are HVAC maintenance plans worth it?

[escape]

I have a heat pump that is new last year. thoughts and opinions appreciated!

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

IMO, no. My folks have one through a large company and it seems like a rip off to me and the larger companies really seem to push them. I've been lucky and currently use a "mom and pop" that I completely trust - I was lucky to stumble upon them several years ago -only two employees and the wife answers the phone. I have them check my system once a year and will use them to replace when the time comes (mine is getting old but they think I can get a year or two more out of it). If you can find one similar, I would do that! Same with auto mechanics, dentists and doctors! After 20 years I'm lucky to have the complete set at the moment if they don't retire or sell out.

 

[JoeWras]

No.

It's all about the quality of install.

Perhaps at 5 to 10 years it is worth an occasional check by a pro.

But 2x per year? Sorry, no. Not if your equipment is any good.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

We recently had our 1998 HVAC system replaced. It was a reliable system that never had any issues. From what we have been told and read the newer more high efficiency units should be serviced regularly to keep them running at peak performance. Ours came with a three year 6 month maintenance plan. We will see how it goes.The old saying they don't build them like they used to comes to mind.

 

[JoeWras]

We recently had our 1998 HVAC system replaced. It was a reliable system that never had any issues. From what we have been told and read the newer more high efficiency units should be serviced regularly to keep them running at peak performance. Ours came with a three year 6 month maintenance plan. We will see how it goes.The old saying they don't build them like they used to comes to mind.

So what does that mean?

Correct pressures? Cleaning coils? Testing safety devices? General safety check?

A properly installed system should have steady pressure. It should not require adding refrigerant. If they are adding on a system under 10 years old, they screwed up the install and they should instead fix the leak.

Coils. The internal evaporator coil should never get fouled up if the install was good and you regularly change your filter with another high quality filter. Any dirt on the coils is a sign of a leak in the return, and you'll likely see the blow-by on outlet vents too. All around, really bad. Cleaning the coil is like liposuction. It helps, but doesn't get at the cause.

Outside, you can clean your condenser coils with a good jet from the hose. Should be sufficient. Keep debris out and cut away foliage.

On a properly running well installed system, most should by DYI. A sophisticated DYI can test some of the safety devices. But there shouldn't much worry about a cracked heat exchanger or any of that kind of thing for at least 7 years. OP mentioned it was a heat pump, so you don't even have that worry.

One caveat: If you have a gas appliance, and you feel better having it checked by a pro, by all means, get the contract. It is still a good idea to learn a bit about what a flu pipe looks like, what it does, and how it fits together. Always have a carbon monoxide detector if you have gas appliances. With a little bit of knowledge, even gas appliances can be monitored DYI, but I totally understand the desire for a 3rd party check.

The service isn't going to do anything to improve the performance of the reversing valve, or fan blower, start up capacitors, or any of that. The primary adjustment they can make is pressures. And if installed right, the pressure shouldn't change. They don't swap out start up capacitors as a matter of course. They wait until they fail, then enjoy the call they get from you because you are on contract.

 

[djsander]

That one comes with my favorite answer. It depends. We had an older system on our last house. It was worth it on that one. They came out 2x a year cleaned and checked everything including checking the CO levels and burners. If there was a call out we had priority on the responses and a discounted rate on the call out and parts. We got the same tech every time except for once or twice and we used them for 16 or 17 years. When the AC was going the tech patched it to keep running and as he told us it could last an hour, a day, weeks or months and it failed. It was along hot holiday weekend. So he said he would go into the office and put the order in and it would be in no later than Wednesday and they would get it installed. Which they were there that Wednesday morning to start. Obviously it was precovid, but we wouldn’t get as good as service if we weren’t on the plan. So, I think if you can find a company that provides good service it can be pretty cheap insurance if you have an older system. We paid 130/year so we think it was worth it. We have moved have replaced the HVAC in our new home a little over a year ago, so right now it’s not critical. We will touch base with the company next spring just to ensure we keep talking with them if the need arises.

