When you purchase new air-conditioner to stave off the St. Louis heat, the air conditioner warranty information is often a very big selling point. It is easier to figure out how much you are paying for the A/C per year when you know how long it will last. One of the common misconceptions about a warranty, however, is that the responsibility is all on the manufacturer, “you said your product would last 10 years and its only lasted 5. I want my money back.”
In actuality, the air conditioner warranty is a guarantee from the manufacturer that essentially states, “If you hold up your end of the deal, we will back the product for this amount of time.” What this means, is that if you are not responsible and do not properly maintain your unit, you could cause a 12-15 year air conditioner warranty to be voided after as little as a year.
Important Tips for Your Air Conditioner Warranty
Here are some tips to ensure that your AC warranty stays in effect:
Get Professional Air Conditioner Maintenance Annually
It is your job to change the filter regularly but for all other air conditioner maintenance issues the manufacturer recommends service be performed by a trained professional. This request is not necessarily because the manufacturer does not trust your DIY skills (although that is a concern too), but more so that they know the annual maintenance is actually being performed.
Tasks involved in the annual air conditioner maintenance include cleaning and lubricating the components to ensure they are operating correctly. Another benefit of annual maintenance is that clean, well-oiled parts run easier which makes your A/C run more efficiently and helps to lower your bills and prolong the life span of your system.
Do Not Perform Air Conditioner Repairs Yourself
Whether you have a 5-year labor or a 10-year parts air conditioner warranty or something similar the fact remains that you paid for it. Quite simply, there is no reason for you to perform DIY work while your system is still under warranty because in many cases the repair work will be “free” anyway. Additionally, if your DIY work causes a bigger problem, the additional repairs will not likely be covered. Therefore, DIY repairs are a gamble that is not worth taking.
Keep Records
In addition to properly maintaining and cleaning your HVAC system, you also must keep detailed records of this service. You should keep detailed records of the date, job performed, by whom, etc. so that if you require service that should be covered by your air conditioner warranty, you have proof that you followed all required maintenance procedures.
Use Manufacturer-Approved Parts
Using approved parts for repairs is another requirement of most air conditioner manufacturer warranties. This is generally is not a problem if you are using a factory-certified installation technician for repairs and air conditioner maintenance. However, there may be times you find an aftermarket part on the Internet or that a friend is getting rid of, but you should never have that part installed while the product is still under warranty.
Register Your Air Conditioner Warranty
Do not forget to actually register your system after it is installed. Just keeping the air conditioner warranty card that comes with the product or even paying for the warranty is not enough – it needs to be documented and registered with the manufacturer.
Learn More About Keeping Your Air Conditioner Warranty Valid
Remember that these air conditioner service tips are not a scare tactic, they are just helpful pieces of advice to keep your warranty valid for as long as possible. To learn more or to schedule your air conditioner maintenance, call our heating & air conditioning experts in St. Louis today!
