Ask three contractors how often your system needs service and you'll get four answers. Here's ours, after 15 years in the field: your heating and cooling each need professional attention once a year — plus a filter habit you handle yourself. Everything else is detail.
Twice a year: the non-negotiable tune-ups
Cooling tune-up in spring, heating service in fall. Each visit catches the failures that become emergencies: weak capacitors, low refrigerant, cracked heat exchangers, clogged drains. A spring tune-up also restores efficiency right before the season your system works hardest — cutting summer cooling costs by up to 15%.
Every 1–3 months: the filter
Check monthly, replace when dirty — typically every one to three months depending on pets, allergies, and filter thickness. A clogged filter is the single most common cause of frozen coils, short cycling, and failed blower motors we see. It's a $15 part protecting a $8,000 system.
- 1-inch filters: check monthly, usually replaced every 30–60 days.
- 4-inch media filters: replaced every 6–12 months — easier and better filtration.
- Homes with pets or allergies: check twice as often as you think you need to.
Every 3–5 years: ducts and deep cleaning
Duct inspection and cleaning every three to five years keeps airflow strong and indoor air clean. Homes with renovations, pets, or allergy sufferers should lean toward three.
What skipping maintenance actually costs
Unmaintained systems fail more often, run less efficiently, and die younger — typically 10–12 years instead of 15–20. One avoided emergency repair usually pays for two years of a ComfortCare plan. And most manufacturers require annual service records to honor warranties, so skipping tune-ups can void coverage on a major part.
The easiest schedule: let us remind you
ComfortCare members never track any of this — we call you each spring and fall, schedule around your life, and keep the full service record for warranty purposes. Two tune-ups, priority scheduling, and 15% off repairs for $349 a year.