AC tune-ups and HVAC maintenance in Houston

Most of the emergency calls we run in July trace back to something a spring tune-up would have caught. A clean, correctly charged system uses less electricity, cools better, and lasts longer in a climate that runs equipment harder than almost anywhere else.

What a real tune-up includes

If you are paying for maintenance, this is what you should be getting:

• Refrigerant pressures read on gauges, with superheat and subcool verified.
• Temperature split measured across the evaporator coil.
• Motor amp draw compared against the nameplate rating.
• Capacitors tested under load, not just eyeballed.
• Electrical connections tightened and contactors inspected for pitting.
• Condenser and evaporator coils inspected and cleaned.
• Condensate drain cleared and the float safety switch tested.
• Thermostat calibration checked.

When to book

March or April. Before the first 95 degree day, when every HVAC company in Houston is buried and a tune-up appointment competes with people who have no cooling at all. Test heating in October for the same reason.

What you can do yourself between visits

• Change the filter every one to three months. More often with pets.
• Keep two feet of clear space around the outdoor unit.
• Rinse the condenser fins with a garden hose, never a pressure washer.
• Watch for water pooling near the indoor unit, which means the drain is backing up.

The full seasonal list is in our Houston AC maintenance checklist.