Question on Servicing Home AC

[Rob Base 2.0]

So we are getting a new home Air Conditioner (central air conditioner for the home) soon.

The sales person recommended a service plan where they come twice a year to check out the AC and the Coil thingee near the furnace.  It costs $24 a month (or you can pay yearly fee or a 3 year fee for some discounts)

Is this service plan worth it?

The current AC is about 17 years old and we are pretty sure it was never serviced.  House built in 2000, we brought it in 2007 and we know we never serviced it (we didn't know we should do that, we were/ are newbie to buying nd caring for houses) and it seems to be working fine, but it's old......

So how often should the AC be "serviced"?  Is the plan worth it? (approx. $24 per month)?

[zibazinski]

Normal use, once a year.

[Rob Base 2.0]

Thanks....And the price?

[zibazinski]

Depends on what's needed. Can be anywhere from $69 to a few hundred if it needs stuff.

[Rob Base 2.0]

And did you have the same dudes that installed your AC service it?

(sorry, I am an AC virgin.....be gentle...)

[zibazinski]

I did for one and didn't for the other. Word of mouth is the best way for service. A brand new unit should have a warranty anyway. 

[OldCoyote]

Zib is is  very close on that,  Don't fall for the $29.95 service call,

It is because they can not work that cheap, stay in business!

[Rob Base 2.0]

It has a warranty but only for parts......not for labor

[Blonde Granny]

I live alone and don't want to have a heat or a/c crisis during the heat of the summer or ice storm during the winter. I have both serviced...once in the spring for a/c and again in the fall. It's all I can do to attempt to head off any drastic problems. My units will be in service 4 years in October.

IIRC, A/C was about $80 done by a local company and the heat was $99...done by our natural gas company. They gas company also lit my fireplace gas pilot light, checked the gas water heater, and installed a new filter in the ceiling that I can't reach.

[zibazinski]

Sounds about right.

[phil5185]

So how often should the AC be "serviced"? Is the plan worth it? (approx. $24 per month)?

Wow, I'm pretty sure that $600/yr is not cost effective. A new 3 Ton Unit cost me $3500 about 3 years ago - so your $600/y would pay for a new one every 6 years.

We're in AZ, we had 4 houses for 35 years (rentals).  Our AC units last between 20 and 30 years (the old Tappan that we replaced 3 yrs ago was over 30).  I don't have them 'serviced', there really isn't much to service, the bearings are all sealed (no lubrication method), there are no  belts to check.  As for checking the refrigerant level, systems are all designed to shutdown if the refrigerant level drops. Some services include cleaning the coils, cleaning the fan blades, etc, but not really needed.

We installed the one on our home 19 years ago, a heat pump, so it runs summer & winter. It has never been serviced. (I shouldn't have said that, now it will quit).

You will notice a definite difference in your electric bill, the newer units use only about half as much power as your older 17-yr-old system. So if your AC is 20 or older, don't spend anything on it, get a new one - that money will quickly come back to you in low electric bills.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

I agree with phil. You can replace the filters once a year and clean the outside coils.

[Rob Base 2.0]

Apr 22, 2017 11:05:50 GMT -5 phil5185 said:

So how often should the AC be "serviced"? Is the plan worth it? (approx. $24 per month)?

Wow, I'm pretty sure that $600/yr is not cost effective. A new 3 Ton Unit cost me $3500 about 3 years ago - so your $600/y would pay for a new one every 6 years.

We're in AZ, we had 4 houses for 35 years (rentals).  Our AC units last between 20 and 30 years (the old Tappan that we replaced 3 yrs ago was over 30).  I don't have them 'serviced', there really isn't much to service, the bearings are all sealed (no lubrication method), there are no  belts to check.  As for checking the refrigerant level, systems are all designed to shutdown if the refrigerant level drops. Some services include cleaning the coils, cleaning the fan blades, etc, but not really needed.

We installed the one on our home 19 years ago, a heat pump, so it runs summer & winter. It has never been serviced. (I shouldn't have said that, now it will quit).

You will notice a definite difference in your electric bill, the newer units use only about half as much power as your older 17-yr-old system. So if your AC is 20 or older, don't spend anything on it, get a new one - that money will quickly come back to you in low electric bills.

$24 / month = $288 per year...........where are you getting the $600 from??

[thyme4change]

Sounds expensive for a brand new unit.  I did a "pre-paid maintenance" contract on my A/C recently - but that is because it is 15 years old, and if it goes out in 4 of the 7 months I run it, I will be super unhappy.  It is freakin' hot here.  Once that contract runs out, I will be close to getting another unit.  The older units got 20 years easily - but the newer units are not built quite as tough.  

[dee27]

I noticed contract maintenance plans are increasing in price in our area. Make sure you read the fine print to understand what is covered in the contract. Our price increased last year and depending on the plan the cost is $189 to $249 (gas furnace and AC). When I checked prices at other companies, the increase was in line with their contract for service. To me, the piece of mind is worth the annual cost as I do not want to be w/o heat in the middle of winter or AC during a heat wave. We did have the company replace a part in the furnace last year, and because of our contract, we received a discount on the part and the labor. Also, the service was scheduled for the next day.