 

[misanman]

We've had a plan for about five years. They come out once in the summer (A/C) and once in the winter (gas furnace). Costs $200/year. I usually watch them do the service and chat with them about the equipment. They do some cleaning, run some electrical checks, measure vacuums, etc. Not sure if is really needed but we did have our "nearly new" furnace quit on us a while back. I called them and they told me that since we were on their maintenance plan that entitled us to priority service. They were out within 4 hours on a weekend so I felt there could be some value to that.

 

[pacergal]

We had one, but the last few calls became more 'sales" than "service", all of a sudden our AC ( 2008) and HVAC (2014) needed replacements. Not!
Haven't called them back for over a year, both still plugging along just fine.
Looking for a smaller company to come out occasionally if needed.

 

[aja8888]

Everything these days is trying to turn you into a sucker for a service contract or subscription fee.

How did we get along for decades without paying for stuff we didn't need?

 

[Aerides]

We have one for our AC. Primarily because it's nice to have someone on call (ish) in an emergency. And in S.Fla, any time when the AC isn't working is going to be a big aggravation, 90% of the year.

It doesn't mean they'll come for free on a sunday or anything, but it saves us trying to figure out who to call at the worst time.

 

[freedomatlast]

Like any extended warranty, it's just another thing the consumer will most likely lose money on. The companies don't offer these for any reason other than it's very profitable for them to do so.

And some of the time, you'd be better off not having them mess with it at all. Take your A/C system for example. They come out when nothing's wrong with the system. Every time they hook up the gages to measure refrigerant pressures, there's a chance the schrader valves won't seal off completely when they remove the gages, and now you have a leak that you didn't have before. Now every year when they come out they need to add refrigerant for which you get charged. So now you think, boy I'm glad they are coming out and the company is happy selling refrigerant due to a leak that they caused on a perfectly operating system. This is just one example.

 

[freedomatlast]

Everything these days is trying to turn you into a sucker for a service contract or subscription fee.

How did we get along for decades without paying for stuff we didn't need?

Exactly!

And people seem to be naturally attracted to these things.

I just don't understand it.

 

[Winemaker]

I have a furnace /AC contract for my house and 2 furnace contract for my rental duplex. Never fails, if I have an issue with any unit, it is on the weekend or when I have an event at my house. For a $300 total, I have no weekend overtime charges and 15% off parts. It has paid off for me.

 

[JoeWras]

I have a furnace /AC contract for my house and 2 furnace contract for my rental duplex. Never fails, if I have an issue with any unit, it is on the weekend or when I have an event at my house. For a $300 total, I have no weekend overtime charges and 15% off parts. It has paid off for me.

I consider that a commercial transaction. I think they make a lot of sense in that context.

 

[Life_is_Good]

We bought a 10 year maintenance contract with our “big name” HVAC replacement system 3 years ago for $900. Two years in, we noticed the house wasn’t cooling correctly. The techs came out and found the coil assembly to be leaking. The entire replacement would have cost $3,500 but it was fully covered under the maintenance contract. I came out ahead

 

[badatmath]

I think they are a rip off. But I noticed when I was pricing AC it is hard to find a place that wasn't pushing them. I was too cheap to replace it yet and 2 years later it has not been an issue but maybe this spring. Now of course we had price inflation and parts shortages so that might not have been so smart IDK. They are going to new refrigerant again in 2023 I think. My AC is 23 years old and gets quite a work out in AZ

 

[JoeWras]

We bought a 10 year maintenance contract with our “big name” HVAC replacement system 3 years ago for $900. Two years in, we noticed the house wasn’t cooling correctly. The techs came out and found the coil assembly to be leaking. The entire replacement would have cost $3,500 but it was fully covered under the maintenance contract. I came out ahead

Please understand, I make no judgements because I think contracts are good for a lot of people who want convenience for repair. I differ on "routine service."

