Yearly $50-100 HVAC check

[masraum]

Do you get, is there any point in getting one of those yearly "let us check out your HVAC system for $XX" deals? I've always blown those off as a way to take my money and a foot in the door to take more of my money. My wife called because she was at HD and they are running a special $38 instead of $75 and wanted to know if we should get it done. My first thought is "no", but figured I would check with the PPOT brain trust. My second thought is to not get it done by the HD contractors, but to research a reputable company and have them do it instead.

So, are those yearly checkups worth it?

I have an AC unit (outdoor) that's probably about 8 years old give or take a couple, and my indoor unit is probably a year or two newer than the outdoor. The furnace is probably closer to 15 yo.

I think the main reason why she is asking is this. When we moved in, the water condensing out of the indoor unit was plumbed into the drain for one of the upstairs showers. it worked well, but made a funny noise in the drain. When the indoor unit was replaced, they plumbed it back to the drip pipe that is coming out of the soffit and drips between the house and the outdoor unit on the ground. I've told her that the dripping is completely normal, but I think it irritates her. I've wondered if it can be piped back into the plumbing.

[nota]

the a/c when working will drip unless you are in a bone dry area
if it stops the unit is broken or clogged
as the unit cools the air the water condenses out and forms the drips

just extend the drip pipe to the ground in a small rock/sand pit
out of site and her mind
I would not add to a sewer drain as smells may back up in to the unit
and a trap to prevent smells will be a slime growth /clog point

a garden hose wash down of the out side unit is a good once a year procedure
just turn off the power
as is getting the foam cleaner spray on the inside coils [any hardware store]
and a cup of bleach to clear/clean the drain line of slime

biggest bit is changing/cleaning the filter regularly

[matt f]

Steve,
I get my HVAC system checked every year by a local company.
HD and/or Lowes usually contracts this work out to local companies anyway.
I pay $79 in Sept for my heating and the same in March for my AC.
System efficiency and filter changes, takes about 45 minutes.
I also change my AC filter by myself around the middle of July.
Never had the contractor try to up sell me.
I believe the water your getting is normal, as you think also.
Can't tell you if running it back into piping is OK, but I'm sure the experts will chime in on that.
IMO for $160/yr to have piece of mind for 2 important systems to function properly and efficiently is worth it.

Matt

[911dean]

You do the math... Can you send a truck and qualified tech out for $38?

Unfortunately many company's want to only sell you new equipment. In my honest opinion residential equipment is becoming throw away. If it's over 10 years old a $800-1000 repair is tough to swallow. Most new equipment can be had with a 10 year parts and labor warranty. One big catch... yearly maintenance required to keep warranty. Let's just say $200 a year service contract for 10 years is $2000. That's a lot of furnace/ac repair for brand new equipment over 10 years.

[masraum]

The drip is definitely normal, especially since here in Houston, where it is darn humid.

I use filters like these, and my thermostat blinks at me every three months to tell me that it's time to change them, so I do.



I can't imagine that there's anything that the AC guys could do that would help other than making sure that the fins in the indoor unit are clean and not clogged.

I would want to research a reputable company. I don't trust some of these goons any further than I could throw them. I'm sure there are plenty of plumbers, electricians, hvac, mechanics, etc... that are honest and have integrity, but I like to try to protect myself from the ones that don't fit that description as much as possible.

[Rick Lee]

I do it and it really paid for itself recently. My home warranty company recently started working with the HVAC co. I use for the inspections. Obviously, it's pretty easy for a home warranty co. to deny a claim and say the failure (of the 17 yr. old unit) was due to improper maintenance. They couldn't do it to me because the place they sent out to fix my outdoor unit happened to be the place that has three years of records of having inspected it twice a year and given it a clean bill of health. Just waiting for the big compressor failure so we can get the new system covered by the home warranty co.

[VincentVega]

Interesting. I've never done it. I change the filter and clean off the outdoor unit at least once a year. The cleaning fluid and a hose make easy work of the outdoor unit. What I want to know is how to clean the indoor unit. I can spray the cleaner through the filter inlet but that only gets a small area of the evaporator. Would love to know how this is done.

RL - can you share any info on the home warranty?

[notmytarga]

Cleaning the outdoor coils is a garden hose job +/- after spraying a special/not-special cleaner on them. This really helps with efficiency if the unit has been neglected (dog hair clogged one bad on a past house I bought)
The things that the HVAC checkup guys do that are usually NOT easily DIY are checking the refrigerant pressures, checking the burners for carbon monoxide risk, checking the indoor evaporator coil fins, generally using equipment and crawling into the attic.
I have not had my replaced 4 year-old system checked because I keep an eye on things, clean the condenser coils and change the high efficiency filters on both the upstairs and downstairs units once a year. I went so far as weighing the MERV-10 filters before and after a year of use. These slide into a box on the intake side of the attic units. 90 GRAMS of stuff collected. Not much it seems. But the filters protect the furnace and evaporator fins from getting obstruction over time.

Do you know that smell that you get time the first time the heater fires up for the season? That is dust (skin cells mostly!) being burned off the furnace burners. I haven't had that smell since I started using filters that are better than the "Change every month type" Allergies seem better too. If the furnace is collecting this dust then the evaporator coils are too, probably more so. And it doesn't get burned off - maybe washed off a bit by the condensation. Use the better filters.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by VincentVega

RL - can you share any info on the home warranty?

