Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2423646)

One thing that has not been mentioned is that most new HVAC systems come with a 5-year labor and 10-year parts warranty. And yet, the company who installs it wants to immediately sell you a 6-month or annual maintenance program. Even if I did want them to check the system periodically, which I don't, I certainly wouldn't pay for it until the warranty expired. And, not having a maintenance program does not affect the warranty.

Originally Posted by jrref (Post 2423629)

For those who believe that a yearly HVAC check-up and service is not needed are foolish. Why? Because the tech can find components such as the capacitor going out of spec which will put more strain on the compressor and shorten the life of your system. Also, cleanig the coils, inside and out, will make the system run more efficiently saving you money over time. They also measure the current the inside and outside fan motors are drawing, and test to make sure your Auxillary heat coils, which most have, are working properly. Also testing the coolant will let you know if you have a leak. Typically, you A/C should never need coolant unless there is a leak somewhere. Again, running your A/C with low coolant eventhough it's still cooling in your opinion will shorten the life of your system. There is no way to know unless you test the various items. Your HVAC system is not an item you should forget and don't do any maintenance untill it fails. In the long run you will be spending more money.

All this said, you need to find a company such as Sunshine, Munns, and other larger companies that don't need to resort to these scams to stay in business. And if you are one of those who are able to change the capacitor yourself, all you need to do is when the tech says it needs replacement, tell them you will do it next time around and do it yourself after he or she leaves. Just remember get the US brand capacitor such as this brand from Amazon which is what your HVAC company uses and not the cheap Chinese knock-offs. The cheap Chinese capacitors are less reliable and wear out faster especially in our hot Florida weather so in the long run it's not worth the savings. You get what you pay for.

Amazon.com

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2423649)

I'm on the fence about the checkups. I had them for a while, then I didn't, now I'm thinking about it again. It's a relatively low price for some peace of mind.

Originally Posted by Altavia (Post 2423663)

Good advise.

One more advantage of some service contracts you you get priority service, important on an especially hot day and demand for service is high.

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2423574)

My experience:
Woke up very early one morning to an unexpectedly warm house. Thermostat said cooling was on, air handler was moving air, but outside unit wasn't running. Checked the float in the drain tube to find it was full of water - drain tube was plugged. A few minutes outside trying different things to clear the drain got things working again.

After that I started running a gallon of hot water through the line on the first of the month. While I am working in that closet, I also look for leaks around the hot water heater and tap on the expansion tank to make sure it still has air in it. Simple enough to remember to do on the first of the month and haven't had a drain problem since.

Signed up for a maintenance plan to check the system. Tech came and cleared out the line, cleaned the coils, and confirmed it was working properly. Two or three visits later the tech advised that the capacitor was reading low and should be replaced. He offered to do it for somewhere between $80 and $150 (don't remember exactly but was less than $200). I declined the offer then changed it myself (being very careful) for about $30.

On the next visit the capacitor tested good. This seemed to surprise the tech which makes me think they might refer to their past records before they arrive.

Observations:
1. It is far easier to pour a gallon of hot water down the drain tube than to try to unplug it at 3AM.
2. The technicians don't always find something wrong on every visit
3. These technicians appear to be fairly honest - they didn't try convince me to pay them to replace the capacitor the first time and they acknowledged it was working properly the next time (after I had replaced it myself)
4. The annual checkups are not absolutely necessary if you keep up with regular maintenance.
5. If you don't have annual checkups or don't pay to have the capacitor replaced then it would be wise to have a spare on hand - Amazon delivers quickly but a house becomes uncomfortable even faster

Yes, it would be nice if a maintenance plan included replacing the capacitor every couple of years - the part is inexpensive and the cabinet is already open. Unfortunately, I have not heard of a plan that includes this.

Originally Posted by jrref (Post 2423678)

I'm surprised the tech was surprised the year later when he saw the capacitor was good after seeing it was goinig bad the year before because they see immediately the capacitor is now one of the cheap Chinese knock-offs vs the American made ones they all put in unless it's a small HVAC company looking to save money.

Originally Posted by Michael G. (Post 2423666)

I feel our HVAC systems are the most important appliance in ANY Florida home.
And when replacing your unit, service, or parts, don't go "cheap" on yourself, use the top-notch like Munn's, Sun Kool etc. etc.

My Advice, and your welcome. :icon_wink:

Originally Posted by Ski Bum (Post 2423553)

The problem with this story is the story. How much did said neighbor pay for the yearly check up? If it was $19.95, that isn't much to put toward the cost of replacing the capacitor. If it was $199.95, then you have a point. But at this point, you only have a story.

Originally Posted by mtdjed (Post 2423394)

Have a neighbor who called one of The Villages larger Air Conditioner installers for a yearly checkup. Don't know how much neighbor paid for the checkup. However, neighbor was told by service rep that Capacitor readings indicate that a new capacitor was likely needed before current capacitor failed. A price of $225 was verbally quoted.

I know that a capacitor costs between $10 to $20. If service rep was reading Capacitor, he already had the panel off. That meant he had to simply, disconnect power, discharge capacitor (Screwdriver between contacts), remove one bracket screw, disconnect 3 wires, remove old capacitor and simply install new capacitor. You can replace capacitor in about same time as it takes to check capacitor readings.

Since capacitors are one of the most frequent items to fail, are inexpensive and easy to replace, why don't we as the customers expect or force this abuse to stop.

Check UTUBE

Originally Posted by J1ceasar (Post 2423700)

The villages and they want to make money

Originally Posted by mtdjed (Post 2423394)

Have a neighbor who called one of The Villages larger Air Conditioner installers for a yearly checkup. Don't know how much neighbor paid for the checkup. However, neighbor was told by service rep that Capacitor readings indicate that a new capacitor was likely needed before current capacitor failed. A price of $225 was verbally quoted.

I know that a capacitor costs between $10 to $20. If service rep was reading Capacitor, he already had the panel off. That meant he had to simply, disconnect power, discharge capacitor (Screwdriver between contacts), remove one bracket screw, disconnect 3 wires, remove old capacitor and simply install new capacitor. You can replace capacitor in about same time as it takes to check capacitor readings.

Since capacitors are one of the most frequent items to fail, are inexpensive and easy to replace, why don't we as the customers expect or force this abuse to stop.

Check UTUBE

Originally Posted by jrref (Post 2423614)

I agree 100%. These $20 capacitors you get on Amazon are Chinese knock-offs and don't last as long as the "good" american made ones. These cost about $60-$70 and is what the HVAC company installs. Even so, with labor, you shouldn't be paying any more than $125 ish to have it replaced. True, it's a DIY project but not easy enough for just anyone to do.

As someone mentioned, you can read the capacitor and know when it's starting to go bad and although the A/C might still run, it's putting more strain on the compressor which will shorten it's life. So waiting for the A/C to fail due to the capacitor is counter productive.