Cooling tune-up (spring)
- Clean the outdoor coil and check fins.
- Test capacitors, contactor and electrical connections.
- Measure refrigerant performance (superheat/subcooling) without automatically adding refrigerant.
- Check blower, filter and airflow; clean the condensate line and test the float switch.
- Measure the temperature drop across the indoor coil.
Heating tune-up (fall)
- Inspect burners, ignitor and flame sensor; check gas pressure.
- Inspect the heat exchanger and venting; test combustion and draft.
- Test limit and safety switches.
- For heat pumps: defrost controls, reversing valve and backup heat.
Spotting a rushed visit
Ask for a written checklist with readings. Be wary of a visit that ends with an urgent push to replace without measurements, or refrigerant "top-ups" with no leak search.
Are maintenance plans worth it?
Plans typically bundle two visits a year with priority scheduling and repair discounts. They make sense if you would otherwise skip maintenance, or for heat pumps that run year-round. See HVAC maintenance.
