Do you do yearly AC check ups? (house, contractor)

[ji603]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I stand by my comment. If the unit is working properly, there is no need to have someone poking around in it and trying to sell you a capacitor you don't need. Save your money and go to a resort for a day if it conks out and you have to wait for a "reputable" repair company.

There was a news story on TV recently where three different companies checked a perfectly functioning AC unit. All of them recommended repairs though it needed nothing and the estimates went from low to very, very high. Stay away from these crooks.

I'll chip in here, only to say that I wholeheartedly agree w/Ponderosa. I've had 3 A/C guys in as many years, and haven't yet found one that I'm happy with.

I stick my thermometer in a register, and if the ΔT is 20 degrees from the return - good enough. High AC bills in the summer here in PHX are the norm, not the exception... when the thing dies, then we'll take the family for a resort stay.

HVAC seems to be a less-than-reputable industry to me, all the way from the George Brazil informercial to the independent with one truck.

[BabsJohnson]

I totally agree with Ponderosa. The motors are all self-lubricating and there really isn't anything to do with the unit. Some of these companies are trying to sell you a service contract you don't need. They will even find imaginary problems that they will fix for free if you just buy the $500. service contract. A lot of the repair guys that come out work on a commission. In other words they make more money for themselves and the boss on everything they can sell you. The elderly and women are especially vulnerable.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

How do you know if it's working properly? Just because it keeps your house cool, doesn't mean it's not a ticking time bomb. A lot of expensive problems are avoidable with preventative maintenance. I've never had one of those guys try to sell me something other to fix a real problem that was going to be a lot more expensive later on.

There is no preventive maintenance. Bearings these days are sealed and don't need oil, a cap is either good or bad, same with fuses. There is nothing to do with an expansion valve. If there is a refrigerant leak then you won't get proper cooling. If you use filters the evaporator coils will be clean; the outside ones will be OK unless you have a jungle in the yard. The AC guy might give you a bunch of numbers that mean nothing to the average guy and will likely just be used to rip you off. It is just like your refrigerator. You don't do "preventive maintenance" on the refer except maybe vacuum the coils. If it works, leave it alone.

[AZgarden]

OMG Am I glad I read this !! My house was built in 1991 and has the original Trane hi efficiency unit still running great. I know it can't last much longer. One year I had the extensive check up done by one of those "people" (read crooks). It cost me $1100. But I guess he did alot to it and made it last another 5 years. It was a big bill I wasn't expecting but was afraid to say no. So, any day now.....

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

OMG Am I glad I read this !! My house was built in 1991 and has the original Trane hi efficiency unit still running great. I know it can't last much longer. One year I had the extensive check up done by one of those "people" (read crooks). It cost me $1100. But I guess he did alot to it and made it last another 5 years. It was a big bill I wasn't expecting but was afraid to say no. So, any day now.....

20 years is the average lifetime for an AC unit in this area. Pretty good condsidering... I know people who are still running on the old Goettl box, though (Goettl was a household word on AC in the 70s and 80s in Phoenix). Looks like you have a new one in your future.

I replaced mine a couple years back when it was still running, but noisy. There was a good tax credit available. I save on electric now, but probably would have been better off to just let the old one die. My neighbor's is still going strong though it sings more than mine did.

[BabsJohnson]

The guy who saved my sanity a couple of weeks back, and kept me in my home with cooling highly recommends Goodman. I have had the idea that this was a cheap brand. I have had a preference for Trane. The last 3 ton Trane package rooftop unit I bought for a rental house, I paid $2900./cash for. Installed, taxes and out the door. R-410A and 13.5 seer. I found it on Craigslist. Then I shopped for and bought a ten year Trane parts and labor warranty from another Trane dealer. $600. as I recall. Is the Goodman brand ok? They also make Amana and some other brands.

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Waste of money. Stick a thermometer in an air outlet. If it is 20 degrees colder than the air going into the return, then your AC is fine. Make sure nothing is blocking the outside unit. The service visits are just an opportunity to sell you things/fix things that you don't need. It is one of the biggest scams around. I never saw a warranty that required an annual inspection.

Good contractors check up, maybe has some value, but finding an honest AC firm in Phoenix is about the same as finding an honest car repair place or dentist.

I would agree with this. This guy I used to do a few beers with at a fairly seedy bar told me that the vent closest to the intake should be blowing 25F colder than the air at the intake. Might pay to do a visual on your condensing unit to check for leaves, branches, etc...Checking refrigerant annually is a waste. They may even contaminate your system.

