HVAC maintenance contracts are entered into frequently by busy homeowners that either don’t have the time or the know-how to service their home’s heating and cooling systems on their own. Typically, these annual care contracts involve a minimum of once-yearly maintenance on one’s furnace and air conditioner. Sometimes these contracts involve bringing in an HVAC service company twice a year: once before the cooling season, and once before the heating season.
What are the Benefits of an HVAC Maintenance Contract?
One of the most popular reasons for people to enter into annual contracts with an HVAC maintenance and repair company is surprisingly simple and straightforward: It’s easy to forget! Oftentimes, a home’s furnace or air conditioner is out of sight, tucked away somewhere that it won’t be an eyesore or be messed with by other forces. When you don’t see these systems every day, or simply walk by them without noticing them, it can be tough to remember to take care of their maintenance needs.
Other people like to bring in the professionals for annual inspections because they don’t know what to look for in their own HVAC systems. Consumers use these systems every day, but often aren’t the most informed as to how they work or what part of the system is making that weird clunking sound. They hire routine care for their furnaces and air conditioners to avoid the potential pitfalls of the inexperienced trying to make a furnace/AC repair themselves.
A quality HVAC repair and maintenance company will send out someone to check the following components of your system, and quite possibly more:
· The thermostat
· Electrical connections
· All moving parts
· Condensate drains
· Blowers
· System controllers
· Evaporators
· Refrigerant charge
· Fuel lines and their connections
· Gas pressure
· Burner combustion
· Heat exchanger
Why Do Some People Turn Away from HVAC Maintenance Contracts?
For all the benefits of routine HVAC systems care, not everybody is convinced that a contract of this nature is a good idea. A fair amount of this work can be done yourself if you know how to go about it, and many prefer to wait to call in the professionals only when something has gone wrong in their systems. Why is this?
You’re Limited
Upon entering into an HVAC servicing agreement with any company or contractor, you are typically limited to using that one company or contractor to provide you this service.
Your Care Might Not Be That Great
What qualifies as an “inspection” can differ from service provider to service provider. Some companies insist that their contractors look at every component of the HVAC system as a part of their annual care. Others simply consider a five-minute visual inspection to be good enough. There are some providers that will clean everything, while others will only knock out some dust if the filters get clogged.
If you do choose to get an annual care contract for your HVAC systems, it’s important that you ask the provider what exactly this service entails. Otherwise, you could end up paying for a lot more than what you’re getting.