Do HVAC mfgr's require a maintenance agreement to honor warranty?

Wayne Davis
by Wayne Davis
I have heard that some HVAC manufacturers will not honor a warranty claim if the homeowner did not maintain an annual maintenance agreement with an approved HVAC contractor. Is there an evidence that this is true?
  1 answer
  • NOT TRUE. What voids a warranty is moisture in the lines caused by incorrect install practices. Moisture can cause acid to develop within the system. If your compressor fails within that 10 year warranty period, the manufacture will take this part back and check for this acid. If its present, your warranty on some cases would be void. How does moisture get into the system? If the system has a leak, that is one way. And that would require a pro to come in and find and fix the leak. But if you keep adding gas every year, your going to loose the unit as moisture is introduced through the leaking area. Another reason why moisture gets into the system is frequent system checks by service so called pros. Your AC system is not much different then your house refrigerator. Its system is sealed tight. You do not have that charge checked do you? All you do is clean under it from time to time to remove those dust bunnies that collect. Your Whole home AC system is just like that fridge. Only bigger. Keep your filters clean and hose off your outside system every few months or so. That is it. Nothing else needs to be done. In fact the more you mess with it, the sooner it will fail. Every time a service tech comes to check the charge, they are introducing air into the system from their gauges. Now some know to purge them with fresh refrigerant before tapping into the system. But most do not. They simply connect the same hoses that were hanging in the truck getting dirty.