Emergency HVAC repairs are overwhelmingly preventable. Two professional maintenance visits a year, regular filter changes, a clear outdoor unit, and acting on small symptoms early will eliminate the large majority of no-heat and no-cool calls.

Schedule Maintenance Twice a Year

Cooling service in spring, heating service in fall. During a visit a technician measures refrigerant charge, tests capacitors and contactors under load, cleans coils, checks amp draw on motors, inspects the heat exchanger, verifies gas pressure, and clears the condensate drain. Nearly every part that causes an emergency is something that visit either replaces or flags. Book AC maintenance before May and furnace maintenance before November.

Change Filters on a Real Schedule

Every one to three months, more often with pets, allergies, or a dusty spring. In New Mexico, filters load faster than the packaging claims — blowing dust and cottonwood see to that. A restricted filter freezes evaporator coils in summer and overheats heat exchangers in winter, which are two of the most expensive failures there are.

Keep the Outdoor Unit Clear

Two feet of open space on all sides of the condenser. Pull weeds, trim shrubs, and rinse cottonwood fluff off the fins with a garden hose (never a pressure washer). A coil that cannot shed heat forces the compressor to work harder for less cooling.

Act on Small Symptoms

  • New noises — buzzing, clicking, grinding, rattling
  • Air that is cool but no longer cold, or warm but no longer hot
  • Run times getting noticeably longer
  • A breaker that trips even occasionally
  • Water or ice anywhere near the indoor unit
  • Utility bills up at the same thermostat setting

Each of these is cheap to fix now and expensive to fix in August. Book AC repair or furnace repair while it is still small.

Fix the Building, Not Just the Box

Blocked registers, closed vents in unused rooms, leaky ducts, and thin attic insulation all make equipment run longer than it should. A programmable or smart thermostat reduces run time further. Less run time means less wear, which means fewer failures.

Consider a Maintenance Plan

Our Care Club bundles both seasonal visits, adds member pricing on repairs, and — most valuable of all — puts you ahead of the queue during the two or three weeks a year when every HVAC contractor in the metro is booked solid. Repairs are backed by our Home Comfort Guarantee.

Contact B. Carlson to get on a maintenance schedule anywhere in our service area.