HVAC warranty is NOT what you think!

If you are in the market to purchase a new air conditioner system or simply not overspend on a repair, you are going to want to check out this video that covers how an HVAC warranty works.
Before you buy, find out the ends and outs of HVAC systems.
New AC Unit Cost: atlasacrepair.com/blog/new-ac...
New HVAC System Cost: atlasacrepair.com/blog/hvac-r...
Best Air Conditioner Brands: atlasacrepair.com/blog/best-a...
Find us at: atlasacrepair.com
Regulated by The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, 1-800-803-9202

[@VideoArchiveGuy]

I've had three evaporator coils fail within the last decade. Each time Rheem paid for the coil under their PARTS warranty, but did NOT cover LABOR costs, thus it's cost me over $3000 to replace those coils under "warranty."

[@HermanMiller-em8mp]

You really are the real deal! Thank you for all the information especially the home warranty because I experienced that exact thing with a technician coming to home and giving me a band aid for my AC system during the hottest part of the Summer.

[@mvsgeek]

I have a home warranty. My heat pump has been giving me fits for about 5 years. During the summer it worked flawlessly. During the winter the compressor would not stay on long enough to heat the house to the required temperature. I called for service every winter and the technician could never duplicate the problem. They sent yet another contractor this year. He spent almost 3 hours on the roof of my house until he found out exactly why the compressor kept cutting off. He documented everything and presented it to the home warranty company to approve the repairs. It took a few weeks, but the home warranty company finally decided to replace the heat pump. They are giving me a builder's standard 14 SEER heat pump and included labor and a crane to raise it to my roof. The only thing they did not cover was the duct modifications and the woodwork that will be used for the heat pump to be placed upon. I think I am doing OK on this. Every time I have asked a tech what a new heat pump would cost me they all said it would be arount $10K. I'm spending around $900 for the items that are not covered and am going to get a brand new heat pump.

[@KennethVanWieII]

I also have come out ahead with the numerous repairs I’ve had done under my AHS warranty. It’s not as fast as going straight to an hvac repair company and I’ve had to challenge the warranty company as to what was in my contract with them but I’ve always gotten the unit repaired or replaced at their expense. They can be frustrating to deal with though.

[@coolmandude1000]

If a HVAC contractor sells a customer a New HVAC system and in the contract states they will have a 10 year all parts warranty and that new HVAC system was not registerd the contractor will be eating the cost of parts after 5 years up to 10 years. We always register all new HVAC system the sameday or next day after it was installed. Also i would suggest printing all registration forms and file away as well. I have had HVAC manufacturer computer system glitches and when we go to warranty a failed HVAC part the manufacture cannot find the customers HVAC system warranty information in computer system. I have had this issue several times over the past and learned to always print all warranty registration paperwork to keep in customers file. I have not gone 100% digital format but you can scan documents and save on a external hardrive. I have been in the HVAC trade for 41 years and have held a Maryland Master HVAC License for 32 years now. I have seen so many changes in the HVAC industry and another 6-7 years i will call it a day. If i last that long lol. Cheers

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

My customers gets informed in writing that it’s five years unless they register then it goes to 10. If they don’t register it that’s on them. Not me. I’m a one-man show and don’t have time for even more paperwork than what I already do.

[@philliprogers7987]

​@@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity Even as a one-man show, before we grew, I found 5 minutes to type in some numbers. We installed a multi-Zone mini split system and I promised the customer that I would register the equipment and I failed.. straight up, it happens. He was pissed After the system failed, I went to the bank took out a loan and bought him a new system and registered that.😂 Last time I didn't register anything...

