When large appliances in your home break, like a dishwasher or air conditioning system, they can cost a lot of money to fix.

Some people buy ‘home warranties’ to fix or replace the appliance in an aim to help cover the cost. But are they worth it?

“Home warranties have become big business,” said Kevin Brasler with Consumers’ Checkbook.

Companies “advertise that they’ll protect you against really big home repairs, but they really don’t. A lot of these policies have max payments of say $1,500 if your furnace dies. Well, most furnaces cost $4,000 or more.” Brasler said.

He said home warranties are a waste of money.

“They’re expensive purchases. You end up usually paying $800 to $1,000 or more per year just for the policy and anytime you need repairs, you have to pay kind of a copay to the company that shows up to deal with it,” Brasler said.

Homeowners are “going to pay far more in premiums to the home warranty company, plus copays that they’ll have to pay each time they have a problem.”

Brasler said the biggest problem with home warranties is homeowners don’t get a say in who does the work. He said most of the contractors sent out by home warranty companies “aren’t necessarily the best ones.”

“We’ve interviewed dozens of heating and air conditioning contractors in the area, for example, and none of the top-rated ones want to work with home warranty companies because they’re just a pain,” Brasler said.

Consumers are generally advised by consumer experts to read the fine print before signing any contract.