If You Knew This, You Wouldn't Get an Air Conditioner Inspection 

After going through a few hundred comments I thought I should clarify a few things. Air conditioner inspections are a good idea and preventative maintenance does prevent future breakdowns. The reason I say that most people should not get them is because a lot of companies nowadays use these inspections or tune ups as simply an opportunity to upsell. For most people, your chances of not having extra problems or spending a lot of money are higher if you simply avoid inspections and do the basic maintenance yourself. Such as change your filter, wash the condenser coil, and flush the condensate drain. In this video I purposely did not go into details but every HVAC tech that has been in the industry for some time will likely know what I am talking about. Unless they worked their whole career in an honest company that was not sales driven and never got the chance to see the other side. Personally I know this firsthand because when I was a new tech I worked for a company like that and I had plenty of fellow HVAC guys who shared their stories with me as well. I was never comfortable writing up giant estimates after inspections (optional repairs or upgrades that were usually not really necessary) but it's what I was taught and urged to do. If the unit was over 8 years old, one of the options would always be a new unit. I was even instructed to use different names for parts so customers had a hard time looking it up in case they wanted to order the part themselves. (For example, a capacitor would be called something weird like a "high voltage storage device") I am not proud of participating in stuff like that and am happy that I left that place after a year. This was a huge reputable company by the way. Of course I am not saying that all companies are shady. There are great companies out there and good honest techs. And getting new parts or a new air conditioner is essentially great preventative maintenance. If money is not an issue and you can afford it, then these tune-ups are actually not so bad, even if they upsell you stuff. When it comes to residential air conditioners, most breakdowns can be fixed by the homeowner themselves if they simply watched a few videos. It usually only gets too complicated when there is a refrigeration issue. Circling back to where I started, I think for most people AC inspections are not worth it. Do the simple preventative maintenance yourself and deal with the repairs as they come up. Here are a few videos that can help with that: 15 A/C Maintenance Tips: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pBBnXHse-T0.html Air Filter Questions Answered: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uPaZvHp4L2Y.html How to Clean Condenser Coil: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pzwOvgjwm_Q.html How to Replace a Capacitor: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9ZGfvC-PMWU.html How to Replace a Contactor: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qHZc9wWAF4c.html When Should A/C be Replaced: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z7vUOySOWbM.html What SEER A/C is Best: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yEo3wu1-J6I.html Basic A/C Troubleshooting: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wzAA4dlp_70.html

I’m an Air Conditioning Mechanic and after I install a new system I tell the customer that the only maintenance they need to do is clean the filter regularly and every now and then make sure the outdoor coil is not blocked up. So I agree with this video 100%.

I was a service tech for 35 years and I agree 100%.

Great points made. I paid $130 for an annual service plan. I cancelled it after they kept trying to upsale or get me to buy one of their services during every visit.

I'm a retired Rf tech. I totally agree with everything you spoke about. I've always had plenty of work and never offered to do a preventative maintenance (scam) for a customer. Yes, we all know it's a scam. Good for you for speaking up about it.

I agree. My unit has been working for 25 years. I'm afraid that anyone who touches it will break it. Or worse, an unethical technician might break it on purpose.

Thank you God! I've worked residential HVAC for 14 yrs. and I've always felt and said everything you're saying. Thank you for this video.

The most important thing for the homeowner to do is 1- change the air filter on regular basis 2- don't close the registers to restrict the air flow. ACs are like people...If you choke them, they die :):).

Been an hvac tech for a while now. All very good points and the bit about getting in the door is not far off. It has been mentioned tho that they are required by the manufacturer for warranty purposes. Home warranty companies (atleast in my area, California) could also void warranty if maintenance is an issue. That being said. My best advice to a homeowner that wants to make sure a good job is done...follow the tech around. Ask questions and be engaged in the process. A shady guy will be uncomfortable. A good one will include you. I love it when homeowners join me and watch me. Gives me an opportunity to educate them on how to care for their ac systems, plus company is nice. One more red flag...as soon as the words " you need" come out of a techs mouth be careful. Our job is not to tell you what you need. You know what you need. We are there to inform and educate. You make the decisions.

