I no longer offer this service. I just do repairs. Please see the services page for more details.
I leave this page up because it’s informative. Please read it before calling someone for a tune-up. Most tune-ups are a scam IMO.
My 3 Point Inspection
Don’t put yourself in a box.
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Getting your HVAC equipment inspected can be a great idea. However, if the technician shows up with a checklist like this in hand then buckle up baby because you’re going for a ride. In many cases, the real purpose of all those checkboxes is to remind the technician of all the ways he can turn minor problems with your equipment into major sales. I explain why the typical so-called tune-up is really just an inspection, which is really just a sales call, here.
The HVAC equipment inspections I perform are something else entirely. They’re designed to identify readily apparent and meaningful deficiencies with your equipment, if there are any, that can be addressed economically. In other words, we’re going to pick the low hanging fruit. In some cases there’s nothing to pick. Either way, I’m not going to sell you new HVAC equipment. I’m going to try to improve your old equipment by doing this:
- Inspect readily accessible parts of your heating and/or air conditioning equipment.
- Run the equipment that’s being inspected and take some readings.
- Determine what to do next based on the preceding.
My 3 Point Inspection beats the typical mega-contractor’s so-called 24 Point Tune-Up because my third point becomes more points without becoming a sales pitch. How many more points? That’s determined by the nexus of need and affordability. Checking literally everything about your HVAC equipment could take all day. That’s not affordable, so you need a seasoned technician who knows how to use his time and your money wisely. Let me explain…
The Technician IS the Point
If you have a typical HVAC system that’s more than a few years old, an experienced technician has probably seen it or something like it before. That means he probably knows where to focus his attention while inspecting your HVAC equipment. There’s an almost unlimited number of things he could check, but the experienced technician focuses on what he should check. Therefore, the best HVAC inspector may be the veteran technician who mindfully checks off the three “boxes” mentioned above and then skillfully figures out what to check next.
There’s a severe shortage of veteran technicians, so most contractors send rookies to perform their tune-ups inspections. The typical rookie doesn’t really understand the equipment, but he does understand that he’d better meet his sales quotas or he’ll lose his job. Given that impetus, it’s no wonder his checklist turns into a laundry list of reasons why you need to buy something. Therefore, the worst HVAC inspector may be the rookie technician who mindlessly checks off dozens of boxes and then prescriptively figures out what to sell next.
A Different Goal
To summarize, the typical HVAC inspection starts with spectacle and ends with disappointment. My atypical inspection, on the other hand, starts with disappointment and ends with spectacle. Ends with spectacle? Well, maybe. My customers are always welcome to watch and ask questions as I work. Some of my more eccentric customers actually find it entertaining.
Starts with disappointment?! When it comes to the price, maybe. My inspection may take one to two hours depending on what’s being inspected. I may recommend replacing capacitors and/or an igniter. Replacing those items almost always prevents future failure. And I may charge between $300 and $600 per system. I can narrow the price range over the phone.
That price may leave you feeling a little less enthusiastic than the hockey-loving Buckle Up Baby, but then generally speaking nothing good comes of an $88 Inspection. My goal is to meet your goals without unfairly “scoring a goal” on you. A targeted inspection performed by a seasoned tradesman for a realistic price could be the best way to keep us both out of the “penalty box”.
A Different List
A list of what may or may NOT happen during my Three Point Inspection is below.
Please pay attention to the 7 items on the list with links, particularly water drainage.
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Comprehensive Evaluation of…
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1. Interview and Educate
If you’ve been using your HVAC system for a while then you know how it normally behaves. That makes you an excellent source of information for me. Therefore, it’s extremely important that you inform me of any concern you may have while we’re making the appointment.
Conversely, sometimes the best thing I do is educate you. So please watch as much of the inspection as you’d like. I’ll probably teach you a little about how your equipment works and I’ll definitely answer all your questions.
2. Audible Inspection
If I hear something unusual from HVAC system, we’ll talk about it. Even though I’ve listened to thousands of systems, you’re probably more familiar with how your particular system sounds than I am. So if you’ve ever heard anything that concerns you, please tell me ASAP.