I have Old Republic. It's around $450 a year with no pool coverage and seems to pay for itself each year. We're just keeping it going until the a/c dies, since the new units run about $7k and parts for the old units are getting more and more scarce. My compressor is pulling max amperage even on not so hot days, so it's on the way out. Last tech told me replacing that can run around $3-5k. I figure, if it gets to be that expensive, Old Republic will offer us that much toward our purchasing the newer system.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I do it and it really paid for itself recently. My home warranty company recently started working with the HVAC co. I use for the inspections. Obviously, it's pretty easy for a home warranty co. to deny a claim and say the failure (of the 17 yr. old unit) was due to improper maintenance. They couldn't do it to me because the place they sent out to fix my outdoor unit happened to be the place that has three years of records of having inspected it twice a year and given it a clean bill of health. Just waiting for the big compressor failure so we can get the new system covered by the home warranty co.

That sounds like a nice bit of luck. I don't have a warranty, so it's not going to help me, but it's something to remember in the future if I move to a home with a warranty.

[911dean]

Typically evap coil is never checked, as you can"t see it. The single best way to test is a static pressure drop. Most company's don't check statics and don't know what it's telling them. You should never have a problem with your evap coil with proper filter maintenance. A good filter with low static pressure drop changed monthly is your best bet. Pleated type filters, filter great, but typically have high static pressure drop and quickly have higher drop due to their filtering capabilities.

Home warranty company's are what they are. You can be rest assured that a smoked compressor in a 17 year old unit may just result in a compressor only replacement. It'll cost the insurance company less money.

[Rick Lee]

You can buy a home warranty online in five min. They don't even do an inspection. It can be cheap insurance.

[Wilywilly]

The value in a service contract is getting a preferential service call if it goes on the fritz. Seems like if they break down it's always in the middle of the hottest heat wave of the season and getting guaranteed same day service as opposed to having to wait for a couple or more days before a service tech comes out is worth far more than the annual cost of a service contract. When they go on the fritz it usually happens when the units are stressed to the max and a lot of other customers have problems then too.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by notmytarga

Do you know that smell that you get time the first time the heater fires up for the season? That is dust (skin cells mostly!) being burned off the furnace burners. I haven't had that smell since I started using filters that are better than the "Change every month type" Allergies seem better too. If the furnace is collecting this dust then the evaporator coils are too, probably more so. And it doesn't get burned off - maybe washed off a bit by the condensation. Use the better filters.

Wow, that's good stuff. I also use the high efficiency filters, but the way the intake is set up in my house, it's not a sealed system. It actually sucks right through a not air tight "tunnel" (the unfinished inside of the walls) up the middle of the house which means that it's sucking through the walls and dry wall. Not the best setup, but I guess that's the deal with a house that was built in 1967.

That's what makes me worry about the fins of the evaporator getting dirty/clogged. I think that's probably a job that I could do. Do they use one of those fin combs to clean them or what?

[Brian in VA]

Masraum, we had one of these for a while and recently cancelled it. Our unit is pretty old and the first 2 times the same guy came out and checked and gave me a big list of problems. Was thinking of waiting and just replacing instead after doing a few other things (roof etc.). Next time was a different guy, he says everything looks great. I asked him about one of the "problems" and he looks at me like I'm crazy and says it was fine. So no more inspections. I regularly change the filter and when it dies I'll deal with it then.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Brian in VA

Masraum, we had one of these for a while and recently cancelled it. Our unit is pretty old and the first 2 times the same guy came out and checked and gave me a big list of problems. Was thinking of waiting and just replacing instead after doing a few other things (roof etc.). Next time was a different guy, he says everything looks great. I asked him about one of the "problems" and he looks at me like I'm crazy and says it was fine. So no more inspections. I regularly change the filter and when it dies I'll deal with it then.

Yeah, that's exactly why I don't normally do it.

[EarlyPorsche]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

You can buy a home warranty online in five min. They don't even do an inspection. It can be cheap insurance.

Check your contract. I would be surprised if they pay more than $2000 toward a replacement by their contractor. So you would still be out the deductible, annual fee, and around $5000. I just went through this and decided the warranty was not worth it for us.

[nota]

a big % of dead units [no start] is a capacitor is dead not the unit
not a bad idea to have a spare capacitor on hand
replacement is quick and eazy turn off the power and unplug the wires
most caps are under $20

some units have both a start and run capacitor on the outside bit
and another for the inside fan motor

[hardflex]

What about contactor's nota. That's the only thing I have ever replaced. Are they a symptom of something else?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by EarlyPorsche

Check your contract. I would be surprised if they pay more than $2000 toward a replacement by their contractor. So you would still be out the deductible, annual fee, and around $5000. I just went through this and decided the warranty was not worth it for us.

No, they'll cover more than that. Of course, they'll Band-Aid it if they can. But I'm pretty sure the compressor job will be north of $3k and they'd likely offer us whatever that would cost toward a whole new unit and we'd pay the difference. Deductible is $55. So far I've gotten a new pool pump housing, an a/c drain line p-trap replaced, a new blower motor and a leak detection service with $200 toward drywall replacement out of them. Just about pays for itself, but the real payday will be the a/c.