Munn's for AC Tuneup & Duct Cleaning?

[Polar Bear]

Thinking of hiring them. Quotes seem a little high compared to some lesser know outfits, but reasonable if they do good work.

I'd appreciate hearing your opinions and/or experiences.

[retiredguy123]

Munn's is a good company, but not cheap. But, there is really no need to "tune up" the system, or to clean the ducts. If it's not broken, don't fix it. You do need to replace the filters, but you can do that yourself and save a lot of money. I buy my filters from ACE Hardware for $15, instead of paying $50 to Munn's. Personally, I don't like maintenance agreements because it locks you in to one company when you need a repair. There are lots of good HVAC companies you can call when your system goes done. Apparently, Chuck Farrell, is another good company.

[rde3036]

Another up vote for Chuck Farrell!

[Aloha1]

Munn's is an excellent company with fantastic customer service. No maintenance contract needed and you can provide your own filter. They're actually cheaper for a system check than a few other firms. Highly recommend.

[asianthree]

We were with Sunkool since 2010, at 3 houses. Always using the same guy, and very happy. In 2016 new guy from Sunkool came, said we had issues, and gave us cost. We called Chuck, he sent someone same day. Could not duplicate the issues, never charged us for the call. We have used Chuck for the last 2 years. He is honest and trust his staff.

[CWGUY]

:a040: Chuck Farrell is the BEST! Got rid of Munn's and could not be happier! :ho:

[Toymeister]

Ask yourself this: What "tune up" can Munns do?
-The bearings are sealed, they can't be oiled
-The freon is in a sealed system. If it does leak you will know because it doesn't work
-The outside unit can be cleaned by hose, which you can do, that is what Munns will do.
-The inside heat exchanger is not dirty unless you didn't change the filter
-The filter does not care who changes it.
-The capacitor can be checked to see if it is going bad, or you can change it yourself every other year (YouTube). Or check it yourself with a 4.99, or free with purchase, multi meter from harbor freight.

[retiredguy123]

Ask yourself this: What "tune up" can Munns do?
-The bearings are sealed, they can't be oiled
-The freon is in a sealed system. If it does leak you will know because it doesn't work
-The outside unit can be cleaned by hose, which you can do, that is what Munns will do.
-The inside heat exchanger is not dirty unless you didn't change the filter
-The filter does not care who changes it.
-The capacitor can be checked to see if it is going bad, or you can change it yourself every other year (YouTube). Or check it yourself with a 4.99, or free with purchase, multi meter from harbor freight.
I agree. It is as if they are going to change the spark plugs and set the timing like they did on cars 50 years ago.

[Polar Bear]

I appreciate the input.

I should have been clearer...

I will change the filter, but don’t want to fool with other stuff. The well-under-$100 price is fine for me for the AC checkup.

A vent/duct cleaning is what is a bit pricey, but it’s been almost five years, so I’m going to have it done (by someone) whether there is any observed problem or not.

I have no intention of letting the system fail before I sink a few dollars into maintenance. :)

More opinions still welcome. :)

[retiredguy123]

Cleaning the dryer vent makes sense to prevent a fire. But, the HVAC ducts are made of a thin, flexible material, and really cannot be cleaned effectively, and could even be damaged by the cleaning process. I have never cleaned out HVAC ducts in any house that I have owned.

[Toymeister]

For 20.00 you can get a 12 foot flexible bore scope that attaches to your phone. Run it up your registers and determine if they are really dirty, I doubt it.

If you are concerned about the dryer duct: after it is clean have a
lint alarm installed. It will tell you real time of the vent needs cleaning. I paid 35.00 it was an easy diy project

[N44125]

Another vote for Chuck Farrell.

[DeanFL]

We have used Munns since our TV home was built 5 years ago. I'm a DIY type of guy, but in FL we so depend upon our AC... don't want to take a chance.

Each year we have Munns come out twice yearly for a set $$$, $179. Spring & Fall appointment. Mark Chen is the Tech we ask for... a very knowledgeable and caring guy. Takes about an hour each Spring/Fall and they go thru the entire system and confirm all efficiencies are at spec. It's comforting knowing the system is properly cared for. IMO a cheap price to pay - and wise to have a link with a pro AC firm in case of emergency.

Only once did our Carrier fail - the capacitor in the outdoor unit - Munns came out within 2 hours and replaced at no cost.

BTW we had an electronic air cleaner installed by Munns in place of the 4" regular filter (allergies). They clean that filter each 6 mo visit as well. We considered duct cleaning...but after a lot of research - nope, did not want to 'stir up' any settled dust and stuff that may be settled into the ducts...

[Dan9871]

We cleaned the ducts in the house we lived in before moving to The Villages. It removed a lots of dust and accumulated crud. My wife is allergic to dust and it made a big difference for her.

But the ducts in that house were the regular metal ones so I wasn't worried about damaging them. I've thought about cleaning our ducts here but I would need to be convinced that technique used to clean them would not damage them and be effective. The tools used in our previous house to clean the ducts would shred the ones we have here to pieces.

As far as dust goes we added a Carrier Infinity MERV 15 air filter to our AC here in The Villages. It made a difference for my wife and dust seems to collect inside the house more slowly now. The filters are more expensive for this system than standard ones but it does help if you have allergies to dust and such.

Air Purifier DGAPA (https://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/products/indoor-air-quality/air-purifiers/air-purifier-dgapa/)

[Dan9871]

We have a service contract with Sunshine and they do a checkup/cleaning twice a year as part of that. Also they have been very responsive for service calls. We've had capacitors go bad twice (both times in the evening) since we have been here and Sunshine has been to our house in less than two hours to replace it. The have also replaced the capacitor once as part of one of their checkups because could see, by checking the startup current, that it was on its way out.

You can easily do all the stuff that Sunshine does on a checkup yourself and just as a matter of course change the capacitor once a year and spend a lot less than what a service contract costs... but I'm retired now and I don't want to do that kind of stuff anymore :-)

[NoMoSno]

Change a capacitor once a year????...Not.
Had Chuck Farrell replace AC in one of my units last year.
After installation I was going to set up a check up for this year.
He said call him in two years instead, there is nothing needed the first year on a new unit.