3. Visual Inspection
Some of my customers have watched their previous contractor perform a so-called tune-up. Those customers usually tell me that the other contractor didn’t actually do anything. Technically speaking that’s incorrect. They did something. They looked. In my experience, most of what happens during most so-called tune-ups is visual inspection.
Visual inspection is one of the most important things I do. Many, if not most, major problems are discovered with visual inspection. That’s one reason why I call my service “inspection” rather than something potentially misleading like “tune-up”. I may do some tuning or maintenance on your system. I may not. Either way, there will always be a visual inspection.
4. Take Readings
The readings taken may include temperature rise, temperature drop, amp draws, refrigerant pressures, superheat, subcooling, etc. Those are basic measurements that give us an idea of how the equipment is running mechanically. They are not a direct measure of the equipment’s capacity and efficiency. For more about capacity and efficiency, see “Capacity and Efficiency” below.
5. Clean Flame Sensor
Most gas furnaces have flame sensors, AKA flame rods. Like capacitors and igniters (described below), flame sensors are a predictable problem. Unlike capacitors and igniters, they almost never need to be replaced. They usually just need to be cleaned. A lot of flame sensors need to be cleaned every five or ten years, but some need it more often.
I usually clean the flame sensor during my Three Point Inspection, but not always. Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to access, so I may leave it alone if it has a good microamp reading. As for the flame sensor on a Honeywell SmartValve system, I almost never clean it. Cleaning that sensor runs the risk of breaking the igniter that’s right next to it.
6. Tighten and/or Replace Caps
If you look at the outdoor unit of a typical split HVAC system (typical for our area), you’ll see a pair of copper refrigerant lines. In most cases you’ll see four little caps right where those lines connect to the unit. Two caps are usually hex shaped and two are usually round. Those are service valve caps and Shrader valve caps respectively.
The valves under the caps can leak refrigerant. The caps will usually hold the leak back if the caps are present, have their O-rings, and are tightened down. If they need anything, service valve caps usually just need to be tightened. In some cases Shrader valve caps need to be replaced. Doing either can save you hundreds of dollars of refrigerant down the road.
Run capacitors are little tin cans that give motors a boost. They are the most common failure in the profession. In my experience, most local heating and air conditioning systems will need their capacitors replaced at least once and possibly more.
I often recommend replacing run capacitors when they’re around ten years old. If they were of poor quality to begin with, I’ll recommend replacing them sooner. Most run-of-the-mill HVAC systems locally have between one and three run capacitors.
At the time of writing, I usually charge between $15 and $30 for a run capacitor in the furnace and between $50 and $80 for a run capacitor in the outdoor unit. That does not include labor. Most run capacitors take less than ten minutes to install, but a few take considerably longer.
Replacing run capacitors is one of the few things we can do that can prevent a predictable failure. Ironically, replacing capacitors is almost never included or even suggested by most contractors when they perform their so-called tune-up. (That link opens a new page to my new site dedicated to education.)
8. Check Settings
Most thermostats, furnaces, heat pumps, etc. have settings that can be changed to fit the customer’s and/or the home’s needs. The more complicated the HVAC equipment is, the more settings it may have. The equipment’s installers are supposed configure those settings as needed, but mistakes happen.
Those settings tend to be equipment specific, which means I may not know them off the top of my head. If you’d like, I can read the manual and check those settings. It some cases it can take considerable time to obtain and read the manual, so please inform me in advance. There may be an additional charge.
This is listed in the “Sometimes” section because most homeowners take care of the air filter themselves. In most cases I can service the filter if you’d like. However, a typical filter needs to be serviced two to four times per year. Therefore, in most cases, it’ll save you money if you take care of the air filter yourself if you can. I can show you how.
If you have a fancy air cleaner, I may try to convince you to turn it off and install a simple filter in its place. Many fancy cleaners don’t deliver as promised and some cause more problems than they’re worth. If you have a 2″ or 4″ filter box that has a 1″ filter inside of it, I’ll almost certainly recommend upgrading to the bigger filter.
10. Clean Burners
This is listed in the “Sometimes” section because a lot of burners I come across don’t need to be cleaned. Natural gas burns extremely cleanly. If your furnace burns propane or fuel oil, or if it operates in a harsh environment, then it may need to be cleaned more often.
