Central AC tune up (2013, insurance, house)

[Questnyc]

Hello. I’ve been living in my house for 3 years and never got the central AC checked out. Does anyone know a reliable company that can service my unit. Thanks

[BBCjunkie]

Flynn-Aire is good. We switched to them after having some issues with Elm Air Conditioning despite having been a customer of theirs (Elm) for about six years.


Long Island Air Conditioning, Long Island Heating Company, Long Island HVAC


Be aware that whatever company you call will likely charge more for a tuneup if you are not already a customer, in fact the difference between signing on for a service contract versus just getting a tuneup by itself is likely to be negligible. I just renewed the contract with Flynn Aire for this year and it was $228 which is pretty much par for the course (we were paying $220/year to Elm four years ago.) The service contract always includes a yearly check/tuneup/filter change.

[peconic117]

Originally Posted by Questnyc

Hello. I’ve been living in my house for 3 years and never got the central AC checked out. Does anyone know a reliable company that can service my unit. Thanks

You can get a basic start up/tune up for 70 bucks or less if you look around for early start deals (they check the coolant levels, blow out the condensate lines etc.) In the past I’ve used apple air and Arron air. I always thought service plans were a waste for central AC, you are spending hundreds for just a few months of usage not to mention they almost never cover the two most expensive components that go: coils and compressor.

[sojourn traveller]

^^ Yes.
If service plans didn't benefit the company they wouldn't be pushing it so much.
I think every other year for tune-ups is more than sufficient.

[BBCjunkie]

Originally Posted by peconic117

I always thought service plans were a waste for central AC, you are spending hundreds for just a few months of usage not to mention they almost never cover the two most expensive components that go: coils and compressor.

Like any other kind of "insurance", it's a crapshoot. Our current AC system (Carrier) was installed in 2013. When we decided not to continue with Elm, we didn't renew the service contract at the start of the 2016 season. Naturally when we first turned the system on, in June, there was a problem: the controller had gone bad despite being only 3 years old so it cost $463 to get that repaired... twice the cost of what a service contract would have been (which we've had since.)

The manufacturer warranty (Carrier) on our system is 10 years for the compressor, condenser, and control panel but of course that doesn't include labor which is where the repair companies get you if you don't have a service contract. I've never seen any of them charge less than $125 or $150 an hour, so even if you have a warranty repair you can easily drop $300 on labor alone.

I normally never bother with service contracts on anything but IMHO for CAC and heating equipment it's worth it.