anytime is the right time to purchase a comfort maintenance plan for your cooling and heating system. Having it cleaned and checked regularly, will ensure a longer life, lower utility bills and typically less break downs. It does not guarantee it will not fail, even if it has been serviced recently, as it is a mechanical device and may fail at anytime. We do assist in lessening the burden when it does, provided you have a service contract. Call us, so we may be able to assist you.
A service plans should be considered when the AC system installation has been completed. AC equipment, like a good automobile, should have regularly scheduled service in order for the AC system to work at its optimum.
If you purchased a home or an apt find out what company has been servicing the AC equipment and if they were doing a good job stick with them.
The best time to purchase a service plan is during spring or fall. Look for companies who offer preventative maintenance agreements. Depending on the outline of the agreement will determine how often they will do a tune up on your system. To give an example of this Peppers Heating and Air has a preventative maintenance agreement that we offer customers. We come out twice a year in the spring and fall mainly, and do a 15 point check each visit.
It's very important to have HVAC systems maintained. If you have NOT had your HVAC system maintained, then now is the best time to have it serviced, but you should expect additonal charges. If you have the system regularly maintained then you can wait until spring or fall and shop around for a good HVAC company.
I had a customer who asked me to look at his furnace after he was told he needed to replace it. The furnace was noisey and sometimes it would not heat. He was told he needed a new furnace and quoted around $3,200. He told me he plans to sell the house in a few years and would like me to look for things that would be flagged during an inspection and fix those things. He wasn't opposed to buying a new furnace, just wanted to make sure it was necessary at this time.
I took a look at the furnace. The noise was the draft motor. I found the return plenum had leaks where the tape was peeling. The drain line was clogged, did not have a pee trap nor a ball valve to aide when flushing the drain line. The auxilary drain pan was bent to allow clearance for the primary line. We went outside, when I opened the disconnect to check the electrical components at the condenser we found that the disconnect had fried at some point in the past and was hard wired with wire nuts. The condenser coils were covered in dirt and dog hair.
I ordered an OEM draft motor for the furnace. When I pulled the old draft motor off we could see where the motor housing had been hit by something heavy which bent the fan blade and caused it to rub against the unit, that was where the noise was coming from.
We set up a maintenance plan. Setting up the plan covered cleaning the outside coils and sealing the return plenum with tape and mastic. Additional charges where for installing a new disconnect, installing an in-line safety float switch and the cost of materials for running about 20 feet of new pvc drain line with line insulation, ball valve and pee trap. I mentioned the auxilary pan could get flagged during an inspection, but offerred to wait until spring to replace it. I also recommended a hard start kit, but the customer declined.
In all the cost of replacing the draft motor (which fixed the furnace problem), purchasing a one year service plan and the additional work was nearly $2,500 less than the quote and it was work that needed to be done to make the system run more efficiently and safer.
For most HVAC companies that have memberships the price is the same no matter when you purchase it. The investment in that membership usually comes with benefits such as:
2 visits per year to tune up the equipment and check all components to ensure they are within specs. I would make sure that on one of those inspections that the coils are cleaned and drains flushed. It is not a tune up unless something is cleaned!
Discounts of service repairs to members
Discounts on replacement to members if the need arises
Priority service if there is ever a need
Even if you don't sign up for a membership, regular tune ups are a must for the Comfort system in your home. All we can do as homeowners is make sure the filter is changed regularly.
Heating and Cooling equipment has a lot of moving parts and components. One is particular, the capacitor, wears out and becomes weak over time. If not checked regularly it can take out an expensive motor if left unchecked.
Secondly, your coils get dust and dirt on them. The result is the system works much harder to perform the job of cooling and heating for you. Your electric bill starts to creep higher.
If you get a tune up, make sure they will clean your coils and flush your drains as part of the tune up. Beware of the "Inspection" style tune up. The tune up should take 30 to 45 minutes to do it properly.
Air Conditioning and heating is very forgiving for a while if you never have maintenance on it and then one day (you can figure out what day the will be :) ) it will give up on you. Please have regular tune ups at least once a year.
