When I had a new central air conditioner installed into my home, I should have enrolled in a maintenance agreement with the HVAC contractor.
Because of the considerable cost of the cooling unit and installation fees, I was reluctant to invest more money.
I assumed that the air conditioner would operate just fine for a couple of years without preventive maintenance. I made sure to replace the air filter every six to eight weeks. I had good intentions of scheduling seasonal service but time got away from me. Six years after buying the air conditioner, it quit completely over the Fourth of July weekend. Living in St. Augustine, Florida, the summer temperatures frequently soar into the triple digits. The humidity is ungodly. There was no way to comfortably survive without air conditioning until regular business hours the following week. I ended up paying overtime fees for emergency service. The licensed contractor accessed the outdoor component of the air conditioner and found a considerable accumulation of grime, dust and the debris from bugs and pests. There was mold growth on the coil and algae clogging the condensate drain. I was thankful that a thorough service of the air conditioner restored the equipment to working condition. I’m fortunate that I didn’t need to replace the entire unit. The emergency repair was quite expensive. Because I had failed to keep up with yearly maintenance, the manufacturer’s warranty was no longer valid. I had to pay the entire cost. From now on, I will make sure to call up a local HVAC company in St. Augustine every spring and schedule maintenance for my air conditioner.