I believe it! My -use-to-be HVAC guy did a 'maintenace' check on my perfectly running central air unit. He said it needed more freon. A week or two later it stopped putting out cool air. He came back, said unit was shot, old. Gave price for new one. I called another HVAC guy. After checking it he said unit was fine but it had way too much refrigerant added. He took it out to normal level. Been over ten years and this old unit still running strong. Always question expensive 'fixes' or replacements.

You are 100% correct. Friends and family ask me all the time to look at their unit, and I always ask why? Change your filter and let me know if it's not working. Otherwise, don't waste your money. Residential maintenance is usually a waste of money unless you have a dryer vent next to the condenser:(

Fellow HVAC tech here. Tune-ups definitely do very little for the life expectancy of a unit. What they really do is if you have a bad part, you get to change it at a prescheduled time and only have the AC off for an hour or so, versus having it fail while you’re at work and coming home to a hot house and waiting until tomorrow for a tech to come out and fix it (or pay a premium for after hours fees.) For some people, that’s worth it. I also think there’s a misconception, because with cars there a lot of actual maintenance to do like oil changes, air and cabin filters, MAF sensor and throttle body cleanings, greasing bearings, coolant flushed, etc. Most people know very little about their HVAC systems and assume it’s more along those lines when in all actuality the only “work” to do on an AC is change the filter, flush the condensate drain, and wash the coils. If you do want a tune up, my advice is to never get one that costs under $80 because the fifty dollar specials get you nothing but a salesman with a tool bag.

Thanks for this! Friday our 2 year old AC not working everything running except the compressor. This was after a power spike. Turned all breakers off then on to reset. Let it set powered down about 4 hours. Called installation company, they can't come out until Monday. Long story short, powered it back up and it is working better than before. I surmise the Safe-T-Switch sensed a condensation water build up and shut down the compressor. Have been debating having the company come out anyway to inspect, but after this video I'm going to cancel the visit. I did clean out the drain pipe to prevent this again & I have 3M Filtrete filters delivered to the house every 3 months. Thanks again for the advice and helping me save at least a $100 inspection/service trip charge.

I'm an hvac maintenance tech and your spot on, my company says if we don't sell $1000 a day we are not profitable for the company! Tampa Florida.

Hi word of advice. I shared this story here before on one of your other videos but I'll share it again long story short. I have 2 ac units. Local HVAC company come out and tells me the " it's old and needs to be replaced". $12k later, 1 furnace and 1 ac unit replaced. A year later, I started having issues with my other unit. Called them out again and the same trick, " it's old and needs to be replaced". They said another $12k. After watching your videos, I come to find out it was my blower fan that needed to be replaced which cost $260 and couple mins of my time watching your video. Just last month, I had them come out for the "yearly checkup" as they kept calling me to schedule which I did. All they did was wash my unit, which I just did, and made me turn on my furnace and said yea it's good so I don't need to do anything. 1 hr of washing my unit and $500 yearly maintenance. He did find a leak in the unit they replaced prior and tried to charge me to fix it but I told him they were the ones who installed so shouldn't there be some kind of warranty? Lucky I did mention that so they fixed it for no charge. I'm never going to call them again.

You are spot on. An HVAC tech inspected our old ac, a generic, and suggested it be upgraded because the fan was pulling at maximum capacity. I asked him what he would do if it were his unit and he said he would keep the unit and repair as needed.

Hooking up gauges is the worst thing to do if your delta tee is good what’s the point..contactor and cap should be checked periodically.. you’re right about annual inspections are usually a waste of time.. I usually check my capacitor contactor like every other year.. i’ve been in the field 30 years.. I only did residential many years ago for a short time and we never upsell nothing it wasn’t the practice but nowadays it’s a common practice you’re right.

You saved me with a shady guy I used to install an expensive new Trane that never worked correctly. The coil had a huge hole in it, so it had to be replaced. Then the electrical totally burned out in the exterior unit. Luckily the warranty replaced them for free. Still, I had leaking inside and it constantly cycled off and on.He thought I needed a sump pump outside. Then I saw your video about turning the blower down. The problem created by him was solved. Thank you very much.

