An 18-Year HVAC Warranty: Who Will Be There to Honor It?

A homeowner recently chose another company over us because they were offered an 18-year warranty. I understand the appeal. But a warranty is a promise about the future, and before one decides which bid you sign, you should know who is making the promise and whether they will still be in business and standing behind it when you need them.

Equipment Warranty Versus Labor Warranty

A new furnace, heat pump or air conditioner usually comes with two separate warranties. The manufacturer covers its equipment. The company that installs it sets its own labor warranty. The California Contractors State License Board tells homeowners to get the contractor’s labor or materials warranty in writing and to also ask for the manufacturer’s written warranty.

We are a Carrier Authorized Dealer, so here is how Carrier does it. In California, Carrier’s 10-year limited parts warranty does not require registration, and it applies only to the original homeowner. A later owner usually receives 5 years. Carrier also offers a 5-year parts plus 3-year labor option instead, which must be chosen within 90 days of installation, is available only when the installing dealer participates, and isn’t offered on new construction (Carrier warranty, Carrier warranty lookup). Carrier’s value-tier ductless systems get 5 years on parts and no labor option.

So labor coverage beyond what the manufacturer offers is not a manufacturer promise. It comes from the company that installs your system, or from a service contract that company sells.

A Warranty Is Only as Good as the Company Behind It

The Federal Trade Commission’s consumer guidance on extended warranties and service contracts tells buyers to find out who backs the coverage, because it is “not necessarily the manufacturer and might be a company you don’t know” (FTC). I would ask the same question about any installer’s labor warranty, including ours. An 18-year warranty on a system installed this year runs to 2044. It is worth something only if the company that made it is still in business and still honoring it.

HVAC Companies Are Being Bought and Sold

Private equity firms keep buying local HVAC companies and folding them into larger groups. Capstone Partners, an investment bank that tracks the trade, counted 92 HVAC services deals announced or completed in 2026 through late July. Private equity buyers made 47 of them, and add-ons, where a private equity-owned group buys another local company, were the largest share at 41.3% (Capstone Partners, July 2026). The larger groups get sold too. In November 2024, Morgan Stanley’s private equity arm agreed to sell Sila Services, a residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical company with more than 30 brands that it invested in in 2021, to Goldman Sachs’s private equity business (Morgan Stanley, November 2024).

Whether a warranty survives a sale depends on how the sale was structured and what the warranty says. Under the rule the California Supreme Court described in Ray v. Alad Corp. (1977), a company that buys another company’s principal assets “does not assume the seller’s liabilities” unless it agrees to, the deal amounts to a merger, the buyer is a “mere continuation” of the seller, or the sale was made to escape the seller’s debts. If a company closes, there may be no one left to collect from.

Questions I Would Ask Before a Long Warranty Decides Your Bid

• Who is the warrantor named in writing: the manufacturer, the installing company or a separate service contract company?
• Exactly which parts and labor are covered, and for how many years?
• What keeps the warranty in force? Ask whether it depends on a paid maintenance plan, yearly service by that company or registration by a deadline.
• Who registers the equipment with the manufacturer, and when?
• Does the warranty transfer if you sell your home?
• What happens to the warranty if the company is sold or closes? Ask for the answer in writing.

Keep the signed contract and every warranty document. The Contractors State License Board says homeowners have four years to file a complaint about a faulty project, and that deadline can be extended when additional warranties are written into the contract (CSLB).

Who Stands Behind Our Warranty

I bought Aarvaks in November 2025, and I run it myself. Aarvaks has been in business since 1929. It is not owned by private equity, and I will not sell it to a private equity firm. Our labor warranty is backed by a company I own and run, not by an investment fund that may sell it.

We back our installation work for 5 years when the system gets maintenance every year, or 3 years without. That is separate from the manufacturer’s warranty on the equipment, and we register your equipment with the manufacturer at installation. Our warranty page has the full terms. Our pricing page lists starting prices and our labor warranty years, and our post on choosing a Carrier Authorized Dealer covers product registration.

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