[azriverfan.]

I agree with Ponderosa as well. These service plans are scams. You are better off using a reputable home warranty company and purchasing their best and most comprehensive coverage plan. The reason is Home Warranty companies protect consumers. If the referred third party provides bad service, the warranty company will be removed from their list and that's been my experience. Also, you are responsible for only the service fee and the warranty company pays the rest. If an unethical HVAC company tries to do too much work, the warranty company will get a second opinion to make certain the first company isn't trying to rip them off. I've been very happy with my warranty company and the companies they use. These companies didn't try to upsell me on services or equipment.

On the other hand, when I didn't have a warranty company, it was so common for these companies to try and tell you that your units were too small and that you need to purchase new units and they can get you a great deal or charge a lot of money to have the coils cleaned etc.

And the best reason for purchasing a Home Warranty, the company actually shows up or else! When you hire HVAC on your own, these guys are not under any time restraints as to when they can show up for the job. In my experience, they will flake or show the next day or day after. With the warranty companies, they are required to appear within 48 hrs of your service request. If they don't, the vendor will get in trouble and the service fee will be waived. The vendors don't want to lose their contract with the warranty company so they will show up.

[MotleyCrew]

We have had two different companies in the last few years and they both came up with a long list of must do's or it will die on us. We declined their generous offers and it is still working fine. House we purchased recently has a 20 year old unit held together by black gunk and it cools better than the newer one in our home here. I think the repair guys should be taken with a grain of salt and keep your wallet closed. Very scammy.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by BabsJohnson

The guy who saved my sanity a couple of weeks back, and kept me in my home with cooling highly recommends Goodman. I have had the idea that this was a cheap brand. I have had a preference for Trane. The last 3 ton Trane package rooftop unit I bought for a rental house, I paid $2900./cash for. Installed, taxes and out the door. R-410A and 13.5 seer. I found it on Craigslist. Then I shopped for and bought a ten year Trane parts and labor warranty from another Trane dealer. $600. as I recall. Is the Goodman brand ok? They also make Amana and some other brands.

Goodman is a decent brand - Amana is their "high end" brand - most parts in an Amana unit are the same as a Goodman - sometimes they put a compressor "blanket" in the Amana units to make them quieter, but that's a $30 part, and you can add it to a bottom shelf unit in a few minutes if noise is an issue.

Trane has American Standard as another brand at a slightly lower cost - the brand doesn't matter nearly as much as how it's installed. Trane and American Standard both make good units, but the cost is often out-of line.

Many/most units in Phoenix have insufficient return airflow, kinked flex lines, and poorly-sealed metal ductwork. It doesn't matter what the "seer rating" of a unit is if it can't get any air in or out (or worse, it it shoots 30% of that cold air into your attic!).

Most a/c guys don't want to do the work to make sure your builder did it right. (and most builders pick the "cheap guy", not the best in the business)

HVAC is in many ways a "black art" - those on the the forums for HVAC will slaughter a DIY person who asks a question related to diagnosis & repair, even if it's only to make sure they didn't get ripped off.

The bottom line is, HVAC units are appliances, not "magic boxes" that produce cold air. They're actually fairly simple to repair if you (or your technician) can read a schematic... which is another "lost art"...

That said, I had my A/C guy check out my little brother's place when he bought it - he spent three hours on the roof replacing cooked & cobbled wiring, replacing the capacitors & the contactor, getting the charge dialed in & cleaning the unit up. This was on a unit that cooled "fine"... It could have burnt the house down, and would have failed in short order if it wasn't fixed then. It was money well-spent, and I've since called the same guy to check out my house, my parent's house, and the rental I have under contract. Yes, he charges more than $29.95 for a check up, but his advice is honest & he has plenty of business without trying to gouge anyone. So, I know there's at least one decent HVAC guy in the valley, you might have to "kiss a few frogs" to find your own...

As for the comment above about capacitors - yes, they are either good or bad, but you can see them swelling & leaking before they fail many times. As for contactors, those are electromagnetic devices, with contacts that pit and degrade over time - you can see the condition of the contacts, if you (or your tech) looks at them, and replace them before they fail. You can predict the failure of an electric motor with a high degree of accuracy by checking the amp draw... so not everyone is selling "snake oil"...