[88carrera]

The previous owner (widowed grand mom) had a maintaince agreement and I just received notice to renew it.

For $229 annually it covers twice seasonal tune up, 24 priority service, and 20% off repairs.

The unit is a Bryant installed in 2002 with humidifier. The service logs on the side indicate the techs performing CTU (?) on drain tabs, and HTU (?) on pop ups and filter, and one time replacing the humidifier motor.

I don't know what's involved in these "tune ups" so I don't know if it is money well spent and is it really extending the life of the unit?

[Lupin..the..3rd]

Originally Posted by 88carrera

I don't know what's involved in these "tune ups"

What did they say when you asked them?

[88carrera]

I left a message and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

[cmartin]

Read the fine print as usual. I looked into something similar when I moved a couple years ago and the version I found didnt amount to much. You got a tune up, I have no idea what that is, and 'special' pricing on repairs. Thing is, you are locked into the provider's payment schedule and reference pricing is a concern.

I decided to check the condensation pump every few months, drop in some bleach once in a while and spray the outdoor unit every so often. I think that's a tune up in their mind. Of course, if they hook up some gauges they'll be happy to sell you a refrigerant top off.

I just had a HVAC guy walk me through the system I inherited, very useful. Turns out the humidifier element was junk and needed replacing. ~$20 and 5 min, that included a spare for the shelf. I didnt know what I had, so not a change I knew things needed maintenance. If it were me I would put that $$ towards a new system and keep the filters changed and the outdoor unit relatively clean. Also, have a spare capacitor(s) on hand.

[fendertweed]

IMO/IME from a reputable company they are worth it.

A 2002 unit is old - in that case you may not be gaining much but we get a pretty thorough checkout and report on operating specs.

It's sorta like cars, you can leave them along til they break or you can take a look now & then, but some prefer not to spend that $$ annually. Getting priority service if you need it is nice, such as when we arrived home from NJ on a 95 degree Sunday to no AC working.

;-o

[Don Wohlfarth]

Industry average on life of a system is12-15years. Look into contracts that cover parts and labor but with caution. They usually will not cover major parts that are not under manufacturers warranty. New high efficiency high tech systems, depending on capacity, can easily cost 8-12K or more.
A basic contract covers 2 inspections a year with a discount on any repairs. Next upgrade is contract that covers labor and you pay for discounted parts. The next upgrade is parts and labor.

[junkyard_sal]

I have an older home with at least one older system. Twice the systems have failed and having a contract meant that the company came and made the repairs after hours and on a Sunday without the premium service charge.

The savings on those two repairs essentially paid for the contracts for a few years. Read the fine print, for me the value is in the call option on the serviceman's time at odd hours.

[Vicegrip]

Originally Posted by Don Wohlfarth

Industry average on life of a system is12-15years. Look into contracts that cover parts and labor but with caution. They usually will not cover major parts that are not under manufacturers warranty. New high efficiency high tech systems, depending on capacity, can easily cost 8-12K or more.
A basic contract covers 2 inspections a year with a discount on any repairs. Next upgrade is contract that covers labor and you pay for discounted parts. The next upgrade is parts and labor.

^ He speaks from a position of experience in this trade.

Hey Don how you been? so you are telling me the heat pump I have with the 1986 manu date is getting old?

Many Basic contracts are mostly AC service guy hunting trips paid for by you. The upper level contracts are often more what they don't say is covered than what they say is.

Glad I don't have to deal with HVAC guys......