Fox Family Heating and Air Begins Air Conditioning Tune-up Season in Sacramento
The weather in Sacramento is usually pretty predictable, but this year in February no one needed assistance with their heating systems. Afternoons are beginning to reach the mid-60’s, so February is actually a great time to start thinking about your AC tune-up.
Fox Family Heating and Air offers an air conditioning tune-up unlike the others in town. We have a piece of paper that lists everything we will be checking on your AC tune-up visit in Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, and all of Northern California.
We start out at the thermostat and make sure it displays properly, is mounted correctly, and that you understand how to use your thermostat and are comfortable using it. We’ll check the batteries while we are there too. Some thermostats don’t have batteries and are connected through the “C” terminal. Now we’ll turn your AC on and listen. Listening to the AC system run is like music to the ears of an HVAC technician.
Next, we move on to the filter and make sure it’s clean. If you have a washable type, we’ll wash it for you and let it dry as we continue on with the air conditioning tune-up.
On we go to the air handler or furnace wherever it is in your house. It’s usually either in the garage, a closet or in the attic. Some houses have packaged units that are on the rooftop of the home, or sometimes on the ground. Either way, I’m sure you’ve seen that thing so let’s go find it. While we are here in the attic we’ll check the surroundings and ensure all the ductwork looks connected, is strapped properly, is sealed at the plenums, and delivering air to each room as designed.
We also check insulation levels out in the attic because it’s your air conditioner’s best friend when it comes to saving energy. We are looking for R-38 levels of insulation since that is the code standard set by cities and counties in the area. If you are not even close to those levels, we’ll notify you when we come back down.
Here is a list of components we check on the air handler during the AC tune-up. We clean and check all of these items (except the blower assembly and the evaporator coil. Additional charges apply on these two items just because a good amount of labor is involved in cleaning them). This ensures your system can run as efficiently as possible. Clean = Good!
- Door safety switch
- Temperature difference between return and supply air
- Blower capacitor rating
- Blower wheel is balanced
- Overall blower assembly cleanliness
- Lubricating the bearings on some blower motors that still have oil ports
- Condensate drain lines direct water away from the HVAC unit to protect the house
- Condensate drain slope is proper
- Is a condensate safety switch present
- Secondary drain pan condition (Rusted?)
- Condensate pump if applicable
- Evaporator coil condition
- UV air purification system bulb
- Refrigerant leaks at the evaporator coil
- TXV is mounted properly
Then we head to the outdoor unit where we wash the unit from any debris that might have plugged the condenser coils over the winter. At the condenser we check and clean all of the following components:
- Outdoor temperature
- Your refrigerant type
- High voltage service disconnect for proper electrical code safety
- Tighten the lugs in the electrical disconnect
- Ensure proper wire size to the AC
- Max fuse rating of the outdoor condenser
- Min circuit ampacity
- Fuses in the service disconnect mounted properly
- Refrigerant leaks visible around the AC
- Proper amount of suction line insulation on refrigerant lines
- Condenser fan FLA
- High voltage readings at the contactor
- Low voltage readings at the contactor
- Compressor start assist present?
- Electrical connections tightened
- Compressor run amps
- Condenser coil condition
- Compressor capacitor condition
- Lubricate the fan motor if applicable
- Is the outdoor unit level?
- Wash / wiped down the outdoor unit
- Leaves out of the bottom of the unit
We really enjoy the opportunity to come out and take care of your HVAC system! It has always been a passion for Greg Fox to keep his clients’ systems clean and operational for the upcoming season. We actually have a club membership where we come out and give you:
- 2 pre-paid precision HVAC tune-ups per year
- No dispatch fee EVER!
- 15% off all parts and labor
- Front of the line priority service
What’s the cost for an AC tune-up membership?
It’s kind of a no-brainer to let us come out and maintain your system for just $14.95 a month or $179.40 per year. We offer it at such a low price just because we want to develop relationships with our clients so when it does come time to change your system out, you’ll choose us to do the work. Talk to your technician and see how he can help you.
Fox Family Heating & Air serves Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, and all of Northern California. If you’re looking to schedule HVAC service in these areas, give us a call!
