Before You Buy a New Home Air Conditioner, Understand the Warranty
According to federal law, all companies that sell products and/or services with a warranty must provide you with a copy of the details prior to your signing it. When shopping for a home air conditioner, you should take as much care considering the warranty provided as you do in choosing the model of home air conditioner that is best for you.
Warranties provide both a manufacturer’s element as well as a labor element. How these are presented can vary greatly from company to company.
- The manufacturer’s warranty is what covers the parts. With a home air conditioner, the warranty can be quite detailed, down to the extent of what’s covered for each part and for how long. The refrigeration unit and all of its parts are often under different warranty terms then the rest of the parts, but it’s not uncommon to see the compressor listed on its own. You might want to consider opting for the manufacturer’s extended warranty, as they usually offer a comprehensive program based on the life expectancy of their equipment. An extended warranty adds additional years to the warranty often for both parts and labor.
- Limited lifetime warranties are especially good for home air conditioners, as they’re usually covered for as long as you live in the house. Again, the details of a lifetime warranty will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so you’ll have to make sure you understand what the lifetime warranty covers.
- Labor warranties are as varied as those of parts and often labor warranties vary from part to part. Most labor warranties are voided with poor maintenance of the home air conditioner or if you use an unapproved service company.
At Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, we will walk you through the warranties and make certain you understand all of the details. We also offer additional service agreements to help prolong the life of our products.
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