Constant Teen… that’s funny!! Most people probably don’t know who Constantine was. Thanks for all of your videos!! It’s so nice to hear an honest voice in the world. Mad respect. ❤

So basically, we ended up paying to get scammed. Thank you for the ethics and your videos. Always great content.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. For over a half century, I have managed properties in Arizona, Texas, and Calif. Thousands of AC units. I 100 % agree with you. Thank you for being so honest. You are right on. 😊

I think this true for most people who subscribe to your channel. Those are also some great tips at the end of the video about what the homeowners can do to maintain their own AC. ❤

Honestly I think it depends on what company you have come out and do an inspection. The bigger companies are going to try and sell parts and equipment just like you said. Best thing to do as a homeowner is research on local companies. Also learning how to do simple seasonal maintenance on your AC/Furnace.

Ugh! I wished you posted this a month earlier. I had my 6 year old ac unit inspected last month. No issues were detected. This week the AC stopped cooling. Called another company and they detected a small leak in AC coil. Pictures of the leak were provided. We have a 5 ton unit and most of the freon was depleted. Rather then replace the coil we opted for a leak sealant and replenished the unit with 5 lbs of freon (very expensive). The initial inspection did not detect a loss of pressure- due to a leak. They claimed to have inspected the coil last month. However, since this was a slow leak- I feel some indication of a leak should have been present. Anyway, I am not accusing or blaming the inspection of malfeasance (tampering with the coil) or incompetence but it did raise a question of why this went unnoticed since it was supposedly a slow leak. Thank- you for your excellent, informative videos.

Rip off people won't like this GENTLEMAN because he speaks and help with the truth

Sir, You , you are very honest , sincere and couragous AC technician.

Thank you for this presentation! I am now coming up on my second year with a substantial Mitsubishi split system (42k btu.) which is also my primary heat source as well. I LOVE my HVAC guys, they are very neat and complete about this install, and we had great conversation and they answered my questions during there couple of days at my home. They offered their service plan a few days later via a phone call from the office. I asked how much that annual service was going to be, I simply said, "lets take a rain check on it". There really isn't much to do when It comes to these modern / efficient systems. So, twice now, I have SIMPLY taken the front grill off the outdoor units, removed the single nut to the fan, and gently cleaned and flushed the coil from inside and out being careful to stay away from the electronics cabinet. Washed the fan, grill and damp wiped the outer case, and both units look like new as they are under protective panels, so they never get wet or snowed on. Inside, I keep after the filters in the four air handlers and that is about it. Just this week, installed an MHK-2 remote thermostat to the main air handler, tested it's location in the long hallway, and found the sweet spot. Could not be happier. My HVAC contractors have not called since the original installation back in Sept. 2021 👍 Thanks for reading my longish story.

Wish I'd seen this before shelling out over $1,200.00 last year for "maintenance" on an older unit that was working fine until I signed up for a contract, then suspiciously all kinds of problems were "discovered". I'm a senior citizen and we can be trusting, but I refuse to continue falling for this nonsense. Thanks for your honesty and information

Bought my 1st house and had a company service for seasonal "maintenance" for $1500 a year. Then told me I needed a new capacitor etc. for my 3 yearold system and should take a loan for "premium parts" .... all i did was change my air filter and it went back to being just fine. THANK YOU FOR YOU VIDEOS

This guy is big time. I took his advice some years ago on testing pressure and charging a unit. He got me through a lot of successful service calls

You are 100% correct on NOT getting a annual A/C inspection, especially if they are going to hook up their gages to the unit. I had a guy come out, hook up his gages, check the pressures, & then vent all of the liquid refrigerant out of the high-side hose into the atmosphere! If this is done on a annual basis the unit will definitely become low on refrigerant. The biggest profit is probably in selling a new A/C unit. They can even willingly or unwillingly sabotage the unit & then recommend that you buy a new one from them. The age of the unit (in my opinion) only matters when there's a hole in the evaporator or condenser & you have to replace one or both. There really isn't that many parts that fail, you just need the expertise to troubleshoot the problem your system is having. That's where your videos come in! Keep up the good work because we DIYers need your tips to keep our systems working!

Thank you for being honest- Annual AC inspection is a scam/ Also, developers are installing knowingly undersized AC units for new developments with local agencies approval without telling the new buyers.

You are completely right and honest. Anyone can replace a capacitor or contactor, which are those things who breakow mostly often. Important to mention is once a year clan the pipe which carries the condensed watter. Thank you for your video.