The counterpoint to this is a company like Carrier has a 10 year warranty on the coil. Now, you'll pay labor, so the question is, what is the labor charge? This is where it gets dicey and a contract is easier. They intentionally make it easy, and make not having a contract a big PITA.

However, a good independent tech won't soak you for labor.

Really, it is all a bunch of frustrating BS when it comes down to it. As consolidation has occurred, the HVAC industry is getting worse than the automobile repair industry. In our area, what used to be 100s of independents is rapidly consolidating to a cartel of about 5 big companies.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I pay $155 per year to my local HVAC company. That gets me a free cleaning/checkup of the furnace in late fall. That also gets me emergency/weekend/after hours service calls and 15% discount on parts. I mostly do it for the service call assurance.

 

[Timeisprecious]

Everyone has a story, but I think it all comes down to the circumstances with which you're faced and the quality of your own systems. If you feel more comfortable after pre-summer & pre-winter checks & you're going to have the H/C folks in anyway, and you can save money by getting the contract, then sure - get it. But it may not be worth it if it's an extra line item in your budget. The tradeoff should be evaluated.

 

[Timeisprecious]

Also, don't forget that you're their priority if there's a long line consisting largely of folks who haven't bought contracts.

 

[rk911]

i wouldn't call it a "plan" but we pre-pay for one seasonal furnace checkup (fall) and one seasonal AC checkup (spring). it's just easier and allegedly qualifies us for a small discount on service calls and parts, should we need it...we never have. i won't go out further than a year in case the company goes poof!

 

[COcheesehead]

We pay $295 a year for maintenance on a Rinnai tankless water heater, humidifier, furnace and A/C. They clean, flush, inspect and replace the filters. Filter cost alone is about $80 for a Merv 11 and a humidifier filter. We also get 15% off any service. For us it’s peace of mind. I’ve had furnaces go out on Christmas Eve. Fun times.

 

[NW-Bound]

Other than lesser charges for repair and call priority, I don't see having a maintenance contract gets you much. The AC/heatpumps do not need regular maintenance like an auto. You don't oil them, replace consumable parts, etc... They run until something breaks, then you replace a part if that's possible. The only thing replaced on a schedule is the indoor air filter.

I have not used my central AC/heat pump much the last 3 years, because I abandoned the 5 rooms upstairs to the heat/cold. I have two mini-splits for the ground floor, and I installed them myself.

I bought the tools to be able to service them (vacuum pump, pressure gauges, torque wrench for refrigerant fittings). I had to evacuate the lines after installation to install seals at the unions to fix leaks. I had my R410a canister.

 

[COcheesehead]

Other than lesser charges for repair and call priority, I don't see having a maintenance contract gets you much. The AC/heatpumps do not need regular maintenance like an auto. You don't oil them, replace consumable parts, etc... They run until something breaks, then you replace a part if that's possible. The only thing replaced on a schedule is the indoor air filter.

I have not used my central AC/heat pump much the last 3 years, because I abandoned the 5 rooms upstairs to the heat/cold. I have two mini-splits for the ground floor, and I installed them myself.

I bought the tools to be able to service them (vacuum pump, pressure gauges, torque wrench for refrigerant fittings). I had to evacuate the lines after installation to install seals at the unions to fix leaks. I had my R410a canister.

The heat exchanger will discharge more CO2 as it ages. Catching it before it bites the dust is helpful. Our service contract measures CO2 output, not only for wear, but safety.

 

[youbet]

i wouldn't call it a "plan" but we pre-pay for one seasonal furnace checkup (fall) and one seasonal AC checkup (spring). it's just easier and allegedly qualifies us for a small discount on service calls and parts, should we need it...we never have. i won't go out further than a year in case the company goes poof!

Actually, that's a "plan." I did that for a while too. Your deal sounds exactly like we had.