A benefit of having any new appliance installed in your home is that it will have a warranty on both the parts and the labor. This is especially true of a major appliance that sees a lot of wear and tear during the summer: your air conditioner. A warranty will give you comfort of knowing that if anything starts to break with the compressor within the warranty's time frame that you can have it repaired for free. These are some ways to make sure that you maintain the unit's warranty so that you can have the AC repaired if it breaks down unexpectedly.

Apply For The Warranty

Many air conditioners advertise that they come with a warranty, but you have to take an additional step of filling out the paperwork to be covered. If you never bothered to look through that stack of papers that came with your air conditioner, you could have missed it. Applying for the warranty usually requires filling a necessary form and attaching your receipt as a proof of purchase.

Be aware that there may be a limit on how quickly you need to apply for your warranty. If you miss the window, you could be out of luck.

Read The Air Conditioner's Manual

The owner's manual will let you know what you should be doing to maintain your air conditioner, and the things you can do that can potentially void the warranty as well.

For example, a warranty may require that you change the air filter after a specific amount of months, and not doing so will void the warranty. You may also be required to use only OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts when doing any repairs to the unit.

Purchase An AC Maintenance Plan

The best way to maintain a warranty is by purchasing a maintenance plan for your air conditioner. Check with the company that performed the original installation. They will offer plans for a yearly or monthly flat rate that cover all the basic maintenance that you should be doing yourself. It will also provide documented proof that you have had maintenance done on the unit throughout the warranty period.

It's not difficult to maintain the warranty on your brand new air conditioner, but it will require some effort on your part. If you follow these steps, it will help maintain the warranty, and prevent having to pay for an unnecessary repair out of your own pocket.