- Regular HVAC maintenance is crucial to avoid voiding your warranty.
- DIY repairs or modifications without expertise may also void your HVAC warranty.
- Ensure your HVAC system is registered post-installation to qualify for warranty coverage.
HVAC repairs can be expensive.
According to national residential HVAC and home services company ARS/Rescue Rooter, replacing your entire HVAC system typically ranges from about $12,000 to $16,000, depending on system type, home size, and installation requirements — and for more complex installations, it could be even more expensive.
That's where HVAC warranties come in. A warranty may be able to help ease the financial burden when it comes to repairing your system. However, some homeowners end up voiding their HVAC warranty without even realizing it.
Here are some of the more common mistakes that can void your HVAC warranty.
Skipping your HVAC maintenance
"Lack of proper or regular maintenance is probably the No. 1 concern" when it comes to voiding warranties, says Steve Wade, Senior Director of Operations at ARS.
"Replacement of the filter is paramount," Wade tells Business Insider. "That's really making sure that the furnace has the ability to pull air from the home, and then change the temperature of the air higher or lower and redistribute it to the home through the duct system."
If a technician comes to fix your HVAC system and sees you haven't changed the filter in quite some time, they could take that as a sign you haven't done the maintenance you need to maintain the system.
How often you change your air filter depends on the type of filter you have. Generally, the thicker your air filter, the longer it can go without being changed. It's a good idea to check your air filter for visible grime each month, and to change your filter every three months to a year.
Your HVAC system also needs regular maintenance to ensure it stays in operating condition.
"An indoor system — a furnace — needs regular maintenance to make sure it's lighting correctly, to make sure the gas pressures are correct, and certainly to make sure that the flue pipe is correct and the exhaust gases can be moved from the house safely," Wade says. "In an air conditioning system, it needs to be physically cleaned."
You can handle some of this yourself — for example, by cleaning your AC's outside condenser or heat pump coils with a hose when you're doing lawn work — but you can also call an HVAC technician to take care of the maintenance for you.
"That should only take 45 minutes to an hour to do a general cleaning," Wade says. "The older the system, the longer it will take."
Wade recommends that you perform this regular maintenance at least once a year, and twice a year if you live in a particularly warm or cold environment.
Modifying an HVAC system you don't understand
Negligence and lack of maintenance are the top warranty killers for consumers — but botching your own repairs can void your warranty, too.
"There's always a sequence of events that are critical, and if not followed, there's a strong likelihood that by trying to maintain the system, you'll actually damage it," Wade says.
For example, if you try to replace your thermostat without first turning the power off to your HVAC system, you could damage the system.
Trying to repair a system or replace a part yourself won't necessarily void your warranty, but there's a chance it will. If you're planning to DIY your HVAC system, make 100% sure you know what you're doing first — or just call a registered technician to handle it for you instead.
Neglecting to properly register your HVAC
In order to be under warranty in the first place, your HVAC system must be registered with the manufacturer when it's installed.
Your HVAC technician should do this automatically as part of the installation process. Still, it's a good idea to check with them to make sure it's registered correctly — especially if you're working with a third-party installer.
You'll also need to keep your system's certification papers as proof that your system is under warranty.
"What's important to have is that certification that the system was registered with the manufacturer on a date of installation," Wade says.
"The certificate is drawn and sent to the consumer, or if they've done it themselves, they'll be the receiver of that certificate," he continues. "But it would take a licensed HVAC contractor to provide the additional warranty in most states."
Created by the Commerce team at Business Insider with ARS/Rescue Rooter.
The post What voids an HVAC warranty? The mistakes that can cost you coverage appeared first on Business Insider
