A/C Condenser died

**Danny O'Donovan** · 06-24-2009, 10:21 AM

Has anyone heard of a Warranty Company denying a claim because there was dirt in the coils of the outside unit? It was 13 years old.It is Homesure of America is the warranty company.

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**Jerry Peck** · 06-24-2009, 10:41 AM

How can you *not have* dirt in the condenser unit coils?

It is *outside*, in the wind, which is blowing dirt around, and lawn mowers, which blow dirt around, and ...

That reason is just plain DUMB.

Ask them if they would cover the warranty if a plastic bag were placed over the unit to stop that air flow keep the dirt out, and then cause the unit to fail for lack of air flow.

**Jim Luttrall** · 06-24-2009, 11:32 AM

welcome to the wonderful world of insurance.

**Billy Stephens** · 06-24-2009, 12:06 PM

But My Agent Said Not to Worry It's Covered by The Insurance.
.

**Scott Patterson** · 06-24-2009, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Danny O'Donovan

Has anyone heard of a Warranty Company denying a claim because there was dirt in the coils of the outside unit? It was 13 years old.It is Homesure of America is the warranty company.

They are in business because they do not pay on claims! Pretty simple concept when you look at the cost of the coverage verses what they would have to pay on a single A/C unit.

At 13 years, I'm surprised they even included it in the coverage to start out with. It is well past it's expected life.

**Rick Hurst** · 06-24-2009, 04:07 PM

Most of these warranty companies will put a policy on any home sight unseen.

All they are interested in is getting that check at the closing for "coverage".

They usually deny every claim is what I see. An homeowner has to be ready to climb in the ring with them to fight it out to get something repaired or replaced.

rick

**Dom D'Agostino** · 06-25-2009, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

They usually deny every claim is what I see. An homeowner has to be ready to climb in the ring with them to fight it out to get something repaired or replaced.

rick

I agree with Rick, they come up with amazing excuses for not paying a claim.

**Danny O'Donovan** · 06-25-2009, 05:19 PM

Thanks to all of you. I intend taking the HVAC company to small claims court, because the Warranty company based their "denial" on the opinion of an unlicensed tech. By the way, Sun Trust Bank continues to promote this warranty to their mortgage customers.
I appreciate your help. Danny.

Mark Schniers · 06-26-2009, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

But My Agent Said Not to Worry It's Covered by The Insurance.
.

Those could be costly words. Anyone stating something to be fact is liable for such statements/claims and could be ordered by a court to pay up.

**Jim Luttrall** · 06-26-2009, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Danny O'Donovan

Has anyone heard of a Warranty Company denying a claim because there was dirt in the coils of the outside unit? It was 13 years old.It is Homesure of America is the warranty company.

Now that everyone has had their jollies about warranty companies, Danny, realize their is some truth in what they told you.
One of the (if not THE) leading causes of equipment failure is lack of maintenance. A dirty coil blocks off air flow and causes extreme stress on air conditioning equipment.
That said, it is the warranty company, not the service tech that you have to blame. Now if the tech works for the warranty company exclusively, maybe he is paid to find causes to blame the failure on that are not covered by the warranty company. Have you had the unit serviced regularly? You might present invoices as evidence to the warranty company.
A thirteen year old system has reached it's normal life expectancy of 12-15 years. I hope this is not too late, but spring for the replacement of the entire system rather than a compressor replacement. Your wallet will thank you in the long run due to the money saved on energy bills with the new higher efficiency unit.

**Greg Subick** · 06-29-2009, 07:54 AM

Speaking from experience, and supporting what Jim has said, I will have to side with the HW company on this one. One of mine went out a year ago. Blew the capacitor on the condensing unit. HW guy said that the reason was that it overheated from the fins being clogged by lint from the adjacent dryer vent, grass clippings, etc. He said the it wasn't covered because it was a maintenance issue, however, went ahead and did it anyway. Since this time, I probably write up 75% of the condensing units I inspect as needing cleaning. AND I STATE (although there will be those pussy-futting inspectors who will say a bib no-no to this) that this condition "may cause a HW company to deny service based on "lack of maintenance" on the owners part). I can tell you, this tops the list of many clients as to what they want the seller to fix/repair, etc. So, to the nay-sayers, leave the HW out of this one. Its legit. It's no diff than a dirty filter (which you do call out, correct?)

**Scott Patterson** · 06-29-2009, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by Greg Subick

Speaking from experience, and supporting what Jim has said, I will have to side with the HW company on this one. One of mine went out a year ago. Blew the capacitor on the condensing unit. HW guy said that the reason was that it overheated from the fins being clogged by lint from the adjacent dryer vent, grass clippings, etc. He said the it wasn't covered because it was a maintenance issue, however, went ahead and did it anyway. Since this time, I probably write up 75% of the condensing units I inspect as needing cleaning. AND I STATE (although there will be those pussy-futting inspectors who will say a bib no-no to this) that this condition "may cause a HW company to deny service based on "lack of maintenance" on the owners part). I can tell you, this tops the list of many clients as to what they want the seller to fix/repair, etc. So, to the nay-sayers, leave the HW out of this one. Its legit. It's no diff than a dirty filter (which you do call out, correct?)

Very good point.

Basically any and all warranty providers can deny a claim by simply saying that the item failed due to poor maintenance. Most things mechanical fail due to poor maintenance!

It also brings up the point of home inspectors offering a "free" warranty or even a purchased warranty on homes they inspect. I just don't understand why a "good" inspector would want to offer a warranty. I know it is more of a marketing ploy, but it also can be a headache when a claim is denied and you get that call from your client!

Ted Menelly · 06-29-2009, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

Very good point.

Basically any and all warranty providers can deny a claim by simply saying that the item failed due to poor maintenance. Most things mechanical fail due to poor maintenance!

It also brings up the point of home inspectors offering a "free" warranty or even a purchased warranty on homes they inspect. I just don't understand why a "good" inspector would want to offer a warranty. I know it is more of a marketing ploy, but it also can be a headache when a claim is denied and you get that call from your client!

Shoot, I tell every single one of my clients that before they move in, higher an HVAC company to do a thorough cleaning and a more in depth evaluation of the system and also to purchase an HVAC contract where the company comes out before winter and before summer.

This is a must tell to every client or most will never do anything but change filters (maybe) in the system. If they start out with a spankin clean and well functioning unit with the paper work to prove it then there is no warranty company that can deny such. Killing 2 birds with one stone so to speak. A clean unit. A well maintained (with records) unit, A home warranty to back things up that cannot deuny do to improper maintenance or cleanliness and an HVAC contract, all home owners should have one.