I totally agree with you. I was a licensed home inspector ant that is exactly what I told my clients. Did an inspection about 7 years ago AC condenser was approximately 31 years old. Just heard from the client a month ago the AC is now about 38 years and cooling (his words) like a meat storage freezer. 😅

I'm 72. I agree with you completely! My present home (built in 1991) has a Carrier Tech 2000 A/C unit. It still works perfectly. Of course, it will "eventually" fail, but I'm not going to hasten that by disturbing it unnecessarily. If it ain't broke - don't fix it! Sure - I'd love to know how much debris "might" be partially obstructing my evaporator "A" coil's airflow, but once again, I'm not about to pull out that coil (which is still working just fine) and possibly incurring some leakage by disturbing it. You're wise beyond your years, young man - and honest, too!

The only big issue I have is that most manufacturers will require annual maintenance as a condition of their warranty. I have run into this as an issue once. The manufacturer didn't honor the warranty because the homeowner wasn't having the maintenance done.

I'm pretty sure I was defrauded last year after an AC inspection at our vacation condo. Happened while I was away. The building manager "took care of it" for us. Inspection took place. All checked out fine. But then we get an alert a couple of days later from our utility company, saying our power usage had suddenly skyrocketed. AC firm comes back, says we have a freon leak. Says we need to replace a leaking freon line and refill freon for $2k. We were away for several months, so we felt there was no choice but to say, "Yes, do it." When I finally returned, damned if I could find where the freon line had been replaced. It looked exactly the same as the original line. No new welding, no shiny new metal. The same firm did another AC inspection this year. I was present this time. The tech, who seemed like an honest guy, couldn't identify where the prior work was done. He called his supervisor to confirm that the work was done. Was told it was, but had no ability to identify where. Agreed with me that he couldn't find any evidence that a portion of the line had been replaced. The lesson: Don't get your AC inspected. Do your own maintenance and repair what you can on your own.

I been in the business for a fair time now and he is spot on all big companies will basically force their techs to do so most small local companies will be honest get your local companies to do a service if you need to you will get an honest stimate

The world needs more technicians like you. I was thinking of arranging a tune up recently, last week to be exact. I'm trying to get my air conditioner to work again. Thank you.

True story. This year my buddy in AZ hired a contractor to inspect his AC before summer starts for $45. They recommended him to replace the contactor for $450. Once summer came, his AC didnt run, he called me for help. I told him to send me the pictures of the wires and saw 1 wire left unhooked. I cant believe not only they were not honest but also didnt even bother to test the unit before leaving his house. I told him that he wasted $450 cause the contactor rarely goes bad. If it doesn't work, probably just dirty or something jammed in between. So yeah, don't hire AC company to inspect your AC !

Unfortunately there are so many shady companies/hvac techs that take advantage of people who just don’t know. Don’t ever leave there side. Make them prove something needs replacing. If they replace your unit do not let them have the old unit unless they want to pay you for it

Jay is as honest as the day is long! GREAT advice from someone who REALLY knows!!!

LOL! I loved your joke about Emperor Constan-teen!

I never got an a/c inspection. Mine lived for 24 years. I think the problem, based on YOUR excellent videos, is the fan motor. So I'm going to buy a new fan motor and put it on, hope to be back in business for another 24 yrs. Thanks so much Jay!

Big fan of your channel,been subscribed for years. You have saved me a lot of $$$$. About a week ago my my giant air conditioner /heat pump here in Florida started making crazy noise, like a tennis shoe in a dryer,YIKES !! Looked out the window above the unit and an 18" snake was was bouncing off the fan blade like a vegomatic blender!!! Ran to the controling thermostat and shut it off,hoping no damage to the fan blades!! Long story short,no damage to the fan blades but I'm not going into the unit to check on the snake,lol.

i always looked at maintenance as "pay me to come find something wrong with your condensing unit"

I had angelic air inspect my air conditioning unit that was working great. When they left I had no air conditioning they said I needed new unit. Called a honest repair service and they fixed my unit and it's been 3 years and works great!!!! Never get an inspection

"just slightly off" is a broad statement. capacitors rating plate states usually + or - 5% is within spec. also the way the ac coil should be cleaned is inside out as its the opposite of the air flow. i do ac maintenance's and while i realize most companies do this to get their foot in the door we do not. when doing an a/c cleaning i check voltage drop across the contactor, amp readings on the condenser fan motor(s), amp readings on the compressor(s) and I also clean the condenser coil. then on the inside I check the furnace filter, the blower wheel for balance and cleanliness, I check a temp drop across the evaporator coil, and I check the amp draw on the blower motor. one thing i do agree with is applying service gauges, gauges do not need to be applied unless there is an issue, not only could this cause potential leaks but also small amounts of refrigerant be removed when using gauges.

