repairs that need to be made over the lifespan of your unit. Also, this is an opportunity for minor issues to be spotted early on before they become major problems. You should establish an ongoing relationship with the company that installed your AC unit. The company will be able to provide you with customized service, warranty coverage, etc. Many companies will refuse to work on your AC equipment if they learn you performed the installation yourself.

Disposal of Old Equipment

If you already have an AC unit in your home and need to replace it with something new, the old equipment must be disposed of properly. Professionals can properly do this for you, ensuring the disposal process is safe for you and the environment. AC units have refrigerant, which you don’t want to be exposed to inadvertently. Not to mention, AC units are supposed to be disposed of at an approved recycling center, retailer, or scrap yard. The refrigerant should be drained before disposal. This isn’t something most homeowners are knowledgeable enough to do safely.

If you want to learn more about installing an air conditioning system in your Springfield home, contact Jco Heating A/C Electrical for assistance. We advise that you have an experienced professional take care of this installation process for you, to protect your family and your home. In addition to installing AC units, our professionals can install furnaces, ductless mini-splits, heat pumps, and more. We also perform repairs and routine maintenance and are certified to work on all electrical aspects of your home. To schedule an appointment, contact Jco Heating A/C Electrical today.