What to Expect From an Appointment With Lozier
October 29, 2021
What Happens When You Call With an Air Conditioner or Furnace Issue?
When you call Lozier Heating and Cooling you can expect friendly and helpful service from the start. Our office staff will ask you a series of questions about your furnace or air conditioner. This gives our service technicians an idea about what type of furnace or air conditioner repair they’ll face once they arrive at your house.
Table of Contents:
How We Schedule Your Appointment
Next, we’ll help you set up an appointment that fits into your hectic schedule. We do our best to get customers in as quickly as possible, but the timing may vary depending on the season. You can call us at 267-1000 or fill out a service or sales request form, either way, we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
Typically, we schedule service and maintenance appointments a couple days to a week after the first call - it all depends on the season and your availability. Installation appointments are planned about one to two weeks in advance, or sooner for emergencies.
If you’re signed up for our loyalty maintenance program, your services can be scheduled months ahead of time to earn rewards while keeping your heating and cooling systems in prime condition. As the date for your appointment approaches, we’ll call to remind you when one of our Des Moines heating and cooling technicians will arrive.
What if there is an emergency and its after hours?
With hot summers and cold winters, we understand not all heating and cooling calls in Des Moines can be planned ahead. If your air conditioner keeps tripping the breaker or your furnace is suddenly blowing cold air, we don’t want you to be uncomfortable inside your home! That’s why Lozier has a team member on call 24/7 to arrange emergency furnace and air conditioner repairs. On average, our staff handles 10 to 15 after-hour calls for A/C repairs and furnace repairs during the middle of the night, on weekends and even on holidays. Whenever you need a Des Moines heating and cooling expert, we’ll be there!
What to Expect on the Day of the Repair or Installation
When the day of your appointment arrives, a Lozier technician will text you with a 2-hour window of their estimated arrival time. The message will also have a photo of your service tech so you know exactly who you’ll be inviting into your home.
Depending on the type of air conditioner repair or equipment installation, the HVAC tech could be working on your system for 1 to 3 hours. Once the job is complete, we’d love to hear about your experience! Let us know how your service experience went by leaving a review for Lozier Heating and Cooling in Des Moines.
How long does it take to run a diagnostic on an air conditioner or furnace?
It takes around an hour from the time our HVAC service tech arrives to the time they diagnose the issue.
On average, how long does it take to repair an air conditioner or furnace?
Once diagnosed, the actual repair can take from 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the severity of the damage.
What does a tech do during a tune-up?
We won’t get to far in the weeds with the HVAC speak, but here are the steps each technician walks through:
- Visual Inspection of all controls & wiring.
- Inspect filter and replace if needed. Inspect and flush/clean drain line.
- Start and test system. Measure amp draw on motors and record.
- Test refrigerant levels. Record Superheat & Subcooling measurements.
- Check calibration of thermostat if needed. Record temperature drop across indoor coil.
- Wash out outdoor coil.
- Explain to customer what kind condition is in.
How long does it take to install a new air conditioner or furnace?
Like everything, installation times vary. Our most efficient units can take up to 8 hours to install while simpler units can be installed in around 4 hours.
Common HVAC Terms To Know
HVAC
Let’s begin with the most important term: HVAC. When using the acronym HVAC, it refers to the terms heating, ventilation and air conditioning. These units are used in your home to help keep you comfortable.
AFUE
The heating efficiency of your furnace or boiler is determined by its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, or AFUE. The AFUE rating, such as 98 AFUE, is the measurement expressed as a percentage of fuel converted to home heating. When a furnace has a higher AFUE, it means that the unit works at a higher efficiency.
In today’s day and age, the Federal Trade Commission requires new furnaces to display their AFUE rating, allowing for consumers to compare the heating efficiency of different models and makes.
Air Balancing
Air balancing refers to the process of adjusting the heat output (i.e., airflow) of your heating system so that the correct amount of air is being delivered to your living spaces. Air balancing is key when it comes to maximizing home comfort, HVAC performance and energy efficiency.
