Heating & Cooling Tune-Ups

Why tune-ups matter

Most heating and cooling breakdowns start as small problems: a weak capacitor, a dirty flame sensor, a clogged drain or a filter that has not been changed since spring. A tune-up catches them on a mild day, when a repair is a short visit at the regular rate, rather than on the coldest night of the year. It also keeps the system running closer to its rated efficiency and gives us a chance to check safety items such as the heat exchanger and carbon monoxide levels. Many manufacturers also expect regular maintenance as a condition of the equipment warranty, so keep the receipts.

Fall furnace tune-up

Before the heating season, we inspect the burners, igniter and flame sensor, check the heat exchanger for cracks and test for carbon monoxide. We measure gas pressure and temperature rise, check the venting and, on high-efficiency models, the condensate drain. We test the safety switches and clean or replace the filter. If you have a humidifier, we replace the pad and check the water supply.

Spring cooling tune-up

Before summer, we clean the outdoor coil, which collects dust, grass clippings and cottonwood fluff, and straighten hail-bent fins where we can. We check refrigerant pressures, test the capacitors and contactor, measure the temperature drop across the indoor coil, clear the condensate drain and tighten the electrical connections. For swamp coolers, a spring startup means new pads, a cleaned water pan, a checked pump and belt and a reconnected water line. In fall, we drain the cooler, disconnect the water and cover it for winter.

Filters and indoor air

A filter does two jobs: it protects the equipment, and it cleans the air. A thin one-inch filter usually needs changing every one to three months. Higher MERV ratings catch finer particles, which helps on wildfire smoke days, but a dense filter can choke the airflow in a system that was not built for it. A deeper media filter cabinet, four or five inches thick, can give you better filtration with less restriction. We can measure what your system can handle and recommend a filter that fits.

The maintenance plan

If you would rather not keep track, our maintenance plan covers a heating tune-up in the fall and a cooling tune-up in the spring, with a reminder before each one. Plan members get priority scheduling and a discount on repairs. The plan renews once a year, and the price and terms are in writing before you sign up.