The igniter is a heating element that takes the place of a pilot in most furnaces. The kind of igniter found in a lot of older furnaces is made of a material that eventually wears out. If your furnace has that type of igniter, and if it looks worn, then I’ll probably recommend replacing it.
At the time of writing, I usually charge between $50 and $150 for the igniter depending on which one it is. Most are less than $100. That doesn’t include labor. Most igniters take less than 10 minutes to install, but a few take considerably longer.
12. Remove Detritus
An outdoor unit (AKA air conditioner, heat pump, package unit, etc.) that’s more than a few years old probably has detritus in it. A little doesn’t normally matter, but buildup like this certainly does. Some outdoor units take considerable time to open, clean, and put back together. Therefore, I don’t typically spend much time removing detritus unless the buildup is, or will soon become, a functional problem.
13. Adjust Refrigerant
Adding refrigerant (AKA Freon, Puron, etc.) is most definitely not a part of normal HVAC maintenance. A properly installed HVAC system is sealed. It’ll never need refrigerant unless it pops a leak and/or has had one too many inspections. I explain more about refrigerant and refrigerant leaks here. As for inspection, your system loses a tiny bit of refrigerant every time a contractor checks refrigerant pressures.
A significant minority of HVAC systems are undercharged due to leakage. A growing minority are overcharged because a previous technician put too much refrigerant in the system. Either way, the system can appear to be running normally to the occupants. That’s all the more reason why you should take part in the inspection. A surprise diagnosis is easier to accept and understand when you see it happen in real time.
14. Check Motor Bearings
Since technicians don’t typically disassemble motors in the residential side of HVAC, this check may be simpler than it sounds. If and when I check a motor’s bearings, I grab the motor’s shaft and attempt to move it. If I feel noteworthy play in the bearings then we’ll talk about it. If the play is barely discernable, I may not mention it.
15. Increase Indoor Fan Speed
The indoor fan, AKA blower, is the only fan in an HVAC system that circulates the home’s indoor air. That means it circulates the indoor air in both heating and cooling modes. If you have a gas furnace, the furnace’s blower is the indoor fan. If you have a heat pump, the blower in the air handler is the indoor fan. Regardless of where it is, the indoor fan is not the visible fan on the outdoor unit. The outdoor fan does not touch the indoor air.
If the indoor fan’s speed is not already at its maximum setting, sometimes I go ahead and “max it out”. The benefits usually outweigh the small increase in energy usage. If you have a gas furnace, the furnace’s internal temperature will be a little lower. If you have a heat pump, the compressor will run at a lower pressure in heating mode. And in all cases, air mixing will be improved. Improved air mixing can lower energy usage a little.
16. Adjust Gas Manifold Pressure
Some gas furnaces run hotter than they should due to undersized ducts. If that’s the case with your furnace, and if increasing the indoor fan speed doesn’t lower the temperature enough, I may reduce the gas pressure being fed to the furnace’s burners. The furnace may run a little longer as a result, but that should not have a meaningful impact on your gas bill. The gas company bills you for how much gas the furnace burns, not how quickly it burns it.
17. Clean Coil
This is listed in the “Once In a While” section because most coils I come across don’t need to be cleaned. Of those that do, some are easy to clean and some are extremely difficult. Cleaning some cooling coils can take hours. That’s why other contractors’ so-called $88 Tune-Up never includes cleaning of all coils, particularly the cooling coil (AKA evaporator coil).
18. Replace Contactor
Most HVAC systems locally have contactors. A contactor is a heavy duty relay that’s usually responsible for turning on the compressor and the outdoor fan. Over time the points on the contactor become pitted. If the pitting gets bad enough, the points can weld shut.
If the pitting on your unit’s contactor looks bad enough, I’ll probably recommend replacing it. At the time of writing, I usually charge around $50 for the contactor. Sealed contactors and other specialty contactors cost more. It usually takes 10 to 20 minutes to install.
19. Leave Spare Fuses
Most HVAC systems have at least one fuse. Unlike a circuit breaker, when a fuse trips it has to be replaced. Should a fuse trip due to something innocuous like a power outage, having a spare on hand can get the system running in no time. I often show customers where fuses are and I sometimes offer to leave spares behind. If you’d like either then please let me know.
