About Shemtov Systems: Family-Owned HVAC Since 1981
Learn more about our company
About Us
Shemtov Systems is a family-owned and operated business that has proudly served the Washington Metro area since 1981. We specialize in the sales, service, and installation of air conditioning and heating systems.
We offer repairs, replacements, and services to your existing system and installation of new complete systems for new construction or additions to your home. We provide honest, reliable, and reasonably priced HVAC services in the area. We are fully licensed and insured to install, service, and repair your AC or heating in Maryland and Washington, DC. In fact, all our workers are covered by the workers' compensation claims act, and are primed to help you with any task.
Why Us
Choose Shemtov Systems
We provide a variety of heating and air conditioning services. Find out more on why you should choose us.
Credentials matter only if you know what they take. Shemtov Systems has worked in Montgomery County and the Washington metro since 1981, is NATE certified, and is licensed and insured in Maryland and Washington DC. This page sets out what those require: the exams behind NATE, the hours behind a Maryland license, what insurance answers for, and what local housing changes about the work. To check any of it, call 240-355-3333.
Key takeaways
- NATE certification is earned by exam and expires every two years, so it reflects current knowledge.
- A Maryland journeyman license takes four years as an apprentice and 6,000 documented hours.
- Washington DC licenses separately, so working both sides of the line means two credentials.
- The manufacturer warranty on parts and the contractor warranty on labor are separate documents.
What does NATE certification require?
NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence, an industry body rather than a manufacturer program. The traditional route is a 50 question core exam covering safety, tools, basic construction, basic science and temperature measurement, then a 100 question specialty exam in gas heating, heat pumps or air distribution. Certification expires every two years and is renewed with 16 hours of continuing education or by sitting the specialty exam again.
What does an HVAC license require in Maryland?
Maryland licenses the trade through the Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, part of the Department of Labor, under Business Regulation Article 9A. A journeyman license takes four years as a licensed apprentice, 6,000 documented hours under a licensed contractor, and 70 percent on the exam. A master license adds three years as a journeyman, 1,875 hours in the prior year, and another exam.
Why do a license and insurance matter?
The work touches gas piping, combustion venting, 240 volt circuits and refrigerant under pressure, so mistakes surface as carbon monoxide, fire or water damage. A license is the state's evidence of training and testing. Insurance is the overlooked half: liability answers for damage to your property, and workers compensation keeps an injury on your job off your policy. Washington DC licenses through its own Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.
What does the local housing stock change?
Much of Silver Spring and Wheaton went up in the postwar decades, with equipment in unconditioned crawl spaces and attics and the furnace sharing a masonry chimney with the water heater. Replacing the furnace with a condensing model moves the vent to plastic pipe through a sidewall and leaves the water heater alone in a flue too large for it, which invites condensation and spillage unless the chimney is relined to size.
Which warranty covers what?
Two warranties come with a new system and are easy to confuse. The manufacturer covers parts for a fixed term. The installing contractor covers labor and workmanship, and here that runs on parts and labor for up to two years. The second matters: installation faults, a loose connection, a bad charge, an unsealed duct joint, surface in the first season or two. Ask any bidder to put both in writing.
What does the 24-hour answering service do?
It puts a person on the other end of 240-355-3333 at any hour, and after hours and weekend emergency work is part of the normal offering. What speeds up the callback is detail: the equipment type, whether the heating side is gas or all electric, what the thermostat shows, and whether the outdoor unit is running. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas utility first.
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify a Maryland HVAC license?
The Maryland Department of Labor runs a public license search for the HVACR board showing a licensee's status and expiration date. For insurance, ask that the certificate come to you from the agency rather than the contractor.
What is the difference between a state license and NATE certification?
A license is legal permission from a state to do the work, and it is mandatory. NATE certification is voluntary and tests skill against a standard no manufacturer writes. The license says a contractor may be in your house; the certification says the technician was tested on diagnostics.
Do you work on small commercial buildings as well as homes?
Yes, residential and light commercial: rooftop units and split systems on offices and small retail rather than large chillers or building automation. See <a href="/services/commercial-hvac/">commercial HVAC</a> and <a href="/services/air-conditioning/light-commercial/">light commercial air conditioning</a>.
What should I have ready before calling about a replacement?
A photo of the data plate on the outdoor unit, which carries the model and serial numbers and the refrigerant. The fuel the heating side burns. The filter size printed on the old filter frame. And which rooms are uncomfortable.
Talk to Shemtov Systems
If anything here is worth confirming before you book, ask. Call Shemtov Systems at 240-355-3333 or use the contact page.
Homeowner guides
Straight answers to the questions we hear most from Montgomery County homeowners.
- What are the signs your furnace or AC needs repair?
- How much does HVAC replacement cost in Maryland?
- Furnace vs. heat pump: which is better for a Maryland home?
- How long do furnaces and air conditioners last?
- How often should you service your HVAC system?
- What size air conditioner do I need for my home?
- Ductless mini-split vs. central air: which is right for you?
- What are the best thermostat settings for summer and winter?
- Why is my AC not cooling?
- Furnace not working or blowing cold air?
Areas we serve
Shemtov Systems covers Montgomery County and the Washington DC metro.