Do I really need to have someone come out and clean my heating/air conditioning every year? The guy who put in the system claimed it was really important, and wanted me to pay $200 a year to have them come out twice a year. I don't have a problem doing that but is it going to make a difference?

The current unit I have is about 2 years old.

Also, should I pretty much just let the outdoor part of the air conditioning sit there in the snow? My guy told me that I should put a board with rocks on the top of it once it is not in use in the winter but that sounds dumb.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I used to cover my A/C with a tarp but when I moved and got a new one the guy who installed it told me not to do that. I was surprised.
Not sure about the cleaning, sounds like a lot of dough for a cleaning, but interested in hearing an answer for my own heating system.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Asking my guy who has a ton of experience and I believe did mostly clean and checks his first few years.

My air conditioner works just fine and I haven't covered it in 30 years. We do have a guy clean our furnace once a year though.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Don't bother covering your AC.

Cleaning the ac can be important if your outdoor coils get dirty. They get packed up with dirt or cottonwood or just stuff as the coils kind of act like an air filter. If the coils get dirty they cannot transfer heat as air doesn't get thru them efficiently. It's important to check capacitors and the condition of the wiring and contractors. It's pretty important to check system charge at any age.

Cleaning the furnace is important too. Modern furnaces need clean flame sensors and the Ignitor should be checked. Condensing furnaces will need the traps each year as well. It's smart to check the condition of the blower wheel and blower amp draw.

You should be changing your filters regularly.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

And some furnace warranties require that the furnace be inspected every 1-2 years...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

My guy runs a ton of HVAC stuff and is sitting on top of a pile of duct opening his mail and drinking coffee. I have quantifiable data on his furnace filter optics. Why do you even care? It's unfortunate that you are on the wrong side of history with regards to the HVAC culture.

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Back off, Warchild. Seriously.

Once a year should be enough. Make sure you change your furnace filter every month.



The AC can sit outside in the snow all winter, just like it sits out in the rain all summer.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

My guy is essentially the Greg Popovich of HV/AC world

Yep. My guy told me the same thing.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

we just had a new AC system installed and the guy who did was very clear not to cover it during the winter, totally unnecessary.

So I have to pay a guy to clean my stuff?

Seems like Darkside and the HVAC lobby may have gotten to you. Probably in combination with the Filter lobby that chooses to not invent a filter that doesn't need to be changed.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Just called my HVAC guy to come clean our furnace for the upcoming winter.

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My guy told me not to cover the AC, but for an unexpected reason: he said if you cover it (i.e., build a roof), animals are more likely to try to make it a home.

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