The Houston AC maintenance checklist

Houston is hard on air conditioners. Long cooling season, brutal humidity, and attics that cook all summer. The good news is that most expensive breakdowns give warning signs, and basic upkeep catches them early.

Every month

• Check the air filter. Hold it up to a light. If you can't see through it, change it. Every 1 to 3 months here, sooner with pets.
• Look at the outdoor unit. Clear leaves, grass clippings, and anything growing within two feet of it.
• Glance at the drain line. Water pooling near the indoor unit means the condensate drain is backing up.

Spring: before the heat arrives

This is the most important service of the year, and the best time to book it is March or April, before everyone else's AC breaks in June and the whole trade is slammed.

• Full professional tune-up (see below).
• Rinse the outdoor condenser coil with a garden hose, never a pressure washer.
• Flush the condensate drain line to prevent summer clogs.
• Test the system on a mild day so a problem doesn't surprise you at 98°F.

Summer: keeping up with the load

• Change filters more often; the system runs almost constantly.
• Keep supply and return vents unblocked by furniture and rugs.
• Set the fan to AUTO, not ON, so the system dehumidifies properly.
• Listen for new sounds. Buzzing, grinding, or short cycling are early warnings.

Fall and winter: don't forget the heat

Houston winters are short, but a heating system that sat unused for ten months can fail on the first cold night. Run the heat for 15 minutes in October to make sure it works before you need it. A slight burning smell on first startup is normal dust burning off.

• Test the heat early in the season.
• Have the furnace or heat pump inspected, including a safety check on gas systems.
• Replace the filter going into winter.

What a professional tune-up should include

If someone is charging you for a tune-up, this is what you should be getting:

• Refrigerant pressures checked on gauges, with superheat and subcool verified.
• Electrical connections tightened; capacitors and contactors tested.
• Motor amp draw compared against the nameplate rating.
• Condenser and evaporator coils inspected and cleaned.
• Condensate drain cleared and the safety switch tested.
• Thermostat calibration and a temperature split measurement across the coil.

Why it's worth doing

Maintenance isn't glamorous, but a clean, correctly charged system uses less electricity, cools better, and lasts longer. Most of the emergency calls we run in July trace back to something that would have been caught in a spring tune-up.