I agree!! Some hvac companies must be trained like used car salesman.

Your video is counterintuitive but when you break it down it makes sense. Thank you.

The only annual maintenance I perform is an outdoor unit cleaning I so I do not up sell the customer anything unless the part is bad. Great Information Jay! 👍

Great video. I was on a Facebook group and said that in a hvac group and some of them got really pissed off lol. I think blow out the condenser, change filter, flush drain with hot water, and check the difference in temp between the return air and supply air. If it’s 15 degrees or more you are aok. I use a laser thermometer.

True! The repair guys cook up stuff, like you need a new AC 😮needs a refrigeratorant. Others change burnt wires without addressing the source of the problem and the wires get burned again. They try to sell you a new system for no reason. Thanks for the video advice. I’d love to learn how to service my 2 large Lennox ACs

Just like in anything you inspect your vehicle and start moving things around and few days later 💥 bam!! I have been there…and thank you so much for your advice to have a spare capacitor for when it quits working…that’s very appreciated and you are right storms it can damage your garage door opener, your motion sensor flood lights, any timer in your house 😢😢😢😢

20 plus years as a mechanical engineer who do HVAC on the side .. I believe maintenance is needed for all machines and HVAC equipment when is performed the right way. Is very important to be honest!!

You are 100 % right. I read this about 40 years ago. Thanks for being honest.♥️🇺🇸🇺🇸

EXACTLY! My unit is 25 years old and I just do the maintenance you have suggested, even got a spare capacitor. Now, I do have Home Heating Oil for my heater and have maintenance on that every year. We appreciate all your videos, many thanks!!!!!

Awesome advice I learned a few years ago from an AC tech friend. Prior to that, I once had an annual inspection done and six months later a wire burned through the copper tubing. I lost all of my freon and burned up the unit. A tie wrap failed on the wire bundle. I do my own inspections now and I replace the tie wraps if they look dry. That inspection I paid for was a waste of money.

I wish you could have lived in my town. In fact, I have been following your word of advice and my 18 years-old unit is still working fantastic! Thousands of thanks to your honesty and caring heart!!

I have to explain this to so many people. Honestly tired of doing so. Going to save this video and send the link from now on.

I agree with MOST of your stuff buuuut keep in mind manufacturers like Lennox, Carrier, Trane, and others do reserve the right to deny warranty claims IF units have not been maintained by a pro. That’s why we offer virtual inspections (VIMs) for a fraction of the cost of most companies. Keep cool folks 😎

A decade ago, my mom fell for a free inspection feeler. A few hours later (Friday afternoon, of course) her system was blowing hot, tried to sell her a new system (heat pump AC) as hers was 11 years old, claimed that was their lifetime. So I went over the next day and up onto her roof to look inside the unit's cabinet as no air at all was coming out of her vents; her evaporator coils were all frozen over with ice, blocking the air flow. I let all that ice melt, then system would operate, so I told her call that company and demand that they "fix" it for no charge as they accidentally or deliberately did something to cause that. They fixed it Monday, no charge. I agree with Jay on this topic; however in the "old days", many condenser fans did need their bearings lubed periodically.

I have a 25 year old YORK Stellar 92% HVAC system that has never had a professional "Tune Up". The installer told me that if it is leaking then all the refrigerant will leak out, it won't be just "low". He showed me now to clean the condenser coils which I do every spring using a foam gun and cleaner. On the advice of the installer, he also told me that at least a couple times during the cooling season to run the furnace for about twenty minutes to dry it out and to keep the gas valve and limit switches from getting stuck. During the heating season when it is a warmer day, I run the A/C to keep the compressor lubricated and trouble free. In the time I have owned it I have replaced one igniter, and both capacitors when they were twenty years old as a preventive measure. I did it myself thanks to YT vids. I have never had a set of gauges put on it because the air is ice cold (25 degrees less at the vent compared to the temp at the return). I do replace my filters every month during the time the system is operating and my heat exchanger or evaporator coils have never had any dust on them. .

