Muncie's city HVAC licenses
The City of Muncie licenses HVAC contractors through the Building Commissioner's Office, with Type A, B, C and D licenses; the application fee is $150 and renewal is $100.
Muncie says all HVAC licenses expire by December 31 every year and must be renewed before any work is done.
When you talk with a company, ask: "Does this job call for a City of Muncie HVAC license, and if so, which license type do you hold and what is the number?"
The Building Commissioner's Office
The Muncie Building Commissioner's Office enforces local and state codes and Muncie ordinances, issues permits and does inspections; permit applications may be submitted in person, by mail or by email.
Ask the company which permits, if any, your job needs from that office, who will apply for them, and whether an inspector will come out afterward.
Notes to gather before the service call
Good notes can help a technician use the visit well. Before you phone, jot down:
- what the system did, or stopped doing, and when you first noticed;
- whether the thermostat screen is blank, shows an error code or reads normally;
- any sound, smell or flashing light at the furnace, air handler or outdoor unit;
- whether a breaker has tripped, and whether you reset it;
- the date of the last filter change and the last service visit;
- photos of the data plates on the indoor and outdoor equipment.
Tell the dispatcher what you wrote down. Ask whether a diagnostic fee applies and whether it counts toward a repair if you go ahead.
On the visit
Ask the technician to talk you through what they check, not just what they find. Useful questions:
- What readings did you take, and can you write them on the ticket?
- Which part failed, and can you show it to me?
- Did the failure have a cause, such as a clogged drain, a dirty coil or a loose connection, that could bring it back?
- Is anything else close to failing, and how sure are you?
If the system is still running but poorly, ask whether it is safe to keep using it until the repair.
Reading a repair estimate
A repair estimate can be short and still be clear. It should name the part, list parts and labor apart from each other, and say how long the company stands behind both. Ask:
- Is the part in stock, or does it have to be ordered?
- Is the replacement part from the original equipment maker or a universal one, and does that matter here?
- Does the maker's parts warranty still cover this equipment, and who files the claim?
- What labor coverage does the company put in writing?
When someone suggests replacing the system
Sometimes a technician's advice moves from fixing one part to replacing everything. That can be sound advice, and it can be a sales step. Ask the same company for two written prices, one for the repair and one for the replacement, and ask what in the house led them to recommend replacing. A second company's view of the same fault costs a visit and may settle the question.
What a replacement offer can include
If you do go shopping for new equipment, ask each company to put these on paper:
- full model numbers for the outdoor unit, the indoor coil and the furnace or air handler;
- how they arrived at the size, ideally with a room-by-room load calculation you can keep;
- what happens to the ducts: testing, sealing, repairs or new returns, each priced on its own line;
- the thermostat that comes with the job and how it will be set up;
- whether the refrigerant lines are replaced or reused, and how reused lines will be cleaned and tested;
- removal and disposal of the old equipment;
- a start-up sheet with the readings taken on the day the system first runs.
Setting offers side by side
Copy each offer onto one sheet with the same headings in the same order. Wherever an offer leaves a heading blank, send that company the question. A total only means something once you know what sits under it, so wait to compare prices until each sheet is filled in.
Before you sign
- Can you provide proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation? Your own insurer can help you read the certificate.
- Will your own staff do the work, or a subcontractor?
- How much is the deposit, and what is each later payment tied to?
- Who registers the new equipment with the maker, and by when?
- How long will the house be without heat or cooling on install day?
Keep the signed offer, the start-up sheet and any permit paperwork together with your notes from the first call.