DIY HVAC Nightmares

DIY HVAC Nightmares

Your home’s HVAC system is complicated. There are interconnected heating, cooling, and ventilating components – all relying on one another to treat your home’s air properly. When something goes wrong with one aspect of the system, it affects the whole system.

We understand why you’d want to try to fix any problems you notice yourself but here are some issues we see all too often!

DIY Air Conditioning Repair

With air conditioning repair, what you don’t know CAN hurt you. An AC unit has many delicate moving parts. If you are unfamiliar with air conditioning repair it is easy to accidentally damage, bump, or otherwise dislocate any of those parts.  You can cause the problem to be much worse (and much more expensive) than the original problem you were trying to fix.

The last thing you want to do is turn a small air conditioning issue into a big problem.  DIY repair on air conditioning systems – often end up doing exactly that. The worse the AC problem, the longer it will take to repair. The longer it takes to repair, the longer you go without air conditioning. It’s not worth the risk.  Not to your AC system, not to your your checkbook, and certainly not to your health, trying to repair your AC yourself. 

Asbestos Removal

What?!  Asbestos removal?  DIY?  Yep.  Happens all the time.

Before you think about starting any HVAC project, you should determine if your vents contain asbestos. Asbestos was frequently used in the construction of ventilation systems before the 1980s. If you have asbestos, STOP!.  Do not access the vents yourself. If you do, you run the risk of kicking asbestos up into the air, where it could circulate through your home. Any amount of airborne asbestos exposure is very dangerous. 

Asbestos removal is frequently a part of adding new venting and ductwork as part of an HVAC update. We do it all the time and we know how to do it safely.  Take asbestos exposure very seriously–don’t put yourself at risk.

DIY Plumbing: Replacing a Hot Water Tank

Installing a new hot water tank isn’t as simple as many homeowners think.  It is much more than simply removing the old one and screwing the new one back on. In fact, installing a brand new hot water tank will require a lot of expert assistance. 

There are codes and permits for a reason. This is serious stuff!  This is a safety issue for your home and your family.  DIY water heater replacement is a terrible idea!

If you aren’t already intimately familiar with these details, installing a new hot tank tank can become quite challenging. 

It can also be dangerous. Many hot water tanks are necessarily attached to gas lines. Installing a tank to a gas line incorrectly could lead to a gas leak or carbon monoxide emissions. If your hot water tank isn’t heated using gas, then it’s heated by electricity. Attempting electrical work yourself is nearly as dangerous as working with gas–and it’s even more complicated. Without the right tools and knowledge, working with gas or electricity is a very bad idea. Leave this particular installation to the team at Garden City!

Need help?

Contact the team at Garden City if you have a home or business in the Missoula, Montana area.  We’re happy to help!