Air conditioners are a necessity for those who live in hot climates, but they can be incredibly costly. This article will discuss the different ways to maintain your aircon so you don’t have to spend as much money on repairs and replacements!
There are three main ways that people go about aircon servicing. They can either purchase a maintenance plan, do the servicing themselves, or pay an outside professional to maintain it for them. Although these methods all have their advantages and disadvantages, one is always more cost effective than the others; we’ll let you decide which one that is!
Maintenance Plans
Many aircon servicing providers will offer a yearly maintenance plan for your air conditioner. These plans typically include having gas filters replaced, refrigerant levels checked, electrical connections tightened, and an overall check of the unit to ensure proper functionality. If any parts are found to be defective, they will usually be replaced for free! Some homeowners choose this route because it is an easy way out of doing the aircon servicing themselves.
However, the cost of the maintenance plan must be weighed against how much you would have potentially spent on repairs without it. For example, if your aircon service provider charges $80 per visit to do the servicing and you have a maintenance plan, it would only cost $40 per visit for them to service your aircon. If you didn’t have the plan, you’d be paying $80 per visit instead, so really it’s like getting 6 visits (6 years x 2 visits p.a.) for free!
Another advantage of a maintenance plan is that it leaves less work for the homeowner. Rather than having to go outside in 100+ degree weather to check you aircon, service providers are usually available 7 days a week so they can come to your home when they are most convenient for you.
The biggest disadvantage of getting a maintenance plan is that oftentimes these plans do not cover all of the costs for repairs and replacements. Aircon service providers receive a significant discount on the parts that they use, so if something goes wrong with your aircon, you could potentially be paying for most of it out of pocket.
DIY
Many people attempt to save money by doing their own servicing since prices can be incredibly high for others to do service. One of the main reasons people choose this route is due to convenience; you can choose when and where you get your aircon serviced, and it doesn’t take up too much time or effort!
However, there are some disadvantages to servicing your own aircon unit. If you mess up, you’re the one who is responsible for paying for it! Additionally, you need to have a decent knowledge of how an aircon works before attempting this option. If you mess up even slightly, you can potentially damage your unit, resulting in having to purchase costly replacements.
Professional
This option is the most expensive out of all three because you are paying for someone else to do the work rather than attempting to save money yourself. As with DIY, you need to have a basic knowledge about how an aircon system works before doing this option. The cost will depend on where you live and what type of servicing is required (some areas require regular inspections).
