COOLING
By the time we hit our first 90-degree stretch in June or July, everyone and their neighbor is calling for AC service. The smart move is to get ahead of it. A spring tune-up is one of the highest-value things you can do for your cooling system, and the earlier in the season you schedule it, the more flexibility you get on dates.
The ideal window: April through mid-May
Shoot for late April through mid-May for your annual AC tune-up around Antioch. Overnight temperatures are reliably above 60°F by then, which is what we need to safely test the refrigerant side of the system. Any earlier and we can’t get accurate pressure readings; any later and we’re competing with emergency calls.
If your home has a heat pump instead of a traditional AC, we usually do the cooling check in spring and the heating check in fall — two visits a year is the standard cadence for heat pumps.
What a proper tune-up actually includes
- A real tune-up is not just a filter change and a visual once-over. When we come out, we’re typically doing all of the following:
- Washing the outdoor condenser coil. A summer’s worth of cottonwood, grass clippings, and Lake County pollen can cut efficiency dramatically, and we pull that off.
- Checking refrigerant charge against the manufacturer’s spec using real temperature and pressure readings, not just a gauge glance.
- Testing the capacitor and contactor, two of the most common failure points. A weak capacitor will still start the compressor — until the first 95-degree day, when it won’t.
- Clearing the condensate drain line. A clogged drain in a finished basement is a great way to ruin drywall and flooring, and it’s easy to prevent.
- Tightening electrical connections, checking amp draw on the motors, and confirming the contactor isn’t pitted.
- Inspecting the indoor evaporator coil and blower wheel for buildup that kills airflow.
- Verifying the thermostat is calibrated and the system drops air temperature by the expected 16 to 22 degrees at the register.
Why it pays for itself
A tuned system uses less electricity — often enough to offset the cost of the visit over a single summer on its own. More importantly, it catches the cheap problems before they become the expensive ones. A $20 capacitor replaced in April is a lot less painful than a $400 after-hours emergency call in July, and a clean coil lasts years longer than one that never gets washed.
If your system is still under a manufacturer warranty, most of them require documented annual maintenance to stay valid. We leave you with paperwork you can show the manufacturer if you ever need to make a claim.
A few things you can do yourself year-round
Change the filter on time (see our filter article for the details).
Keep at least two feet of clear space around the outdoor unit. Cut back shrubs, pull out any weeds that grew up through the slab, and keep the lawnmower’s discharge pointed away from the coil.
In the fall, rinse the outdoor unit gently with a garden hose — never a pressure washer — to clear off debris before winter.
If you know a storm is coming, it’s fine to cover the top of the unit with a solid piece of plywood weighted down to protect the fan from falling debris. Don’t wrap the whole unit in a tarp — it traps moisture and ruins the coil.
Ready to get on the schedule?
High Caliber Home runs a spring tune-up schedule every year, and the best dates book up fast. Call or message us and we’ll get you in while the weather is still mild — so when the first heat wave rolls through, your system is ready for it.