[Anne_in_VA]

We had a new HVAC system put in in 2016 and we still got the annual maintenance plan.  For $159 (?) they check the HVAC system, our water heater, electrical system and plumbing.  We use the item list they come up with for DH to make the necessary repairs.  Since he can do most of it, we save a bunch of money since the things they recommend are over what is covered by the plam, like gfci outlets in the kitchen and bathroom, etc.  DH went to the big box store and bought the right stuff and installed them himself.  Took maybe 15 min. tops.  

DH is one of the handiest people I know, but what he can't do my SIL can.

[hoops902]

It's almost definitely not worth it, service contracts rarely are...that's why companies want to sell them...it's a lot of profit for them.  Get it serviced once a year, the checkup will be less than $100 in my area (it will be less than their price for two obviously). 

[phil5185]

$24 / month = $288 per year...........where are you getting the $600 from??

Whoops, my bad.

[Deleted]

We have done the service plan since we had a new furnace/ac unit put in a few years ago.   

Ours is with the company that did the installation.  It is neither the best money nor the worst money I have spent.  It is peace of mind for DH, and it's not much to pay to keep him happy.

[OldCoyote]

Apr 22, 2017 11:44:12 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Sounds expensive for a brand new unit.  I did a "pre-paid maintenance" contract on my A/C recently - but that is because it is 15 years old, and if it goes out in 4 of the 7 months I run it, I will be super unhappy.  It is freakin' hot here.  Once that contract runs out, I will be close to getting another unit.  The older units got 20 years easily - but the newer units are not built quite as tough.  

I think when comes to the AC units,, they are build better now, Most compressors are warranted for 10 years.

[alabamagal]

If companies are selling it, they are making money off it.

[spartyparty]

Apr 22, 2017 11:11:40 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

I agree with phil. You can replace the filters once a year and clean the outside coils.

I use a horsehair paint brush to clean the fins...probably should do this too (but I don't):

[Ryan]

Man, I'm surprised so many people pay for the annual maintenance.  Do you guys really think they are preemptively catching any major problems?  

If I was going to replace the unit, I'd do it in the fall when I don't need the A/C or Furnace, but I think it seems easier to just deal with the possibility of it going out at some point. 

[Anne_in_VA]

I had them catch a bad motherboard and put in a new digital Thermostat @ no charge because I needed them and it was under the plan.  Would have cost $$, but I don't remember what it would have been if I didn't have the service plan.  

[thyme4change]

Apr 25, 2017 16:56:23 GMT -5 Ryan said:

Man, I'm surprised so many people pay for the annual maintenance.  Do you guys really think they are preemptively catching any major problems?  

If I was going to replace the unit, I'd do it in the fall when I don't need the A/C or Furnace, but I think it seems easier to just deal with the possibility of it going out at some point. 

I had them catch a dying motor, which would have burned out during the hottest time of the year, when it is hard to get someone to your house.

My Dad had them catch fraying wires that would have started a fire.

[tskeeter]

Apr 22, 2017 9:59:56 GMT -5 Rob Base 2.0 said:

So we are getting a new home Air Conditioner (central air conditioner for the home) soon.

The sales person recommended a service plan where they come twice a year to check out the AC and the Coil thingee near the furnace.  It costs $24 a month (or you can pay yearly fee or a 3 year fee for some discounts)

Is this service plan worth it?

The current AC is about 17 years old and we are pretty sure it was never serviced.  House built in 2000, we brought it in 2007 and we know we never serviced it (we didn't know we should do that, we were/ are newbie to buying nd caring for houses) and it seems to be working fine, but it's old......

So how often should the AC be "serviced"?  Is the plan worth it? (approx. $24 per month)?

Rob, the only reason that someone wants to sell you an A/C service plan is that they make money on it.  I think nearly $300 a year is pretty expensive.  All that the service plans that I have seen cover is replacing your air filter ($10) and hosing the dust and debris out of the outside cooling coil (free and 15 minutes of your time).  You will pay extra for pretty much everything else.  In my experience, you'd be way ahead to do the simple things yourself and plan on paying for a technician only when you need one.  (I've had to call in a technician once in the past 20+ years at a cost of $200.)

For maintenance, I change the furnace air filters every three months ( furnaces and A/C systems generally use the same filter) and hose out the outside coil at the beginning of each A/C season.

[Sam_2.0]

I used to sell appliance repair plans. Just call the company and schedule a maintenance check in April or May each year - it does have to be above 72* outside in order to check the system properly. The check should run you $75-$100. Keep your filters cleaned and the outside unit free of debris and it should be just fine

[alabamagal]

And I have NEVER had an issue trying to get a service call on my AC unit when it did need service.

One time we returned from vacation in mid-August in South Georgia and had a freak problem with our unit.  After a power failure, the 3 way valve got stuck in heat mode and the thermostat was in cool mode so the unit kept running trying to cool the house when it was really heating the house.  It was 140 degrees in our house when we got home at 8 pm.  Had service guy there within an hour.  Said he had never seen that happen before, but got it fixed for a small fee.