Q:  I found a good deal online. Should I purchase from an online sales site?

A:  ONLINE BUYER BEWARE!!  HVAC products are unlike most products for sale on the Internet.  A trained professional should always review the unique requirements of your structure to ensure proper equipment selection and safe, efficient installation.  Even the most skilled  Do-It-Yourselfers should not attempt to install HVAC products. Consumers should never install heating and cooling products themselves. A professional HVAC Contractor should always be involved in job-site inspection, product selection, and installation. WARNING!!  There are many online sales companies that engage in the dangerous and deceptive practice of selling HVAC equipment directly to Consumers bypassing the expertise of trained, professional Contractors. These unscrupulous companies advertise “Savings By Cutting Out the Middle Man by Buying Direct”.   There is no short cut to a safe, quality, professional HVAC installation that conforms to local building codes, meets manufacturer specifications, performs at peak efficiency, and operates safely.  Prior to purchasing HVAC equipment, a local professional HVAC Contractor should visit your home in person, evaluate your structure, assess your current HVAC system, review your family’s air quality requirements, and submit a written proposal that specifies his professional recommendation of appropriate equipment options before you decide on what type of system you should buy.

Q:  Why is a Contractor visit important?

A:  An HVAC system that’s too small won’t keep your home comfortable and one that is oversized will not maintain acceptable humidity levels or be efficient. Oversized systems cycle (turn on and off) more than necessary; this cycling wastes precious, expensive energy; puts undue strain on components like compressors; and often reduces the expected life of the system.

A professional Contractor will determine the optimal size of HVAC equipment for your home by making a careful study of your cooling requirements by performing a heating and cooling Load Calculation of your structure.  A Load Calculation is a scientific process that uses industry-standards that take into account the number of windows and doors in your home, window dimensions, and average number of hours of sun exposure. Subtleties like shade trees and shrubbery in your yard, open floor space, the R-value of wall, floor, and roof insulation, local climate patterns, the design and condition of your current central duct system, number of heat-generating appliances, the type of interior furnishings, number of fireplaces, and many other factors effect in unique ways the heating and cooling requirements of every HVAC system.

Only an in-person home visit by a trained HVAC professional contractor can ensure that you buy the right equipment that your home requires to be safe and efficient for a long time.

Q:  Does Rheem approve any online resellers of HVAC equipment?

A:  Rheem does not endorse, approve, or certify any online sale of its products through auction websites, online retailers or any other method of online sales direct to consumers without an in-person site visit, inspection, and installation by a qualified, trained HVAC professional).

Q:  What happens if I purchase Rheem equipment from an online sales company?

A:  Rheem published warranties are not applicable for any equipment manufactured by Rheem that has been sold direct to the consumer via the internet or auction websites  without an in-person site visit, inspection, and installation by a qualified, trained HVAC professional.