A real AC tune-up includes
- Refrigerant charge verified by superheat and subcooling — not a gauge glance
- Condenser coil cleaned — Phoenix dust and LA cottonwood, this is half the visit
- Evaporator coil inspected and cleaned if accessible
- Capacitor tested against rating; replaced if >10% low
- Contactor inspected for pitting
- Condensate line flushed and treated — Houston and Miami, this prevents the July leak
- Blower and fan motor amps measured
- Static pressure measured, filter checked
- Thermostat calibration and temperature split recorded
A real furnace tune-up includes
- Burner cleaning and flame inspection
- Heat exchanger inspection — combustion analysis on anything over ten years
- Flame sensor cleaned, ignitor resistance checked
- Inducer and blower amps, capacitor test
- Manifold gas pressure against the rating plate
- Limit, rollout, pressure switch operation
- Flue and venting checked for blockage and backdraft
- Condensate trap on high-efficiency units
- Carbon monoxide reading at the supply
Maintenance plans, compared
Every contractor sells one. What's in them varies more than the price. Use this to read the fine print.
| Look for | Basic ($120–$200/yr) | Standard ($200–$350/yr) | Premium ($350–$600/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visits per year | 1 | 2 (spring + fall) | 2 + one emergency |
| Combustion analysis on furnace | Rarely | Sometimes | Yes |
| Charge verified by superheat/subcooling | Usually not | Yes | Yes |
| Coil cleaning included | No — upsell | Condenser only | Both |
| Priority scheduling in peak season | No | Yes | Yes |
| Repair discount | 0–10% | 10–15% | 15–20% |
| Worth it if | Nothing else — but a real standalone tune-up at $100–$250 usually beats it | System is 5+ years old in a hot-humid metro | System is 10+ years, or you can't afford a mid-July outage |
The test: does the plan list what's measured, or just what's "inspected"? Measured means numbers on a report. Inspected means someone looked.
March–April
AC tune-up before the first 90°F week. Phoenix and Miami: March. Houston, Dallas, LA: April.
June–August
Nothing scheduled — contractors are on emergency calls. Change the filter monthly. Keep the condenser clear.
October
Furnace or heat pump heating-mode check before the first cold snap. Short winters here mean the furnace sat eight months.
Every 30–90 days
Filter. 1-inch monthly, 4-inch media every 3–6 months. Write the date on the edge.
The one thing to do yourself
A clogged filter is the single most common root cause across every symptom on the repair pages. Everything else on this page needs a gauge, a meter, or a license. This doesn't.
- Note the size printed on the frame. Buy a case.
- Arrow on the frame points toward the blower.
- MERV 8–11 for most homes. MERV 13 only if the system was designed for it — high MERV on a system that wasn't restricts airflow and causes the freezing on the AC page.
- Set a phone reminder. Filters are cheaper than capacitors.
HVAC maintenance by metro
Each city page covers local climate, permits, utility rebates and the failure modes specific to that market.
References: ENERGY STAR · US Department of Energy · Rheem support
Ask before you call
Not sure what's wrong, or whether it's urgent? Describe it. Questions that come up often get added to this page.