[@danielparrish5438]

your right about who repairs your system and what they want to do ....... had a repair contractor come out and look at our 12 year old Carrier system after it was flood by a storm and told us that it was repairable but the cost would be expensive and it would be cheaper to replace the system ...... my son-in-law also looked at the system and using GOOGLE and repaired the system by buying used or rebuilt parts and doing the work himself for only a few hurdred dollars ($350 for the parts and his free labor)

[@JohannnesBrahms]

Your manner of presentation is delightfully wry. I have shared your videos with several others and subscribed to your channel. I wish there were contractors like you in our area. Companies like yours are rare and the information you provide in your videos gives the customer a way to see through the bullshit we have to deal with when purchasing a high-ticket item. Thanks for your great effort.

[@electricme100]

Hear Hear!!

[@tjrooger1092]

Also... Another loop hole for home warranty companies "non covered expenses" . When they do replace a system, they usually don't cover 100% of the cost. Getting a new "free" component or system still might cost a couple thousand dollars because the HVAC company can bill the customer, for non covered expenses.

[@bruceslomka1038]

An additional cost item with a 3rd party whole house warranty is that you have to pay a flat rate service call. Most likely your service call will be around $80.

[@BradBerrydrums]

I’ve been an hvac service tech and a sales rep and couldn’t agree more with you on your opinion of home warranty companies. They are awful and the customer almost always gets screwed. Can’t tell you how many customers I’ve had with an active home warranty policy that ended up hiring me on their own dime because their home warranty company kept them in a hot house for weeks on end in Atlanta summer heat waiting for the home warranty tech to come back out for a 3rd or 4th time because the system still isn’t fixed. Stay away from them at all costs.

[@venutoj]

For some parts warranties the HVAC system needs yearly documented maintence.

[@boydguie8129]

Nice info. Your doing a great job helping us .

[@stevenburton4966]

I just installed a package unit for my home, i'm not a licensed contractor. I bought it online. it came precharged with refrigerant. all i had to do was hook up the power, and the thermostat wires, the duct work, and set it. it runs and works great, but it says in the warranty unfortunately that in order to register it with the manufacturer, you have to be a licensed hvac installed.

[@anneyrose]

Yep mine went out after 4mos on my air going to replace compressor but want $650 for refrigeratant 😢

[@antsmands]

Super informational videos! Great Job!

[@lightfusegetaway]

Literally signed a contract for a new system on Friday and waived the labor warranty for $1000. Well, after hearing people on a local home improvement talk show discussing it and saying ALWAYS GET THE LABOR WARRANTY on Saturday, I requested the contract be rewritten with labor coverage. The new system is a heat pump package unit - new tech that might have problems... Better to pay extra for a safety net.

[@Mach141]

Spot on. I had a Capacitor replaced under parts warranty....4.5 years old .Im expecting a minimal charge, if any, and I get hit with a $280 bill. Including a trumped up "full system inspection" charge.

[@MsckMatt]

Damn. The company i work for does a $95 warranty processing fee which is still pretty steep. We charge $200 for a capacitor with no warranty so $280 under warranty is rough

[@cryengine_x]

yeah i had my capacitor replaced a couple (few?) years ago iirc and it was just the 80 dollar service call fee, the part was warrantied. i had a ten year parts warranty on my goodman. boy was i happy. course now i am sure it would cost more, everything does.

[@Mach141]

Let me take that back. The bill was $153.00. Which I still think was high for a unit under warranty.

[@Ken-harris]

Only thing I can think of is the part was free but the labor was not

[@brockbaker3able]

To hell with that, change a cap yourself for 30 bucks lol.

[@Necro_AAAARon]

Here you dropped this 👑

[@TheSzalkowski]

I had the 3 phase DC air handler motor replaced on my Carrier unit 10 years to the day from when it was installed. Charged me labor only. Contractor took care of me and did a good job in my opinion. He said it was about a $800 part.

[@LTC_Tiger]

This is actually the reason I went with my York system in 2020 - it came with a 10 year parts AND labor warranty through York. I do maintain a home warranty on top of it for everything else. When the compressor on my previous Carrier system died after about 10 years, they agreed to pay me what they calculated as the replacement cost in lieu of performing the repair, as I indicated that I didn’t see the sense in pouring money into an old system to try to keep it going. It helped subsidize about 20% of the cost of the new system for me.