Off season is always the best time to shop for a replacement air or heating system. Unless you have no choice. In the height of the season prices will be a bit higher because of the high volume of jobs and repairs that need to be done. Most company’s now a days will offer a service plan for the year with regular visits or will be more than happy to provide you with service check up when called at the beginning of the hot and cold seasons. Either way do your homework and shop around not only to find the right price for new units but the right company for service. I hope that helps. CTP Contracting
Answers (1-10)
anytime is the right time to purchase a comfort maintenance plan for your cooling and heating system. Having it cleaned and checked regularly, will ensure a longer life, lower utility bills and typically less break downs. It does not guarantee it will not fail, even if it has been serviced recently, as it is a mechanical device and may fail at anytime. We do assist in lessening the burden when it does, provided you have a service contract. Call us, so we may be able to assist you.
AC equipment, like a good automobile, should have regularly scheduled service in order for the AC system to work at its optimum.
If you purchased a home or an apt find out what company has been servicing the AC equipment and if they were doing a good job stick with them.
The best time to purchase a service plan is during spring or fall. Look for companies who offer preventative maintenance agreements. Depending on the outline of the agreement will determine how often they will do a tune up on your system. To give an example of this Peppers Heating and Air has a preventative maintenance agreement that we offer customers. We come out twice a year in the spring and fall mainly, and do a 15 point check each visit.
It's very important to have HVAC systems maintained. If you have NOT had your HVAC system maintained, then now is the best time to have it serviced, but you should expect additonal charges. If you have the system regularly maintained then you can wait until spring or fall and shop around for a good HVAC company.
I had a customer who asked me to look at his furnace after he was told he needed to replace it. The furnace was noisey and sometimes it would not heat. He was told he needed a new furnace and quoted around $3,200. He told me he plans to sell the house in a few years and would like me to look for things that would be flagged during an inspection and fix those things. He wasn't opposed to buying a new furnace, just wanted to make sure it was necessary at this time.
I took a look at the furnace. The noise was the draft motor. I found the return plenum had leaks where the tape was peeling. The drain line was clogged, did not have a pee trap nor a ball valve to aide when flushing the drain line. The auxilary drain pan was bent to allow clearance for the primary line. We went outside, when I opened the disconnect to check the electrical components at the condenser we found that the disconnect had fried at some point in the past and was hard wired with wire nuts. The condenser coils were covered in dirt and dog hair.
I ordered an OEM draft motor for the furnace. When I pulled the old draft motor off we could see where the motor housing had been hit by something heavy which bent the fan blade and caused it to rub against the unit, that was where the noise was coming from.
We set up a maintenance plan. Setting up the plan covered cleaning the outside coils and sealing the return plenum with tape and mastic. Additional charges where for installing a new disconnect, installing an in-line safety float switch and the cost of materials for running about 20 feet of new pvc drain line with line insulation, ball valve and pee trap. I mentioned the auxilary pan could get flagged during an inspection, but offerred to wait until spring to replace it. I also recommended a hard start kit, but the customer declined.
In all the cost of replacing the draft motor (which fixed the furnace problem), purchasing a one year service plan and the additional work was nearly $2,500 less than the quote and it was work that needed to be done to make the system run more efficiently and safer.
Very best, Christina
For most HVAC companies that have memberships the price is the same no matter when you purchase it. The investment in that membership usually comes with benefits such as:
Even if you don't sign up for a membership, regular tune ups are a must for the Comfort system in your home. All we can do as homeowners is make sure the filter is changed regularly.
Heating and Cooling equipment has a lot of moving parts and components. One is particular, the capacitor, wears out and becomes weak over time. If not checked regularly it can take out an expensive motor if left unchecked.
Secondly, your coils get dust and dirt on them. The result is the system works much harder to perform the job of cooling and heating for you. Your electric bill starts to creep higher.
If you get a tune up, make sure they will clean your coils and flush your drains as part of the tune up. Beware of the "Inspection" style tune up. The tune up should take 30 to 45 minutes to do it properly.
Air Conditioning and heating is very forgiving for a while if you never have maintenance on it and then one day (you can figure out what day the will be :) ) it will give up on you. Please have regular tune ups at least once a year.
matt
Keeping our system tuned up will save your energy bill drastically.