A particularly comprehensive inspection and/or evaluation of any aspect of your HVAC system can take considerable time. It may not be worth the expense unless the initial inspection points in that direction. Items that I don’t inspect and/or evaluate comprehensively are sometimes inspected and/or evaluated indirectly and/or superficially.
Some contractors may indeed perform a comprehensive inspection and/or evaluation of certain aspects of your HVAC system during their so-called tune-up that I don’t during my Three Point Inspection. However, you may find that their comprehensive inspection is really just a comprehensive attempt to condemn your old system so they can sell you a new one.
25. Ducts
I don’t work on or inspect ducts, but most contractors do. Unfortunately, their opinions of your ducts can vary wildly because duct assessment can be extremely subjective. If a contractor says new ducts will save you lots of energy, ask if they’re going to measure the before and after leakage to at least partially prove it. If they show you ugly pictures of your ducts, make sure those pictured ducts are actually yours. And then ask them for a meaningful diagnosis because “ugly” is not a diagnosis! The bottom of this page explains more about duct inspection.
26. Exhaust Vent
I rarely inspect the exhaust vent* because it’s usually time consuming to do so. Most of the exhaust vent may be in an attic that I wouldn’t otherwise enter. It may even be behind a wall. I’ll certainly look at the portion near the furnace, but that may be it.
* Technically speaking, the exhaust vent of a standard efficiency furnace is the strictly vertical portion of the exhaust vent that goes to the roof. The aforementioned “portion near the furnace” is the exhaust vent connector, which is almost always readily visible.
Air conditioning systems (including heat pumps) and high efficiency gas furnaces produce condensation. The water they produce usually drains to the side of the house. Sometimes it drains elsewhere. Regardless of how or where it drains, problems with the drainage can develop. When that happens, water can spill and damage the equipment and/or the home.
Comprehensive maintenance of the drainage is a certainly a good idea, but it hardly ever happens in this part of the world – even by contractors who claim to do it. That’s partly because we don’t have much “elephant snot” locally. That’s mainly because a thorough inspection and cleaning of the drainage can take a half hour to a couple of hours.
I don’t normally perform a comprehensive evaluation or maintenance of an HVAC system’s drainage. What I usually do is look for evidence of major leakage in the past and indicators that it might leak in the future. If I find something noteworthy we’ll discuss it. It’s a best effort as just described. It’s not guaranteed to catch all present leaks* or prevent all future leaks.
If a contractor says they’re going to perform comprehensive maintenance of the drainage during their so-called tune-up, great! Watch a few videos to see how it’s done. Then watch to see if they do it. If you manage to get that and everything else they promise, and if you don’t get a hard sales pitch, then please pass their name on to me. I just might refer them.
* On occasion HVAC equipment can develop a water leak without manifesting any apparent symptoms. For example, the secondary heat exchanger of some gas furnace’s can develop a tiny leak that can only be seen if the furnace is almost completely disassembled. Such leaks may only be caught when they get worse and water flows to a more readily visible area.
29. Code Compliance
You might expect HVAC tradesmen to be well-versed in building code, but in my experience most are not. The only code many tradesmen know is the code that local building departments enforce during the inspection of equipment they’ve installed. Since a lot of contractors don’t pull building permits, a lot of tradesmen don’t even know enforced code very well.
I pulled permits when I did installations, so I know some HVAC code. I certainly don’t know it all, but I know enough that I can tell you most HVAC systems violate code in some way. Since my inspection focuses on the safety and function of the HVAC equipment, I may not point out a minor code violation unless it’s a safety issue.
30. System Installation
You might also expect an HVAC tradesman to know if HVAC equipment is installed properly. To some extent a tradesman should indeed know. There are certain installation practices that may or may not be a part of building code, but that are a part of standard trade practice nonetheless. Such practice extends to most, if not all, brands.
On the other hand, there are installation procedures that are unique to certain pieces of HVAC equipment. The best way to know those unique requirements is to read that equipment’s installation manual. That just isn’t going to happen on most inspections. Therefore, some errors in how some equipment is installed will be missed during an inspection thereof.
32. Clean Blower
Cleaning the furnace’s or air handler’s blower wheel might take around an hour. It can take two hours if the wheel is difficult to access. Most blowers wheels I come across are not dirty enough to justify the expense. Some are not dirty at all.