[@sumokid]

Bruh. We installed York for a long time. They turned to garbage, and let me tell you. I have never had more trouble with getting warranty’s upheld than with York. Daikin/Amanda has the best warranty. If it breaks they send a whole new unit.

[@patriciajoyner9871]

Thats amazing that you register for your customers. Dont forget freon cost !!!

[@cryengine_x]

i think mine was registered for me as well, and i went with basically a mom n pop or more correctly dad and son in law small operation. i think this is common practice. was very happy with them, they undercut the dealer on unit+install by about 1k (4500+ vs 3200). and the install has been trouble free for 11 yrs now, so they did good work. course this was all 11 years ago, so everything costs more now.

[@gcraig0001]

In the interest of clarity, anything you have to pay for is not really a warranty no matter what it may be called. It is a service contract. Most service contracts do not have a good return on investment. Service contract companies make excellent profits. That wouldn't be the case if those contracts paid out more than they charged for it.

[@mikerivera5314]

Always ask for the papper work, and you can register it yourself.

[@dillonbray]

Have you heard of contractors gating their warranty with provisions that require protection plan memberships? Got a quote for a replacement system, and they say without this protection plan, the system loses its factory hardware warranty, and labor warranty. This seems highly unethical.

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

I have not and will not do any work for home warranty or insurance companies.

[@mikeelu6503]

How much does a ten year labor warranty cost on a home ac system?

[@beb1527]

My 11 yo AC unit was low on Refrigerant early last summer. The repair person found a leaking schrader valve and replaced it & refilled the missing Refrigerant. I have a HVAC warranty - where they do fix anything that is broken if it is repairable. If it isn't, it's on the customer. They include a yearly "tune up" visit as part of the contract. The repair person said, if the replaced valve doesn't fix it, I have to get a new system. Over the summer, the AC performance degraded (but still worked to some extent) What should my next steps be? Back when I had my older system (which was from the 1970's), it needed a new blower fan, which was no longer available from the manufacturer. They actually did take the old blower fan and rebuild it for me for no charge. 5 years ago, they also replaced a capacitor when the AC system outside stopped working. They also replaced my system's computer board 3 years ago, when the fan stopped ramping up to full speed. So they do actually give some value back for the warranty that I pay for. The thing is, it really does seem like the warranty customers get the lowest priority though. They'll let us sweat for a few days longer than a paying customer.

[@atlasacrepair]

You are correct about a “Warranty Customer” being put on the back burner. For example, we have a lot of customers that will call us to repair their HVAC system because the warranty company is taking too long to get a part in, when it’s probably just down the road at a supply house. Or will continuously give the customer the runaround, it’s an easy way to get them to go somewhere else so the warranty company has less to payout. The way that we handle repairs vs replacement is we usually don’t consider replacing a system until after 15 to 20 years depending on the condition of the system. Before then we try to repair the system. There are a few exceptions like, if it was a bad install because that can kill a system. Or a variable speed system that went through electrical surges because sometimes you cant get it to work right again. Or a system that was abused and is severely unmaintained. It sounds like to me you have only had a few minor repairs to your system up to this point. To me it sounds like you should be able to get a few more good years out of it. If you still have a freon leak, it could be from the evap coil or condenser coil or maybe even the line set, all these things are typically repairable. The tech would have to find a big issue with the system to justify replacing it, unless you just want a better one. And if you are worried about it, you can always get a second opinion to make to make sure the tech is being honest. If my system was only 11 years old, i would definitely get a second opinion if someone was trying to condemn it. Hopefully that was helpful, thanks for commenting.

