Mechanically inclined men -- a HVAC question

[ZeldaCA]

Hi guys!

Normally I do not frequent this area, but I'd like a man's opinion on something I have no knowledge about.

What's your opinion on preventative maintenance -- specifically for home heating and air conditioning units. My husband wants me to schedule a "preventative maintenance" appointment on our central heat/ac unit, which is around 4 years old and has never had anything done to it other than changing the filters regularly and hosing off the outside coils. Now I love my husband, but what he knows about technical stuff like this you could stuff into a very small bag. He's a farmer, not a technician.

It will cost around 150 bucks, I believe....a bit pricey. Is this something you do at your own home, and does it really help prevent future breakdowns? I guess I'm skeptical of preventative maintenance of ANY appliance (excluding cars), and sort of put it in the same category as extended warranties.

How do you guys handle this at your house? Any responses would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, guys!:hat

[humblebleu]

Hi ZeldaCa...I am not sure if I can answer the question but I will say that preventive maintenance on a heating unit can save you some money in the long run. Although there are only a few parts that can fail on a heating unit, it can be costly because most failures are a moderate emergency because you only use the heater when it is cold out. I believe they will clean the thermo-couple in the heater which is a inexpensive part but costly to replace as it requires a house visit. I don't know much about air conditioners but I learned the hard way that atleast a small level of preventive maintenance is necessary.

[Lisababy]

:hat i'm not a guy, but i do work in the heating/ac business. i will tell you that preventative maintenance is extremely important. when you have maintenance done, they will check your refrigerant levels, clean your coil, change your filters, test your safety controls, check airflow, tighten all electrical connections, lubricate all moving parts, clean your condensate drains, adjust your thermostat calibration, clean ignition assembly, clean and adjust your burner assembly (gas units), test starting capabilities, among a myriad of other things. your best plan is to get on a maintenance plan, where they will automatically come out 2 or 3 times per year (usually at the start of each season) to make sure everything is working correctly. Alot of companies will also give you a discount on any repairs you may have to do if you are on a maintenance plan.

having your coil cleaned at least will help tremendously. Bacterial growth (i.e. mold) grows easily on the coil just because the conditions are right for it. dark, cool & moist area. bacterial growth is bad for your health firstly, but can also clog your unit and prevent it from running properly if you don't have that growth cleaned off. 99% of the units we see have growth on the coil. (i know, it's gross, but it's true)

i work in the sales dept and we get a ton of customers whose units fail prematurely because they did not have the maintenance done regularly. it's quite painful to pay for a new system especially if you could have done something to get a little more life out of it. Here in VA, a new unit could run you anywhere from $6000 - $10,000 depending on the type of system you get.

If you have an extended warranty on your unit, if you don't have maintenance done regularly, it could void your warranty. I highly reccomend getting regular maintenance done, it can prevent alot of problems in your unit and possibly help save you some money on your electric bill.

It will cost around 150 bucks, I believe....a bit pricey

That price does seem a bit high to me also, especially just for one tune-up, we usually charge around $200 for a year long maintenance plan, but prices in CA are probably a bit higher than here in VA. i would definitely call around and see if anyone can do your tune-up for a little cheaper.

i hope i helped.....

[Faithful Servant]

:agree What Lisababy said....I am a diehard maintenance nut....

[ZeldaCA]

Ok, you guys definitely convinced me DH is on the right track wanting to do this. I will call around, get a ruputable compnay with a decent price, and do both our primary residence as well as our rental property. I'ma do-it-yourself kind of gal, but this is WAY out of our knowledge base, so we'll need someone to come in for sure.

In this economy, I just didn't want to be doing anything financially wasteful, but this sounds like it should get done at least ever year or two, and we've never had it done.

Thanks so much and God bless!!

Zelda

[Lisababy]

Ok, you guys definitely convinced me DH is on the right track wanting to do this. I will call around, get a ruputable compnay with a decent price, and do both our primary residence as well as our rental property. I'ma do-it-yourself kind of gal, but this is WAY out of our knowledge base, so we'll need someone to come in for sure.

In this economy, I just didn't want to be doing anything financially wasteful, but this sounds like it should get done at least ever year or two, and we've never had it done.

Thanks so much and God bless!!

Zelda

one thing to ask when calling these companies is to make sure they are bonded and insured. that way if they mess up your unit (hopefully not) then you have something to fall back on.

don't want to scare you, most companies are reputable and honest, but just in case, make sure you have all bases covered. don't go with joe schmo who works and lives out of the back of his service van just for cheap service.

I'ma do-it-yourself kind of gal.

you go girl, take care of business!

[ZeldaCA]

Thanks, Lisa, I will be careful. One thing I don't want to have happen is to have them up there, and then "mysteriously" something breaks within a few weeks....I am wary of car mechanics for the same reason so am very picky using them, too! It's easy to be taken advantage of when you know nothing about what's being done, but I am keeping your and Humblebeau's suggestions about what probably needs to get done as a reference guide.

I guess this HVAC servicing is a bit like changing the oil in the car -- necessary for the life of the machine! :)

[Lisababy]

I guess this HVAC servicing is a bit like changing the oil in the car -- necessary for the life of the machine! :)

you are exactly right, when customers call me and don't understand why we reccommend service that is the exact comparison i use.

see, you a smart lady! :nod

[ZeldaCA]

you are exactly right, when customers call me and don't understand why we reccommend service that is the exact comparison i use.

see, you a smart lady! :nod

If only I was smart enough to take the darn thing apart and service it myself, lol! :lol2

I'll let you know how we do, Lisa. I'm going to make some calls tomorrow and see who is out there and what the cost is. Our rental place hasn't been serviced in 5 years, so it will get done first, then we'll do ours in spring. :nod

[Tall Timbers]

I lived in military housing for years and one base sent mx guys out every year to clean it and tune it up. It's probably a good idea, preventative mx usually is for most things. Sometimes it's not hard to do the stuff yourself, but with the heating/cooling units, i expect one would need to have some knowledge about them in order to do the mx.