HVAC Maintenance Plans?

[dr.girlfriend]

Anyone have any thoughts about maintenance plans for HVAC systems (e.g. involves tune-up, x amount of coolant, priority scheduling for issues, etc.). I hate the idea of a recurring monthly charge, but it does seem to add up to a little less than we would pay for a yearly tune-up, and we have two separate heating and a/c systems to deal with. I haven't seen the contract yet, just got a quote for the price.

[minzy]

We have this. It’s about $310 a year total. We have two units, and I’m in MD. They come in the spring and fall and check the basement and attic units and the two things outside. (Can you tell I don’t really know what I’m talking about?) Usually they say our stuff looks great and our units pass all their little tests. It is peace of mind to know things are working and also to have some level of coverage if something were to go quickly.

[aprilsails]

At our previous home we carried this service for three years while we were trying to eke three more years of life out of our furnace before we renovated. We wanted to knock down walls and relocate the furnace so we really didn’t want to install a new furnace and then have to move it.

It also covered repairs up to a certain value and it was well worth the price because something small went wrong with that furnace every year and we never had to pay more than the contract price, even though they had to make 2 trips out per year.

Otherwise DH is king of the home maintenance and sets up all kinds of reminders in his phone.

[Cappy]

We never pay for service contracts or warranties or even inspections. We change our own filters (label date in/out w/ a sharpie) and visually check that our coils are clean. It could just be our luck but 13 years of homeownership and 2 homes we haven't needed any repairs. When the AC needed coolant it was bc it needed to be replaced and was 20 years old. I'd rather escrow the $300/year toward an HVAC fund than pay a contract but it really could differ based on where you live, how old your unit is, etc. Ours have always been newer units and we are in the Midwest.

[raangoli]

We did the plan one year and then MH paid attention to what they did and knew he could do the same. So we haven't renewed it. Our HVAC system was also replaced in 2015 so its new-ish and that helps. MH does all the seasonal maintenance himself like the filters, cleaning, etc.

It really depends on your level of comfort (no HVAC pun intended) on whether to go with the maintenance plan.

[icedcoffee]

We literally just signed up last month when our A/C went out. It's $19 a month and got us a 20% discount on our repair. It will get us 2 tune ups a year (A/C and heat). I have mixed feelings about it. We've lived here for 7 years and other that the time our furnace died (we replaced) and the one time our A/C went out ($400 repair) we've never had anything serviced. I don't know. I think tune ups twice a year is overkill, but the reason we did it is that at this point our A/C is 10 years old and maybe the tune ups will keep it running longer. They also will come out quicker if something goes which is nice. IDK. We'll try it for a couple years and see what we thing.

We change filters ourselves.

[dr.girlfriend]

Thanks, everyone!

[ssmjlm]

I have 2 zones with one unit in the attic. If anything goes wonky with it, I want to be priority. So we do pay for a maintenance plan.

[sadlebred]

I have a maintenance plan at $150/year for a single HVAC zoned system. It's caught a couple of problems over the years. I also like not having a service call fee if they do have to come out to fix something. I also get 10% off of parts.

[mlkgls]

I pay $180/yr for a similar plan, which includes both a fall and spring tuneup. It’s about the same cost or cheaper than paying for the tuneups separately, but covers minor issues and a discount on anything beyond that. My entire system is only a couple years old so I don’t anticipate any major repairs, but I look at it kind of like an oil change or routine maintenance for my car. 

Whether it’s cost effective would depend on cost, what it covers, and how handy you are. I can change a filter, but that’s about it so the $180 is worth it to me.