Ductwork
Ductwork refers to all the conduits and parts used to move air to the living spaces of your home. Air ducts are typically fabricated from thin sheet metal and need to be insulated or located within the conditioned spaces of your home.
Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger in your furnace transfers heat from the combustion compartment to the airflow in the ductwork. Your heat exchanger should be professionally inspected each year to ensure it’s safely functioning.
Heat Pump
You hear about heat pumps often, but what role do they play in an HVAC system? The heat pump heats or cools by moving heat. In the winter months, a heat pump will draw cold air from the outdoors, heat it and circulate it using the home’s air ducts.
Load Calculation
A load calculation is the process of determining the amount of heating and cooling that is needed to most efficiently condition your home. Many factors contribute to load calculations, such as square footage, sun orientation, insulation levels, location of rooms, size and number of windows and doors and much more.
Condenser
A condenser is the outside portion of either an air conditioner or heat pump. The condenser collects or releases heat, depending on the season.
Thermidistat vs Thermostat
What’s the difference between a thermidistat and a thermostat? A thermidistat monitors your home’s indoor temperature, humidity levels and will automatically adjust your heating or cooling system to keep your home at desired levels.
A thermostat monitors your home’s temperature and adjusts the heating or cooling system to maintain the desired temperature.
HVAC Zoning System
An HVAC zoning system, which can also be referred to as zoned HVAC, is a heating and cooling system that uses dampers within the ductwork to redirect air to a specific area of your home. Zoning systems allow for homeowners to customize the temperature zones through a home. Having different temperature zones allows for increased comfort and higher efficiency.
Common HVAC Questions From Our Customers
How long does an air conditioner last?
The standard air conditioner will last approximately 10-15 years. Although, if you take care of your unit and have HVAC professionals perform regular maintenance on it, your A/C should operate for 15-25 years. Furnaces have a similar lifespan.
Should I get a new air conditioner and furnace at the same time?
It is not a requirement to replace your furnace and A/C simultaneously; however, if you want an extremely efficient heating and cooling system, we recommend replacing them both and installing a new system. This may sound like an expensive solution upfront, but in the long run, our high-efficiency furnaces and solar-ready air conditioners will help you cut down on your electric bills each year. Our sales team will help you determine which system is best for you, depending on your budget and the size of your home. We will even recommend heating and cooling units that work well together for maximum efficiency output.
How much does it cost to install an A/C and furnace combo?
Depending upon the bells and whistles on the air conditioner and furnace, it can cost between $8,000 and $14,000.
Will a new air conditioner or furnace add value to my home?
If you believe a new heating and cooling system will drastically increase the value of your home, you might be correct. Overall, it depends on the health of your current unit. If your current furnace and A/C have been well maintained, there is no need to replace them as you won’t get a great return on them. However, if you have an extremely old system that could give out any day, it may add value to purchase new units and could be used as a selling point.
We’re 100% Committed to our Customer Experience
At Lozier Heating and Cooling in Des Moines, the customer comes first. We offer 24/7 services and focus on training our HVAC technicians to perform excellent air conditioner and furnace repairs, tune-ups and installations. Call our emergency service number at (515) 267-1000 anytime to connect with our experts right away.
We’ve also made quite a few changes to enhance the online experience for consumers - take a look at our recent updates:
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Early this year, we redesigned our homepage to showcase all of our services, blogs, and our rewards program.
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Our latest large project involved revamping our product pages to make it easier to showcase the benefits and compare the different features of all the lines of furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats and every product we offer.
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Some of our ongoing digital efforts include producing how-to and informative HVAC videos because our customers like to see how to perform basic maintenance instead of reading about it—explore our website to see some of these videos in action!
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We recently introduced a texting system allowing consumers to text a photo of their unit to our technicians: text us at (515) 393-4262 with your concern and we will get back to you during regular business hours with a solution, or if we can't diagnose the problem through a quick photo, we'll help you set up an appointment for HVAC repairs.
If you're ready to schedule an appointment today, submit a service request online.