It's the time of year when many homeowners power down the air conditioning unit and fire up the furnace.

When you do, there is always the chance of discovering a problem. If that's the case, your next question might be, will my home warranty cover it?

In the case of recent homebuyers Josh and Brittany Keeny, the answer was a flat "no." Their central air conditioning has been out for months, with only a window unit to stay cool.

"We've been told more than once that the system needs to be replaced," Josh Keeny said.

They thought it would all be covered, except perhaps for a $100 deductible.

"We had purchased a home warranty three months earlier when we bought the home," he said, but the couple was stunned when the warranty that cost them almost $600 denied their claim.

"According to their committee, the unit is undersized for the home," Josh explained.

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Brittany Keeny says they appealed, but "they continue to close and ignore." She explained, "We've escalated and gone through supervisors, and they basically refuse to do (anything)."

Beware exclusions and fine print

Home warranties can offer some peace of mind when it comes to home repairs. Plans cost an average of $58 a month according to NerdWallet.

But Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers' Checkbook, says most plans come with too many exclusions, on top of out-of-pocket service fees for every repair.

“They don't tell you in advance necessarily that if you have a problem, there's a copay involved," Brasler said. "Usually you have to pay $75 to $150."

That's not the only downside.

"Another common 'gotcha' is that a lot of these plans require you to provide maintenance service records to prove that you've been taking care of your, say, your air conditioner or your furnace," he explained. "Most of us don't have those records. Most of us aren't getting annual visits."

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Another problem, Brasler says, is that you don't choose who does the work.

"If they send a bad company," he said, "you're stuck dealing with that firm. You have no control over that."

Instead, Brasler suggests a savings account dedicated to home repairs, and keeping up with regular maintenance to avoid breakdowns.

Without coverage, the Keenys say they are looking at an $8,000 repair bill, after spending thousands on a down payment and moving costs.

"With a family of four in this economy? Not a chance," Brittany Keeny said.

We contacted the Keenys' warranty company but were told their inspectors determined their 2-ton central air unit installed by the builder was too small for the square footage of the home. They were told the home should have a 3-ton unit installed.

Josh and Brittany Keeny claim they had no way of knowing that, and thought the warranty would protect them in the event of a failure.

As always, don't waste your money.

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