Hey, thank you so much!!!! This video is so informative! We have an OLD unit that does a much better job than our other unit on other side of house. I’ve been thinking we should have it inspected because it’s so old but not now! I will be watching more of your videos. You are clear, go straight to the point, and give great info. Thanks again!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Most of the time the yearly tune up offer has the ultimate goal of getting your ac replaced with a new one. They will damage your system to get to that goal

Almost perfect, anti DYI I'm retired after of 35 years in the industry (mostly commercial) I still look twice when changing a cap. They only want to get their foot in the door!!!!!😂😂😂 Thanks again for the videos! 😐👍🏻🍺🍺🍺🥃🥃🇺🇲

hands down most useful guy on RU-vid for DIYers as usual! Thanks for all the great videos. Keep it up man!

replacing contacts regularly is not a terrible idea to keep amp draw low. I'm not talking yearly but maybe biannually. It's also a good idea to tighten connections when the power is off to ensure proper transmission of current. Some condenser units have oil plugs on the fan motor (especially in wall mounts) that can be lubricated with a high-quality compressor or low viscosity grade automotive oil.

Thank you for being honest. So many people get hooked into buying new ac unit when they really don’t need it. It’s like going in to a car repair center for a free inspection and coming out with a huge estimate of what they think you need💙

Thanks Jay ! I trust your opinion ! Thanks for the honesty and trying to help people. I think you lose some refrigerant each time its checked as well.

I cleaned my outside condenser coils after probably 10 years of not thinking about it. It's a wonder how the unit was functioning with all the matted hair and debris on the outside. I powered down the unit and lifted the fan off to spray from inside out. It has to be working more efficiently now.

As usual , you hit all the nails on the head in my personal experience. Whatever I did not know how to maintain or fix , I learned from your videos. Save your money for when you really have a problem.

I wish I had a chance to view to this two months ago. Yes that’s exactly what my first call for AC tuneup two and half months ago end up. End up paying $1200+ to add 2 units refrigerant, add 2 start capacitor that I doubt is necessary. The worst part is now the noise is louder.

The old adage is so true, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!! I used to maintain computer systems and I can’t tell you how many times things went wrong on a routine maintenance call, so we actually stopped doing them!

Spot on man. I always feel guilty and useless doing AC PM’s. Especially single stages

Thanks for this video. My HVAC guy told me, while he was servicing my furnace this past winter and I mentioned about him doing the AC in the spring (furnace and AC original from 1985) he said, if it's working fine, don't worry about it. He didn't mention why and considering he serviced the AC 2 years prior and at that time mentioned it was a very good unit. Your video explained it well, thanks for honestly! New subscriber added!

The only hvac component that needs annual maintenance is your gas fired furnace. Clean the flame sensor, blow out dust from the burners, test the blower motor capacitor if it is a PSC motor, tape air leaks in ductwork and clean the condensate drain. A dirty flame sensor is the number one service call. For a no heat call, I always go in with tools and a straight and angle flame sensor. Saves a trip to the truck

Totally agree with you my friend about in everything you mention but having an spare capacitor the best idea salinas will be very significant!!!

Very to the point, thanks for taking your time and recording this.

I learned a ton from you over the years. God bless you Man

Great video! I love it! As a Service Technician, I absolutely loathe the sales-pitch that HVAC companies give to their customers. Most issues can be fixed without replacement from qualified service guys. The problem in many places is with competition, though. City and County ordinances limit the HVAC licenses to folks who have 'Master's Certifications' and the only way to get such certification is not only to pass the required tests but to also have a 'Master' sign off on it. It's basically a legal criminal racket in many places because it's designed to limit competition. This is bad for consumers. There exists an 'underground' HVAC economy where I'm at, though but many of these guys are also con-artists.

Home owners should learn how to clean the Air Conditioner Condensing unit (The part of the AC that is out side) and obviously replace their air filters. As an HVAC repair technician this information is 100% correct, I no longer work for a company that uses their technicians as sales people. There are some very crafty ways they teach technicians to convince people to invest in repairs that are huge money makers and not necessary. I will say that todays air conditioners are way more energy efficient than a 15 year old one. Inspections, especially FREE ones are a ploy to sell you something.

