After spending a great deal of money on installing a brand new heating system, I was unwilling to invest in a maintenance plan.
The HVAC contractor who handled the installation project highly recommended the company’s service plan. He told me all about the many benefits. If I signed up for the maintenance package, the company would send a licensed technician to the house every fall. The technician would thoroughly clean, inspect and adjust the heating unit. He said that the service agreement would pay for itself by minimizing energy bills, preventing repairs and lengthening equipment life. I was not willing to spend more money on the heating system. I was already making payments on the home improvement loan. Since the furnace only runs for about six months per year, I figured it would operate just fine without professional attention. I made sure to clean out the air filter every month. I planned to schedule maintenance for the heater after a few years. Unfortunately, I never got around to it. After four years, the furnace suddenly quit. I paid a huge repair bill simply because I failed to have the components cleaned and troubleshooted every year. The technician said that I was lucky the system didn’t overheat and crack the heat exchanger. The inner workings were so clogged with dust and debris, the furnace was forced to run for extremely long cycles and work a lot harder to achieve the thermostat setting. Plus, the contaminants within the system were getting introduced into the breathing air and risking my family’s health. I’ve now enrolled in the maintenance plan to make sure my heating system keeps working safely, efficiently and reliably.