Guide
HVAC Maintenance Checklist for Central Texas Homes
A seasonal HVAC maintenance checklist: what homeowners can safely do each month, and what a technician should measure in spring and fall.
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Maintenance splits neatly into two lists: the short one you can do yourself, and the longer one that needs instruments. Keeping up the first list prevents a surprising share of service calls.
Monthly, for you
- Check the air filter; replace a one-inch filter monthly in heavy cooling season, and follow the label on thicker media filters.
- Walk past the indoor unit and look for water in or around the drain pan.
- Keep two feet of clear space around the outdoor unit and pull weeds and vines off the coil.
- Confirm supply vents and returns are unblocked by furniture or rugs.
Spring, before the heat
This is the highest-value service visit of the year in Central Texas. What a technician should do:
- Clean the condenser coil and inspect the evaporator coil and blower wheel.
- Verify refrigerant charge by measurement rather than topping off by habit.
- Test capacitors and contactors against rated values and read motor amp draws.
- Clear the condensate drain and trap, and test the float switch.
- Measure temperature split and static pressure across the coil.
- Check the thermostat cycle and calibration.
Fall, before the first cold snap
- Inspect burners, igniter, and flame sensor on gas equipment.
- Inspect the heat exchanger, flue, and combustion air.
- Test pressure switches, limits, and safety controls.
- On a heat pump, verify reversing valve operation, defrost control, and auxiliary heat staging.
- Measure temperature rise and confirm blower performance.
Things worth fixing while they are small
A weak capacitor, a slow drain, a filter rack that leaks around the edges, a disconnected duct in the attic, a return that is too small for the blower. None of these will strand you today, and all of them either shorten equipment life or waste energy every hour the system runs.
Ask for the measurements in writing after each visit. Comparing this year's numbers to last year's is how you see a component degrading before it fails.
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