We’re here to serve you during the COVID-19 crisis. That’s why we’ve enhanced our process to reduce the spread of flu or viruses and implemented practices to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees.

Today we’re taking it a step further by answering your frequently asked questions regarding the pandemic and your HVAC system.

Related Reading: Operations During COVID-19 Pandemic

HVAC System Guidance During the Pandemic

1. Is it safe to have service technicians come into my home or office right now?
   Yes. It remains safe to have qualified technicians enter your home.In this case, the definition of “qualified” means that you are calling a well-established company that has the ability to educate and equip their field personnel to safely enter and work in homes and businesses. There are certain protocols and recommendations put forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that simply must be followed during the pandemic. Make sure the company you select has policies and procedures in place designed to keep their employees, and you and your family healthy.
2. If I do need to call an HVAC company for service, will I need to come in contact with a service person?
   No. There are many ways to continue to receive great service and be safe at the same time.Here are a few tips:
   – Stay outside during the service call; you can simply prop doors open so there is no touching of doors.
   – Have any needed conversations outside on the front porch or in an open garage.
   – Pay electronically and simply ask the service person to waive the need for your actual signature.
   – Ask the technician to instruct you on how they want the thermostat set during the diagnostic or maintenance procedure or simply have them sanitize it afterward.
3. Would it be a good idea to just postpone regular maintenance on my system until this pandemic passes?
   No.  Postponing or canceling regular maintenance on your system would be a mistake.First of all, now is the most crucial time to make sure your system is operating efficiently and correctly to ensure that you have proper ventilation and filtration throughout your home. Dirty filters, coils or motors could impede the ability of your system to operate safely and efficiently with the added need to keep your air fresh, filtered and sanitized.Secondly, if you do postpone your regularly scheduled service;  you may find that qualified HVAC contractors are overwhelmed with emergency service calls after the season gets kicked-off and they may be so busy that you will be unable to get an appointment when the time finally comes that this temporary pandemic passes.
4. Are there accessories that can be added to my current HVAC system that could help me stay healthy?
   Definitely! There are many products on the market that are specifically designed to keep the air you breathe in your home or workplace clean and sanitized.You have probably seen or heard about them before but with the current health situation at hand, you may be paying a bit more attention to them. These products are not new. In fact, if you’ve had an HVAC professional in your home or office recently they probably attempted to educate you about them. Now would certainly be a good time to ask some questions and see what could be done to enhance your own filtration system.
5. What if I don’t have any special kind of filter or sanitizer attached to my HVAC system?
   In this case, it may be a good idea to periodically open doors and windows in your home or office to let some fresh air in to dilute any possible contaminants that may be trapped inside. Attempt to open doors and windows to achieve a bit of cross ventilation in the space. Now might be a good time to look into these accessories.
6. Is it safe for me to change my own filter?
   Yes. During this pandemic, it is necessary and highly advisable to take a few extra precautions when changing or cleaning a filter.Like other precautions that you have been hearing, you should wear a mask to keep you from breathing any airborne contaminants and gloves to keep you to from coming in contact with any contaminants that may have been absorbed into the filter itself. Additionally, eye protection should be worn while working so close to potential contaminants.
7. Should I be setting my thermoset any differently at this time?
   If you have a good quality air filtration system you should leave the fan set to “on” all the time instead of the “auto” setting. This will keep the air constantly circulation through your system to enable the filter to do its job more effectively and more efficiently. Additionally, it has been reported that viruses don’t live as long at warmer temperatures. While there is no real data to support this, it may help to keep your thermostat at a degree or two higher at this time.
8. Given the current times of uncertainty, would now be a good time to consider replacing my old HVAC system?
   There’s a phrase that you hear every once in a while: There’s never been a better time to buy. Well, that statement could not be more appropriate during this time in our history.

   The industry knows that people are hurting and could be in difficult financial shape.  In response, the discounts and no-interest payment plans being offered are unprecedented. At all levels, businesses are doing whatever it takes to get work done and product out the door. There are ways to buy and deals to have that will never be available like this again in our lifetime. If you find yourself in a position that you need to or have the ability to replace your existing inefficient system that may be on its last leg, now is definitely a time to act.

If you need service or simply have a question, reach out to us by completing the contact us form on the website or giving us a call at 301-663-0300.

 

Update 4/9/2020 Regarding Operations During COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Frederick Air Family,

I wanted to share with each of you our ongoing efforts during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The safety of our team and our customers is paramount, from early on we developed and implemented protocols to help stop the spread of infectious agents between our team members as well as between them and our customers. We have updated and adjusted daily due to the constantly changing environment. But we must be vigilant. And I promise that we will continue to update our safety protocols as needed.

For 28 years we have been here for you our customers during emergencies, nothing has changed. We will continue to answer our phone and be the dependable company you’ve grown to trust.

The Surgeon General has requested a 14-day suspension of non-essential movement. It is important that we take this seriously. We will be making the necessary adjustments to our operations until 3/30/2020.

We have implemented a rotating schedule for our staff to make sure that we are able to keep them safe.

Importantly though, we remain open and available to receive and dispatch technicians for any needed diagnostics, repairs, or services for our customers. We will also still be replacing systems when needed. We will, however, not be performing any maintenances on fully operational equipment during this short time, and will be asking those scheduled already to reschedule for a few weeks from now.

We are stocking as many of our air quality products as we can, and will have UV and Air Scrubber options available as long as we are able to be resupplied.

Our technicians will be complying with all safe practices suggested by the CDC and practices the Governor’s office has outlined. Please have grace with them as we are going to try to provide the same high level of customer service and experience you have come to expect while being diligent to keep you safe.

If you have any emergency with your heating or cooling equipment, or would even want to talk to a technician on the phone, please give us a call 301-663-0300.

Steve Schmidt
President of Frederick Air