Thank you for the honesty. I have enjoyed watching your thorough and very knowledgeable videos. Its help me keep my 38 yr old ac running good.

You are absolutely right. I have seen it myself. You are a good man speak the true.

Thank you for always being informative and honest. Watching your videos provides much more help and value than any so called inspection would. I would never let them close to my a/c. Even if they paid me he-he.

I did post that hosing out the condenser and regular filter changes are absolutely necessary before I saw the part where you mentioned that. Great attention to detail, brother! I deleted that post after watching that part. Everyone should watch the whole thing.

My 1997 Trane central A/C (26 years old) finally bit the dust when the original A-coil sprung a leak. Rather than put a $1,000 into a new coil I finally replaced it. The line-set was NEVER opened or charged. I agree, don't mess with a working system. I did clean the condenser every few years, with water.

Your video is spot on. I tell this same story to everyone who asks. Once your ac or heat pump has been commissioned by a qualified technician you should never have to repair unless you have a mechanical or electrical failure. Always check your temperatures before opening refrigerant system. Make sure indoor and outdoor coils are clean electrical connections tight filters clean and you should have years of use from system.

Always helpful words of advice! Thanks for sharing.

For one you should get it checked in the spring instead of waiting until the summer when it's the absolute busiest and normally you're stuck waiting until someone can get to you and it ends only being a capacitor completely out when could have found earlier

You're the best! Thanks for your channel it has helped me and my friends dozens of times!

HVAC tech here I agree somewhat but only because you're reasoning is basically because most ac guys are either incompetent techs or dishonest, if you have a trustworthy person that knows what's up getting your ac serviced is a good idea, it could save a condensate back up and prevent your ceiling from flooding, or a low charge to freeze up and another water damage issue, or tech could simply change a part that's ready to fail and now it didn't fail in the hottest part of summer and leave you waiting days or a week for busy ac techs to come out and charge you top dollar to fix. What I would recommend is having a trustworthy company do the service but not every year I would say every 3 years and don't do it in the middle of summer make sure it's in the off season but not middle of winter.

When I do a preventative maintenance, I check everything out. Most of the times I catch flooded dainpans that are a centimeter close from overfilling the drain pan and ruin their sheetrock in their house. Other times I catch loose connections that can burn compressors out, or low capacitance on the blower than can cause low pressure from the fan not running that could damage the compressor and so on. Maintenance is important yearly to catch things before they get worse. I caught a disconnect that was loose and wires stripped next to the unit where children played. I fixed it and caught it. Also gas leaks in the furnace. Get your unit checked. Just have discernment on a salesperson and a true tech.

Yup! They get commission on repairs and also new units - so they break stuff and make up fake repairs to charge you. Super shady trade.

Not an AC tech but just a DIY homeowner. I agree with the AC checkups. When I had HVAC companies come do yearly maintenance it was always issues and upsells. When I stopped with the yearly checkups most of the problems went away. Even had the capacitor left disconnected by a tech once and believe some of them accidently leaked out my refrigerant a couple of times too. Anyways I am learning how to do some of the repairs myself and also did a Mini split myself last summer. Bought backup capacitors. Looking at your contact and fan motors videos and pretty sure I can repair those myself too. When we are 110+ in Phoenix, the AC repair guys are really busy. If I can get it running myself quickly that's a big win for me. Thanks for the videos.

Glad this video was recommended. Thanks for the insight.

Thanks Jay you tell it like it is been watching and learning from you for awhile.

Thank you for your honesty and the great video! ... I always kinda figured the AC companies were not doing free inspections just to be nice lol

I had a professional hvac tech replace my In side unit because he said it needed replacement. It was 8 years old.and the coils were freezing up. He said he rewired the unit because they wired it wrong from day one. So he replaced it with an aluminum one. Didn't top off freon. He said he would come the next day to top it off and never heard from him again. He tried telling me that my other unit needed the same. Come to find out he lossened the nipple from my other unit. A 20 year old new tech came out and did everything by the book found the leak and fixed it. Topped off both ac units. It's hard to find good people now and days. Even mechanics. Always trying to rip you off or break something so you Call them back later.

Hey That’s the first thing one company and technician did at my House. Your capacitors bad. $300 dollars. Robbery. That was in furnace. I looked at my outdoor AC and purchased extra capacitors myself Excellent video