Many homeowners don’t have a very clear idea on whether it’s worthwhile to purchase HVAC extended warranties for their heating and cooling equipment. While the following is not a hard and fast rule, the truth is that in general the original manufacturer’s warranty should be sufficient. Since the parts are covered for years, any uncovered labor costs won’t really come into play.
Sometimes the terms of an extended warranty require periodic servicing (which the homeowner must pay for), which can cause the warranty cost to double or triple its original cost. At this point, the actual overall cost becomes unjustifiable.
Advantages of Purchasing a Warranty
This is not to say you should dismiss the idea – there are still some advantages to purchasing HVAC extended warranties, especially if some extra cost doesn’t bother you. The most obvious thing is that when the manufacturer’s warranty expires, you’ll still have years left on your extended warranty. Also, not all manufacturer’s warranties absorb labor costs, whereas extended warranties generally do. This extended coverage adds value to your home, and if you should sell the house, that value is transferrable in the form of equity. And finally, when service is required on your system, you are usually prioritized in the service queue.
Types of Warranties
The different types of HVAC warranties available include a certain number of years of coverage for parts replacement, and some years for labor costs. The replacement parts may be costly, but labor is also costly and often much more so – which makes having labor coverage worthwhile for the times when it’s needed. For example, a warranty might cover three years of parts and three years of labor, or five years of each. An extended “plus” package could cover as much as 10 or 15 years of parts and labor.
Contact Us
Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc is a family-owned company that has been serving the Dayton area since 1978. If you have any concerns about home comfort systems, please stop in and have a chat with us, or contact us through our website.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
