We are here, the most controversial time of A/C season: maintenance time. What is the controversy about? Well, whether to actively maintain … or not. This topic has Houston homeowners divided. Everyone seems to agree that maintenance is important. Cars need the oil changed right? This leads most of the population to faithfully call each spring and fall to inspect their system. After inspection they nicely send their technician packing as his calls to repair, clean, tune, and maintain their system fall on deaf ears. They did their part right?

Wrong, says the rest of the population. And manufacturers, engineers, and humble A/C specialists such as myself have to agree. When did looking at something ever qualify as maintaining it. That is like a 16 year old saying that he maintained his room by inspecting it for cleanliness. He faithfully inspected it, identified problem areas (such as the dirty laundry spread around the floor), and deemed maintenance complete. Now he could correct identified problem areas such as that perky laundry (much like some homeowners do by replacing failing parts), but will that take care of his regular vaccuming and dusting needs? Of course not. Much like mom hates repeating herself many techs fail to remind homeowners of their need to faithfully “dust and vaccum” their systems. If you tech does remark on the situation, it’s probably because its been neglected for so long that its about to cause multiple system failure.

My advice:
Take the easy way out, do it all at once with a Clean, Check, and Tune. This service is only offered in pre-season times. (aka NOT the middle of summer) and bundles the most common cleaning, tuning, and lubrication needed with a comprehensive inspection. I could be mean and hide this gem of a service and let you continue doing things the hard way and paying more for a la cart services, but that doesn’t seem fair. We created this service to help make active maintenance more affordable and free up more time for emergencies in those hot summer months. So use it!

What is your take? Viva la Inspection or Power to the People with a Tune Up.