An inspection today may not reveal what’s going to fail tomorrow, even if it’s literally going to fail tomorrow. There are certainly some exceptions. For example, some motors warn you of their impending failure by getting noisy before failing outright. However, the majority of failures are mostly unpredictable. That’s why I rarely give any sort of prediction as to how much life your particular heater or air conditioner has left.
If I do have an opinion about your equipment’s future, it’ll probably be based on observations of other systems like yours. I may believe that an HVAC system like yours has, on average, a certain number of years left. If so, I’ll share that belief with you. Or, after looking at your system, I may believe you’re about to reach a tipping point where it makes sense to replace the system proactively. (I don’t perform installations.) This audio explains tipping points.
36. Adjust / Clean Pilot
There aren’t many furnaces left with pilot flames, AKA pilot lights or just “pilots”. If your furnace does have a pilot then it may be adjustable. If it needs anything, most of the time it just needs to be cleaned. Once in a while it may need a new thermocouple (explained below).
37. Replace Thermocouple
The last residential furnace with a thermocouple (that I know about) was probably made in the seventies. Even so, I do carry them on the van. If your old thermocouple has low output and/or looks bad, I’ll probably recommend replacing it. At the time of writing, I usually charge around $25 for the thermocouple, not including time. It usually takes between five and twenty minutes to install.
Safety devices, AKA safety controls or just “safeties”, are sensors that can save the equipment from damage and the occupants from harm. Some safeties can save the home from fire or water damage. Others can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
In many cases, an accurate test of a safety device would require removing it and testing it with a calibrated testing device. Most systems have many safeties, so that would take a lot of time. Unfortunately, that’s just not a “thing” in the residential side of this trade.
A practical way of testing some heat sensors is to purposely overheat the furnace and see if the safeties do their job. A test like that can damage the furnace and/or evaporator coil. That being the case, most contractors don’t purposely overheat the furnace and neither do I.
If you find a contractor who claims they perform a meaningful test of safety devices during their so-called tune-up, ask them which safeties are tested and by what method. If you get a convincing answer, please share it with me. They must know something I don’t!
42. Capacity and Efficiency
A test of AC, furnace, duct, and overall system capacity and efficiency looks something like this, this, this, and this respectively. A comprehensive test of your HVAC system’s capacity and efficiency includes aspects of all four of those tests. You don’t have to watch those videos of course. My only goal in sharing them is to demonstrate that comprehensive testing of your HVAC system’s capacity and efficiency takes considerable time and, therefore, money.
Given that expense and the lack of knowledge amongst homeowners about such tests, there’s very little demand for them. So what most contractors do is something akin to what I do: I look and listen to your heating and/or air conditioning equipment; I take a few readings; and we go from there. My observations combined with your experience with your system will probably reveal most of its major deficiencies.
45. Oil Motors
The majority of residential HVAC motors made in the last twenty or thirty years can’t be oiled. Some very old motors can be oiled. However, if you have one, you might want to leave it alone. Oiling an old motor that hasn’t been oiled in a long time can cause it to fail. An old-timer taught me that decades ago. Apparently I didn’t believe him because, as a rookie, I mindlessly oiled a bunch of old motors. Months later a bunch of them went bad!
46. Replace Belt
The last residential furnace with a belt (that I know about) was probably made in the late sixties or early seventies. Consequently, I don’t stock belts on the van. If you have an old furnace that needs a new belt, I can probably show you how to replace it. I can do it of course, but doing it yourself will save you a lot of money.
47. Adjust Burners
Most modern residential furnaces don’t have air shutters. That means their burners’ air/fuel mixture can’t be adjusted. There are some extremely old furnaces with burners that have air shutters. However, if you have one of those, you don’t want a technician messing with them unless he has a combustion analyzer. I have two combustion analyzers. Most technicians don’t even show up with one.
48. Calibrate Thermostat
A lot of ads for the so-called $88 Tune-Up mention checking and/or calibrating the thermostat. However, most residential thermostats can’t be calibrated. If the thermostat is digital, it’s probably accurate. If it’s old and mechanical, it’s probably a little inaccurate. Most thermostats either work properly or they don’t. If they don’t, you get a new one.