Maintenance
What an AC Tune-Up Actually Includes
The readings a real visit should include, and how to tell that visit from a twenty-minute sales call.
A tune-up is a set of measurements, not a speech about a new system. You are paying someone to say whether this equipment can cool the house, and what is about to fail.
Ask for these
Outdoor coil cleaned if it is packed. Indoor filter checked, not upsold blindly. Condensate drain cleared. Contactor and capacitor inspected. Temperature split across the coil, supply versus return. Superheat or subcool if they open the refrigerant circuit, which they should not do without a reason.
A written note of the outdoor model, the amp draw, and anything they recommend replacing, with a price separate from the visit. 'The compressor is tired' is not a measurement.
A sales call looks like this
Twenty minutes, no readings, a tablet full of financing, and a replacement quote before anyone has hosed the coil. Decline it. The filter, the coil, and the drain prevent most no-cool calls and they are ordinary work.
Independent AC repair should be able to service the system you own. If the only offer is a new one, call a different shop.
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