[@beb1527]

@@atlasacrepair Your reply is both helpful and appreciated. I am due for renewal of the HVAC contract in March. I think I will call them a bit before and tell them if they don't come out and fix the AC, I won't be renewing. It seems like it might be a better move to cancel outright, but if they do fix my AC, I don't mind giving them $.

[@zachattack83]

Get a new hvac company. Never have a service contract.

[@user-ir2zv1xx5q]

question, why contractor should register an equipment? Why suppliers don't do it? After sale, equipment is a customer property.

[@zachosborne6577]

Typically if you buy and maintain a membership with a service company they will match the parts warranty of the system with labor warranty. Always get the extended warranty, your spending thousands on the install warranty it

[@mmt44y]

Goodman system installed one year ago. 10 year replacement warranty. Registered. Compressor failed. Contractor says he has to troubleshoot by factory consultation; no replacement. There have been several attempts to repair with parts; not working. What has to happen for the factory to honor the replacement warranty? Inverter system.

[@jamieJohnson-rd9pg]

I have a 10 year warranty on My Ac compressor. Do they charge to replace it and put it back in?😮

[@mmt44y]

Distributor has to agree to replacement. After another week more fruitless troubleshooting at the parts level a new complete compressor unit is being shipped. Several techs from different contractors were unable to use factory tech help and several component replacements to repair the unit. "It's all computers talking to each other" was the comment.

[@mmt44y]

@@jamieJohnson-rd9pgThe factory warranty does not cover labor. My contractor has not charged me for labor, yet.

[@davewil3]

Few other product manufacturers can get away with providing a parts only warranty.

[@electricme100]

At the end you say that the next video is about some ways to improve the air quality in your home, but I can't find it anywhere. What is the title? Thanks! I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! You don't know how much it means to have info to fight the car dealership monsters. And they screw over women more just like at the car dealership. I have to educate myself on absolutely everything because they will ride rough shod over you.

[@markmcbride7911]

Never use one hour air

[@markmcbride7911]

The company with I will never use are recommended changes a fee for Diagnostic

[@stevewollam6514]

I would never buy a Home Warranty. I wouldn't trust the technicians or the company. Our HVAC has a 10 year warranty and the company that installed it and maintains it, yearly, is rated as one of the best in the area and they are recommended by, Bryant, the manufacturer.

[@steveno7058]

The truth is paying for additional warranty is a losing game. Businesses don’t sell warranties as a charity. They sell it for PROFIT. In the long run you will lose alot of money buying warranties.

[@dustind9242]

It's not even borderline... Straight up fraud, if a company is changing internal documentation of properly maintained systems to deny a warranty.

[@REAL-UNKNOWN-SHINOBI]

Is it too late to register a 40-year-old system? JK 😂😂 I'm wondering if you suggestion replacing it every 10 or 15 years, is just because of the newer systems and the older systems are just more reliable.

[@loiusmonroe1146]

What do you mean by TAR BABY?

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

It’s a racist comment. His Daddy probably taught him that and he’s not been called out on it yet.

[@Otingocni]

@@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity I read it in uncle remus tales. Not racist in that particular context although it is in others. The Tar-Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br'er Fox to entrap Br'er Rabbit. The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes.

[@electricme100]

It's not racist. The point of the tar baby story is that they show you the tar baby, and it's cute so you touch it. But then the TAR STICKS TO YOU and you try to get it off and it sticks to that hand and pretty soon you're all tangled in the tar baby and can't get it off of you. They point is that it's a trick used by unscrupulous people to get you involved with something horrible that's going to cause you a lot of grief.

[@scottbartz3635]

Neighbor just had a leak in a coil. Apparently it is pretty rare and they don’t keep spare parts on hand. Even though the part is covered under warranty they said it would take 6 months to get the needed part. Neighbor had to buy a whole new system since they can’t wait 6 months without A/C…

[@mikefrayman5224]

Carrier bottom of the line do not buy

[@MsStunna332]

Why do you move so much side to sides on your videos ? Are you on a hover board?😂